WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – The Ontario Reign (6-4), four-time ECHL Pacific Division Champions and proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s 2014 Stanley Cup Champion Los Angeles Kings and Winnipeg Jets, fell by a 4-2 score in Game 3 to the Utah Grizzlies (5-4) in front of a crowd of 2,787 on Wednesday evening at Maverik Center.
Ontario took the lead in the first period when Maxim Kityn fed the puck into the slot for Rocco Carzo, who spun and lifted a backhand shot past Igor Bobkov at 7:42.
The Grizzlies answered moments later when Michael Pelech tipped home T.J. Syner’s blast from the point at 9:59.
The Reign took the lead again in the second when Josh Brittain knocked home a loose puck that squeaked through the pads of Bobkov at 11:09. Utah then switched out Bobkov with Eric Levine.
It appeared that Ontario was poised to capitalize on the power play when Matt Pelech was ejected for boarding Norm Ezekiel at 12:37, but the Grizzlies took advantage of a neutral zone turnover that led to a 2-on-0 breakaway for Michael Pelech and Syner, with Pelech sliding the puck past Jussi Olkinuora at 14:18 for a shorthanded goal to close out scoring in the middle frame.
In the third period, the Grizzlies took the lead when Camden Wojtala redirected a shot from Channing Boe into the net at 9:09, and Utah sealed the game to earn its first win of the series when Mathieu Aubin scored on an empty net at 19:01.
Olkinuora took the loss with 21 saves; Bobkov made four stops in 31:09 of action, while Levine earned the victory, making 13 saves in 28:51 of relief.
Three Stars:
1. UTA – Eric Levine
2. UTA – Michael Pelech
3. UTA – T.J. Syner
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