Six Goal Third Period, Dzhaniyev Hat Trick Lead to Grizzlies Sunday Victory

Posted on by

Tulsa, Oklahoma – The Utah Grizzlies scored six goals in the third period to overcome a 3-1 deficit as they defeated the Tulsa Oilers 7-4 on a Sunday afternoon at BOK Center. Six Goal Third Period, Dzhaniyev Hat Trick Leads to Grizzlies Sunday Victory

Neither team scored in the first period. Utah’s Reilly Connors scored unassisted 2:34 into the second period. Tyler Poulsen, Konnor Smith and Coulson Pitre each scored second period goals for Tulsa as they led 3-1 after 2 frames.

Utah scored three goals in 1:57 early in the third period to take a 4-3 lead. Danny Dzhaniyev scored a power play goal 2:01 in. 57 seconds later Reed Lebster scored his team leading 14th of the campaign. Exactly one minute later Dzhaniyev scored his second goal of the afternoon. Tulsa’s Dylan Fitze scored a power play goal 6:40 in to tie the contest. Stepan Timofeyev gave Utah a 5-4 lead 10:41 in. Timofeyev scored 1 goal and 3 assists in the victory. Evan Friesen got some insurance 16:09 in as he scored from the left wing. Dzhaniyev completed the hat trick with an empty net goal 18:41 in.

Dzhaniyev became the 9th player in the Grizzlies ECHL era to have 2 or more hat tricks in a single season. Dzhaniyev is now tied for the league lead for points among rookies with 25 (9 goals, 16 assists).

The 6 goals for the Grizzlies are the most in a third period in team history. It’s also the most goals in a single period for Utah since they scored 7 goals in the second period vs Wichita on January 25, 2025. The seven goals for the game tie a season high, which was just two days ago on December 19th in a 7-4 win at Kansas City.

Dylan Wells earned his team leading 7th win as he saved 28 of 32. Tulsa’s Vyacheslav Buteyetes stopped 38 of 44 in the loss. Utah was 1 for 6 on the power play, Tulsa was 2 for 2.

Reilly Connors and Evan Friesen each had 1 goal and 2 assists. Utah’s record goes to 12-13-2 on the season. They are 9-6-1 on the road, outscoring opponents 59 to 51. Utah has scored 20 goals in their last 4 games.

The Grizzlies will host the Idaho Steelheads in a two-game series at Maverik Center on December 26-27. Face-off both nights are at 7:10 pm and tickets are available at utahgrizzlies.com.

3 stars

  1. Danny Dzhaniyev (Utah) – 3 goals, 1 assist, +4, 8 shots.
  2. Evan Friesen (Utah) – 1 goal, 2 assists, +5, 6 shots.
  3. Dylan Fitze (Tulsa) – 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 shots.