Coach tips hat in Grizz victory

WEST VALLEY CITY — Utah Grizzlies coach Don Hay has had this old blue construction-type hard hat sitting around. He wanted to give it to the hardest working Grizzly player in a win.

But, dang. It took a long time. The Grizzlies went six games into the season without getting a victory.

"It's got dust on it," observed assistant coach Bob Bassen Wednesday night. "It's been waiting to get on a head."

Finally, the blue hat with No. 41 on it found its way onto goaltender Mike Smith's head after Utah's 2-1 victory in the E Center over the San Antonio Rampage, and Smith proudly strode around the locker area wearing it in front of his teammates.

Hay reminded him to remember to take it with him when the Grizzlies leave for their two-game road trip that opens Friday in Grand Rapids. With a team that started building toward its first win with Monday's 1-1 tie against the same Rampage, hey, it's conceivable Utah could continue to win on the road.

"He was really steady in the nets," Hay said of Smith, a 6-foot-4 21-year-old from Kingston, Ontario, who played 11 games for the Grizzlies last year, splitting time with them and Lexington of the ECHL. He's been alternating with Jason Bacashihua in goal this season.

Smith credited the defense in front of him for helping him hold a San Antonio club that came into Salt Lake with a 4-0 record to just one goal. "They were playing awesome, making the right plays, the simple plays; they let me see the plays. They did a good job tonight," he said.

Smith is a bit of a wanderer in goal, roaming corner to corner to field loose pucks. "Yeah, I like to get out of my net. It helps my game. It's like a sixth player out there. It's great for the D, they don't have to come back sometimes, and it keeps the guys fresh," he said.

When the Grizzlies earned that tie Monday night, it breathed some life into a team that had only one standings point (for an overtime loss) through its first four games.

"We've had the lead going into the third a couple times this year and blown it," Smith said. "Haysie came in the room and just said, 'We can do this. Let's believe in ourselves.' We got a quick goal in there early, and that's all she wrote."

"It definitely gave us confidence," Hay said of Monday's tie. "We've been working pretty hard. The hockey gods were with us tonight."