Grizzlies claim rubber match

WEST VALLEY CITY — Nothing like a good bounce back to decide a rubber match.

Utah goalie Jason Bacashihua rebounded from a bad outing two days earlier to lead the Grizzlies to a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals in the E Center.

"Whenever you play three games in a row against the same team there's going to be a lot of emotion. They responded last game and I thought we responded this game," said Utah coach Don Hay, whose team dropped a 6-0 decision to the Admirals on Monday. "We got a lot of good effort and our goalie was our best player. He was real strong. He responded from a poor effort and met the challenge."

Bacashihua finished with 32 saves as Utah topped Milwaukee for the second time in five days.

Zenon Konopka scored the game-winning goal at 2:19 of the third period as Utah snapped a three-game losing streak at home and prevailed in the E Center for the first time since a 6-0 win over Manchester on Dec. 19. Dan Jancevski, the lone Grizz representative in next month's AHL All-Star Game, was credited with an assist on the decisive score that was fired off a rebound in a crowded crease.

"It was important for us because we play better with the lead," Hay said after the Grizzlies improved to 14-20-4-3 and into a sixth-place tie with San Antonio in the Western Division.

Utah's woeful power play, which entered the game ranked second-to-last in the 28-team AHL, broke the ice in the first period. Jarrod Skalde's goal at 4:50 gave the Grizz a 1-0 advantage. Antti Miettinen and Nick Naumenko assisted on the play that came 40 seconds after a tripping penalty on Milwaukee's Brandon Segal.

"I thought we came out real sharp," Hay said. "If you can score on your first power play it gives your whole bench a lot of life and kind of sets the tone for the rest of the game."

Utah had a man-advantage two other times in the period, but came up empty. Milwaukee goalie Wade Flaherty, who played for the Grizz in 1997-98 and 2001-02, wound up with 29 saves in a physical affair that featured 19 penalties and numerous scoring opportunities.

Milwaukee used a power-play goal of its own to pull even in the second period. The Admirals capitalized on a Utah holding penalty at 18:31 when Tony Hrkac scored, off assists by Darren Haydar and Raitis Ivanans, to make it 1-1.

The Grizzlies return to action tonight in San Antonio (6 p.m., ESPN Radio 1230AM). They'll open a six-game homestand Saturday at 7 p.m. against Hartford.

SLAP SHOTS: Former Grizz star Gord Dineen will be honored in pregame ceremonies Saturday night . . . Utah recalled G Dan Ellis and D David Cornacchia from Idaho of the ECHL . . . C David Bararuk, LW Brett Draney, D Gerard DiCaire, D Sean Gagnon and D Tim Wedderburn were healthy scratches . . . G Ron Tugnutt is day-to-day with a slight groin pull . . . D Mark Wotton is out indefinitely after knee surgery . . . Attendance was 4,612.

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E-mail: dirk@desnews.com