Grizzlies dig another hole, fall at home to Monarchs

WEST VALLEY CITY — Coming from behind is not the way to win. New Utah Grizzlies coach Pat Conacher has been preaching that for a week now, but, "Whatever we're doing isn't working," Conacher said. "We've got to change that."

When they get behind, bad bounces are magnified, and the result is losing a 5-3 game before 2,274 at the E Center Wednesday night to the 3-0 Manchester Monarchs.

"I'll take the blame for the loss," said goalie Jean-Marc Pelletier, the victim of two odd scores that gave the Monarchs their third and fourth goals and prompted his being pulled in the closing minutes for an extra skater — which wound up costing the Grizzlies an empty-net goal.

"The third and fourth goals did stuff that doesn't usually happen," said Pelletier. " And for some reason or another, I'm not getting the bounces — some strange things kind of happening. It's not from a lack of effort, and the only thing I know to do is work even harder, and hopefully you get those bounces."

On the third Monarchs' goal, which came short-handed, Pelletier made the initial save and had the puck at his feet as he lay on the ice, a teammate standing over him. Both looked like they were waiting for a whistle, but it never came, and Manchester's Noah Clarke swooped in and stunningly put the stationary puck into the net.

Pelletier said he didn't know what happened.

Utah scored its first goal of the game later on the same power play.

Left wing Martin Sonnenberg finally got the Grizzlies on the scoreboard with 30 seconds left in the second period during a five-on-three when he tapped in a puck out of the left-wing circle from center Jakub Koreis to cut the Monarchs' lead to 3-1.

But just as the Grizzlies appeared to gain some decorum, starting the third period moving better, a puck kicked off the boards by Utah defenseman Jonathan Zion went to Pelletier, who couldn't corral it with his stick and actually put it into his own net. Monarch Greg Hogeboom got official credit for his first career goal.

It was one of those bounces that aren't going Pelletier's way.

"I'd like to apologize to my teammates and the coaching staff," the goalie said. "It's so terrible right now. I'll make sure that it doesn't happen in the future."