Grizzlies working on ways to score

WEST VALLEY CITY — After a three-loss opening weekend in Phoenix, in which they were outscored 16-4, the Utah Grizzlies are spending the practices this week leading up to Friday's home opener working on driving to the net with reason.

With a young team full of players coming out of juniors or colleges, where they were "the big dogs, making the pretty plays and stuff," said coach Jason Christie, the tendency for the Grizzlies on opening weekend was to be so fancy they never got off good shots.

"We had no finish," Christie said Tuesday following Utah's annual Faceoff Luncheon at the E Center.

Late Wednesday, the Grizzlies released West Valley City native D.J. Jellito, a forward, and defenseman Eric Nelson. Each was starting his third season with Utah.

At Tuesday's luncheon, much was made of ECHL Utah's new affiliation with the NHL New York Islanders, who have contributed 10 players to the Grizzly roster, most of them rookies. It was Christie's "No. 1 goal" last summer to find an NHL parent team after two years of the Grizzlies being independent, and he said, "I don't think there's another situation we'd like to be in" than in signing on with the Islanders.

It was also noted that Utah's attendance went up some 11 percent in the 2006-07 season from its first year in the ECHL. Last season, Utah drew an average of 4,223 fans. In 2005-06, it was 3,844. Total attendance in 2006-07 was 152,029, compared to 138,394 in 2005-06, even though Utah made the playoffs the first year but not last season.

The Grizzlies open the home season Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. in the E Center against defending Kelly Cup champion Idaho and will certainly need to score better to keep up with the Steelheads.

After an unsuccessful opening weekend, it's back to basics for the Grizzlies. "Any opportunity to take the puck to the net, we had to do it. That's what we need to do," said the third-year Utah coach, who added that this is the youngest team he's ever had after five years coaching at Peoria and two in Utah, all in the ECHL.

"Even in exhibition games everything was coming so easily for them, but the dress rehearsal was over, and they weren't ready to pick the game up. This is men against the boys now. It's not just guys coming to try out."

The Grizzlies expected New York Islanders' property Mike Mole, a goalie, to be back late Tuesday after spending the weekend backing up at AHL Bridgeport, part of the Islanders' family.

They also have a couple of new players in defenseman Sean Offers, signed on Friday, and right wing Justin Johnson, who arrived Monday.

Johnson played some games the last couple of years with both Idaho and 2005-06 Kelly Cup champion Alaska. "He brings an edge to his game, a hard-working player," Christie said. "Just a high-energy guy who's going to take pride in his penalty kill and his forechecking, put pressure on the other team."

Christie observed Offers as he tried out for Bridgeport a few weeks ago. He was under contract to Columbia of the ECHL but released, and Christie jumped at him.

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