Utah Grizzlies rebound to beat Falcons in OT, go up 3-2

WEST VALLEY CITY — The first ECHL home playoff victory in Utah Grizzlies' history was a well-earned one, goalie Nathan Lawson matching his Fresno opponent with zeroes in every regulation period and rookie Keith Johnson putting in a rebound of a Ryan Kinasewich shot off a faceoff 3:38 into overtime for a 1-0 victory Saturday night in the E Center.

Utah was 0-4 in home playoff games until that overtime goal from Johnson that gave Utah a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

The series shifts back to Fresno for Game 6 Monday at 8 p.m. MDT. Game 7, if needed, would be Wednesday in Fresno, also at 8.

"It was a great job by K.J. battling in front, and Kinasewich, too," said Grizzlies' coach Jason Christie, "and (Tyler) Haskins gets that key draw. Kinasewich grabbed it, and K.J. was battling right in front of the net. He was right in front, battling away."

The faceoff had come in the Falcons' zone due to an icing call.

"It was good work down low," said Johnson, who got his second playoff goal. "Haskins and Kinasewich did a good job. I was just right there at the right time and was fortunate enough to get the rebound."

"How about Lawson making that save?" Christie added of a play by the goalie 1:12 into the overtime when a turnover at the Utah blue line resulted in a 3-on-1 break. A diving Lawson gloved the puck shot by Falcon Mike Ramsay as the Fresno players raised their arms thinking they'd won.

"They scored on pretty much the same play the other night," said Lawson. "He walked around our D man, I knew that guy was coming, and I knew there was a guy high, and he just threw it across.

"Luckily it wasn't as hard as the night before, and it gave me a little bit of time to get over there, and I just tried to make a desperation save, and luckily it hit me."

The puck hit Lawson's glove and dropped in front of him to grab.

It gave Lawson a shutout win to hold after his opponent, Fresno's Jake Moreland, had stoned the Grizzlies 3-0 in the E Center Wednesday and had them scoreless for 59-plus minutes Friday in a 6-1 Falcon win to tie the series at 2-2 after Utah had won both games in Fresno.

"Yeah, no kidding," Lawson said. "He's playing unreal. He had the one shaky game the first game (Utah's series-opening 6-1 win in SavMart Center), but he's been unbelievable ever since then."