Well, the fun had to stop sometime. And that fun eight-game winning streak came to an end in the Maverik Center against the Utah Grizzlies.
On Friday: Despite mounting a late comeback, the Tahoe Knight Monsters fell for the first time in the month of December, losing 6-3 to the Utah Grizzlies at the Maverik Center.
It was their first loss since November 30 against the Idaho Steelheads, and the defeat broke Tahoe’s eight-game winning streak.
Things were hairy at the jump for the Knight Monsters, who allowed two early goals in the first period courtesy of Mick Messner and Gianni Fairbrother. Both skaters shot high blocker side on Tahoe netminder Jesper VIkman, a theme that continued throughout the game.
While Tahoe was able to fire 18 shots off in the first, including multiple high-danger chances, they were stonewalled at every turn by Utah goaltender Vinny Duplessis.
The trouble continued in the second period, as Derek Daschke scored under a minute in and Keaton Mastrodonato tacked on another halfway through the frame. Tahoe had a power play opportunity late in the period, but they were unable to muster a shot on goal.
In the third, Tahoe got on the board first with a Logan Nelson goal with around eight minutes to go, but Craig Armstrong notched the response just seconds later to make it 5-1. And even though both Jake McGrew and Bear Hughes scored in quick succession late in the period, it was too little, too late, against a desperate Utah squad.
Saturday
The Tahoe Knight Monsters faltered again against Utah, blowing an early 2-0 lead en route to a 6-4 loss against the Grizzlies. They allowed three goals in the third period and a hat trick to Neil Shea in the loss.
Tahoe scored the first two goals quickly in the first, with Bear Hughes and Sloan Stanick hitting the back of the net. But the Grizzlies would close the gap by the end of the frame, scoring twice including the game-tying strike with under 20 seconds to go.
Utah took the lead late in the second shorthanded, with Shea notching his first goal of the contest on a wraparound bid against Tahoe netminder Jordan Papirny.
In the third, Stanick scored his second of the game to tie things up at three. He finished the contest with four points and is by far the best-scoring rookie skater in the ECHL.
However, the Grizzlies took the lead back late with a power play goal from Shea, and Bryan Yoon tacked on a goal after the Knight Monsters squandered a power play opportunity with two minutes to go in the game.
While Jake McGrew was able to get Tahoe within one with under two to go, Shea completed the hat trick with an empty netter to slam the door.
The Knight Monsters will enjoy the holiday break before heading back home to play the Tulsa Oilers at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. The puck drops on Friday, December 27, at 7 pm. And, after every Knight Monsters home game check out a postgame party at AleWorX Stateline for wood-fired pizza, self-serve beer, and great scenery.