Show F r Discipline e e IDe e Problem ro e r r i. i By Justin McBride Sports Editor When the defending Calder Cup champion Chicago Wolves come to play you'd better bring your A game You need to be sharp and play smart Those are things that the Utah Grizzlies didn't do in their two game series against t the e Wolves this past week in the E In two games the Grizzlies massed twenty-three twenty penalties for a grand total of three sixty-three penalty minutes something you cant can't do against the defending champs We have a discipline problem problem problem lem said Utah head coach Don Hay And if we dont don't figure it out soon were we're going to find it really tough to get into the position position position tion that we want to be in The discipline problems came to a head at the end of Wednesday nights night's g game me Toward the end of the third period period period peri peri- od Jeff Jet MacMillan got ta tangled up with witha a Chicago player behind the play and out of view of the official MacMillan got kicked in the head with a skate blade resulting g in 15 stitches No penalty was called as no official 0 I J. J I 0 saw it happen goals that Chicago scored on Jon Sim saw it happen how- how Friday night came on the power ever and was not happy With play twenty nine seconds left Sim Utah came out in the first put a big hit on a Chicago player period and set the tone with a lot sending him to the ice Sim was of physical play They looked ct called for a major penalty for elbowing and given a game misconduct penalty I dont don't know if it was retaliation said Sim of the hit Our guy got kicked in the head You have to see that My hit I didn't think it was that vicious so well we'll wait and see what hap hap- pens No suspensions suspensions suspensions were handed handed handed hand hand- ed out for Wednesday nights night's events so a. a You can play hard and physical without taking penalties You dont don't have to react to everything everything everything every every- thing that hap hap- pens The referees referees referees refer refer- ees arent aren't beating us Were We're beating beating beating beat beat- ing ourselves Utah head coach Don Hay J like a team that was in control They got on the board just over a minute into the first period on a aG aG aMorgan G a v i n Morgan goal The Wolves would come comeback comeback comeback back though as they scored through the period to even it up In the second period period period peri peri- od things seemed to fall apart for the Grizzlies the stage was set The Grizzlies for the rematch on Friday again scored quickly this time Surprisingly enough there was only twenty-one twenty seconds into the not a single fight Friday night period but they then seemed to but there were plenty of Grizzly lose control penalties In fact half of the Chicago scored the tying r. r o rl ra 1 goal four minutes into the sec sec- sec sec- ond Three minutes later they took the lead and the Grizzlies started taking penalties You can play tough without taking penalties said a frustrated ed coach Hay after Friday nights loss You can play hard and physical without taking penal penal- ties You dont don't have to react to everything that happens The referees arent aren't beating us Were We're beating ourselves Our lack of discipline all year is really starting to catch up with us said Utah's Jim Montgomery We have a lot of games in a short amount of time and we cant can't afford to kill a lotof lotof lot lotof of penalties When you have to kill penalties you waste so much energy killing those penalties and you dont don't have as much energy to go out and score goals The Grizzlies did spend a lot lotof lotof lotof of energy energy killing penalties Friday night It showed in the third period Chicago scored with fifteen fifteen fifteen teen minutes left in the third period and the team didn't seem to have enough left in their collective collective collective col col- col- col tank to try to come back We cant can't retaliate when we get hit or slashed said Montgomery Its not just d J r 1 killing g the penalties though Were We're wasting a lot of energy yelling at refs and linesmen All that negative energy takes a lot out of you We have to get more positive energy and its it's easier to have that when youre you're ahead but the fhe true character of a team is being able to come back After what has been a disappointing disappointing disappointing pointing home stand the Grizzlies head out for three games on the road Two games in Houston and one in in w Milwaukee Most players and nd coaches say that it will willbe be a good thing to get out on the road after the past few games Were going into Houston were we're going to be playing the best team said Montgomery We have to take it upon ourselves ourselves ourselves our our- selves to win those two games You gain confidence by playing against the best The Grizzlies will have to find a way to fix the discipline problem that they have or it could be a long road to the end of the season After the three game road trip the Grizzlies are back in inaction inaction inaction action Wednesday night against the Wilkes Scranton Penguins Face off is scheduled for C Ci J 1 K i I 1 0 i j l i 1 r I |