Las Vegas Thunder 6, Utah Grizzlies 5 (SO)

Monday, Dec. 1, 1997 | 9:49 a.m.

LAS VEGAS--The Las Vegas Thunder (12-10-3) scored on three of four shootout chances to take a 6-5 win over the Utah Grizzlies (13-6-4) Friday night. A crowd of 10,018 was on hand at the Thomas & Mack Center as the Thunder won their fourth straight. The Southwest Division rivals traded goals through most of regulation time. Utah's John LeBlanc started things off 1:50 into the game. Jesse Belanger tied the score at 15:32, with his 18th goal of the season. Fred Knipscheer put the Grizzlies back on top at 7:09 of the second stanza, but the lead lasted only 14 seconds, until the Thunder's Joe Day picked up the first of his two goals. Greg Spinrath, who assisted on Knipscheer's tally, also scored for Utah in the second, and Ken Quinney equalized at 16:53. Utah's Radislav Pavlikoski scored twice in the final stanza, while Belanger and Day found the net for Las Vegas. IHL scoring leader Patrice Lefebvre picked up one assist, on Belanger's first-period tally, before leaving the game in the second with a twisted right knee. Grizzlies goalie Mark MacArthur, who set up Pavlikoski's first goal, also left the game with an injury. Substitute Wade Flaherty made two saves in the last 6:03 of regulation, and was in goal for the shootout. MacArthur finished with 28 saves. Winning goalie Manny Legace faced 34 shots in regulation, making 29 saves, and turned away three of the Grizzlies' four shootout attempts.