Chicago Wolves End Grand Rapids Griffins Win Streak in a Shootout
Photo Credit : Chicago Wolves
Grand Rapids Griffins (3) at Chicago Wolves (4)
Griffins Lines
John Leonard - Amadeus Lombardi - Michael Brandsegg-Nygard
Alex Doucet - Sheldon Dries - Austin Watson
Eduards Tralmaks - Tyler Angle - Jakub Rychlovsky
Carson Bantle - Gabriel Seger
Griffins Pairings
Ian Mitchell - Justin Holl
William Lagesson - Antti Tuomisto
William Wallinder - Alex Kannok Leipert
It took a shootout on a Sunday afternoon to finally end the Grand Rapids Griffins' undefeated streak. Griffins goaltender Michal Postava stopped four of four shots before going down with an injury in the first period. Carter Gylander stepped into the net, warding off 30 of the 33 shots Chicago threw on net.
The Wolves opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal from Justin Robidas 10:07 into the opening period. Robidas stripped the puck from three Griffins, who were trying to dig it off the boards, before going on a breakaway.
Beautiful work from Grand Rapids’ power play led to Sheldon Dries tying the game, 1-1, 5:35 into the middle stanza. Dries’ tip-in from the side of the crease was a beautiful reminder of the importance of net front presence.
Bradley Nadeau made it 2-1 in favor of the Wolves with 12:41 to play in the second period. The Griffins kept fumbling the puck in their offensive zone, which allowed Nadeau, Robidas, and Nick Suzuki to take off on a 3-on-1 breakaway.
Grand Rapids defender Ian Mitchell fumbled a pass at the blue line that allowed Chicago forward Evan Vierling to go on a short-handed breakaway before finding the back of the net, 3-1. Not even a minute later, Austin Watson redirected William Wallinder’s shot into the net for a power play goal to bring the Griffins within one of the Wolves, 3-2.
A little over four minutes into the third period, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard scored his first regular-season AHL goal on the power play to tie the game at three. He went super stealth mode and appeared out of nowhere before slamming the puck into the net.
Both teams were able to push the game through overtime and into a shootout. John Leonard was the lone scorer for Grand Rapids. Vierling and Nadeau successfully found the back of the net for Chicago.
But Wait! There’s More!
Special Teams
All three of Grand Rapids’ goals were scored on the power play. While going 3-for-5 on the man-advantage should scream ultimate success, the Griffins let in two shorthanded goals. Both were due to turnovers.
On a positive note, after Vierling’s shorthand breakaway goal, the Griffins' man-advantage worked hard to salvage their power play. A series of fast passes and laser shots from the faceoff dots filled the rest of the power play until Watson was finally able to score.
If anything, it shows it’s going to take a lot to take the wind out of the Griffins’ sails.
Notes and Quotes
The Griffins’ undefeated streak came to an end, but they are still on a nine-game point streak, and their .944 percentage is the best in the league.
With the call-up of Nate Danielson and the injury of Ondrej Becher, Grand Rapids fielded a lineup of 11-6. On Wednesday, the Griffins assigned defender Jacob Truscott to the Toledo Walleye (ECHL). Knowing that Alex Kannok Leipert can also play forward, Truscott should have been brought on the one game road trip to Chicago in case an issue arose. This is why, as an AHL GM, you need to assess the schedule ahead and the make up of your roster before agreeing to a player on your team to be assigned to the ECHL. There was no room for injuries on this small roster once Truscott was sent to Toledo. Now, it is important to note that having a full line-up might not have been enough to maintain the win-streak. Yes, it would have helped, but the Wolves were able to easily shift gears whenever the Griffins kicked it up a notch.
3 Stars
1st – Justin Robidas – Chicago – 1 goal, 1 assist
2nd – Evan Vierling – Chicago – 1 goal
3rd – Ruslan Khazheyev – Chicago – 33 shots faced, 30 saves, 65:00 TOI
Honorable Mention:
Griffins goaltender Carter Gylander stepped up to the call tonight. With Sebastian Cossa nursing a day-to-day injury, Grand Rapids was planning on running with Michal Postava between the pipes. When Postava went down in the first period, Gylander quickly suited up and took his place in net.
The first period was a bit of a struggle as he let in a goal not long after coming into the game. During the second and third period, Gylander constantly faced rushes and players crashing the net. Yet, somehow, Gylander fed off of the rushers. Each one made him stronger and more confident. This ended up being the perfect game for him to get ice time in.
What’s Next
The Griffins play host to the Toronto Marlies on Wednesday, November 12 (11am) and Friday, November 14 (7pm).
