Teddy Bears and Hands Thrown in Grand Rapids 3-2 Win Over Iowa
Photo Credit: Nicolas Carrillo/Grand Rapids Griffins
On Friday, 8,781 fans streamed into Van Andel Arena with stuffed animals in tow for the Grand Rapids Griffins annual Teddy Bear Toss, benefitting the Billy Bear Foundation.
It took the Griffins 8:24 to send over 4,500 bears careening through the air. Veteran defenseman, Justin Holl had the honor of scoring the coveted Teddy Bear Toss goal.
“It was a nice play by (Tuomisto) at the blue line. I was able to get it over to him. And then, he was patient, gave it back,” said Holl of the play leading up to his goal. “Then a lane opened up. I found (Brandsegg-Nygard). It came right to me and I skated it into the net.”
For Holl, this goal was extra special as it was the first time he’s ever made it rain stuffed animals. And, Holl knew this year was going to be his time to shine. “We were talking about it in the locker room beforehand, and I said I might be due,” said Holl. “And I was. So, it was nice.”
With smiles on their faces, the Iowa Wild helped the Griffins clear the ice of stuffed animals. There were even a few laughs shared along the way. But then, it was business as usual, and the mood flipped from friendly to antagonistic. Before the ref could even drop the puck to re-start play, Iowa’s Mark Liwiski began to aggressively whisper in Grand Rapids’ Carson Bantle’s ear. Once the puck dropped, so did the gloves.
In a matter of moments, we went from watching bears be thrown to hands being thrown. This level of aggression from Iowa continued for the entire game. “We score a goal, and they send out arguably their fourth line to start something,” said Head Coach Dan Watson. “Thank goodness Bantle was ready for it and did a really good job.”
The Griffins extended their lead to 2-0, thanks to a on-timer from the faceoff circle by forward Eduards Tralmaks on the power play. Nine seconds later, Iowa responded with a goal of their own. Unfortunately, while trying to block an oncoming rush, Holl slid into goaltender Carter Gylander, which allowed Nicolas Aube-Kubel to find the back of the net, 2-1.
A defensive breakdown led to Gerry Mayhew scoring on the power play 5:33 into the second to tie the game at two. Mayhew was able to score because he was left alone to the side of Gylander. If there is one man you don’t want to take your eyes off of, it’s Mayhew.
At this point in the game, things began to go down hill for both teams. The second period was a complete mess. Dare I say, everyone played like they were in shambles. Both teams played frantic hockey, which turned into sloppy plays and flying sticks.
“Not the best game, obviously. That’s why the emotions are not as high. We just keep ourselves to a higher standard,” said Tralmaks. “It was a long week, long travel to Texas. But, good teams find a way to win.”
One way to find a win is by scoring. Luckily, for the Griffins, forward John Leonard scored his 14th goal of the season 8:05 into the second to give Grand Rapids the 3-2 lead. A set of beautiful passes from Sheldon Dries and Jacob Truscott, paired with an incredible screen and perfectly timed jump by Dominik Shine led to Leonard’s goal coming to fruition.
Despite being on the penalty kill for much of the third period, the Griffins were able to keep the Wild at bay and skate away with 3-2 win.
“Our guys dug deep and had a heck of a penalty kill in the third period. It felt like that’s what we did all third period long,” said Coach Watson. “So, I give these guys on the ice a ton of credit for sticking with it. Mentally sticking with it.”
The two squads meet again on Sunday afternoon, and they are expecting it to be another emotional, aggressive, and spicy game.
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You can watch the full post-game presser below:
