AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Good Fortune at Home Runs Out

Published on December 6, 2002 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids, Mich. - The Griffins saw their eight-game home unbeaten streak (6-0-2-0) come to an end on Friday night, as the Utah Grizzlies' 3-2 win at Van Andel Arena gave Grand Rapids its first loss at home since Oct. 24.

Rookie Tomas Kopecky and newcomer Andrew Luciuk scored for the Griffins, but it wasn't enough to bolster an offense hurt by the absences of Michel Picard, Derek King and Rob Collins to injuries.

Still, Grand Rapids (12-6-4-2) maintains a seven-point lead in the Central Division over idle Cincinnati, heading into a Saturday night rematch with Utah (13-11-0-1) at Van Andel Arena.

Kopecky gave the Griffins a 1-0 lead at the 9:01 mark at the first period, taking a pass from Stacy Roest and beating Jason Bacashihua from the left hash marks. The goal was Kopecky's seventh of the season and his fifth in his last six games.

Utah drew even on a broken play during the waning minutes of the opening frame. Jon Sim carried the puck through the slot and fanned on two attempts, but the puck trickled out to the right of the net, and Eric Landry scored into a wide-open cage at 18:19.

The Grizzlies repeated the late lamp-lighting in the second period, when Greg Hawgood popped a shot over Joey MacDonald at the 18:10 mark to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage at the second intermission.

A similar scoring play by Jeff Bateman at 9:13 of the third made it a two-goal lead for Utah, but Grand Rapids' newest acquisition pulled the Griffins within one just 70 seconds later. With the Griffins set up in the Grizzlies' zone during a power play, Patrick Boileau fired a shot from the point that was deflected just inside the left post by Luciuk, who was signed earlier today from the UHL's Muskegon Fury.

MacDonald drew the start in goal for Grand Rapids following Marc Lamothe's recall by the Detroit Red Wings, sustaining the loss with 15 saves. Bacashihua, who made 46 saves in a 2-1 loss to the Griffins in Utah on Nov. 9, submitted another workhorse effort with 31 stops to steal the game for the Grizzlies.

Following a franchise-record 14-game unbeaten streak (11-0-3-0), the Griffins are now winless in their last five outings (0-3-0-2), their longest such streak since they lost five straight games in regulation during April 1999.

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American Hockey League Stories from December 6, 2002


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