AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Blanked by Wolves

Published on January 29, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Sparked by the return of Justin Abdelkader from the Detroit Red Wings, the Grand Rapids Griffins put in a strong effort against the Chicago Wolves on Friday but were not rewarded for their performance, as they dropped a 3-0 decision at Van Andel Arena.

Daniel Larsson stopped 22 of 24 shots while his teammates outshot Chicago by a 32-25 count, but they could not prevent the Griffins (21-25-0-1) from falling for the fifth straight time. They'll look to get back on track on Saturday when they host the Rockford IceHogs at 7 p.m.

After a scoreless first period in which the Griffins outworked the Wolves to the tune of a 16-7 shot advantage, Chicago scored the lone goal of the second frame. Matt Anderson's shot sailed wide right of Larsson's net, but Joey Crabb quickly corralled the carom off the end boards below the left goal line and fought through a defender to whip the puck inside the left post at 14:47.

The Wolves pushed their advantage to 2-0 on another fortunate bounce of the puck 6:16 into the third, as Larsson managed to turn aside a wildly bouncing biscuit from the left side before Spencer Machecek slammed the rebound into a gaping net.

Larsson denied Brett Sterling's penalty shot after an eyebrow-raising call by the referee at 11:31 to keep the Griffins within striking distance, but Crabb potted his second of the night into an empty net with eight seconds left, giving Chicago (28-17-0-2) its 11th win in its last 13 games.

Peter Mannino made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season, as the Griffins suffered their second blanking of the campaign and their first shutout loss at home since a 1-0 defeat to Hamilton on Dec. 31, 2007.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 29, 2010


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