AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Face Tough Climb after 2-1 Loss

Published on May 17, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Houston - Travis Roche lifted a loose puck over Marc Lamothe's glove with 3:04 remaining on Saturday, giving the Houston Aeros a 2-1 victory over the Grand Rapids Griffins and a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.

Lamothe deserved a far better fate in Game 4, stopping 30 shots on the night and spearheading a penalty killing unit that denied the Aeros on all seven of their opportunities with the man advantage. Houston, which was awarded the game's last four power plays, was given its final one with just 2:31 remaining, all but extinguishing the Griffins' chances of coming back.

Monday's Game 5 is set for an 8 p.m. EDT start at the Compaq Center.

A tightly contested first period resulted in a scoreless tie after 20 minutes, with the Aeros enjoying an 8-3 advantage in shots.

Midway through the second period, just after the Griffins' offense had come to life with six shots and several quality scoring chances during their last of three power plays, their persistence paid off in the form of a Mark Mowers goal. Mowers found a loose puck and beat Johan Holmqvist from the right side, ending Grand Rapids' scoreless streak at 80:25.

The Griffins continued to carry the play, at one point firing 11 unanswered shots at Holmqvist, while their penalty killers were also doing the job, denying five Aeros opportunities over the first two periods. Just a few minutes after Mowers' tally, as Grand Rapids finished killing off more than three minutes of Houston power play time, including 47 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage, a mishandled puck ended up in the Griffins' net.

Rickard Wallin dumped the puck down the left boards and Lamothe skated behind the net to play it. He was pressured by a forechecking Rastislav Pavlikovsky, who caused the netminder to whiff and fall while attempting to push the puck into the right corner. Pavlikovsky gathered the puck, wrapped around the goal and shot into the empty cage at 14:56.

Lamothe redeemed himself with stellar goaltending in the third period, denying 10 shots before Roche's fluttering effort found the back of the net. Holmqvist finished with 26 stops, including a beautiful glove save on a Travis Richards blast from the blueline with 5.9 seconds left that preserved his win.

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American Hockey League Stories from May 17, 2003


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