Griffins Improve to 3-0 by Downing Moose in Home Opener
AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Improve to 3-0 by Downing Moose in Home Opener

Published on October 17, 2025 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids Griffins on game night
Grand Rapids Griffins on game night
(Grand Rapids Griffins, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Behind a game-winning goal and two-point night from Dominik Shine, the Grand Rapids Griffins picked up a 5-2 victory over the Manitoba Moose on Friday in their home opener at Van Andel Arena, improving to 3-0 for the first time since their 2016-17 Calder Cup season.

Carter Mazur (1-1-2) and Tyler Angle (0-2-2) also had a pair of points each, Sheldon Dries contributed a shorthanded tally, and Sebastian Cossa logged 21 saves for his second win of the campaign.

After a big stop by Cossa, Austin Watson put the first goal on the board for Grand Rapids at the 7:14 mark of the opening period, finishing off a 2-on-1 by potting Angle's centering pass from the right hashmarks. Forty-five seconds later, Manitoba's Samuel Fagemo knotted the score with a shot from the top of the left circle that snuck through traffic.

Grand Rapids scored twice more to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. With the Griffins on the penalty kill, a Shine poke check sent Dries off on a partial break, and he tucked a backhand past Domenic DiVincentiis at 9:14. Shine extended the advantage with 6:06 showing on the clock, taking a feed from Mazur and ripping the disc into the top corner of the near-side post.

Early in the second, the Moose capitalized on a power play to cut the Griffins' lead to one, as Danny Zhilkin shot a wrister past the glove of Cossa from the right side at 5:44.

It remained a 3-2 contest until the latter half of the third period. Alex Doucet cleaned up a rebound of Angle's shot from the left post at 13:56, before Mazur finished off the night and a rush by sending a shot past DiVincentiis' glove with 4:29 to go.

By taking the win in the first game of their weekend series with the Moose, Grand Rapids moved to 8-2 in its last 10 home openers.

Note:

The Griffins are 3-0 for the sixth time in franchise history, joining 2016-17 (second Calder Cup), 2007-08, 2005-06 (AHL regular-season title), 2004-05 (on the way to a franchise-record 5-0 start), and 2000-01 (IHL regular-season title).

Highlights

Interviews

Photo Gallery

Game Center

Manitoba 1 1 0 - 2

Grand Rapids 3 0 2 - 5

1st Period-1, Grand Rapids, Watson 2 (Angle, Lombardi), 7:14. 2, Manitoba, Fagemo 1 (Yager, Di Giuseppe), 7:59. 3, Grand Rapids, Dries 1 (Shine), 9:14 (SH). 4, Grand Rapids, Shine 2 (Mazur, Kannok Leipert), 13:54. Penalties-Mitchell Gr (high-sticking), 8:50.

2nd Period-5, Manitoba, Zhilkin 2 (Clague, Gustafsson), 5:44 (PP). Penalties-Becher Gr (tripping), 4:36; Di Giuseppe Mb (hooking), 9:02; Mitchell Gr (tripping), 19:26.

3rd Period-6, Grand Rapids, Doucet 1 (Angle), 13:56. 7, Grand Rapids, Mazur 4 (Tuomisto), 15:31. Penalties-Bauer Mb (roughing), 15:01; Lambert Mb (roughing), 15:01; Wallinder Gr (roughing, roughing), 15:01; Watson Gr (misconduct - abuse of officials), 15:01.

Shots on Goal-Manitoba 13-6-4-23. Grand Rapids 17-10-14-41.

Power Play Opportunities-Manitoba 1 / 3; Grand Rapids 0 / 1.

Goalies-Manitoba, DiVincentiis 1-2-0 (41 shots-36 saves). Grand Rapids, Cossa 2-0-0 (23 shots-21 saves).

A-9,511

Three Stars

1. GR Shine (game-winning goal, assist); 2. GR Dries (shorthanded goal); 3. GR Mazur (goal, assist)

Record/Next Game

Grand Rapids: 3-0-0-0 (6 pts.) / Sat., Oct. 18 vs. Manitoba 7 p.m. EDT

Manitoba: 1-2-0-0 (2 pts.) / Sat., Oct. 18 at Grand Rapids 6 p.m. CDT

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Images from this story

Grand Rapids Griffins on game night
Grand Rapids Griffins on game night
(Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins)		   



American Hockey League Stories from October 17, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central