AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins in Seventh Heaven after 2-1 Win in OT

Published on January 17, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids, Mich. - Kevin Miller's third overtime goal of the season capped off a stunningly successful marathon of games for the Griffins and gave them a 2-1 victory over the St. John's Maple Leafs on Saturday at Van Andel Arena.

Already guaranteed one point, the Griffins (25-12-6-0) buzzed around the St. John's net during overtime and had several prime scoring chances before Miller lifted a shot over Jamie Hodson from the left side at 2:40. Jiri Hudler assisted on the play to extend his point streak to 12 games, the longest in the AHL this season and five games shy of Derek King's franchise record.

Incredibly, the Griffins completed their record stretch of seven games in nine days without suffering a loss, finishing with five wins and a pair of ties. Three of those wins came in overtime at Van Andel Arena, part of an unprecedented run of five straight home games that have required extra time.

Grand Rapids will enjoy three well-deserved days off before plunging into a four-games-in-five-nights stretch, starting on Wednesday with a 7 p.m. visit from the Rochester Americans.

On the heels of his two-goal performance last night, Nathan Robinson staked the Griffins to a 1-0 advantage late in the opening period. During a power play, King found the AHL All-Star in the high slot, and Robinson wristed a shot between Hodson's pads at the 19:15 mark.

The Maple Leafs (20-18-5-2) used a power play of their own to tie it at 4:18 of the second. Marc Lamothe made the initial save on a blast from the point by Josh Holden, but the puck ended up behind him in the crease and Nathan Barrett tapped it into the empty cage.

With the victory, the Griffins now boast an AHL-high 25 wins, while their 56 points tie Bridgeport for league supremacy. Grand Rapids maintained its seven-point advantage atop the West Division over Chicago, a 5-1 winner over Manitoba tonight.

The Griffins are now 5-0-6 in overtime this season, and 13-2-25 combined over their three AHL campaigns.

Lamothe stopped 26-of-27 in the win, while Hodson sustained the loss despite also turning away 26.

View this game's official box score on-line at griffinshockey.com.

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2004


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