Griffins' Offense Stifled in 3-1 Loss to Milwaukee
December 12, 2009 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Grand Rapids was the victim of a stifling defensive effort by Milwaukee on Saturday, as the Admirals outshot the Griffins 41-22 en route to a 3-1 win at Van Andel Arena, snapping the home team's three-game winning streak.
Playing their third home game in four nights, the Griffins were held to a season low in shots and managed only a Tomas Tatar goal midway through the third period, spoiling a tremendous 38-save effort by Daniel Larsson.
After completing a five-game homestand, Grand Rapids (16-10-0-0) will commence a five-game road swing on Sunday in Toronto with a 5 p.m. clash against the Marlies at Ricoh Coliseum.
The first period expired without a goal being scored, largely due to the yeoman work of Larsson, who stopped 15 Admirals shots while his teammates were returning only six on Milwaukee's Chet Pickard.
The Admirals' overwhelming shot advantage bore fruit in the second frame, as they scored twice in a span of only 1:55. Nick Spaling tallied the first goal during a power play at 5:08, after Milwaukee kept hacking at a puck that Larsson seemed to have covered in the crease. Wacey Rabbit was then granted a gift by a fortunate bounce at the 7:03 mark, as Sergei Kolosov lost the handle on a puck he was attempting to retrieve behind the Griffins' net. It popped out front to an opportunistic, forechecking Rabbit, who quickly chipped a shot past an unsuspecting Larsson inside the right post.
The Griffins finally solved Pickard with 10:07 remaining in the third period. During a 3-on-2 rush into the Milwaukee zone, Tatar received a cross-ice pass from Jeremy Williams and blistered a shot into the net from the left circle for his sixth goal in the last 10 games.
Grand Rapids had several chances to knot the score in the waning minutes, as a Doug Janik one-timer with 3:10 remaining harmlessly caromed off the left post and a goal-mouth scrum in the final minute proved unsuccessful. Milwaukee's Andreas Thuresson slid the puck into an empty net with 28 seconds left for the final margin.
Pickard finished with 21 saves for Milwaukee (13-8-1-4), which earned its third consecutive win.
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