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AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins' Outburst Downs Ducks, 3-0

January 17, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids, Mich. - Joey MacDonald made 33 saves to earn his first AHL shutout and help the Grand Rapids Griffins continue their mastery of the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks with a 3-0 win before a Friday night crowd of 7,771 at Van Andel Arena.

MacDonald, who played one game for Cincinnati in last year's Calder Cup playoffs, made 26 stops over the final 40 minutes to preserve his shutout and guide Grand Rapids to its fourth consecutive win over the Ducks.

Grand Rapids, 2-1-1-0 on its current five-game home stand, will conclude the stretch by hosting the San Antonio Rampage at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. The first-place Griffins (24-11-6-2) will enter play with a season-high 15-point lead over Rochester in the Central Division standings.

The Griffins' top three scorers - Mark Mowers, Michel Picard and Stacy Roest - accounted for all the scoring in a 2:06 span late in the first period. Following nearly 17 scoreless minutes, Roest began the onslaught by ripping a shot past J.F. Damphousse from low in the left circle at 16:54.

Less than 90 seconds later at the same spot on the ice, Picard stood unchallenged with the puck for several seconds, finally attempting a pass through the slot that deflected off a Mighty Duck and into the goal at 18:15. Mowers then made it a three-goal game and chased Damphousse from the net at the 19:00 mark by snapping a shot from the left circle during a 2-on-1 break.

Ilja Bryzgalov entered the game and was tested with only four shots over the next 21 minutes, as the Ducks carried the play during the second period. MacDonald was up to the task on the other end, however, turning away 15 shots during the frame to keep it a 3-0 game after two.

The shots were more balanced in the third, with Cincinnati holding an 11-8 advantage, and the Griffins stood firm to stay undefeated against the Ducks overall this season (5-0-1-0) and all-time at Van Andel Arena (4-0-2-0).

Cincinnati (12-19-7-4), which dropped its sixth straight road game to fall 21 points behind Grand Rapids, went scoreless in two power play tries, while the Griffins failed on their lone attempt.

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American Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2003


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