AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Lamothe sets record, reaches milestone in 1-0 victory

Published on February 4, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids, Mich. - Marc Lamothe made 30 saves to post his third consecutive shutout of the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and backstop the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 1-0 win on Wednesday at Van Andel Arena.

Lamothe, who tonight became the second goalie to amass 50 wins in a Griffins uniform (50-29-13), also set a franchise record with the tenth regular season shutout of his Grand Rapids career.

The Griffins, whose nine-game unbeaten streak (6-0-3-0) at home is now one shy of the franchise record set during the 2000-01 season, will look to tie the mark when the Chicago Wolves pay a visit this Friday at 7:30 p.m.

After a scoreless first period in which the Griffins (29-13-8-0) owned a commanding 16-4 advantage in shots, their persistence paid off during a power play at the 5:14 mark of the middle frame. Derek King patiently collected a pass from Jeff Nelson at the top of the right circle and sent a wrister through a crowd past Ducks goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.

That goal would stand as the difference on the night, as the Ducks fired 26 shots at Lamothe to no avail over the last two periods. Grand Haven native Dan Bylsma, on assignment from the parent Mighty Ducks of Anaheim while rehabbing his left knee, had Cincinnati's best chance at solving Lamothe with 12:22 remaining in the game, but his shot rang off the crossbar.

Bylsma played his first game against the Griffins since visiting Van Andel Arena as a member of the IHL's Long Beach Ice Dogs on March 6, 1999, when he scored the game-winning goal shorthanded in a 5-3 Long Beach triumph.

Including his 29-save effort in a 3-0 win on Dec. 26 and a 35-save performance in a 2-0 victory on Nov. 30, Lamothe has now stopped 94 straight shots against the Mighty Ducks, accumulating a shutout streak of 182:23 against the Griffins' West Division rival.

Bryzgalov suffered the hard-luck loss for Cincinnati (18-21-7-1) despite stopping 32-of-33 shots.

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 February 4, 2004


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