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AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

MacDonald bags third straight home shutout as Griffins roll, 3-0

February 14, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids, Mich. - Joey MacDonald on Saturday became the first goalie in Griffins history to record three consecutive home shutouts, making 35 saves to lead Grand Rapids to a 3-0 win over the Houston Aeros at Van Andel Arena.

MacDonald, who stopped 22 shots in Friday's 4-0 victory over Manitoba, also set a franchise mark with his current home shutout streak of 194:41. The Griffins (32-14-8-0) extended their franchise-record home unbeaten streak to 12 games (9-0-3-0) and claimed their sixth straight win in friendly confines, four of them by shutout.

This three-game set with the Aeros (18-25-10-3) now turns to the brand new Toyota Center in Houston, where these West Division rivals will have at it on Monday and Wednesday.

MacDonald was a busy man during the opening period, turning away all 15 Aeros shots while his teammates managed only one fruitless attempt against Houston's Johan Holmqvist.

After circling the wagons during intermission, the Griffins out-shot the Aeros by a 15-10 margin in the second period and grabbed a 1-0 lead. During a power play, Derek King sent a pass down low to Jiri Hudler, who redirected the puck over Holmqvist from the right side at 13:02.

The perseverance of Ryan Barnes resulted in a two-goal advantage just 1:24 into the final frame. Charging down the right side, he fired a shot that was turned away but collected the loose rubber and banged the puck into the cage.

A physical game got out of hand after Kevin Miller scored into an empty net with 1:56 remaining. During the final 57 seconds, the teams combined for 104 penalty minutes, including six fighting majors, four game misconducts, two 10-minute misconducts and several other infractions. The Griffins finished the night with 11 penalties for 58 minutes, while Houston was whistled 15 times for 66 minutes.

Holmqvist made 22 saves but fell victim to a Griffins defense that has allowed only 14 goals over the last 12 games, including just four in the last 403:09 on home ice. Grand Rapids, which continues to lead the AHL with 32 wins, 72 points and a 0.667 winning percentage, now owns a nine-point advantage over Milwaukee in the West Division race.

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

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