Pulkkinen and Callahan Lead Griffins to 4-3 Win
Published on January 24, 2015 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Teemu Pulkkinen ripped his team-high 21st goal past John Curry with 4:20 remaining on Saturday to lift the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 4-3 victory over the Iowa Wild at a sold-out Van Andel Arena.
Collecting the puck along the boards at the right circle, Pulkkinen threw a simple-looking shot on net that somehow eluded the veteran Iowa netminder to send the Griffins into the AHL all-star break on a two-game winning streak.
Pulkkinen will serve as the Griffins' lone representative at the AHL's midseason classic in Utica, which consists of Sunday's skills competition at 8 p.m. and Monday's all-star game at 7 p.m. The all-star game will be televised live on Fox Sports Detroit, which will subsequently air a delayed broadcast of the skills competition at 10 p.m.
Mitch Callahan played a huge part in Grand Rapids' comeback win as well, scoring twice to help turn an early 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead, then adding an assist on Pulkkinen's game-winner.
The Wild built their two-goal cushion before the game was seven minutes old. From behind the net, Marc Hagel sent a feed out front to an unmarked Kurtis Gabriel, who popped a shot past Jared Coreau's glove just 2:29 into the contest. Iowa added to its lead during a power play at 6:37, as Tyler Groavac skated unchallenged from the left circle to the top of the crease before slipping the puck through Coreau's five hole.
Callahan cut the Griffins' deficit in half with 7:21 remaining in the period. Darting down the right side to catch up with a loose puck in the circle, he quickly fired a shot that glanced off Curry's left shoulder and into the top of the net.
Just over two minutes into the second period, Anthony Mantha appeared to have scored a goal while sliding into the Iowa net, but upon review referee Kendrick Nicholson ruled that the puck had been pushed in by Mantha's hand.
Undaunted, the Griffins (21-16-3-1) quickly scored twice to take a 3-2 advantage. Landon Ferraro tied the score at 3:37 after taking a stretch pass from Marek Tvrdon at the Iowa blue line, dashing to the right hashes and launching a wrister into the top right corner. Callahan tallied his second of the night 1:18 later during a power play, backhanding home a rebound of a Pulkkinen rocket following Andy Miele's faceoff win in the right circle.
The Wild (15-26-1-1) managed to knot the score at 3-3 in the final minute before intermission, as Zack Mitchell finished off a scrum by lifting a rebound past Coreau from the left side at 19:28, but ultimately couldn't avoid dropping their third game in a row.
Coreau made 14 saves in the win while Curry countered with 26 stops in the losing effort.
Following the all-star break, the Griffins and Wild will reunite in Des Moines on Thursday for an 8 p.m. EST rematch at Wells Fargo Arena.
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