Stars Align For Griffins In 5-4 Win
February 21, 2010 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Stealing a page from their opponents' frequently used playbook, the Grand Rapids Griffins used a strong second period to rally past the Texas Stars by a 5-4 count on Sunday at Van Andel Arena.
Five different players recorded multiple points to help the Griffins (25-30-2-1) snap a four-game winless streak. Grand Rapids, which played its third home game in as many nights, will complete a four-game stand at Van Andel Arena on Wednesday when the San Antonio Rampage visit at 7 p.m.
A giveaway by Grand Rapids in its own zone quickly led to a goal by a former Griffin, as Aaron Gagnon beat Daniel Larsson from close range 3:35 into the opening period. Texas defenseman Ethan Graham then made it a 2-0 game at the 11:16 mark, taking a harmless-looking wrister from just inside the blue line that eluded a screened Larsson and found the top corner of the net.
The Griffins answered only 44 ticks into the second period, when Tomas Tatar converted Kris Newbury's centering pass from the slot. Midway through the frame, Doug Janik redeemed himself for the turnover that led to Texas' first goal by solving Richard Bachman on a long shot from the left boards, evening the score at 10:37.
Newbury set up his longtime teammate, Jeremy Williams, with 2:39 left in the period for a power play goal that put the Griffins ahead 3-2. Newbury's pass from the right point hit Williams at the bottom of the left circle, and he connected on a one-timer for his team-leading eighth power play tally and 19th goal of the season (tied with Jan Mursak).
Texas (31-20-3-4) needed 23 seconds of the third period to tie matters, as Greg Rallo put a juicy rebound past Larsson from the high slot. But the Griffins went ahead once again during a power play at 6:06, when Patrick Rissmiller finished a scrum around the Stars' goal by sliding the puck past Bachman.
Justin Abdelkader pushed Grand Rapids' advantage to 5-3 just 16 seconds after his teammates had killed off his interference penalty, crashing the net to pot Francis Pare's feed from the right side at 8:52. That goal sent Bachman to the Texas bench in favor of Todd Ford.
The Stars pulled Ford in favor of an extra attacker with just over two minutes left, and Gagnon tallied his second of the night on a backdoor tip-in with 25.3 seconds remaining. But Grand Rapids held on to post its fourth straight win over Texas, which currently resides in fourth place in the West Division.
Larsson made 30 saves for the win, while Bachman took the loss despite finishing with the same number of stops. Ford denied all four attempts he faced in relief.
Three Stars: 1. GR Janik (goal, assist); 2. GR Pare (three assists); 3. TEX Gagnon (two goals)
View this game's official box score at griffinshockey.com.
American Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2010
- Heat Hot Sheet - Abbotsford Heat
- Aeros End Streak At Rivermen Expense - Peoria Rivermen
- Admirals Corral Hogs In 4-1 Win - Milwaukee Admirals
- Heat Bounce Bruins 5-2 - Abbotsford Heat
- Bears Rally Late To Defeat Albany 5-3 - Albany River Rats
- Admirals Trip Up IceHogs 4-1 - Rockford IceHogs
- Stars Align For Griffins In 5-4 Win - Grand Rapids Griffins
- P-Bruins Fall To Heat 5-2 - Providence Bruins
- Monarchs Announce New Team President - Manchester Monarchs
- Rampage Squander Multiple Leads In 7-4 Loss To Wolves In Chicago - San Antonio Rampage
- Sound Tigers Beat Wolf Pack 2-1 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Postma's Hat Trick Keys 7-4 Come-From-Behind Win For Wolves - Chicago Wolves
- Griffins Slip By Stars 5-4 - Texas Stars
- Amerks Clinch 2,000th Franchise Win In The Shootout - Rochester Americans
- Monarchs Given Cold Shoulder - Manchester Monarchs
- Amerks End Pirates Streak - Portland Pirates
- Late Goal Downs Pack - Connecticut Whale
- Adirondack Shutout By Hamilton 5-0 In Montreal - Adirondack Phantoms
- Record Crowd Of 15,529 Witnesses Bulldogs Shut Out Phantoms 5-0 - Hamilton Bulldogs
- B-Sens Assign Matt Lowry And Tim Spencer To Elmira - Binghamton Senators
- Amerks Host Pirates On Hall Of Fame Night - Rochester Americans
- Wolf Pack Release Two From PTOs - Connecticut Whale
- Puska on Pucks features the AHL Outdoor Classic and the ECHL's Cincinnati Cyclones - OSC Original by Denis Puska
- Aeros fall 7-1 to Chicago - Houston Aeros
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
