AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Wolves Down Griffins 3-1

Published on March 28, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids, Mich. - Philippe Plante's goal just 49 seconds into the game marked the Griffins' only tally on Friday, as the Chicago Wolves rallied for a 3-1 win before a sellout crowd of 10,834 at Van Andel Arena.

The Griffins (45-20-8-2) managed just 16 shots the rest of the night, and Frederic Cassivi stopped them all to break Grand Rapids' three-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Chicago (39-24-7-4) won for the sixth straight time and the 11th time in its last 13 games.

The Griffins will visit Cincinnati at 7:35 on Saturday before returning to Van Andel Arena on Sunday at 4 p.m. for their regular season home finale against the Hershey Bears. Fewer than 1,200 tickets remain for the contest.

Grand Rapids took its lead on the game's first shot, thanks to the playmaking of the AHL's leading scorer. Michel Picard picked up the puck behind the net and found Plante charging down the slot. The defenseman beat Cassivi inside the left post for his eleventh goal of the season, the third-highest single-season total for a Grand Rapids blueliner. The assist was Picard's 80th point of the season, marking only the fifth time in franchise history that a Griffin has hit that milestone.

Chicago drew even with 5:54 left in the period. From the right boards, Derek MacKenzie sent a pass to Judd Medak, who was camped out alone in front of Marc Lamothe. Medak redirected the puck top shelf from his backhand, beating the AHL's First Team All-Star goaltender.

The Wolves used their top-ranked power play to take a 2-1 lead at the 7:46 mark of the second period. Following a passing sequence around the Griffins' net that drew Lamothe down to the ice, Rob Brown scored on a blast from the left circle. Chicago's Luke Sellars provided the final margin at 2:45 of the third period, launching a shot off a faceoff that hit Lamothe but trickled over the line.

While he suffered the loss on 19 saves, Lamothe also set a record for minutes played by a Griffins goalie. His current total of 3,280 minutes surpasses Pokey Reddick's standard of 3,244, set during Grand Rapids' inaugural 1996-97 campaign.

The Griffins squandered five power play opportunities, while the Wolves converted one of their four chances.

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American Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2003


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