Wolves Top Griffins 3-2 in Shootout
March 29, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Chicago Wolves News Release
The Chicago Wolves concluded their four-game road trip by defeating the Grand Rapids Griffins 3-2 in a shootout Wednesday night in Michigan.
Malte Stromwall scored the winner in the shootout and Joseph LaBate and Tuukka Tieksola had goals in regulation as the Wolves won their second in a row and finished the trip with a 2-1-1-0 record.
Chicago gained a valuable two points to pull within six of Rockford for the fifth and final Central Division postseason spot.
Wednesday's contest was scoreless deep into the opening period when LaBate found the back of the net with one minute remaining. Camped in front of the net, the forward redirected a point shot from Griffin Mendel past Griffins goaltender John Lethemon to put the Wolves out in front. Mendel and Anttoni Honka were awarded assists on LaBate's eighth goal of the season.
Tieksola gave the Wolves a 2-0 lead midway through the second when he scooped up a loose puck at the blue line, skated in alone on Lethemon and beat the goalie with a forehand shot to the glove side. The unassisted goal was Tieksola's seventh of the season and third in three games since returning from Liiga of the Finnish League.
Later in the period, the Griffins evened the score at 2-2 on goals by Joel L'Esperance and Dominik Shine just :51 apart.
After a scoreless third, the game went into overtime and eventually a shootout. The Wolves picked up the extra point when Tieksola and Stromwall scored against Lethemon.
Zachary Sawchenko made 28 saves over regulation and overtime - and two more in the shootout - to earn the win for the Wolves while Lethemon (29 saves) suffered the loss for the Griffins.
The Wolves upped their record to 28-28-4-3 on the season and Grand Rapids dropped to 27-30-4-4.
Up next: The Wolves host the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday at Allstate Arena (7 p.m.; My50 Chicago, AHLTV).
• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...
American Hockey League Stories from March 29, 2023
- Silver Knights Fall, 5-3, to Calgary on the Road - Henderson Silver Knights
- Amerks Fall in Overtime in Rematch with Monsters - Rochester Americans
- Griffins Rally To Earn Point Against Chicago - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Penguins Battle with Bruins to 4-3 Shootout Loss - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Three Different Goal Scorers Help P-Bruins to Eighth Straight Victory - Providence Bruins
- Monsters Battle to Earn 3-2 Overtime Victory Against Amerks - Cleveland Monsters
- Brodzinski Strikes Twice as Wolf Pack Win Key Matchup with Islanders 4-1 - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Islanders Fall to Wolf Pack - Bridgeport Islanders
- T-Birds Erase Two Deficits to Down Checkers, 7-4 - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Wolves Top Griffins 3-2 in Shootout - Chicago Wolves
- Checkers Drop First of Three Against Springfield - Charlotte Checkers
- Ontario Reign Sign Forward Alex Laferriere to ATO - Ontario Reign
- IceHogs Sign Ludwinski to Amateur Tryout - Rockford IceHogs
- Game Day - HSK vs CGY - 03.29.2023 - Calgary Wranglers
- Abbotsford Canucks vs Manitoba Moose Series Preview - Abbotsford Canucks
- Panthers Recall Mack Guzda, Checkers Recall Evan Fitzpatrick, Sign Josh Davies to ATO - Charlotte Checkers
- Blackhawks Assign Hardman to Rockford - Rockford IceHogs
- Anaheim Ducks Recall Andrej Sustr from San Diego - San Diego Gulls
- Bears Take Down Marlies, 3-1 - Hershey Bears
- Roadrunners Sign Forward Micah Miller - Tucson Roadrunners
- T-Birds Hit Road for Pivotal 3-Game Set in Charlotte - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Series Preview: March 29 & 31 vs. Calgary - Henderson Silver Knights
- Blackhawks Agree to Terms with Brett Seney - Rockford IceHogs
- Rangers Assign Forward Adam Sýkora to Wolf Pack, Pack Ink Bryce Mcconnell-Barker to ATO - Hartford Wolf Pack
- The Bridgeport Report: Week 23 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Detroit Returns Taro Hirose to Griffins - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Wolf Pack Face Islanders in Key Atlantic Division Showdown - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game #65 - Tucson Roadrunners at San Diego Gulls - Tucson Roadrunners
- Phantoms Power Play - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Bridgeport Islanders Look for Third Straight Win Tonight - Bridgeport Islanders
- Griffins Sign Ryan Bednard to PTO - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Game Preview: Bears at Marlies, 11 a.m. - Hershey Bears
- Pierrick Dube Notches Three Points in Laval Win - Manitoba Moose
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.
