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GR Offense Fires Blanks In Loss To Monsters
Oulahen nets only tally for griffins despite 50 shots...
By Jason Kasiorek
www.griffinscentral.com
Grand Rapids, playing without four of their top scorers due to injury or NHL recall, turned in an uncharacteristically sound defensive performance in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss. The Griffins held the monsters to just 25 shots, including only 4 in the third period, while managing 50 of their own. Ryan Oulahen was the only Griffin to beat goalie Mike Wall, notching a powerplay marker in the second. Adam Berkhoel made 23 saves in the loss.The Griffins expected to have Goaltender Jimmy Howard and winger Mattias Ritola back from Detroit and in the lineup, but a last minute rule check showed them both ineligible because they dressed for Detroit's afternoon game.
A real chippy beginning to another matchup between hated rivals Grand Rapids and Lake Erie, with the two teams showing off their bad blood during the warmup. Thirty-five seconds into the game Quincey sought out Lundmark, dropping the gloves for a wild tussle. The play was pretty even between the two teams as they traded powerplay chances during the period. The Monsters scored on their chance, Healey ripping a shot from the bottom of the circle over Berkhoel, high glove side. Noted goon Dale Purinton lined up Tardif for a knee on knee hit that left the Griffins winger on the ice in agony. Purinton got a major and a game misconduct, but it cost the griffins the services of another top scorer. Grand Rapids was unable to get anything going on the five minute powerplay. Shots on Goal: GR 14 - Lake Erie 13.
The monsters notched another powerplay goal early in the second when a long shot beat Berkhoel. Another monsters' goal was called off for going in after the whistle. Oulahen got the home team on the board late in the period, batting a rebound from the bottom of the circle over wall to break the goose-egg. They had a good chance to tie it up late when Gelech sprung Redenback on a break, but he shot the puck into Wall's pads. Shots on Goal: GR 20 - Lake Erie 8.
Grand Rapids completely shut the Monsters down in the third, and spent most of the period in the Lake Erie end, but were unable to get a quality scoring chance, and the few they got, they didn't have the personnell to cash in on them. Late in the period they sent Berkhoel to the bench during a Griffins powerplay resulting in a 6-on-4 advantage. They got a couple of good chances, but could not get the equalizer, falling 2-1. Shots on goal: GR 16 - Lake Erie 4. For the Game: GR 50 - Lake Erie 25.
Lines:
O'Leary - Oulahen - Gelech/Fojtik
#23 Karlander/Fojtik - Redenbach/Lemieux - Tardif
Lemieux - McGrath - Corazzini
Jon Insana saw time both at forward and on defense.
Pairings:
Quincey - Jozsa
Insana - Stafford
Galvin - Kindl
Starter: Berkhoel
Backup: Turple
Scratches:
Ference - wrist
Helm - Shoulder
Moyer - Leg
PP:
Fojtik/Ericsson - Oulahen - Corazzini
Stafford - Ericsson/Quincey/Kindl
Redenback - McGrath - Gelech/O'Leary
Jozsa - Kindl
PK:
Tardif - Redenback
Quiney - Galvin
O'Leary - Oulahen
Stafford - Ericsson
Karlander - Corazzini
Observations:
Great effort by the team, they may have been missing a lot of talent, but there were no passengers tonight as everyone played hard.
Tough break for Jamie Tardif, one of the players to benefit with more ice time. He tried to come back in the second, but couldn't get it done.
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