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Wild Stun Griffins in 5-2 Rout
Third period collapse leads to rare home loss...
By Jason Kasiorek
www.griffinscentral.com
November 22nd, 2024
The Grand Rapids Griffins suffered their worst loss of the season so far, surrendering 5 goals to the visiting Iowa Wild. Amadeus Lombardi (7) and Joe Snively (6) scored in the first two periods to keep the game tied, but the Wild broke out in the third adding a pair of goals and then empty netter to seal the deal. Sebastien Cossa took the loss, yielding an uncharacteristically high 4 goals on 30 shots.
First Period
Nate Danielson with a little trouble clearing the zone early. He was dogged and determined and eventually regained possession and fed a defender for a nice outlet. Steal by Eemil Viro and a couple of quick passes found Joe Snively backdoor for a chance at a wide open net. Amadeus Lombardi won a battle for the puck, walked in on net and roofed a shot over Ferguson, Stick-side for a 1-0 lead. Elmer Soderblom shot up the middle for a chance that hit Ferguson and stayed out. Traffic in front of the net late in the period and Gaunce in front tipped a shot past Sebastien Cossa to knot the score at one. Shai Buium with trouble clearing and the Griffins are guilty of running around in their own end. Sheldon Dries took offense at big hit and dropped the gloves with Adam Raska, getting in some good shots before sending him to the ice.
Shots on goal: GR 7 - IOWA 9.
Second Period
Dominic Shine rushed up the wing and then dished to Lombardi coming late in the slot for a great chance. William Lagesson with drive that Ferguson juggled before making the stop. Danielson weaving through traffic with the puck and tried to hit Soderblom in the circle but the puck was tipped away. Cossa out to play the puck and Hunt slid into him and took the feet out from under him. Shine went right over and dropped the gloves, bloodying the Wild defender. Grand Rapids with a great scoring chance, Watson right in front had the stick chopped out of his hands. Play went the other way and a Wild shot from the circle snuck in between Cossa and the post, stick-side. Soderblom with a steal and a sick spin-o-rama to walk around the defender and then hit Snively for the snipe and a 2-2 tie. Austin Watson with a one-timer from the circle, hit Ferguson's foot and the puck wobbled through the crease. Big scrum in the corner, Soderblom with a big hit and then Milne went after him. Watson got involved and the Griffins end up down a man on the ensuing power play. Grand Rapids killed off the penalty, allowing very few chances.
Shots on goal: GR 11 - IOWA 9.
Third Period
Buium struggling a bit in his own zone again, rushing passes and missing the intended receiver or the pass has too much on it. Cross Hanas on the rush fired a hard shot off Ferguson's mask. Danielson with speed got behind the defense, cut through the front of the net and got a quick shot off that Ferguson struggled with. Iowa swarming the GR net, Cossa with a save and then Rafferty sliding on his backside past the open side of the net reached in and cleared the puck out of danger. A late shot by Iowa on Cossa drew the ire of Watson, who was face washing the offender in a big scrum along the end boards. Danielson took a high-stick to the face, but no call was made. Cossa aggressive, coming out of the net to play the puck several times. Grand Rapids with good puck control, keeping possession deep and cycling. Rafferty with a one-timer from the circle that hit Ferguson. Lagesson defending with his stick in the lane deflected a shot right up under the visor and into his face. He was on the ice for a bit and then left for repairs. Iowa has continued to pick up the pace through the third and is really causing the Griffins trouble. Players running around in their own end unable to clear the puck. It eventually cost them as Toporowski, in the slot, one-timed a puck past Cossa, stick-side for a 3-2 lead. Cross Hanas caught Milne with a huge open ice hit at center ice and he was stung. Ohgren snuck in behind the defense, back door, and redirected a shot past to push the lead to 4-2. Cossa to the bench for an extra skater, and the Griffins had a couple of chances before Marek scored into the empty net. A too-many men on the ice penalty in the last minute of the game was the capper for GR as they fell 5-2.
Shots on Goal: GR 5 - Iowa 13. For the Game: GR 23 - Iowa 31.
Starting Lines:
#51 Watson - #29 Danielson - #85 Soderblom
#21 Snively - #15 Dries - #65 Shine
#47 Doucet - #93 Lombardi - #71 Hanas
#81 Rychlovsky - #41 Becher - #28 Johannes
Pairings:
#22 Wallinder - #4 Tuomisto
#37 Lagesson - #25 Rafferty
#8 Buium - #5 Viro
Starter: #33 Cossa
Backup: #34 Husso
Scratches:
#3 Dello
#11 Seger
#26 Gettinger - Injured
#30 Jack Campbell
#35 Gage Alexander
#43 Mazur - Injured
#44 Didier
PP:
No GR Powerplays
PK:
#15 Dries - #65 Shine
#37 Lagesson - #25 Rafferty
#47 Doucet - #29 Danielson
#22 Wallinder - #5 Viro
Observations:
Elmer Soderblom continues to look for his first goal of the season, but has found other ways to contribute and stand out. He was very noticeable using his impressive wingspan to break up passes and impede opposing players trying to enter the Griffins zone. He also showed off some pretty next level skill, making plays that people of his size usually can't. His spin move on the Snively goal turned nothing into something and was dynamic. He also had a couple of other plays where he stripped the puck away, pivoted and then accelerated past a surprised defender. The goals will come eventually (See Jonatan Berggren in Detroit), but he remains a tantalizing prospect.
Despite the result on the scoresheet, it was fantastic to have William Wallinder return to the lineup. He is such a smooth and multi-faceted defender he was noticeable (for the right reasons) from his first shift. His tandem with Antti Tuomisto is easily the clubs best, and they both play an up-tempo game and apparently have icewater in their veins as they are rarely ruffled under pressure.
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