April 14, 2023

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - In Brian Lashoff’s final hockey game at Van Andel Arena, the Grand Rapids Griffins fell 2-1 to the Rockford IceHogs on Friday in front of a sellout crowd.

The Griffins’ captain drew the start in his 629th game in a Grand Rapids uniform, the second-most in franchise history. Amadeus Lombardi made his pro debut in the contest, providing a stellar assist on Taro Hirose’s first-period goal. Ryan Bednard continued his impressive start, saving 25 of 27 shots on goal. In four games with Grand Rapids, the goalie has a 0.937 save percentage and a 2.00 goals against average.

Drew Worrad nearly scored twice near 12:00 in the opening frame, with two of his shots ricocheting off the left and right posts. Wyatt Newpower and D.J Busdeker dropped the gloves at 15:11 after Newpower was called for interference, highlighting a contentious stanza where the two players picked up a combined 24 minutes in the penalty box for the altercation. Hirose provided a steadying presence by getting past Arvid Soderblom, deflecting home Lombardi’s pass from the goal line with 12 seconds to go in the first to take a 1-0 lead.

Bednard was stellar in goal to begin the game, bagging several-impressive saves. His biggest came at 5:22 in the second on Brett Seney on a breakaway, as Bednard extended his glove out to narrowly snag the puck out of the air. However, Lukas Reichel finally got past the netminder at 9:59, going backhand to forehand and lifting the puck into the net to tie the game.

Isaak Phillips scored the game-winner from the slot 3:08 into the third after a turnover at center ice by Grand Rapids, handing the Griffins a 2-1 loss in their final home outing.

Notes
- At home, the Griffins were 12-17-4-3 this season.
- Grand Rapids finished the campaign 3-5-0-0 against Rockford.

Box Score
Rockford 0 1 1 - 2
Grand Rapids 1 0 0 - 1

1st Period-1, Grand Rapids, Hirose 16 (Lombardi, L’Esperance), 19:48. Penalties-Busdeker Rfd (instigating, fighting, misconduct - instigating), 15:11; Newpower Gr (interference, fighting), 15:11.

2nd Period-2, Rockford, Reichel 18 (Gust, Seney), 9:59. Penalties-Pearson Gr (interference), 13:20; Jordan Rfd (slashing), 15:38; Edvinsson Gr (interference), 16:56.

3rd Period-3, Rockford, Phillips 6 3:08. Penalties-Phillips Rfd (roughing), 8:56; Newpower Gr (roughing), 8:56; Regula Rfd (holding), 11:00.

Shots on Goal-Rockford 9-9-9-27. Grand Rapids 5-8-7-20.
Power Play Opportunities-Rockford 0 / 2; Grand Rapids 0 / 2.
Goalies-Rockford, Soderblom 14-11-5 (20 shots-19 saves). Grand Rapids, Bednard 1-2-1 (27 shots-25 saves).
A-10,834

Three Stars
1. GR Lashoff; 2. GR Lombardi (assist); 3. RFD Phillips (game-winner).

Record / Next Game
Grand Rapids: 28-35-4-4 (64 pts.) / Sat., April 15 at Chicago 8 p.m. EST
Rockford: 34-27-5-4 (77 pts.) / Fri., April 15 vs. Manitoba 6:00 p.m. CST

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins