April 5, 2019

SAN JOSE, Calif. — In the first game of their second and final series with San Jose this season, the Grand Rapids Griffins fell to the Barracuda by a score of 3-1 at the SAP Center at San Jose on Friday.

Skating in only his second game with the Griffins, Troy Loggins scored his first AHL goal to tie the game at 1-1 early in the second period. But San Jose (36-21-3-4), in search of the final four points needed for it to secure a playoff spot, battled back with two third-period goals for the win.

A loss for Chicago to Milwaukee forces the Wolves and Griffins to stay stationary in the Central Division standings with 92 and 86 points, respectively. The Admirals, now on a seven-game winning streak, move into a tie for third with the Iowa Wild, five points behind Grand Rapids (38-24-6-4).

The Griffins look to end a five-game slide on Saturday when they close their season series with the Barracuda in San Jose, starting at 4:15 p.m. EDT.

Just 2:45 into his first game with the Barracuda this season, Ivan Chekhovich found twine for San Jose while on the power play. Offsetting roughing minors to Givani Smith and Jeremy Roy had left both teams down a man at 2:09, but Libor Sulak was whistled for slashing 26 seconds later to give the San Jose the advantage.

Ten seconds in, former Toledo Walleye center T.J. Hensick slid the puck across the goal line in front ofPatrik Rybar to Chekhovich. The forward slotted it past the goaltender for an early 1-0 lead, netting the team's seventh power play goal in the last five games.

Barely four minutes into the second period, Loggins closed the gap with his first goal of the campaign. Sulak skated into the Barracuda’s zone with the puck, hovering in the right-wing circle before chucking it toward the slot. Loggins directed it behind San Jose goaltender Josef Korenar to tie the game heading into the third period.

An early power play for Grand Rapids in the final frame gave the Griffins a chance to break the tie, but the opportunity was exhausted by a Barracuda penalty kill that is now a perfect 24-for-24 through the last six games.

Instead, Jayden Halbgewachs rebuilt the Barracuda’s lead 8:48 into the final period, working off a feed from Evan Weinger near the left-wing circle. Skating into the slot with the puck in possession, Halbgewachs netted the one-timer for the game-winning goal at 8:48.

Dennis Cholowski almost tied the score with just over two minutes remaining when he fired off a shot from the blue line, but the puck rang off Korenar’s post. With 34 seconds left, Kyle Wood’s wrister from the goal line traveled across the ice and trickled into a vacated Griffins net for the Barracuda victory.

In his fifth consecutive game appearance, Rybar logged 27 saves, while Korenar finished with 24 for the win.

Notes: Hensick played at Michigan from 2003-07 and has skated in 47 games with the Toledo Walleye, the ECHL affiliate of Grand Rapids and Detroit, this season showing 58 points (17-41—58).

Three Stars: 1. SJ Halbgewachs (game-winning goal); 2. SJ Chekhovich (goal); 3. SJ Korenar (W, 24 saves)

Photos by San Jose Barracuda