DES MOINES, Iowa — Dominik Shine (2-0—2) recorded his third multi-goal game of the season, and surpassed Tomas Tatar for the fourth-most goals in franchise history with 88, when the Grand Rapids Griffins took down the Iowa Wild 5-2 in a third-period comeback at the Casey’s Center on Wednesday. 

The Griffins grabbed the best start in league history through 25 games with a 23-1-0-1 record and 47 points, exceeding the 2005-06 Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (21-1-2-1, 45 pts.). Grand Rapids’ 12-game win streak became the third-longest in franchise history. Erik Gustafsson recorded two assists, and has notched seven points in the last three outings, while Michael Brandsegg-Nygard (0-2—2), and Sheldon Dries (0-2—2) also tallied multi-point nights. Sebastian Cossa composed 16 saves between the pipes, improving his record to 13-1.

Brandsegg-Nygard sent a back-hand pass from below the goal line to Shine, who fired the puck from the slot, but it was stopped by Samuel Hlavaj at 4:28, which was Grand Rapids’ best chance in the opening period. Iowa captured a 1-0 lead with 1:59 left when Oskar Olausson sniped one from the high slot, and Hunter Haight redirected it behind Cossa.

Iowa doubled its lead 11:11 into the second slate, when Haight picked up a loose puck at center ice, skated in, and snapped it past the right goal post. The two-goal deficit marked the largest the Griffins have faced this season. Grand Rapids cut the score to 2-1, when Alex Kannok Leipert slapped a one timer from just below the blue line toward Hlavaj, and it trickled past him with 7:09 on the clock for his first goal of the season.

Ian Mitchell tied the contest 4:36 into the final frame, when he danced past Riley Heidt and put a wrister over Hlavaj’s glove. The Griffins claimed a 3-2 lead 2:47 later, when Brandsegg-Nygard fed a puck from the near boards to Shine in the high slot, and he blasted it in. With 2:34 to go, Justin Holl ripped one from the right point and Shine tapped it in on the doorstep for Grand Rapids’ two-goal advantage. The Wild pulled Hlavaj with 1:42 remaining and Gabriel Seger walked it in and potted the empty-netter with 29 seconds left to secure a 5-2 win.

Notes

• The Griffins' 23-1-0-1 ledger remained a franchise best, and their 11-0-0-1 start on the road stood as a franchise record.
• The Griffins have defeated the Wild in their last 15 of 20 meetings, and improved to 23-11-2-2 against Iowa since 2021-22.
• Grand Rapids became the first in AHL history to win 23 of its first 25 contests.
• The Griffins have outscored their opponents 98-46 this season, and hold a 53-26 advantage on the road.
• Grand Rapids’ .940 points percentage remained a league best.
• Kannok Leipert recorded his first goal of the season, and as a Griffin.

Box Score

Grand Rapids 0 1 4 - 5

Iowa 1 1 0 - 2

1st Period-1, Iowa, Haight 6 (Olausson, Gleason), 18:01. Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period-2, Iowa, Haight 7 (Mayhew, Gleason), 11:11. 3, Grand Rapids, Kannok Leipert 1 (Tuomisto, Dries), 12:51. Penalties-Brandsegg-Nygård Gr (interference), 16:10; Gleason Ia (slashing), 17:57.

3rd Period-4, Grand Rapids, Mitchell 3 (Brandsegg-Nygård, Dries), 4:36. 5, Grand Rapids, Shine 12 (Brandsegg-Nygård, Gustafsson), 7:23. 6, Grand Rapids, Shine 13 (Holl, Gustafsson), 17:26. 7, Grand Rapids, Seger 2 (Tralmaks, Rychlovský), 19:31 (EN). Penalties-Liwiski Ia (tripping), 8:50.

Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 6-8-9-23. Iowa 8-9-1-18.

Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 0 / 2; Iowa 0 / 1.

Goalies-Grand Rapids, Cossa 13-1-0 (18 shots-16 saves). Iowa, Hlavaj 4-6-1 (22 shots-18 saves).

A-2,867

Three Stars

1. GR Shine (two goals) 2. IA Haight (two goals) 3. GR Brandsegg-Nygard (two assists)

Record/Next Game

Grand Rapids: 23-1-0-1 (47 pts.) / Fri., Dec. 19 at Iowa 8 p.m. EST

Iowa: 7-19-0-1 (15 pts.) / Fri., Dec. 19 vs. Grand Rapids 7 p.m. CST

Photo by Iowa Wild