GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- For the second straight outing, the Grand Rapids were shut out by the Colorado Eagles, as they suffered a 6-0 loss on Saturday at Van Andel Arena. The last time Grand Rapids was shut out in consecutive games was in 2016, on Jan. 23 (0-2 L vs. RCH) and 27 (0-4 L vs. TOR).

While the Griffins had been shut out in consecutive home games or consecutive meetings with the same opponent or goalie, none of those had ever happened on back-to-back nights until this weekend. Following 29 saves in Colorado’s 2-0 win on Friday, goaltender Adam Scheel stopped all 26 shots in the outing, collecting 120 straight shutout minutes. The last netminder to shut out the Griffins in consecutive meetings was Milwaukee's Connor Ingram on Jan. 26 and 29, 2022. 

The Eagles struck just 4:36 into the first period. A slapshot deflected off the post and Matthew Phillips cleaned up the rebound. With 11:47 left in the frame, the Griffins suffered a penalty and Colorado made them pay, as Jacob MacDonald found the back of the net just 18 seconds into the power play. The Eagles quickly extended their lead to three at 9:40 when Phillips scored his second goal.

Following the first period, the Griffins pulled goaltender Ville Husso and inserted Jack Campbell between the pipes. However, the Eagles made it 4-0 at 11:04 in the second when Phillips secured a hat trick, tipping in a goal on the doorstep. Grand Rapids earned two power-play chances in the frame but failed to cash in on its opportunities. 

With 12:06 remaining, a Griffins penalty put Colorado on the power play and MacDonald scored his second goal of the game at 8:56. Grand Rapids drew a penalty with 4:39, attempting to mark its first tally. However, they failed to score. With less than a second remaining, Tye Felhaber snuck the puck past Campbell, as the Griffins fell 6-0. 

Notes

• Head coach Dan Watson, goaltender Sebastian Cossa and forward Austin Watson will represent the Griffins in the AHL All-Star Classic in Palm Desert, Cali. on Sunday and Monday. 
• The game marked the third time in franchise history the Griffins allowed a hat trick and were shut out in the same campaign. The last was on May 12, 2021, when David Cotton scored three goals and Beck Warm made 35 saves in Chicago’s 7-0 win at Van Andel Arena. 

Box Score

Colorado 3 1 2 - 6
Grand Rapids 0 0 0 - 0

1st Period-1, Colorado, Phillips 9 (Megna, Pyke), 4:36. 2, Colorado, MacDonald 15 (Ahcan, Tynan), 8:31 (PP). 3, Colorado, Phillips 10 (Megna, Foudy), 9:40. Penalties-Hanas Gr (hooking), 8:13; Ludvig Col (holding), 16:27.

2nd Period-4, Colorado, Phillips 11 (Prishchepov, Rosen), 11:04. Penalties-Senden Col (tripping), 3:03; Dello Gr (tripping), 5:44; Olausson Col (interference), 16:13.

3rd Period-5, Colorado, MacDonald 16 (Tynan, Ahcan), 8:56 (PP). 6, Colorado, Felhaber 13 (Wise, Senden), 19:59. Penalties-Tuomisto Gr (interference), 7:54; Wise Col (slashing), 15:21.

Shots on Goal-Colorado 9-12-10-31. Grand Rapids 13-5-8-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Colorado 2 / 3; Grand Rapids 0 / 4.
Goalies-Colorado, Scheel 8-1-0 (26 shots-26 saves). Grand Rapids, Husso 7-2-0 (9 shots-6 saves); Campbell 2-3-1 (22 shots-19 saves).
A-9,622

Three Stars

1. COL Phillips (hat trick); 2. COL Scheel (W, SO, 26 saves); 3. COL MacDonald (two goals)

Record/Next Game 

Grand Rapids: 25-14-3-1 (54 pts.) / Fri., Feb. 7 at Milwaukee 8 p.m. 

Colorado: 24-12-3-2 (53 pts.) / Fri., Feb. 7 vs. Abbotsford 7 p.m. MST

Photo by Macy Mineni/Griffins