GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday signed goaltender David Brown to a professional tryout and released goaltender Brennan Poderzay (PAHD-uhr-zay) from his amateur tryout.

Brown, 26, has played 37 games this season for the Quad City Mallards, ranking among the Central Hockey League’s leaders with four shutouts (T2nd), a 2.33 GAA (2nd) and a 0.930 save percentage (1st) while compiling a 17-16-1 record.

An eighth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2004, Brown starred for four seasons at Notre Dame (2003-07) before logging 23 AHL contests with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from 2007-09, going 10-9-1 with a 2.60 GAA and a 0.902 save percentage. The 2007 Hobey Baker Award finalist has spent time with four other AHL clubs this season – Chicago, Houston, Texas and Toronto – making Grand Rapids his fifth stop in the Western Conference.

Brown, who started ahead of Jordan Pearce as a junior and senior at Notre Dame, will serve as Pearce’s understudy tonight when the Griffins host the Rochester Americans at 7 p.m.

Poderzay, 24, dressed for his first pro game on Friday, backing up Pearce in Grand Rapids’ 7-2 loss to Lake Erie.