GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids Griffins extended their win streak to four and their point streak to six (5-0-0-1) with a 4-1 win over the Rockford IceHogs on Wednesday at Van Andel Arena. 

William Wallinder posted his second two-point game of the season (1-1—2) and Alex Doucet found the back of the net, good for his fifth point in the last five contests (2-3—5). Carson Bantle earned his first AHL goal in his seventh appearance for the Griffins this year while Joe Snively tallied his 200th AHL point with an assist. A helper from Carter Mazur marked his fourth point in six contests this season (1-3—4). Goaltender Sebastian Cossa extended his win streak to four, stopping 21 shots while improving to a .921 save percentage and a 2.20 goals-against average. Over its six-game point streak, Grand Rapids has averaged four goals a game while allowing 2.75 tallies. 

The Griffins earned the first power-play chance of the outing at 11:19 and threatened to take the lead when a feed out in front of the net left Austin Watson open for a slapshot in the slot at 12:48. However, the puck deflected off an IceHogs defender and out of play. Grand Rapids drew another penalty with 12 seconds remaining in the first frame and exited the period on the man advantage. 

The Griffins failed to cash in on the power play and quickly committed a pair of penalties at 2:50 and 3:25 in the second period to give Rockford a 5-on-3 advantage. However, Grand Rapids came away unscathed, killing off both penalties. The IceHogs struck first with 9:28 left in the frame when Joey Anderson tipped the puck past Cossa’s glove on the doorstep. Just 30 seconds later, Grand Rapids retaliated to tie the score at one. Snively skated into the Rockford zone and dropped the puck off to Wallinder who ripped home the one-timer from near the blue line. 

Just 3:06 into the final frame, Grand Rapids took its first lead of the outing, as Doucet tipped in a shot from the blue line by Antti Tuomisto. Grand Rapids earned its third tally behind Bantle’s first AHL goal with 8:23 left to play. The Griffins stole the puck from the IceHogs along their blue line and Gabriel Seger shoveled a pass to Bantle, who broke away from Rockford defenders. Bantle weaved around the pads of Drew Commesso and found the back of the net at 11:37. The IceHogs pulled Commesso with 2:10 remaining, attempting to cut into the Griffins’ lead. However, Grand Rapids broke up a play inside their zone and Watson sent the puck down the length of the ice, cashing in on the empty netter with 1:53 left. The Griffins’ defense held strong in the final minutes, as they skated away with a 4-1 win.

Notes

• The six-game point streak tied a season-high for the Griffins, as their previous streak ran from Oct. 18 to Oct. 30. 
• The Griffins outshot their opponents for the 11th time this season, sporting a 25-22 advantage.

Box Score 

Rockford 0 1 0 - 1
Grand Rapids 0 1 3 - 4

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Felix Rfd (roughing, roughing), 9:34; Johannes Gr (roughing, roughing), 9:34; Korchinski Rfd (slashing), 11:19; Sanford Rfd (hooking), 19:48.

2nd Period-1, Rockford, Anderson 6 (Seney, Fitzgerald), 10:32. 2, Grand Rapids, Wallinder 2 (Snively, Mazur), 11:02. Penalties-Seger Gr (hooking), 2:50; Dries Gr (interference), 3:25.

3rd Period-3, Grand Rapids, Doucet 6 (Tuomisto, Wallinder), 3:06. 4, Grand Rapids, Bantle 1 (Seger, Buium), 11:37. 5, Grand Rapids, Watson 12   18:07. Penalties-Commesso Rfd (leaving the crease), 11:37; Guttman Rfd (roughing), 11:37; Korchinski Rfd (roughing), 11:37; Bantle Gr (roughing), 11:37; Cossa Gr (leaving the crease), 11:37; Hanas Gr (roughing), 11:37.

Shots on Goal-Rockford 7-10-5-22. Grand Rapids 7-13-5-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Rockford 0 / 2; Grand Rapids 0 / 2.
Goalies-Rockford, Commesso 8-10-2 (25 shots-21 saves). Grand Rapids, Cossa 14-7-3 (22 shots-21 saves).
A-4,819

Three Stars 

1. GR Wallinder (goal, assist); 2. GR Doucet (game-winner); 3. GR Cossa (W, 21 saves)

Record/Next Game 

Grand Rapids: 25-12-3-1 (54 pts.) / Fri., Jan. 31 vs. Colorado 7 p.m. 

Rockford: 16-18-5-1 (38 pts.) / Fri., Jan. 31 vs. Chicago 7 p.m. CST 

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins