GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- In the third round of a shootout, rookie Nate Danielson found the back of the net, increasing the Grand Rapids Griffins’ home point streak to five (3-0-1-1) with a 3-2 shootout win over the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday at Van Andel Arena. 

The Griffins collected their seventh shootout victory of the season (7-2), good for the most in the AHL. Former Admiral Austin Watson scored early in the outing, extending his goal streak to three straight games and his point streak to four (3-1—4). Sheldon Dries also cashed in during regulation, claiming his 20th goal of the year while tying a team-high in tallies with Joe Snively. Dries’ strike came courtesy of a helper from Amadeus Lombardi who raised his assist streak to three (0-4—4). For the second straight game, Sebastian Cossa stood tall in the crease, saving 16 shots alongside three more in the shootout to increase his point streak to a season-high six (4-0-2). 

The Griffins came out swinging, finding paydirt on two of their first three shots. Just 5:27 into the opening period, Danielson won a faceoff in the Milwaukee zone and the puck drifted out to the left circle where Watson sniped it past netminder Matthew Murray. Then, 1:12 later, Dries extended the Griffins’ lead to two. Lombardi collected the disc behind the Admirals' net, sending a pass out in front for Dries who buried it from the slot. 

Milwaukee wasted no time in the second period, as Chase De Leo put the Admirals on the board with an unassisted goal at 1:15. The Griffins outshot Milwaukee 10-4 in the frame but failed to score as they held onto a 2-1 lead entering the third period. 

Grand Rapids quickly suffered a hooking call 1:46 into the final frame and the Admirals tied the score when Cal O’Reilly scored on the man-advantage at 3:09. The Griffins went back on the offensive, as they drew a pair of penalties at 9:42 and 10:29, granting them 1:14 of a 5-on-3. However, Grand Rapids came up empty-handed on both opportunities. The final minutes of regulation trickled away without a tally and the outing extended into overtime. 

The Griffins outshot the Admirals 3-1 in the extra period but failed to sneak one over the line, bringing the game to a shootout. Grand Rapids deferred their option to shoot first and Cossa turned away Jake Lucchini to kick off the skills competition. Attempts from Lombardi and Snively came up short on the other end, but Cossa stopped O’Reilly and De Leo, offering Danielson a chance to seal the game in the third round. The rookie skated wide left and fired a shot past Murray into the back of the net, as the Griffins earned the extra point with a 3-2 win. 

Notes 

• Grand Rapids split its regular-season series against the Admirals (4-4-0-0).
• The Griffins earned their second straight win, their first time collecting two consecutive victories since Jan. 25 and Jan. 29.
• The outing marked the Griffins’ 13th Annual Purple Community Game. 

Box Score

Milwaukee 0 1 1 0 - 2
Grand Rapids 2 0 0 0 - 3

1st Period-1, Grand Rapids, Watson 15 (Danielson), 5:27. 2, Grand Rapids, Dries 20 (Lombardi, Doucet), 6:39. Penalties-Tuomisto Gr (delay of game), 9:55; Ottenbreit Mil (high-sticking), 17:28.

2nd Period-3, Milwaukee, De Leo 4   1:15. Penalties-Pavel Mil (hooking), 18:02.

3rd Period-4, Milwaukee, O’Reilly 10 (Lucchini, Denisenko), 3:09 (PP). Penalties-Snively Gr (hooking), 1:46; Friedman Mil (cross-checking), 9:42; Gravel Mil (cross-checking), 10:29.

OT Period- No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout - Milwaukee 0 (Lucchini NG, O’Reilly NG, De Leo NG), Grand Rapids 1 (Lombardi NG, Snively NG, Danielson G).
Shots on Goal-Milwaukee 6-4-7-1-0-18. Grand Rapids 9-10-14-3-1-37.
Power Play Opportunities-Milwaukee 1 / 2; Grand Rapids 0 / 4.
Goalies-Milwaukee, Murray 19-9-5 (36 shots-34 saves). Grand Rapids, Cossa 19-10-5 (18 shots-16 saves).
A-8,208

Three Stars

1. GR Watson (goal); 2. GR Cossa (SOW, 16 saves); 3. MIL O’Reilly (power-play goal)

Record/Next Game 

Grand Rapids: 31-22-4-2 (68 pts.) / Sat., March 15 at Rockford 8 p.m. EDT

Milwaukee: 30-18-4-6 (70 pts.) / Sat., March 15 vs. Hartford 6 p.m. CDT

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins