ROCKFORD, Ill. -- The Grand Rapids Griffins scored all three of their tallies on the power play to defeat the Rockford IceHogs 3-1 and win their third straight game on Saturday at the BMO Center. 

The Griffins were led by their defensive efforts, holding Rockford to a mere 15 shots in the contest. The 15 shots tied for the fewest by a Grand Rapids opponent this season. Between the pipes, Jan Bednar collected a win in his AHL debut with 14 saves and marked his name in Griffins’ history, becoming the ninth Grand Rapids rookie goaltender to win in their debut. On the offensive end, Austin Watson scored once again, extending his goal streak to four straight games and his point streak to five (4-2—6) with a multi-point outing (1-1—2). Amadeus Lombardi continued to dish the puck, as he tallied an assist to push his helper streak to four (0-5—5). Joe Snively got in on the act, earning two assists of his own (0-2—2). Snively has registered six points in six matchups against the IceHogs this season (1-5—6).

Both defenses held strong through the game's opening minutes until Alex Doucet generated the outing's best scoring chance when he beat goaltender Mitchell Weeks. Yet, the puck hit the post at 10:03 and the outing remained scoreless. A short time later, the IceHogs snuck behind the Griffins’ defense and skated on a 2-on-1 breakaway into the Grand Rapids zone where Joey Anderson scored on a backhander at 13:03. With 1:23 left in the first, the Griffins earned a power-play chance which was followed by a second Rockford penalty, giving Grand Rapids 1:23 of a 5-on-3 with 32 seconds left. However, the Griffins failed to take advantage in the opening frame. 

Grand Rapids opened the second period with 37 seconds left in the 5-on-3. As the advantage ticked down, Snively fired a shot toward the goalmouth which deflected wide off Watson in front. However, Shai Buium stepped into the play and scored his second goal of the year on the rebound just 34 seconds into the frame to tie the game. The Griffins then found themselves in a 4-on-4 at 16:07. Neither side found the back of the net during the 4-on-4 and the Griffins skated on the power-play until a delay of game call granted them 52 seconds of another 5-on-3 opportunity with 2:45 left. Grand Rapids came up empty-handed on the advantage but remained on a 5-on-4 power play. With 50 seconds to play in the frame and just five on the man-advantage, Nate Danielson drifted into the left circle and snapped a wrist shot past Weeks to give the Griffins their first lead with his ninth of the season. 

With 11:37 remaining, Grand Rapids drew two penalties on the same play, awarding a full two minutes of 5-on-3. Just 23 seconds into the power play, Lombardi fed the puck across the ice to Watson in the left circle and he buried it, increasing the Griffins lead to two. Grand Rapids continued to keep the IceHogs off the board late into the game, as Rockford registered just one shot in the period before pulling its goaltender with 4:10 to go on a 4-on-4. The IceHogs went on to tally three more shots but failed to find the back of the net in the final minutes and the Griffins skated off with a 3-1 win. 

Notes

• Grand Rapids finished 50% (3-for-6) on the power play and 100% (4-for-4) on the penalty kill.
• The Griffins win snapped Rockfords’ four-game win streak.
• Grand Rapids earned a season-high three power-play goals in the contest.
• The Griffins have outshot their opponents in seven of their last eight games. 

Box Score

Grand Rapids 0 2 1 - 3
Rockford 1 0 0 - 1

1st Period-1, Rockford, Anderson 16 (Athanasiou, Guttman), 13:03. Penalties-Seger Gr (holding), 14:53; Felix Rfd (tripping), 18:37; Savoie Rfd (slashing), 19:28.

2nd Period-2, Grand Rapids, Buium 2 (Watson, Snively), 0:34 (PP). 3, Grand Rapids, Danielson 9 (Becher, Rafferty), 19:10 (PP). Penalties-Danielson Gr (slashing), 4:34; Tuomisto Gr (holding), 14:56; Korchinski Rfd (holding), 16:07; Allan Rfd (delay of game), 17:15.

3rd Period-4, Grand Rapids, Watson 16 (Lombardi, Snively), 8:47 (PP). Penalties-Doucet Gr (high-sticking), 0:57; Korchinski Rfd (cross-checking), 8:23; Savoie Rfd (unsportsmanlike conduct), 8:23; Gettinger Gr (roughing), 15:39; Cates Rfd (boarding), 15:39.

Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 6-10-6-22. Rockford 6-5-4-15.
Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 3 / 6; Rockford 0 / 4.
Goalies-Grand Rapids, Bednar 1-0-0 (15 shots-14 saves). Rockford, Weeks 11-12-4 (22 shots-19 saves).
A-5,051

Three Stars 

1. GR Watson (power-play goal, assist); 2. GR Snively (two assists); 3. GR Buium (power-play goal)

Record/Next Game 

Grand Rapids: 32-22-4-2 (70 pts.) / Fri., March 21 vs. Rockford 7 p.m. 

Rockford: 25-26-5-1 (56 pts.) / Sun., March 16 at Milwaukee 3 p.m. CDT

Photo by Jenna Spanola/IceHogs