Nov. 24, 2010 - GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 3 at Toronto Marlies 1

TORONTO – The Toronto Marlies handed the Griffins a 3-1 loss Wednesday at Ricoh Coliseum, in a heated contest that kicked off four games in five days for Grand Rapids.

The hot-tempered game saw the Griffins earn a franchise-record 112 penalty minutes, beating their previous record of 104 that occurred in a game versus Quebec on April 11, 1998. Meanwhile, the Marlies racked up 106 minutes for a total of 218 between the two clubs, a Grand Rapids record for combined PIM.

The Griffins will return home Friday for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Rockford Icehogs at Van Andel Arena.

Christian Hanson started the scoring early for Toronto, claiming the lone goal of the first period at 5:04. The Marlies extended their lead 3-0 with two consecutive goals in the middle frame. The first came at 2:59 of the period when Marcel Mueller fired a quick shot past Thomas McCollum, followed by Joey Crabb’s eighth goal of season with only 1:52 to go.

The third period saw a parade to the penalty box, thanks to multiple fights and numerous penalties. It all began with punches thrown between Jay Rosehill and Greg Amadio, followed by Brandon Straub and Danny Richmond. Tempers escalated as both teams found themselves in a line-brawl resulting in the ejection of six players: Jamie Tardif, Tomas Tatar and Francis Pare of the Griffins and Darryl Boyce, Korbinian Holzer and Matt Lashoff of the Marlies.

An additional penalty allowed the Griffins to capitalize on a power play opportunity, landing on the board at 10:06 of the third with a shot tipped past Justin Rynnas by Jan Mursak, but the Griffins could get no closer.

McCollum posted 20 saves for the Griffins while Rynnas tallied 26 for the win.

Three Stars: 1. TOR Engel (2 shots); 2. TOR Mueller (1 goal); 3. TOR Rynnas (W, 26 saves)