DES MOINES, Iowa -- Michal Postava recorded the second shutout of the weekend for the league-leading Grand Rapids Griffins, and John Leonard scored in the third period to secure a 1-0 victory over the Iowa Wild on Saturday at the Casey’s Center.

After Trey Augustine blanked the Wild with 31 saves on Friday, Postava made 24 stops on the way to his fifth shutout as a Griffin, moving to 7-0 on the campaign. Dating back to Wednesday’s game against the Rockford IceHogs, Grand Rapids has held its opponents scoreless for 133:26. With the game’s lone tally, Leonard improved to 11 goals this season, currently tied for second-most in the AHL. In his last three games, Leonard has seven points (6-1–7). Jesse Kiiskinen recorded the only assist, extending his point streak to four games (0-5–5). The Griffins now have points in 12 of their last 13 games (11-1-0-1).

Both teams traded blows through what was an evenly-matched first period. The Griffins’ penalty kill kept the Wild off the board on the heels of an early penalty committed at 1:33.

William Lagesson and Cameron Butler teamed up for one of Grand Rapids’ best chances of the frame at 12:16. After Lagesson launched a shot from the left boards, Butler corralled the rebound with his glove before trying to score on the doorstep, but Riley Mercer made the stop.

The Griffins went on a power play with 3:32 remaining in the period, but Iowa stifled the opportunity, and the game was scoreless after the first 20 minutes of play.

Grand Rapids applied more pressure in the second stanza, outshooting the Wild 8-5. The Griffins went back on the man-advantage within the opening minute of play, but Iowa kept them at bay over the two-minute minor.

Grand Rapids’ penalty-kill unit executed once again by killing off a second Wild power play near the halfway mark of the frame, and the game remained tied at 0-0 heading into the final period.

The Griffins began the third with four-consecutive shots over the first six minutes before Leonard broke the ice at 6:23. With the Wild attempting to leave their defensive zone, Kiiskinen cut off a pass up the left boards before tapping a pass to Leonard in the left circle, and the Massachusetts native rifled a one-timer past Mercer for the game’s only tally.

With 4:41 remaining, Iowa went on the power play, but Postava made four saves to guard the lead. At 18:07, the Wild pulled their netminder for an extra attacker, but the Griffins stood tall to solidify the 1-0 win.

Notes

• Grand Rapids have points in 12 of its last 13 games overall against Iowa (10-1-1-1).
• The Griffins’ penalty kill, which entered the game ranked second in the AHL (91.4%), finished 3-for-3. The power play went 0-for-4, snapping a 12-game streak in which Grand Rapids had at least one goal on the man-advantage in each game (19-for-67, 28.4%).

Box Score
Grand Rapids 0 0 1 - 1
Iowa 0 0 0 - 0

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Attard Gr (holding), 1:33; Lambos Ia (roughing), 16:28.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Lorenz Ia (tripping), 0:46; Danielson Gr (holding), 9:55.

3rd Period-1, Grand Rapids, Leonard 11 (Kiiskinen), 6:23. Penalties-Kaliyev Ia (tripping), 7:14; Pitlick Ia (cross-checking), 9:09; Leonard Gr (roughing), 15:19.

Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 7-8-10-25. Iowa 10-5-9-24.
Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 0 / 4; Iowa 0 / 3.
Goalies-Grand Rapids, Postava 7-0-0 (24 shots-24 saves). Iowa, Mercer 3-4-2 (25 shots-24 saves).
A-7,250

Three Stars
1. GR Postava (24-save shutout); 2. GR Leonard (game-winner); 3. IA Mercer (24 saves)

Record / Next Game
Grand Rapids: 13-2-1-1 (28 pts.) / Wed., Nov. 18 vs. Manitoba 7 p.m.
Iowa: 6-9-2-1 (15 pts.) / Fri., Nov. 20 at San Diego 9 p.m. CST

Photo by Iowa Wild