Nov. 24, 2021

MILWAUKEE– The Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Milwaukee Admirals in a high-scoring game, 6-3 on Wednesday at Panther Arena. This contest was the sixth straight outing (4-0-1-1) where the Griffins recorded a point on the road.

In the opening frame Calvin Pickard was put to the test early, as Milwaukee outshot the Griffins 10-0 through the first five minutes of play.

Despite the slow start from Grand Rapids, the team weathered the early storm and scored the game’s first goal. At the 12:31 mark on a two-on-one break, Kyle Criscuolo connected with Taro Hirose who was at the right wing and sent a one-timer into the net.

Following an Admirals penalty, Grand Rapids converted on the power play after being held scoreless on its last 17 chances. With 5:52 remaining, Jonatan Berggren became the team’s leading scorer when he took his time with his shot from in between the circles and sent a wrister under the legs of goalie Connor Ingram. Berggren now has three goals in the past two games.

As the second period began, Milwaukee looked to score after allowing two unanswered tallies. At the 3:21 mark, David Farrance found Anthony Richard in front of the goal mouth. Richard beat the outstretched glove of Pickard and sent a backhander into the right corner, reducing the Griffins’ lead to one.

With 13:51 remaining in the middle frame, Rocco Grimaldi fired a long shot from the right wing and over the left shoulder of Pickard, tying the contest at two.

After winning a faceoff in the neutral zone at the 7:07 mark, Ryan Murphy cleared the puck down the ice to Ingram who mishandled the rubber. Tyler Spezia gathered the disc at the right post but failed to convert. Dominik Shine cleaned up the play and tucked his shot into the left corner, giving the Griffins a 3-2 advantage.

As the final frame began, Milwaukee tied the contest once again. With 8:23 remaining, two penalties by Grand Rapids put the Admirals on a five-on-three advantage for 45 seconds. Moments later, Marc Del Gaizo fired a shot from the high slot and scored at the 12:19 mark.

At 15:20 in the third period, Berggren fought for the loose puck deep in the Milwaukee zone. From the right boards, Berggren connected with Shine who waited in front of the goal crease and sent a shot past Ingram, scoring his second goal of the night and giving Grand Rapids the 4-3 lead.

With 2:16 remaining, Criscuolo won a faceoff in the Griffins’ zone. Wyatt Newpower then found the puck and sent a 180-foot shot down the frozen surface and into the empty net.

With two seconds left in the contest, Criscuolo sent a shot into the empty net from the Grand Rapids blue line, capping off his season-high three-point (1-2—3) outing. With the 6-3 victory, the Griffins are now 17-8 at Panther Arena.

Notes

• Spezia bagged his 50th assist as a pro.

• Brett McKenzie skated in his 150th game as a pro.

• Turner Elson (1-2—3) extended his point streak to three.

• Criscuolo (1-2—3), Berggren (1-1—2) and Shine (2-0—2) recorded multi-point games.

• Pickard has led the team to points in eight straight decisions (6-0-2-0).

Box Score
Grand Rapids 2 1 3 - 6
Milwaukee 0 2 1 - 3

1st Period-1, Grand Rapids, Hirose 4 (Criscuolo, Barber), 12:31. 2, Grand Rapids, Berggren 6 14:08 (PP). Penalties-Martin Gr (hooking), 2:46; Olivier Mil (tripping), 13:12; Olivier Mil (interference), 17:00.

2nd Period-3, Milwaukee, Richard 2 (Farrance), 3:21. 4, Milwaukee, Grimaldi 4 (Glass, Schneider), 6:09. 5, Grand Rapids, Shine 2 (Spezia, Murphy), 7:07. Penalties-LaBate Mil (hooking), 3:36; Witkowski Gr (fighting), 16:48; LaBate Mil (fighting), 16:48; Smith Mil (boarding), 18:05.

3rd Period-6, Milwaukee, Del Gaizo 2 (Grimaldi, Smith), 12:19 (PP). 7, Grand Rapids, Shine 3 (Berggren, Elson), 15:20. 8, Grand Rapids, Newpower 1 (Criscuolo), 17:44 (EN). 9, Grand Rapids, Criscuolo 4 19:58 (EN). Penalties-Spezia Gr (hooking), 10:22; served by McKenzie Gr (bench minor - too many men), 11:37.

Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 11-6-3-20. Milwaukee 17-6-11-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 1 / 4; Milwaukee 1 / 3.
Goalies-Grand Rapids, Pickard 7-2-2 (34 shots-31 saves). Milwaukee, Ingram 3-5-1 (18 shots-14 saves).
A-3,691

Three Stars

1. GR Shine (two goals); 2. MIL Grimaldi (goal, assist); 3. MIL Richard (goal)

Record / Next Game
Grand Rapids: 7-5-2-1 (17 pts) / Fri., Nov. 26 vs. Chicago 7 p.m. EST

Milwaukee: 4-10-1-0 (9 pts) / Fri., Nov. 26 at Rockford 7 p.m. EST

Photo by Milwaukee Admirals