GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 2 at Milwaukee Admirals 1

April 6, 2011

MILWAUKEE – First star Jordan Pearce made 31 saves to preserve the Grand Rapids Griffins' playoff chances, as the Griffins outlasted the Milwaukee Admirals for a 2-1 victory Wednesday night at the Bradley Center.

The Griffins (36-31-2-8) win ends a five-game losing streak. They will need to win each of their last three games and get some help from three teams in the West Division in order to make the postseason. The victory moves them up to fifth in the North Division, passing the Toronto Marlies. They will also need to catch the Abbotsford Heat, who lead them by two points.

The Admirals (42-21-6-8) missed out on a chance to clinch the West Division, having already earned a playoff berth.

In the early-going of a game that started with very little offense for either team, Cory Emmerton lit the lamp first at 12:13 on the game's sixth shot. Chris Minard took a pass from Adam Keefe and moved it quickly to Emmerton at the side of the net. Emmerton wasted no time in beating a sliding Jeremy Smith for his 12th goal of the season.

The Griffins responded quickly after Andreas Thuresson got the Admirals on the board at 2:02 of the second period by tapping a loose puck in from his knees. Tomas Tatar scored at the 2:36 mark, capitalizing on a rebound for his 24th goal of the season following a few good scoring chances in front of the net from Ilari Filppula and Jamie Tardif.

That was all the offense the Griffins needed to hang on for the victory. From then on, it was the strong play of Pearce, aided by an all-around solid defensive effort, that gave the Griffins the victory. With the extra attacker on the ice, Pearce was tested with a flurry of shots in the game's final minute, but the Admirals were unable to solve the Griffins netminder. The Admirals outshot the Griffins 32-19 and 14-5 in the final frame.

The Griffins will wrap up their home schedule Friday at 7 p.m. against Abbotsford before returning to the road for their final two games.

Three Stars: 1. GR Pearce (31 saves); 2. GR Tatar (goal); 3. MIL Thuresson (goal)