GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 5 at Hamilton Bulldogs 1

Feb. 1, 2013

HAMILTON, Ont. – Led by Tomas Tatar’s hat trick, the Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs 5-1 on Friday at Copps Coliseum.

After the Bulldogs cut the Griffins lead to one goal early in the second period, Grand Rapids scored three unanswered goals, highlighted by Tatar’s hat trick, en route to their third straight road victory.

The Griffins (25-14-2-2) jumped on the scoreboard 82 seconds into the game as Gustav Nyquist scored his 15th goal of the season. A poor Hamilton line change allowed Nyquist and Joakim Andersson to capitalize on a two-on-one advantage. The right wing toe-dragged the puck, whistling a shot from the left wing circle past Cedrick Desjardins.

Tatar gave the Griffins a two-goal advantage with 11 seconds left in the first period. The Ilava, Slovakia, native scooped up the puck from behind the net and tucked a wraparound shot underneath the cross bar. Andersson recorded an assist on Tatar’s goal, serving as his 100th point as a Griffin.

The Bulldogs (14-22-1-5) cut the Griffins lead in half at 5:41 of the second period and struck for their lone goal of the night. Frederic St-Denis took advantage of a Grand Rapids turnover, sending a long shot right through the legs of Petr Mrazek.

Tatar restored the Griffins’ two-goal lead with his second goal of the contest at 15:43 of the second period. The left wing danced around the defense, sending a backhand shot past Desjardins that gave Grand Rapids a 3-1 lead.

Luke Glendening gave the Griffins a commanding 4-1 lead with a goal at 15:45 of the final period. The Grand Rapids native was backing up through the slot and received a terrific feed from Triston Grant from the near side boards. Glendening fired a shot 18 feet from the goal, finding the upper part of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Tatar sealed the victory and hat trick with a goal at 17:31 of the third period. Nathan Paetsch found Tatar with a long pass, and the left wing reached out to play the puck before deflecting it back around the left side and past Desjardins. Tatar leads the Griffins with 19 goals on the season.

Desjardins and Mrazek each made 21 saves, with Mrazek recording his 15th win of the season.

The Griffins return to Grand Rapids tomorrow as they host the Abbotsford Heat at 7 p.m. at Van Andel Arena.

Three Stars: 1. GR Tatar (hat trick); 2. GR Nyquist (goal, two assists); 3. HAM St-Denis (goal)