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Post by Stripe on Feb 18, 2009 19:46:28 GMT -5
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Post by Stripe on Feb 18, 2009 19:43:31 GMT -5
Babcock stated today that Helm was going to be playing in Detroit during the playoffs. So the only way he sees any AHL playoff time is if we go on a long run and Detroit goes out early. It didn't sound like they had made a concrete decision on Leino yet...
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Post by Stripe on Feb 13, 2009 7:56:34 GMT -5
A couple little odds and ends I have been too busy to post.
Ericsson is in Detroit getting his ailing wrist examined by the Wings doctors. It is not healing as fast as expected and they are concerned.
Brett Lebda left last nights game with a back injury and didn't make the trip to Columbus. As much as I hate to say it, this may mean a Kindl recall if Meech is not ready to play.
Darren McCarty is expected to be assigned to GR in a week, he says for a short conditioning stint. I hear it might be longer. That should put him hear in time for next weekend's homestand if he doesn't have a setback.
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Post by Stripe on Feb 10, 2009 9:34:23 GMT -5
When Brad got hurt last year he said that he would not be able to play again for at least 12-18 months, if ever, and he seemed to be leaning towards never. He is not currently playing anywhere, and at his age with limited skills, he is probably done for all intents and purposes. His wrist injury was pretty catastrophic and required a great deal of surgery.
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Post by Stripe on Feb 7, 2009 0:04:30 GMT -5
Unexpected Hero's Propel Griffins Into First Place With 6-3 Win Over Wolves Depleted lineup doesn't slow Griffins... By Jason Kasiorek www.griffinscentral.comGrand Rapids had every excuse to bow down to the Chicago Wolves, with several top players out of the lineup due to injury or NHL recall. Luckily no one told the rest of the team that, and they got some timely offense from some unlikely sources to double up on Chicago 6-3. Grand Rapids got goals from Jan Mursak (1st career goal), newcomer Mike Walsh (his first of the season), Aaron Gagnon (5), Garrett Stafford (7), Ryan Oulahen (14, tying his career high) and an empty netter for Evan McGrath. Justin Abdelkader and Darren Haydar both had three assists in the game. The Griffins also got some strong goaltending from Daniel Larsson who made 25 saves for the win. The victory moved the Griffins into a three way tie for first place, not just in their division, but in the whole league. Jozsa gave the puck up right in front of Larsson who had no chance to save the Chad Denny shot from the edge of the paint, leaving the Griffins down 1-0. Despite having a depleted lineup, Grand Rapids is carrying the play so far in period. Aaron Downey came across the ice to smoke Crabbe into the Griffins bench. Tardif made a great play, sending a pass across the front of the net to Mursak backdoor. Mursak smoked it over Pavelec for his first career goal. Shots on Goal: GR 13 - Chi 8. Grand Rapids cashed in on its second powerplay chance with Garrett Stafford putting on a shooting gallery. He finally found the opening he wanted, timing his shot around a sliding defenseman to bulge the twine behind Pavelec low glove side. The wolves tied things up about two minutes later with Larsson screened when Lavalee tipped a point shot past him. Oulahen regained the lead when he whacked in Abdelkader's weak shot from the circle. Pavelec got a piece of it but just trickled in behind him for a powerplay goal. The Griffins made it 4-2 a minute later when Haydar hit a streaking Walsh with a pass that he flipped up and over Pavelec for a fluky looking goal. Shots on Goal: GR 12 - Chi 8. Shorthanded breakaway by Machacek looked dangerous, but Larsson stoned him. Gagnon picked up a rebound on the doorstep and deposited it into the empty side of the net to make it 5-2. The Wolves pulled within two when a defensive breakdown led to a centering pass that Lavalee wristed for a backdoor goal. Oulahen scrumming along the boards, showing some grit and spirit. Chicago is starting to come on in the third. A Griffins penalty with 2:26 on the clock send Pavelec to the bench for an extra attacker. Abdelkader steals the puck on the penalty kill and sends McGrath in alone on the empty net for his 10th of the season. Shots on Goal: GR 15 - Chi 12. For the Game: GR 20 - Chi 28. Lines: Oulahen - Abdelkader - Downey Lemieux - Pare - McGrath Walsh - Gagnon - Haydar Tardif - Emmerton - Mursak Pairings: Stafford - Jozsa Kolosov - Pyett Kindl - Galvin Starter: Larsson Backup: Howard Scratches: Ritola - Lower Body Ericsson - Wrist PP: Oulahen - Abdelkader - Emmerton Haydar - Kindl/Stafford Lemieux - Tardif/Pare - McGrath Kindl - Stafford PK: Oulahen - Gagnon Galvin - Kindl McGrath - Abdelkader Kolosov - Stafford Observations: Mursak had a great night and could have had a couple of goals to show for it. He did a good job of getting the puck and driving to the net, creating dangerous scoring chances. Evan McGrath had a good game as well, and looks to have found another gear in his skating. He was beating Wolves to the puck on the forecheck, and really flying around out there. Jamie Tardif was also involved all night. He hit anything in purple, and set up some really nice scoring chances. Kolosov had some trouble on the last Wolves goal, but had another great game all around, playing aggressive and using his size and was involved in the offense. Aaron Downey was running around laying hits on Wolves players most of the night, but he was out of position to do it, and contributed to two wolves goals by not being where he was supposed to. Official Game Sheet
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Post by Stripe on Feb 6, 2009 13:27:15 GMT -5
That means some more openings for Griffins to earn an NHL job. Too bad Ritola and Ericsson are hurt, hopefully Oulahen will get a sniff.
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Post by Stripe on Feb 4, 2009 22:41:19 GMT -5
Howard stopped 44 of 46 shots and Lemieux scored late in the third to lift Grand Rapids over Quad City. Nice win especially considering the Griffins only had 21 shots on goal. They have just had Keeting's number this season. Haydar and Stafford (PP) had the other goals in the win.
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Post by Stripe on Feb 4, 2009 16:58:33 GMT -5
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Post by Stripe on Feb 4, 2009 14:01:37 GMT -5
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Post by Stripe on Feb 4, 2009 10:19:14 GMT -5
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Post by Stripe on Feb 4, 2009 10:15:55 GMT -5
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Post by Stripe on Feb 3, 2009 16:42:01 GMT -5
Reports out of Detroit are indicating that Ericsson re-injured his wrist over the weekend and may miss some more playing time. Apparently he was in line to be recalled before husrting himself again.
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Post by Stripe on Feb 1, 2009 11:43:27 GMT -5
Griffins Five Goal Third Demolishes Amerks Lemieux's second hat trick keys offensive surge... By Jason Kasiorek www.griffinscentral.comAfter playing down to the level of their competition the first two periods, the Griffins' potent offense switched on and buried the visiting Rochester Americans in a flurry of third period goals. Francis Lemieux led the way with his second hat trick of the season, but the home team also got strong offensive performances from Ryan Oulahen (2 goals), Sergei Kolosov (2 goals), Evan McGrath (4 assists), Frankie Pare (3 assists) and Darren Helm (1 goal, 2 assists). The Amerks battled back three times to tie the score, but couldn't keep up against the onslaught. Netminder Daniel Larsson had a rare off night between the pipes, but still held on to make 30 saves for his 16th win of the season. Oulahen opened the scoring three minutes into the first with an easy tap in past Brodeur. The Americans tied things up a few minutes later when Stewart let a shot go through traffic that bounced around and past Larsson. The Griffins don't seem to have the spark again tonight, as Rochester is playing us much closer than they should be, it could be another long night. Downey to the box with a four minute highsticking minor, but GR manages to kill it off despite some good chances by Rochester. Shots on Goal: GR 8 - Roc 11. Amerks all-star goalie Brodeur is not back to start the second as he suffered a groin injury, so the Griffins favorite sieve Chris Beckford-Tseu is in to replace him. Early in the second, Lemeiux restored the lead when he snuck in from the corner and snuck a shot in over Beckford-Tseu's shoulder. Rochester battled back to tie the score again five minutes later when Larman let a shot go from the top of the circle that seemed to dip and confuse Larsson before going in. Ericsson came out of the box and was sprung on a breakaway. He beat the Rochester goalie but hit the post and the puck stayed out. Helm put Grand Rapids back on top late in the period with an unassisted powerplay goal. Shots on Goal: GR 14 - Roc 12. A Griffins turnover early in the third led to a scoring chance on Larsson who gave up a soft goal to Carlson to tie things up. Shortly after, Oulahen wired a shot over Beckford-Tseu for the lead and his second goal of the game. Jamie Tardif dropped the gloves with Stewart just shy of the halfway point of the period. The two grappled with Tardif getting in a few good shots. Stewart unloaded a couple at the end, and they both went to the ice. This bout seemed to energize the Griffins and the next 10 minutes would be quite a show. On the next shift Pare on the rush slid the puck across the crease to Lemieux who tapped it home for his second of the contest. Kolosov made it 6-3 when he fired a blooper from the circle that arced in over Beckford-Tseu's shoulder. The Americans tried to rally one more time, with Haydar in the box, Repik struck with a powerplay goal to cut the lead to two. Time running out in the game and Rochesters goalie on the bench for the extra attacker. Pare in on the empty net, instead dishes to Lemeieux who scores to complete the hat trick. The Griffins got a late powerplay with 11 seconds left on the clock, and they took advantage of it. Kolosov scored his second of the game when his point shot found it's way through traffic with 6 seconds left on the clock. Shots on Goal: GR 17 - Roc 11. For the Game: GR 39 - Roc 34. Lines: Oulahen - Helm - Tardif Lemieux - Pare - McGrath Ritola - Emmerton - Haydar Mursak - Gagnon - Downey Pairings: Kindl - Galvin Kolosov - Stafford Ericsson - Pyett Starter: Larsson Backup: Howard Scratches: Jozsa PP: Lemieux - Pare - McGrath Haydar - Stafford Oulahen - Helm - Mursak Kolosov - Pyett PK: Oulahen - Gagnon Kindl -Galvin Helm - Ritola Kolosov - Stafford Oulahen - Haydar Observations: Larsson didn't have a great night between the pipes. He was lucky to get the win, because a couple of those goals were ugly. We will chalk that up to not playing a meaningful game in over a week. What a great night by Kolosov! As mention in yesterdays game recap, he really looks like a different player the last few games. Aside form the unexpected offensive output, he also was much more involved in the play and looks very confident. He was playing physical last night and put the body on several Amerks players along the boards. Oulahen continues his excellent play with yet another strong game. He is playing prime minutes with quality wingers and is beginning to put up some nice numbers. The great news is that he hasn't sacrificed his ait-tight defensive game. Great to see the two Frankie's line clicking again. Lemeiux is a lucky guy to recieve those Pare setup's, and skilled enough to convert the chances. Official Game Sheet
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Post by Stripe on Jan 31, 2009 9:24:26 GMT -5
Rochester Rallies To Top Griffins in Shootout 3-2 Kolosov notches first career goal in losing effort... By Jason Kasiorek www.griffinscentral.comGrand Rapids blew a 2-0 lead in the second to force overtime and a shootout which they lost to the last place Rochester Americans. This was the the team's fifth straight overtime game and third shootout in a row. The Griffins, who were playing without Ville Leino and Justin Abdelkader, couldn't muster much offense in the latter stages of the game against red hot Amerk's goalie Mike Brodeur. They did manage to get goals from Sergei Kolosov (the first of his career, and Ryan Oulahen. Jimmy Howard was sharp in the loss, stopping 33 of 34 shots and 4 of 5 in the shootout. The Griffins looked rusty in the first as they attempted to regain their pre-All-Star break form. They still managed to ring up 19 shots on the Rochester net, badly outplaying and out-chancing the Americans. Shots on Goal: GR 19 - Roc 9. Sergei Kolosov opened the scoring with a big point blast that beat Brodeur high stick-side for his first career goal. A minute and a half later, Haydar hit a flying Oulahen in the slot and he bulged the twine behind Brodeur with a wicked shot for a rare powerplay marker. Rochester cut the lead to one just over the halfway point of the period, Duco took a pass at the bottom of the circle and stroked a shot over Howard. Grand Rapids ended up down two men, but the penalty killers got the job done. Howard had to be real strong in the latter stages of the period as the defensive breakdowns in front of him left him to the wolves. Shots on Goal: GR 8 - Roc 13. GR looked sloppy in the third as the tide shifted to Rochester. Galvin turned the puck over at the line and Kindl had to take a penalty to negate a good scoring chance for the Amerks. Rochester tied the game with just over 8 minutes left in the game on a goal by Brine right in front. Grand Rapids had a 5 on 3 powerplay a few minutes later but couldn't score despite a couple of good chances, sending the game to overtime. Shots on Goal: GR 7 - Roc 11. It was all Grand Rapids in the extra session as the team started to come alive and had several good chances while the Amerks stood around. Brodeur was the difference and the game went to the shootout. Shots on Goal: GR 3 - Roc 0. The Shootout: Carlson for Rochester to start, ripped a shot past Howard stick side for a 1-0 lead. Ritola had the puck roll off his stick in his chance, followed by Repik who was stopped by a Howard stick save. Emmerton shot the puck over the net for GR then Brine rang a shot off the post. Evan McGrath made a great move and watched the puck beat Brodeur and roll through the crease before harmlessly rolling into the corner. Stewart appeared to score for Rochester but Howard immediately protested and the goal was waived off. This set off Americans coach Benoit Groulx who attempted to leave the bench to get the referee, eventually settling for slamming his leg in the bench door and drawing an ejection. Several of the players and the assistant coach had to restrain Groulx who was trying to climb over the bench to get to the official. Eventually things settled down and the shootout resumed. Haydar went next for the Griffins but shot the puck into Brodeur's mid-section. Larman was the final shooter for the Amerks and he missed the net, setting the stage for Oulahen who unfortunately shot the puck into Brodeur ending the game. Shots on Goal: GR 0 - QC 1. For the Game: GR 37 - Roc 35. Lines: Oulahen - Helm - Haydar Lemieux - Pare - McGrath Ritola - Tardif - Mursak Emmerton - Gagnon - Downey Pairings: Stafford - Ericsson Kolosov - Pyett Galvin - Kindl Starter: Howard Backup: Larsson Scratches: Jozsa PP: Leino - Oulahen - Tardif Galvin - Kindl Ritola - Abdelkader - Mursak Haydar - Stafford PK: Oulahen - Gagnon Galvin - Kindl Ritola - Abdelkader Kolosov - Stafford Lemieux - McGrath Observations: Jan Mursak looked good in the first before disappearing the rest of the game. He created a couple of scoring chances and for the first time looked like he belonged. Nice to see Helm and Ericsson back in the lineup. Helm looked a step slow (compared to his normal top end speed), but worked very hard and was banging bodies all over the ice. Oulahen should have been one of the three stars in my opinion. He played perhaps his best game as a Griffin and saw a ton of ice time in all situations. He was an ace as usual on the PK, but was very involved offensively and even scored a powerplay goal. He was very noticeable all game and was firing on all cylinders. Nice goal by Kolosov who seemed to draw confidence from the score. He looked very strong as the game went on, challenging opposing skaters and really showing energy and intensity. Jimmy Howard was sharp when he needed to be. It looks like his game got a tune-up over the break. His mechanics looked better and he seemed more aggressive and composed. He was outside the paint challenging shooters and in better position with less scrambling around. The other telling factor was how he stayed against the post, stopping a few pucks, where in the last few weeks he had been victimized a couple of times after pulling off a little. Official Game Sheet
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Post by Stripe on Jan 30, 2009 15:20:11 GMT -5
I guess the good news is that Helm and Ericsson are supposed to be back tonight (fingers crossed).
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