Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Options Author
The Iowa Wild had their visitors proper the place they wished them final evening.
Two targets from Wild ahead Hunter Haight put the visiting Grand Rapids Griffins in a 2-0 gap with lower than 9 minutes left within the second interval. Iowa, nonetheless looking for its collective recreation following a tough begin to the season, had held the AHL’s prime group to only 10 photographs on objective by means of a interval and a half.
Extremely, it was simply the third time all season that the Griffins trailed by two targets.
Then the sport turned. Whereas a lot of this season’s story in Grand Rapids has been the group’s league-best offense, there may be way more to the Griffins. Their skill to overwhelm opponents goes far past the highest line.
With John Leonard and his league-leading 19 targets on recall to Detroit, the Griffins’ offensive response final evening started from the again finish. Simply 1:40 after Iowa took a 2-0 lead, Alex Kannok Leipert one-timed a shot from the left level previous Iowa goaltender Samuel Hlavaj. It was the primary objective since Apr. 6 and simply the sixth in 206 profession AHL video games for Kannok Leipert, a sturdy defenseman whose principal mandate is his dependable – and bodily – defensive play.
Ian Mitchell, one other regular defenseman, tied the sport 4:36 into the third interval when he held his ice simply contained in the blue line earlier than taking the puck into open house and sneaking an extended shot by means of site visitors and previous Hlavaj.
Then captain Dominik Shine struck at 7:23 to offer the Griffins their first lead. He added his second of the interval at 17:26, and Gabriel Seger completed the scoring with an empty-netter at 19:31.
The win was Grand Rapids’ twenty third in 25 video games this season, the perfect begin within the AHL’s 90-year historical past. It was one other team-wide effort – they surrendered just one power-play alternative to the Wild, and allowed just one third-period shot on objective whereas scoring 4 instances within the closing 20 minutes. Sebastian Cossa, who noticed solely 18 photographs all evening, improved to 13-1-0 along with his eighth consecutive win. Eleven totally different skaters registered a degree, with Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Sheldon Dries and Erik Gustafsson every chipping in a pair of assists.
Driving a 12-game successful streak, the Griffins have already opened up a 16-point lead on the prime of the Central Division. Up subsequent is a rematch at Iowa on Friday evening adopted by a Sunday house date with Cleveland. They shut out 2025 with a home-and-home with Milwaukee on Dec. 27 and Dec. 31.
Can the Griffins see this by means of all the best way to April? All the best way into June? It’s nonetheless early – two-thirds of the common season stays – but it surely appears honest to start out drawing comparisons between these Griffins and different powerhouse groups in AHL historical past. The 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers put up a .775 factors share (57-13-10), the league’s finest mark ever. The 2011-12 Norfolk Admirals received 28 video games in a row. The Hershey Bears’ 2009-10 group received a report 60 video games (in an 80-game season). Simply two years in the past, Hershey set the usual for a 72-game season with 53 wins and 111 factors.
Various hurdles are nonetheless forward of Grand Rapids. They nonetheless have 19 conferences left with Chicago and Milwaukee, their closest rivals. There’s a February go to to Charlotte – the one group to knock off the Griffins in regulation this season, a 2-1 choice on Nov. 21. Eleven of their closing 14 video games might be on the highway. And naturally, there are the standard potential pitfalls like recollects, accidents and plain unhealthy puck luck that may sidetrack any group.
However 25 video games in, it’s wanting just like the Griffins might need one thing particular right here.
On the American Hockey League beat for 20 years, TheAHL.com options author Patrick Williams additionally at present covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is an everyday contributor on SiriusXM NHL Community Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for his excellent protection of the league in 2016.
