Welcome to the FIRST Griffins Report! Last week, The Pit began covering Grand Rapids Griffins AHL hockey, and we will be continuing coverage throughout the remainder of the AHL hockey season.
Riley Sheahan #15 of the Detroit Red Wings follows the play against the Anaheim Ducks during an NHL game at Joe Louis Arena on December 17, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. Anaheim defeated Detroit 5-2 (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Grand Rapids Griffins)
To start things off for coverage, Stephanie Sokol wrote a brief article highlighting Martin Frk’s return to the Griffins while I wrote one for Jordin Tootoo’s reassignment. The Pit’s first game coverage article saw Mitch Callahan tally a goal in overtime against the Ice Hogs to give the Griffins a 3-2 victory.
The Pit hasn’t covered the other games that have happened since last week, but we will be covering every game in the future and any breaking news.
So what did we miss?
In their last game before the Christmas holiday, the Griffins fell to the Chicago Wolves 3-2 after fighting their way back in from a two-goal deficit. Late in the second, Brennan Evans scored from the left wing boards to cut the lead in half. Triston Grant then evened things up in the third , but the Wolves took advantage with 2:09 left and stole game.
The Milwaukee Admirals gave the Griffins their first back-to-back regulation loss this season when they were beat down the the day after Christmas in a 4-1 performance. Teemu Pulkkinen earned the sole goal for Grand Rapids in the performance.
The Griffins finally notched a win after a 4-2 victory over the Ice Hogs in Rockford. With the win, Grand Rapids extends their lead in the Midwest Division to 46 points, 10 points ahead of second place Admirals.
What’s coming up?
The Griffins announced today that their NHL counterpart (Detroit Red Wings) have assigned center Riley Sheahan to the Griffins while center Louis-Marc Aubry and left wing Trevor Parkes have been sent to the ECHL’s Toldeo Walleye.
Monday, the Grand Rapids Griffins will face the Toronto Marlies in the franchises first-ever outdoor game at Comerica Park in Detroit as part of the Winter Classic festivities. The game will be just the seventh outdoor game played in the 78-year history of the AHL. The game will air on Fox Sports Detroit.
The Pit will have coverage following the game’s conclusion, as well as live tweeting on Twitter @ThePit_SE
