ALAMO FORGETTABLE
SAN ANTONIO – Stout goaltending from Josh Tordjman and an ineffective power play spelled doom for the Grand Rapids Griffins Friday as the San Antonio Rampage cruised to a 4-1 victory at the AT&T Center.
Grand Rapids (7-12-0-2) will stick around the Lone Star State for one more day to face the Houston Aeros Saturday at 8:35 p.m. EST.
San Antonio (13-7-1-3) delivered the first blow at 10:48 of the opening frame. Matt Murley sparked a three-on-one break charging hard along the left boards and found Enver Lisin streaking up center ice. Lisin spun as he relayed the puck to Joel Perrault, who guided the disc between the legs of Jimmy Howard.
Mike Walsh’s first goal in a Griffins uniform evened the score at 7:33 of the second period. After Grand Rapids dumped the puck into the San Antonio zone, Tordjman made his lone mistake of the evening. The netminder stepped to his right in hopes of playing the puck behind the net, but whiffed on the attempt. A split second later, Walsh reached in and poked the puck into the twine.
Minutes later, San Antonio reestablished their one-goal edge, capitalizing on their second power play of the period. The Rampage worked the perimeter until Lisin, from the bottom of the left circle, fired a crossing pass to Joey Tenute, who tucked the puck home before Howard could recover.
San Antonio earned a 3-1 lead early in the third as Olivier Latendresse battled with two Griffins to free the puck deep in the Grand Rapids zone. David Spina pounced on the puck in the left corner and sent a backhand pass to Josh Gratton. From Howard’s doorstep, Gratton went top shelf at 4:03.
The Rampage sealed the game when Curtis Fraser picked up the rebound from a Grand Rapids shot and took it coast to coast, walking the puck through the right wing before sending a laser inside the left goal post for a three-goal cushion with 6:25 remaining.
Howard picked up 23 saves for Grand Rapids, while Tordjman turned away 22 shots in the San Antonio net. The Griffins came up empty in six power play chances, while the Rampage went 1-for-5 on the advantage.
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