FAHRENHEIT FOR 51

MILWAUKEE Donald MacLean added goal number 51 on the season and Grand Rapids extended its winning streak to four games Tuesday night in scintillating fashion, as the Milwaukee Admirals surrendered a three-goal lead en route to a 5-3 Griffins win in front of the stunned masses at the Bradley Center.

The Admirals struck first on a feed from behind the net by Paul Brown to Sheldon Brookbank on the doorstep for a 1-0 lead at 14:12 of the opening stanza.

The floodgates opened as Milwaukee took full advantage on the power play to begin the second, staking out to a 2-0 edge on Chris Durnos 16th goal of the season. Brown added another tally with the extra attacker, chasing Griffins netminder Joey MacDonald from the pipes just 1:51 into the frame. Jimmy Howard was strong in relief, blanking the Admirals the rest of the way, and setting the stage for the Grand Rapids assault.

MacLean stretched his team-record goal-scoring streak to eight games, using his rocket sauce to fling a power play shot past the previously impenetrable Pekka Rinne at 8:30 of the second to draw Grand Rapids within two. The leagues leading goal-producer pulled within a single marker of the 55-year-old all-time Grand Rapids professional single-season record, held by George Parker of the 1950-51 IHL Rockets.

The Griffins stormed back in the third with a vengeance, as Tomas Kopecky backhanded an unassisted shot home to trim the Milwaukee lead to 3-2 with 17:44 remaining. A subsequent penalty against the Admirals gave Grand Rapids another man-advantage, and Jiri Hudler jumped on a rebound to square the score at three with his 34th goal of the year.

Eric Himelfarb smuggled a point-blank shot past replacement goaltender Brian Finley on a delayed penalty call to give the Griffins their first lead of the night, and Bryan Helmer salved Milwaukees wounds with a salty blast on yet another power play to make it 5-3 capping a surreal surge of five unanswered Griffins goals to seal the victory.

Power plays were the determining factor in the game as Grand Rapids converted on 40% (4-of-10), while Milwaukee capitalized on two early chances but faded late to finish at 25% (2-of-8).

Grand Rapids improves to 46-16-1-4 with the win, good for a 13-point margin over the Syracuse Crunch for the North Division lead. The Griffins continue with the second in a grueling stretch of four games in five nights against the Manitoba Moose at Van Andel Arena Wednesday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m.