Jan. 15, 2022

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -Jonatan Berggren’s highlight-reel overtime goal powered the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 3-2 victory over the Manitoba Moose on Friday at Van Andel Arena. The Griffins extended their home point streak to seven games (5-0-2-0).

Grand Rapids has garnered points in seven of its last eight games (5-1-2-0) overall and broke a three-game losing streak against Manitoba. With his 11^th goal of the campaign, Kyle Criscuolo now leads the roster in tallies. Goaltender Victor Brattstrom now has points in three consecutive starts (2-0-1-0).

In the opening period, shots were controlled by the Griffins 11-6, but it was Manitoba that scored first. At 16:28, Evan Polei at the left wing took an initial shot that bounced off the body of netminder Brattstrom. Poeli then got to the rebound in the slot and sent the disc into the right corner of the net.

Fifty-six seconds into the middle period and on a power play, Criscuolo took a long shot from the left circle that was saved by goaltender Evan Cormier. After multiple Griffins attempted to punch one in, Ryan Murphy got to the loose puck and was able to tap it in the left corner, evening the game at one. The goal stopped a three-game streak of being held scoreless on the power play and was just Grand Rapids’ third tally in the last 43 chances on the man advantage (0.07%).

After both teams were penalized for fighting and Dominik Shine was given an extra two for instigating, Manitoba was able to score on the man advantage. With 7:25 left in the second, Luke Johnson connected with Todd Burgess at the left circle. Burgess then sent a one timer over the right shoulder of Brattstrom to give the Moose a 2-1 lead.

Heading into the final frame, the Griffins were able to score a late tally. Criscuolo skated down the right boards with the defenseman over him but managed to send the puck toward the net on a tight angle and through the legs of Cormier at 15:44 to tie the contest at two.

With time running out, the game headed into overtime. With 47 seconds remaining in the extra period, Berggren in the Manitoba zone, stole the puck from two defenders along the left boards. He then made a nice maneuver, forcing the defenseman to slip and created an open lane to the net. The rookie fired a sharp angle shot over the left shoulder of Cormier to give Grand Rapids a 3-2 overtime victory.

Notes

• Kirsten Welsh became the first female official to work a Griffins game.
• Grand Rapids is now 2-9-1-1 against Manitoba and Chicago, as the Griffins picked up their first win against either club since Nov. 12.
• Griffins’ defenseman Dan Renouf skated in his 300^th AHL game.
• Turner Elson recorded his 100^th assist in the AHL, which also gave him 200 points as a pro.
• This was the Griffins first win when trailing after two periods (1-9-2-1).
  

Box Score
Manitoba 1 1 0 0 - 2
Grand Rapids 0 1 1 1 - 3

1st Period-1, Manitoba, Polei 3 (Oligny, Jones), 16:28. Penalties-Jones Mb (tripping), 5:02; Martenet Mb (tripping), 19:59.

2nd Period-2, Grand Rapids, Murphy 6 (Elson, Criscuolo), 0:56 (PP). 3, Manitoba, Burgess 5 (Johnson), 12:35 (PP). Penalties-Caron Mb (fighting), 11:31; Shine Gr (instigating, fighting, misconduct - instigating), 11:31.

3rd Period-4, Grand Rapids, Criscuolo 11 (Hirose, Myer), 15:44. Penalties-Pelton-Byce Mb (high-sticking), 7:20.

OT Period-5, Grand Rapids, Berggren 8 4:13. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Manitoba 6-7-12-2-27. Grand Rapids 11-14-8-2-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Manitoba 1 / 1; Grand Rapids 1 / 3.
Goalies-Manitoba, Cormier 3-0-2 (35 shots-32 saves). Grand Rapids, Brattstrom 2-3-2 (27 shots-25 saves).
A-6,366

Three Stars

1. GR Berggren (game-winning goal); 2. GR Criscuolo (goal, assist); 3. MB Cormier (OTL, 32 saves)

Record / Next Game
Grand Rapids: 14-11-4-1 (33 pts.) / Sat., Jan. 15 vs Manitoba 7 p.m.
Manitoba: 19-9-2-1 (41 pts.) / Sat., Jan. 15 at Grand Rapids 7 p.m.

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins