BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 3 at Oklahoma City Barons 2

Dec. 12, 2014

OKLAHOMA CITY – Determined to avoid playing in overtime for the third consecutive game this week, the Grand Rapids Griffins scored three times over the final four minutes Friday night to defeat the Oklahoma City Barons 5-2 at Cox Convention Center.

Jared Coreau continued his stellar play over the past two weeks, as he made 28 saves for his fourth win in as many starts since being recalled from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye Nov. 29.

Mark Zengerle opened the scoring at 1:41 of the first period when his second goal of the campaign found an open net past Richard Bachman.

Bachman tried to beat Zengerle to a loose puck from an Andreas Athanasiou pass but it was Zengerle who possessed the puck and found the open net while diving to his right over Bachman’s stick.

Athanasiou got his name on the score sheet for the second time when he scored his sixth goal of the season at 2:24 of the second period.

Ryan Sproul got the puck after icing was negated and fired a pass to Mattias Backman, who then found Athanasiou across the crease for the easy tap-in into the net.

Oklahoma City (14-6-2-2) quickly erased its two-goal deficit with successive goals 3:49 apart from Curtis Hamilton and Ilro Pakarinen.

Hamilton’s goal at 4:56 occurred after Andy Miele turned the puck over to Anton Lander at the top of the circle inside the Griffins’ zone. Lander fired a wrister that went off Coreau’s glove and Hamilton benefited from the rebound for his fifth goal of the season.

Lander helped setup the tying goal when he saw the Grand Rapids defense leave Pakarinen open as he was skating towards Coreau. Lander threaded a cross-ice pass to Pakarinen and he was able to put the puck between Coreau and the right post for his ninth goal of the season at 7:47.

The game was appearing to head to overtime before Landon Ferraro followed up a rebound from Kevin Porter original shot to score his sixth of the season through Bachman’s legs at 16:18.

Trying to tie the game again, Martin Marincin drove the puck toward the net but lost it to Athanasiou who scored uncontested 39 seconds after Ferraro’s tally to give the Griffins their second two-goal lead of the night.

Ferraro finished the scoring with an empty net goal at 18:11.

Despite having the second-best power play unit in the league, Oklahoma City didn’t score on the three chances they had. Grand Rapids (12-9-3-0) went 0-for-2 on the power play.

Bachman made 33 saves on 37 shots in the loss.

Grand Rapids will conclude the weekend series against Oklahoma City with a rematch at 8 p.m. EST Saturday.

Notes: The Griffins have won their last five games at the Cox Convention Center, dating back to Games 4 and 5 of the 2013 Western Conference Finals.

Three Stars: 1. GR Athanasiou (two goals, assist); 2. OKC Lander (two assists); 3. GR Ferraro (two goals, game-winner)

GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 3 at Oklahoma City Barons 2

Dec. 12, 2014

OKLAHOMA CITY – Determined to avoid playing in overtime for the third consecutive game this week, the Grand Rapids Griffins scored three times over the final four minutes Friday night to defeat the Oklahoma City Barons 5-2 at Cox Convention Center.

Jared Coreau continued his stellar play over the past two weeks, as he made 28 saves for his fourth win in as many starts since being recalled from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye Nov. 29.

Mark Zengerle opened the scoring at 1:41 of the first period when his second goal of the campaign found an open net past Richard Bachman.

Bachman tried to beat Zengerle to a loose puck from an Andreas Athanasiou pass but it was Zengerle who possessed the puck and found the open net while diving to his right over Bachman’s stick.

Athanasiou got his name on the score sheet for the second time when he scored his sixth goal of the season at 2:24 of the second period.

Ryan Sproul got the puck after icing was negated and fired a pass to Mattias Backman, who then found Athanasiou across the crease for the easy tap-in into the net.

Oklahoma City (14-6-2-2) quickly erased its two-goal deficit with successive goals 3:49 apart from Curtis Hamilton and Ilro Pakarinen.

Hamilton’s goal at 4:56 occurred after Andy Miele turned the puck over to Anton Lander at the top of the circle inside the Griffins’ zone. Lander fired a wrister that went off Coreau’s glove and Hamilton benefited from the rebound for his fifth goal of the season.

Lander helped setup the tying goal when he saw the Grand Rapids defense leave Pakarinen open as he was skating towards Coreau. Lander threaded a cross-ice pass to Pakarinen and he was able to put the puck between Coreau and the right post for his ninth goal of the season at 7:47.

The game was appearing to head to overtime before Landon Ferraro followed up a rebound from Kevin Porter original shot to score his sixth of the season through Bachman’s legs at 16:18.

Trying to tie the game again, Martin Marincin drove the puck toward the net but lost it to Athanasiou who scored uncontested 39 seconds after Ferraro’s tally to give the Griffins their second two-goal lead of the night.

Ferraro finished the scoring with an empty net goal at 18:11.

Despite having the second-best power play unit in the league, Oklahoma City didn’t score on the three chances they had. Grand Rapids (12-9-3-0) went 0-for-2 on the power play.

Bachman made 33 saves on 37 shots in the loss.

Grand Rapids will conclude the weekend series against Oklahoma City with a rematch at 8 p.m. EST Saturday.

Notes: The Griffins have won their last five games at the Cox Convention Center, dating back to Games 4 and 5 of the 2013 Western Conference Finals.

Three Stars: 1. GR Athanasiou (two goals, assist); 2. OKC Lander (two assists); 3. GR Ferraro (two goals, game-winner)