SEVENTH HEAVEN

Milwaukee Admirals 2 at GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 4

Jan. 2, 2015

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Three goals in the final five minutes powered the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 4-2, come-from-behind victory over the Milwaukee Admirals on Friday at Van Andel Arena.

Teemu Pulkkinen tied the score at two on his league-leading 19th goal with 4:32 remaining, and Landon Ferraro notched both the unassisted game-winner and an empty-net insurance tally to maintain the Griffins’ recent torrid pace. Pulkkinen’s seven-game goal streak now stands alone as the second-longest in franchise history, behind only Donald MacLean’s eight-game run during his AHL MVP campaign of 2005-06.

Grand Rapids, now 5-1-0-1 in its last seven overall and 7-1-1-1 in its last 10 on home ice, will wrap up a five-game home stand by playing three games in four nights next week, beginning with a Wednesday visit by the Charlotte Checkers. Game time is 7 p.m.

Milwaukee (15-12-2-3) struck for the lone goal of the opening period at 13:04. From the top of the left circle, Joe Pendenza threaded a backdoor pass to Colton Sissons, whose redirection hit the right post and then the left skate of Tom McCollum before trickling across the goal line.

Less than four minutes into the second, Milwaukee’s Michael Liambas was assessed a match penalty for a check to the head of Louis-Marc Aubry. Brennan Evans immediately dropped the gloves with Liambas to avenge his teammate while Aubry eventually made his way off the ice and to the locker room with assistance. He did not return.

The Griffins (17-11-3-1) generated only one shot during their resulting five-minute power play but made it count, as Anthony Mantha teed up a rocket from the point that tore past Magnus Hellberg’s blocker at the 8:10 mark, snapping his five-game goal drought.

The Admirals went back on top 2-1 early in the third, thanks to an assist from former Griffin and 2013 Calder Cup champ Triston Grant. Mark Van Guilder took Grant’s pass at the left faceoff dot and quickly fired a short-side wrister over McCollum’s right shoulder at 4:15.

Birthday boys Pulkkinen and Alexey Marchenko – both 23 today – teamed up for the equalizer at the 15:28 mark, as Pulkkinen collected Marchenko’s pass at the top of the right circle and ripped a one-timer inside the far post.

Less than a minute later, Ferraro blocked a shot at the left point and took off after the loose puck. He chased it down at the Milwaukee blue line and angled in on the net before sending a shot past Hellberg’s blocker from the right circle at 16:24, igniting the crowd of 7,421. Ferraro then capped off the late rally by scoring into the vacated cage on a sharp angle with 1:30 remaining.

McCollum made 24 saves to even his personal record at 8-8-3, while Hellberg stopped 28 shots in the loss.

Notes: Including playoffs, it’s been nearly three years since Mantha has played more than five games without scoring a goal. As a 17-year-old in his first full QMJHL season in 2011-12, he went seven games without a goal from Dec. 16, 2011 to Jan. 8, 2012…The Griffins are 14-5-2-1 since Nov. 12.

Three Stars: 1. GR Ferraro (two goals); 2.GR Pulkkinen (game-tying goal); 3. GR Mantha (power play goal)