SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY

SAN ANTONIO – Ben Street’s power play tally with 4:50 remaining in regulation propelled the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 4-2 victory over the San Antonio Rampage before a crowd of 10,562 on Friday at the AT&T Center.

Four Griffins logged multiple points while Cal Heeter turned away 22 shots to earn his 10th victory in 12 starts as the Griffins won in regulation against the Rampage on foreign ice for the first time since a 5-2 decision on Jan. 13, 2011. The result also extends San Antonio’s winless streak to 10 consecutive games (0-9-0-1).

Chances were at a premium in the early stages as both teams adapted to a sheet of ice completed earlier in the day. Robbie Russo drew first blood for Grand Rapids (36-16-1-2) 9:05 into the opening period when he took Matt Lorito’s centering pass in the high slot and ripped a hard wrist shot into the top right corner.

The visitors grabbed a two-goal advantage on an eventual 2-on-1 with 1:25 to play in the first frame. Evgeny Svechnikov sent a waist-high backhanded pass from the right half-boards toward a streaking Lorito, who redirected the puck out of mid-air inside the right post for his 17th goal of the campaign.

San Antonio restored parity with a pair of goals in the middle period, with Rocco Grimaldi getting the Rampage (21-30-4-1) on the scoresheet on the power play at the 5:40 mark. After a Chris Bigras slapshot from the right point forced a left pad save from Heeter, Grimaldi gathered the loose puck and lifted the rebound inside the right post.

The Rampage evened the score on a tic-tac-toe sequence with 6:49 remaining. Colin Smith sent a rinkwide feed to Grimaldi at the left post, who quickly guided the puck back across the goal mouth to Brendan Ranford for a tap-in into an open net.

After failing to convert on five power play chances in the middle frame, Grand Rapids was given a golden opportunity to recapture the lead after Smith slashed Colin Campbell’s stick at the 13:53 mark. The Griffins’ lethal five-forward unit would not be denied for a sixth time, capitalizing just over a minute into the ensuing man advantage. Martin Frk’s slapshot from the right point bounced off Spencer Martin’s catching glove, but the rebound rolled all the way to Street in the slot for a backhanded shot along the ice and narrowly inside the right post.

The Rampage pulled Martin for the extra skater with less than 90 ticks remaining in an attempt to salvage at least a point. However, the strategy backfired as Matthew Ford won the race to Eric Tangradi’s clearing attempt and added an empty-netter with 25.9 seconds on the clock.

Grand Rapids finished 1-for-7 on the power play while San Antonio cashed in on 1-of-2 opportunities. Martin blocked 27 shots in a losing cause. The Griffins continue their road trip on Saturday as they face the Texas Stars with puck drop from the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park scheduled for 8 p.m. EST.

Notes: The Griffins are 3-0 against the Rampage in the season series, outscoring San Antonio 15-3…Frk extended his point streak to six consecutive games, logging nine points (4-5–9) in that span…The Griffins are 10-2 in front of attendances greater than 10,000…Grand Rapids is 29-3-1-1 when scoring the game’s first goal and 26-1 when leading after one period.

Three Stars: 1. GR Street (game-winning power play goal); 2. GR Lorito (goal, assist); 3. SA Ranford (goal, assist)