SUPERMANTHA

DES MOINES, Iowa – Anthony Mantha matched a franchise record with three power play goals before Kyle Criscuolo netted the game-winner with 3:58 left in regulation as the Grand Rapids Griffins overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat the Iowa Wild 4-3 on Tuesday at Wells Fargo Arena.

Mantha became the fourth player in franchise history to score three times on the man advantage, a mark set previously by Tomas Jurco (11/20/15 vs. San Diego), Teemu Pulkkinen (1/29/15 at Iowa) and Joe Murphy (10/16/01 at Cleveland).

Former Griffins captain Jeff Hoggan drew first blood for Iowa (1-2-0-0) at the 6:38 mark of the opening period. The 2013 Calder Cup champion intercepted Louis-Marc Aubry’s pass at the right half-boards and skated towards the top of the right circle, sending a wrist shot past a screened Jared Coreau.

Mantha evened the score on the power play for Grand Rapids (3-0-0-0) 8:29 into the middle frame. Matt Lorito’s centering pass from behind the goal line reached Mantha at the point for a slapshot inside Alex Stalock’s left post and in.

Zach Palmquist restored Iowa’s lead with 7:07 remaining in the second. Grayson Downing’s pass from the bottom of the right circle found Palmquist at the top of the left circle for a snapshot that beat Coreau to the short side.

Joel Eriksson Ek capitalized on the man advantage for the Wild with 33 seconds to play in the period. On an eventual 3-on-1, Downing’s cross-ice pass reached Eriksson Ek at the right circle for a one-timer off the right post and in to give the home team a 3-1 lead heading into the second intermission.

Mantha cut the deficit to one with his second power play tally of the night 1:28 into the third. Nathan Paetsch set up Mantha for a one-timer from the right point that rang off the underside of the crossbar and in.

The Griffins erased their two-goal deficit on another man advantage when Mantha completed his hat trick with 8:53 to play in the final frame. Mantha gained the zone, assessed his options and sent a slapshot from the right point that found its way through traffic in front for his fifth goal in three games this season.

Criscuolo’s first professional goal proved to be the game-winner with 3:58 remaining in regulation. Conor Allen drove the net and sent a pass through the goal mouth, where it ended up on the stick of Mitch Callahan at the left side of the net. Callahan then centered the puck to Criscuolo on the edge of the crease for a shot into the open net to keep the Griffins’ perfect start to the season intact.

Grand Rapids finished 3-for-6 on the power play, while Iowa cashed in on 1-of-5 opportunities. Coreau turned aside 17-of-20 shots as Stalock stopped 26-of-30 shots in a losing effort.

The Griffins return to Van Andel Arena on Friday and Saturday for games against the Rockford IceHogs and Cleveland Monsters, respectively. Both contests start at 7 p.m.

Notes: Martin Frk became the 156th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL, logging 10:13 of ice time for the Carolina Hurricanes in a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday at Rogers Place.

Three Stars: 1. GR Mantha (hat trick); 2. IA Palmquist (goal, assist); 3. IA Downing (two assists)