MAC BACKSTOPS GRIFFINS TO 3-2 SO WIN
HOUSTON Joey MacDonald made 47 saves and stopped five of six attempts in the shootout to lead the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 3-2 win over the Houston Aeros on Friday night at the Toyota Center. The win pulls the Griffins within two points of the final playoff spot with one game in hand on Cincinnati and two games in hand on Houston.
MacDonald, who stopped all seven shots in overtime, has turned aside 23 of 30 shootout attempts (0.767 save percentage) this season.
After the teams went scoreless through the first period, it took all of 34 seconds of the second period for the Aeros (32-26-6-5) to tally. Pierre-Marc Bouchard dumped the puck along the right boards into the Griffins zone. The disc took an awkward carom off the glass, catching MacDonald out of his cage as it deflected off the left post and into the net for a power play goal.
Raymond Giroux doubled Houstons lead when he converted a penalty shot with 3:44 remaining in the second period. Girouxs goal marks the first successful penalty shot ever against the Griffins in seven attempts.
Grand Rapids (35-29-2-1) rallied from a 2-0 deficit for the second consecutive time. The Griffins came back last Saturday from a 2-0 hole to defeat the Chicago Wolves last Saturday 4-3 in regulation.
Grand Rapids cut the lead in half with a power play goal by Eric Manlow at 5:54 of the third period. Along the right boards, Manlow surveyed the ice and fired. The shot deflected off a leg and ricocheted into the top left corner of the net. The goal, Manlows team-leading 19th of the season, is his fifth in his seventh game since returning to the lineup on March 11.
With MacDonald on the bench for an extra attacker, Matt Ellis, who assisted on Manlows goal, evened the score at 2-2 when he banged in the rebound of Kip Millers shot with 27.8 seconds remaining.
The same teams will square off on Sunday night after Grand Rapids trip to the Alamo City to take on the San Antonio Rampage Saturday at 8 p.m.
MacDonald, who stopped all seven shots in overtime, has turned aside 23 of 30 shootout attempts (0.767 save percentage) this season.
After the teams went scoreless through the first period, it took all of 34 seconds of the second period for the Aeros (32-26-6-5) to tally. Pierre-Marc Bouchard dumped the puck along the right boards into the Griffins zone. The disc took an awkward carom off the glass, catching MacDonald out of his cage as it deflected off the left post and into the net for a power play goal.
Raymond Giroux doubled Houstons lead when he converted a penalty shot with 3:44 remaining in the second period. Girouxs goal marks the first successful penalty shot ever against the Griffins in seven attempts.
Grand Rapids (35-29-2-1) rallied from a 2-0 deficit for the second consecutive time. The Griffins came back last Saturday from a 2-0 hole to defeat the Chicago Wolves last Saturday 4-3 in regulation.
Grand Rapids cut the lead in half with a power play goal by Eric Manlow at 5:54 of the third period. Along the right boards, Manlow surveyed the ice and fired. The shot deflected off a leg and ricocheted into the top left corner of the net. The goal, Manlows team-leading 19th of the season, is his fifth in his seventh game since returning to the lineup on March 11.
With MacDonald on the bench for an extra attacker, Matt Ellis, who assisted on Manlows goal, evened the score at 2-2 when he banged in the rebound of Kip Millers shot with 27.8 seconds remaining.
The same teams will square off on Sunday night after Grand Rapids trip to the Alamo City to take on the San Antonio Rampage Saturday at 8 p.m.