ROAD RUNNERS OUTWIT GRIFFINS
EDMONTON, Alb. Jiri Hudlers return to the Griffins lineup was not enough to overcome Tyler Moss 32-save blanking as the Edmonton Road Runners defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 3-0 on Wednesday night at Rexall Place. Moss now has shutout his former club four times in his career, the most against the Griffins by any individual netminder.
Edmonton opened the scoring midway through the first period with a shorthanded marker by J.J. Hunter. The Griffins turned the puck over in the neutral zone, Hunter pounced on the loose disc, skated through the Griffins zone and backhanded the puck over a sprawled Joey MacDonald.
Dan Smith opened a 2-0 lead with a power play tally late in the second period. Raffi Torres gathered a loose puck along the Grand Rapids blue line. He wrapped a pass behind his back to Jeff Woywitka. Woywitka fired on the Griffins net allowing Smith to redirect the blast past MacDonald with 44 seconds remaining in the second period.
Hunter notched his second goal of the game for a 3-0 margin. Smith marched the puck into the Grand Rapids zone and dropped a pass just inside the blue line. Hunter quickly gathered the puck and wristed a shot that squeezed through MacDonalds legs at 5:35 of the third period.
MacDonald, who was named to the Canadian AHL All-Star team earlier today, finished with 29 saves.
The same teams will take the Rexall Place ice on Thursday at 9 p.m. before the Griffins return to Van Andel Arena on Saturday to host the Milwaukee Admirals.
Edmonton opened the scoring midway through the first period with a shorthanded marker by J.J. Hunter. The Griffins turned the puck over in the neutral zone, Hunter pounced on the loose disc, skated through the Griffins zone and backhanded the puck over a sprawled Joey MacDonald.
Dan Smith opened a 2-0 lead with a power play tally late in the second period. Raffi Torres gathered a loose puck along the Grand Rapids blue line. He wrapped a pass behind his back to Jeff Woywitka. Woywitka fired on the Griffins net allowing Smith to redirect the blast past MacDonald with 44 seconds remaining in the second period.
Hunter notched his second goal of the game for a 3-0 margin. Smith marched the puck into the Grand Rapids zone and dropped a pass just inside the blue line. Hunter quickly gathered the puck and wristed a shot that squeezed through MacDonalds legs at 5:35 of the third period.
MacDonald, who was named to the Canadian AHL All-Star team earlier today, finished with 29 saves.
The same teams will take the Rexall Place ice on Thursday at 9 p.m. before the Griffins return to Van Andel Arena on Saturday to host the Milwaukee Admirals.