THANKS FOR...NOTHING?

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A whopping 45-24 advantage in shots was not enough to help the Grand Rapids Griffins avoid history on Wednesday, as they fell to the defending Calder Cup champion Hamilton Bulldogs by a 6-3 count at Van Andel Arena.

The Griffins’ current seven-game home skid and nine-game overall winless streak (0-8-0-1) both tie franchise records established during December and January of the 2004-05 season.

Grand Rapids (5-10-0-1), which tonight began a stretch of eight games in 12 nights, will conclude a busy Thanksgiving home schedule by hosting the Iowa Stars on Friday and Saturday. Game time each night is 7 p.m.

Hamilton (6-7-0-3) grabbed a pair of one-goal leads in the opening period, only to see Grand Rapids answer on each occasion. At the 1:04 mark, Ryan O’Byrne’s shot from the right point – the first of the game for either team – eluded Jimmy Howard, and Carl Corazzini sent the puck into the top left corner of Yann Danis’ net from the high slot at 7:59 to even the score.

The Bulldogs regained the advantage when Corey Locke finished off a 2-on-1 at 14:35, potting Sergei Kostitsyn’s pass from the left side. But during a Griffins power play less than two minutes later, Jakub Kindl made it a 2-2 contest on a blast from the left point that skimmed along the ice and snuck inside the right post at 16:23.

Hamilton went back on top on a power play goal 4:18 into the second, as Locke found Marvin Degon for an easy back-door tally, the only goal of the frame.

Trailing 3-2 to begin the third period despite a 31-14 shot margin, the Griffins soon saw their deficit tripled. Jonathan Ferland scored during a goal-mouth scrum at 5:26 and Cory Urquhart knocked an airborne puck behind Howard at 7:32.

Darren Helm gave the Griffins some life just 17 seconds later, threading a shot top-shelf into the far corner from an impossible angle at the bottom of the right circle, but Ferland notched his second goal at 8:48 to put Hamilton up 6-3 and usher in Adam Berkhoel, who stopped the only shot he faced in relief of Howard.

Danis backstopped the win with 42 saves, while Howard mustered 17 on the other end.