A pair of 4-1 wins helped the Griffins sweep their first two meetings of the season with the Iowa Wild, American Hockey League affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, extending their win streak to five games.
Though the Griffins were outshot in both games, their power play was dominant on Friday and Saturday. Grand Rapids ended up going 3-for-5 with the man advantage, with two goals coming from Brighton native Joel L’Esperance. The veteran added an insurance goal in the third period on Friday, scoring what ended up being the game-winner, his 11th of the season on Saturday.
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The 28-year-old has been one of the hottest Griffins as of late, having scored in each of the last five games
GR’s penalty kill was also exceptional, as they did not allow the Wild to score on the power play on eight chances over the weekend.
The Griffins got off to the right foot on Friday, as Tim Gettinger scored his eighth of the season late in the opening period, while defenseman Antti Tuomisto potted his third with just 39 seconds remaining in the frame.
The Wild got on the board with Louis Boudon’s first goal in the AHL just past the halfway mark of the second period.
After L’Esperance made it 3-1, veteran Dominik Shine got a penalty shot late in regulation. He did not miss, marking his second goal in three games.
