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Heat Scorch Griffins 6-0
Griffins home schedule and playoff hopes end with a whimper...
By Jason Kasiorek
www.griffinscentral.com
April, 8th, 2011

The Grand Rapids Griffins were still holding on to a slim thread of playoff hope going into tonight's contest with the Abbotsford heat. That hope was extinguished quickly as the Heat scored early and often, completely shutting down the Griffins in an embarrassing 6-0 shellacking. Jordan Pearce took the loss, but was pulled early in the second after giving up 3 goals on 16 shots. The loss also mathematically eliminated the Griffs from earning a postseason berth.

Keefe smoked a Heat player in the corner and ended up getting challenged by Pelech. Keefe took his lumps early, but held on and got his in in the end, pulling Pelech's jersey over his head. Pearce down in the crease with Amadio on his back and Baldwin took the puck behind the net and scored on a wraparound. Emmerton hit Lashoff in front for a glorious scoring chance, but despite a couple of whacks at it, he couldn't get it in the net. Shots on goal: GR 12 - Abb 11.

Pyett and janik were both in front of the net but allowed Rheault an unchallenged scoring chance on the doorstep. Pearce made a great first stop, but Rheault chipped it in over him. Abbotsford made it 3-0 a few shifts later and sending Jordan pearce to the bench early. Thomas McCollum came in officially signaling the towel has been thrown in on this one. Pelech took a couple of shots at Minard, then Amadio went over to have a talk with him and got sent to the box. Meech and Bouma shoving and cross checking each other behind the play. Amadio came out of the box and set up a nice scoring chance by Emmerton. Armstrong stung Nyquist with a brutal hit that left the young forward on the ice in pain for quite awhile. Lashoff went right over and started punching him, but Armstrong tried to cover up. Nyquist eventually left the ice favoring his knee and went straight to the room. He tested his leg with a couple of turns during a stoppage in play and returned to the game. Stone fired a rocket from the circle that cleanly beat McCollum high, glove side. Shots on goal: GR 8 - Abb 15.

The Griffins finally got a powerplay halfway through the third, but were unable to capitalize on it. Stone scored his second of the game to make it 5-0 with about 2 minutes and change left in the game. A minute later Kotalik fired a low shot from the slot that eluded McCollum to make it 6-0. The buzzer went to end the game and the players saluted the fans and left the ice. Shots on Goal: GR 6 - Abb 15. For the Game: GR 26 - Abb 41.

Lines:
Tatar - Filppula - Keefe
Minard - Johnson - Emmerton
Raedeke - Tardif - Keefe
#6 Nyquist - Andersson - Pare

Pairings:
Meech/Ehrhardt - Smith
Amadio/Lashoff - Pyett
Janik - Ehrhardt

Starter: Pearce
Backup: McCollum

Scratches:
Owens - broken arm
Coetzee
Mursak
Straub
Piche
Kolosov
Mrazek

PP:
Minard - Johnson - Emmerton
Smith - Pyett

Tatar - Filppula - Tardif
Pare - Meech

PK:
Emmerton - Johnson
Meech - Pyett/Lashoff - Meech

Andersson - Tardif
Amadio - Smith

Tatar-Filppula

Observations:

I know I shouldn't have expected anything different, but what an awful loss. I will give Abbotsford a lot of credit for being a better team and outplaying us, but I don't have a lot of nice things to say about how the home team played.

The usual suspects actually brought their A game including Keefe, Tardif and Amadio. Changes will be made in the offseason, but that is a story for another day.



Official Game Sheet