Wolves’ four-game winning streak ends
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The Chicago Wolves drew first blood but it was the Grand Rapids Griffins with the last laugh, shutting the door on the Wolves with a 2-1 overtime victory Saturday night at Van Andel Arena.
Goaltender Matt Climie (6-8-0) stopped 26 of 28 shots for the Wolves (13-9-3-1). The loss ended the Wolves’ four-game winning streak.
Left wing Darren Archibald was the lone goal scorer for the Wolves. Since joining the team from the East Coast Hockey League’s Kalamazoo Wings in late November, Archibald has had success finding mesh on the power play and got right back to it against the Griffins.
After scoreless first and second periods, Archibald finally lit the lamp while the Wolves had the man advantage, rifling his third power-play goal of the season past Griffins goalie Tom McCollum at 2:43 of the third.
Grand Rapids (16-9-1-1) answered Archibald on their own power play when center Landon Ferraro tipped a puck around Climie to even the score at 12:26.
Sixty minutes wasn’t enough to settle things, and the game proceeded to the extra frame. Halfway through, Griffins defenseman Brian Lashoff took a cross-ice feed and rocketed a puck past Climie to give Grand Rapids the victory.
The Wolves will break for the holidays and return to the ice when they visit the Rockford IceHogs at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 27.