SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Thunderbirds (2-4-0-0) could muster only one tally against a pair of goaltender in a hard-fought 2-1 loss on Friday night to the Grand Rapids Griffins (4-1-0-0) inside the MassMutual Center. The T-Birds got to the scoresheet first at the 6:14 mark of the opening period thanks to a fortuitous bounce as a Corey Schueneman shot ricocheted off the end glass and arced into the blue paint. After Griffins goalie Ville Husso turned aside his initial shot, T-Birds captain Matthew Peca swatted home the second effort and gave his team the 1-0 advantage on his first tally this season. The T-Birds got into penalty trouble over the next 30 minutes of play, as Grand Rapids went to five separate man-advantage opportunities. T-Birds netminder Colten Ellis and the penalty kill were up to the challenge on the first four, but Nate Danielson finally connected for his first pro goal at 16:46 of the second, getting the Griffins even and providing some momentum for the visitors heading into the third. At the other end of the ice, another storyline developed when Husso left the game 6:09 into the middle period. 2021 Detroit first-round pick Sebastian Cossa came on in relief and immediately shined, turning away point-blank chances from both Nikita Alexandrov and Peca in back-to-back fashion. The 1-1 tie held until the 5:30 mark of the final period, when a turnover in the defensive zone put Springfield up against an outnumbered attack. Alex Doucet weaved to the bottom of the right circle before setting up Gabriel Seger on a nifty centering pass, and the rookie Swede potted his first AHL goal to give the Griffins a 2-1 advantage. Springfield threw a dozen pucks at Cossa’s net in the third, including a handful on a 6-on-4 in the closing two minutes, but the Grand Rapids defense escaped the Thunderdome with the 2-1 triumph. In their four victories, the Griffins have remarkably allowed just two goals to their opposition in 12 periods of hockey. In the loss, Ellis had his third straight start with just two goals allowed, as he turned away 21 of 23 Grand Rapids shots. The T-Birds look to get back into the win column on Saturday as the two-time defending Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears make their first visit to Springfield this season. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. on Saturday night.
