The AHL's worst team, Iowa, defeats the AHL's top team Grand Rapids, 3-2

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- In the proverbial battle between David and Goliath at Van Andel Arena, the upstart Iowa Wild hit the Grand Rapids Griffins right between the eyes Friday night at Van Andel Arena.

A crowd of 7,637 Grand Rapids partisans attended the contest. And thousands more listened to the contest on 96.1 The Game in GR.

The Griffins - they of the best 50-game record in American Hockey League history - were stunned by the 7th-place Wild on Grand Rapids' home ice, 3-2. The Wild had lost all five games in the season series against Grand Rapids, including a 6-2 spanking on December 19. But their 16-29-4-1 record notwithstanding, Iowa took a quick 2-0 lead in the first period against the Griffins, who seemed to be sleepwalking in the first five minutes of the game. [Photos attached below]

Grand Rapids finally scored in the 3rd period but Michael Brandsegg-Nygard's tally was too little too late. They had a 5-on-3 power play late in regulation but couldn't capitalize despite getting some quality shots on goal. Sheldon Dries missed an open net with 2:10 to go. The Griffins made it close, though, with 2:04 remaining in regulation on a one-timer by Shai Buium from the right circle dot. It took GR only six seconds to capitalize on that power play, to make it 3-2.

They didn't score again, but almost lit the lamp on a backhanded, no-look shot with :32 seconds left.

The Griffins won the shots-on-goal battle, bettering the Wild, 33-25. But Iowa won the game.

Grand Rapids entered the game needing only a win or a tie to clinch a playoff berth before the end of February. But as with their overtime loss to Manitoba on Wednesday night, it wasn't to be Friday night. The Griffins will get one more chance - against this same Iowa Wild team - to clinch a playoff spot before March arrives with a rematch Saturday night at Van Andel Arena. WOOD Radio and WXSP-TV will carry the 7 p.m. contest.

Making the postseason has been a foregone conclusion since about November, after Grand Rapids got off to a franchise-record start of 19-1-0-1 and 39 points through 21 games. That included a franchise record-tying 15-game win streak from Nov. 22 to Dec. 27, 2025.

As for American Hockey League history, their 40-7-2-1 mark and 83 points through their first 50 games topped the 1992-'93 Binghamton Rangers' 82 points.

The Griffins also had the best record in AHL history through 25, 30 and 40 games.

1st Period:

The Griffins in their Navy-blue uniforms with pants and shoulder trim. The Wild with white tops and green pants. Tyler Pitlick almost scored on a 2-on-1 break for Iowa.

The Wild score with 15:17 to go in the first period. Hunter Haight got a clean breakaway on the near-side wall after taking a rink-wide pass, and wristed a shot over Michal Postava's shoulder, Haight's third goal of the season against G.R. and 11th overall. David Spacek and Nicolas Aube-Kubel with the assists.

The Griffins seem to be sleepwalking in the early going, not only with the defensive lapses but on offense with only one shot on goal with 14:04 to go in the opening period.

With 10:47 to go, former Denver Pioneer Antii Tuomisto gets a two-minute slashing penalty and the Wild go on the game's first power play. But a moment later, Gabriel Seger gets a shorthanded breakaway for Grand Rapids but hits the outside of the goalpost after deaking Wild goaltender Cal Petersen. The Griffins are the top penalty-killing team in the AHL at 87 percent. And they deny Iowa a tally, and the Griffins are back at full strength at the 8:47 mark.

Then Michael Brandsegg-Nygard misses a close-in opportunity in the Wild zone; he was going for his fifth goal in his last five games. Grand Rapids has come out of its early-game slumber and has tied the shots on goal at five for each team after being down 5-1 in the category in the first few minutes of the contest. 5:28 to go in period 1.

With 3:26 to go in the 1st period, Oskar Olausson picks up a loose puck and cruises in untouched on the Griffins' goal and bangs the puck home at a difficult angle off the side of Griffins' netminder Michael Postava. Iowa is up 2-0. And that's the way the period ends, with G.R. leading in shots on goal, 11-10. But not before the Wild are penalized with :36.6 seconds to go, Jack Peart is called for a 2-minute hooking penalty.

2nd Period:

The Wild kill off the Griffins' power play to start the second stanza. Cal Petersen with a sprawling save to deny Michael Bransegg-Nygard's attempt to tally three minutes into the period. Grand Rapids with two solid shifts, forechecking well to create some pressure in the Wild zone. 15:26 to go, and GR is up 15-11 in shots on goal for the game.

The Wild steal a puck out of the air when the Griffins try to clear it, and there's a scramble in front of Postava, who hits the ice on his belly to smother the puck with 10:30 to go in period 2. The shots on goal are 18-to-15 in favor of the Griffins, but Iowa leads the game, 2-0. Caedan Bankier sticks Griffins' rookie Jacob Truscott in the back while he's down on the ice and the zebra looks the other way. No penalty against the Wild.

The crowd cheers loudly for some action, not on the ice but in the stands. A man proposes to a woman and she said "yes." They shared a smooch on the videocam shown on the gondola screen ... the only scoring so far in the 2nd period. He had a big Mohawk haircut, harkening to the old Muskegon Mohawks hockey team, perhaps.

Cal Peterson has rejected all 19 Griffins' shots on goal, so far, with four minutes to go in the middle period.

The Wild scored on a goal-mouth scramble with 13.5 seconds to go in the 2nd period. Michal Postava tried to clear the puck but it hit a skate and pounced back into the goal crease and Iowa's Caedan Bankier makes no mistake, putting the biscuit into the basket with Postava prostrate in the blue paint. A disheartening way to end the period, with the Wild skating away with a 3-0 lead heading into the third period. Iowa leads in shots on goal, as well, 22-19. Oskar Olausson and Jean-Luc Foudy had the assists.

3rd Period:

Third-period play begins with a Griffins' power play, as Oskar Olausson is called for a 2-minute slashing penalty. A tic-tac-toe powerplay tally by Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, who got a great feed from Eduards Tralmaks, who took the first pass from Amadeus Lombardi. The Griffins' first goal of the game narrows the Wild lead to 3-1 just 2:17 into the final frame.

Ian Mitchell with a point-blank opportunity for GR sails the puck wide with 13 minutes to go in regulation.

With 8:35 to go, it appears the Griffins may get a penalty for having too many players on the ice after the puck hits a skate in the Grand Rapids zone. But the ref decides not to call it and the Griffins have to capitalize on the break. They lead in shots on goal, 26-25.

With 6:50 left, the zebra says Wild defenseman Carson Lambos was naughty: he draws a 2-minute penalty for holding. With 5:49 remaining, the Wild's David Jiricek gets whistled for a high-sticking penalty, giving the Griffins a 5-on-3 power play for 1 minute, 29 seconds. 1:25 left in the second penalty.

Brandsegg-Nygard and Lombard both with shots right on goal, but goalie Peterson blocks it, foiling golden opportunities for Grand Rapids to make it a one-goal game. That kills the first power play. The Wild with good defense, and they clear the puck twice out of their zone and kill off the second power play, as well. GR only 1-for-4 on the power play tonight.

Sheldon Dries missed an open net with 2:10 to go. The Griffins made it close, though, with 2:04 remaining in regulation on a one-timer by Shai Bulum from the right circle dot. It took GR only six seconds to capitalize on that power play, to make it 3-2. Grand Rapids was 2-for--5 on the power play. Brandsegg-Nygard and Tuomisto had the assists.

GAME NOTES:

The Wild and Griffins will go at against Saturday night at 7 o'clock on WOOD Radio and WXSP-TV.

Captain Dominik Shine was on recall to the Red Wings and not in GR. John Leonard missed his 12th straight game. He was tearing up the league before injury. Nate Danielson's missed four straight games. Carter Mazur has missed most of the season with a lower-body injury

Veteran Gerry Mayhew, one of two former Ferris State Bulldogs, was a healthy scratch for Iowa due to the AHL rule that requires teams to dress at least 12 players with 260 or fewer pro games, limiting veterans (260+ games) to a maximum of six per game.

The Griffins came into the game having won 16 of their past 21 meetings against the Wild and led the season series five games to none. Also coming into the game, Grand Rapids was 8-1-1-0 in its last 10 outings and on a seven-game point streak (7-0-1-0

Here are some other notes from the Griffins' public relations department:

Iowa’s power play is tied for 27th at 15.2% and its penalty kill places 20th at 81.0%...Iowa ranks 31st with 2.34 goals scored per game and is tied for 21st with 3.22 goals allowed per contest...Former Griffins head coach Ben Simon (2018-23) is an assistant coach for the Wild...Iowa’s Bradley Marek hails from Big Rapids, Michigan and played his last USHL season with Muskegon before playing two seasons at Ferris State (2021-23)...Former Ferris State Bulldog Gerry Mayhew returned to Iowa this offseason. All time against the Griffins since 2017-18, Mayhew has 36 points (20-16—36) in 38 games. With Iowa against Grand Rapids, Mayhew has 30 points (18-12—30) in 28 games...Iowa’s Mark Liwiski is tied for first in the AHL with 177 penalty minutes and Mayhew is tied for seventh with eight power-play goals.

This Date in Griffins History

2011: Logan Pyett becomes the first Griffins defenseman to ever notch a hat trick, scoring each of his goals in the second period of a 5-2 win at Hamilton. 

The Lombardi Trophy

Amadeus Lombardi posted five points (3-2—5) in two games last weekend, which included an overtime-winner in both contests. He became just the third player in Griffins history to score an overtime goal in consecutive games, joining Turner Elson and Filip Hronek. Lombardi’s three OT goals this campaign tie the Griffins’ single-season record, and his four-career OT-winners are tied for fourth in franchise history. He is currently on a three-game point streak (3-3—6) from Feb. 20-25 and has 13 points (6-7—13) in his last 11 outings. The third-year pro was sidelined for 20 straight games from Nov. 22-Jan. 9 due to rehabbing an injury. Since his return on Jan. 13, Lombardi has 15 points (6-9—15) in 18 games. Last season, the Aurora, Ontario, native, logged a career-high 40 points (19-21—40) in 44 games with the Griffins. With Grand Rapids since the spring of 2023, Lombardi has 96 points (33-63—96) in 147 outings. He was the 113th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. 

Are We Talking About Playoffs?

The Griffins enter the weekend with a magic number of one to clinch a playoff berth and can clinch tonight with a point over Iowa or any type of a Rockford loss to Hershey. The earliest clinching date in team history for Grand Rapids is March 6 (2003-04 season). The Griffins have led the Central Division for the entire season, and are 21 points above second-place Chicago and 42 points up on a playoff spot. The Griffins also have a five-point advantage over the Providence Bruins in the race for the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, awarded to the AHL's regular-season champions. Grand Rapids is 31-5-3-1 against its division rivals and has outscored them 141-80, suffering its first regulation defeat against the division on Jan. 9 against Texas. The Griffins’ 31 wins are the most divisional victories since 2018-19 (31-20-5-2). Sixteen of the remaining 21 games for Grand Rapids will be against the Central Division (76.2%). The Griffins will see the most games against the Rockford IceHogs (5) followed by the Milwaukee Admirals (4).

Back in the Groove

The Griffins dropped six of 10 games from Jan. 7-30 but have since returned to form, showing an 8-1-1-0 record with a plus-15 margin (35-20) from Jan. 31-Feb. 25. Grand Rapids has scored at least four goals in six of its last 10 contests and has allowed more than two goals just three times. The Griffins have continued their league-record start with a 40-7-3-1 ledger and 84 points through 51 games, surpassing the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers (38-6-6, 82 pts.) for the best start through 50 games in the AHL’s 90-year history. The team saw its franchise-record tying 15-game win streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27 come to an end in overtime on Dec. 31, which also tied for the sixth-longest run in AHL history. In addition, the Griffins’ 19-game point streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0) ended on Jan. 9, which tied for the longest run in franchise history. The Griffins are 19-2-1-1 on the road and 21-5-2-0 at home. The 17-game points streak on the road from Oct. 10-Jan. 23 (15-0-1-1) set a new AHL record, eclipsing the 2010-11 Milwaukee Admirals’ 16-game run (10-0-4-2). Grand Rapids ranks first in the AHL in points (84), has a 21-point cushion over Chicago for first place in the Central Division, and is 42 points up on a playoff spot. 

Record Setters

Below is a list of team and league records that the Griffins have either set or tied this season. 

- Best record in AHL history through 25 games (23-1-0-1, 47 pts.), 30 games (27-1-1-1, 56 pts.), 40 games (32-5-2-1, 67 pts.) and 50 games (40-7-2-1, 83 pts.), while tying for the best start through 35 games (29-3-2-1, 61 pts.)

- Tied second-best record in AHL history through 45 games (35-7-2-1, 73 pts.)

- Reached the 60-point mark in just 32 games, three games faster than any team in AHL history

- AHL record 17-game road points streak from Oct. 10-Jan. 23 (15-0-1-1)

- Tied franchise-record 15-game winning streak from Nov. 22-Dec. 27, which also tied for sixth-longest in AHL history

- Tied franchise-record 19-game points streak from Nov. 22-Jan. 7 (18-0-1-0)

- Franchise-record start with an 8-0 record and was the league’s last undefeated team for first time since 2000-01 IHL season

- Started 6-0 at home for first time since 2009-10 (8-0)

- Franchise record for largest margin of victory (9) on Nov. 25 at Texas (10-1 W) 

- Franchise record for fewest shots in a game (10) on Jan. 17 versus Milwaukee 

Untouchables 

Below are statistical categories in which the Griffins were undefeated in regulation, heading into Friday night's game.

- 29-0 when scoring the game’s first goal

- 18-0 when leading after the first period

- 28-0 when leading after the second period 

- 7-0 in games decided by four or more goals

- 16-0 when allowing one goal or less

- 33-0-1-1 when scoring at least three goals

- 23-0-1-1 when scoring a power-play goal

- 6-0-1-0 when scoring a shorthanded goal

- 1-0-1-1 when allowing a shorthanded goal

- 1-0 when recording 10-19 shots

- 3-0 when allowing 10-19 shots 

Olympic Update

Eduards Tralmaks concluded his Olympics with Team Latvia with four points (3-1—4) in four games, pacing the team in points and goals. Tralmaks finished the tournament in a tie for eighth in goals scored. At least one active Griffin has been loaned to his country’s national team in six of the last seven Olympics. Of those seven players, Tralmaks was by far the most productive on the world stage, equaling the goal total of the other six combined. In addition, Dylan Larkin won gold with Team USA and made it three straight Olympics and four overall in which a former Griffin won gold and the sixth straight Olympics that at least one of the alumni medaled. Tralmaks, a native of Riga, Latvia, has 24 points (18-6—24), six penalty minutes and a plus-19 rating in 44 games with the Griffins this season. When he joined Team Latvia, he ranked among the Griffins leaders in goals (2nd), points (5th), and plus-minus rating (T2nd), while tying for 14th in the AHL in goals and plus-minus rating. Tralmaks has competed for Team Latvia at the two previous World Championships in 2024 and 2025, showing a combined nine points (4-5—9) in 14 games. At last year's World Championship, Tralmaks led Latvia in points (3-4—7) and assists, while ranking second in goals in seven games. Also in 2024-25, he potted one goal in three Olympic qualifying games with Latvia. 

Shine On, Captain

Captain Dominik Shine has eight points (6-2—8) in his last six games. He was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Feb. 15, 2026, when he logged five goals, 13 shots and a plus-six rating in two games. He also began that week competing in his first-career AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford, Illinois. In a 5-0 win against Texas on Feb. 15, Shine collected his second hat trick of the season and surpassed Mitch Callahan for the third-most goals in franchise history (95), securing his first-ever 20-goal campaign. The 32-year-old has 37 points (21-16—37) in 38 games with 41 penalty minutes and a career-high plus-25 rating, ranking second on the team in points, goals and plus-minus rating. In the AHL rankings, the Detroit native is tied for 11th in goals and tied for sixth in plus-minus rating. On the all-time regular-season franchise leaderboard, Shine ranks third in games played (521), third in goals (96), seventh in assists (125), fourth in points (221), fifth in penalty minutes (594), tied for fifth in shorthanded goals (6), tied for third in game-winners (15), tied for first in unassisted goals (10), and third in shots (897).  

What’s The Password? 

The Griffins’ defense remains the best in the AHL, as it ranks first with 1.94 goals allowed per contest. Grand Rapids posted its eighth shutout of the season on Feb. 15 against Texas, which are the most since 2016-17 (8). The Griffins shut out their opponent in two straight games from Jan. 17-21 in addition to posting consecutive shutouts from Dec. 21-27. Prior to this season, the last time Grand Rapids logged two straight shutouts was Feb. 15-17, 2018. The Griffins have allowed more than two goals just 14 times all season (27.5%) and have averaged 1.80 goals allowed in their last five outings. In addition, the team’s penalty kill is first in the AHL at 86.7%. In net, Sebastian Cossa sports a 1.99 GAA with a .928 save percentage and five shutouts, while rookie netminder Michal Postava possesses a 1.70 GAA, a .939 save percentage and two shutouts. The Griffins have four defensemen who have played at least 100 games in the NHL in Erik Gustafsson (517) (currently with Detroit), Justin Holl (396), Ian Mitchell (110), and William Lagesson (107), totaling 1,130 appearances. 

Be Like Mike

Rookie forward Michael Brandsegg-Nygard logged his first two-goal game in the AHL on Wednesday. He now has four goals in his last four appearances and six points (4-2—6) in his last seven games. From Jan. 3-Feb. 6, the former first-round selection had just three points (0-3—3) in 14 contests, and, prior to Feb. 18, his last goal was on Jan. 2 (17-game drought). The Oslo, Norway, native, has 30 points (12-18—30), 30 penalty minutes and a plus-18 rating in 46 games with Grand Rapids. Brandsegg-Nygard ranks among the AHL rookie leaders in game-winners (6, 1st), assists (T9th), points (T9th), and plus-minus rating (T4th). He was one of three rookies to make the Detroit Red Wings’ opening-night roster out of training camp and showed one assist in nine games before being assigned to the Griffins on Oct. 27. 

Back to Normal 

Grand Rapids was held to under three goals in seven of nine games from Jan. 9-30 but has since scored at least four goals in six of its last 10 contests since Jan. 31, averaging 3.50 goals per game. The Griffins have returned to first in the AHL with 3.45 goals per game after a slow January. The team has outscored its opponents 176-99 and is 29-0 when scoring the game’s first goal. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 83-49 at home, while possessing a 93-50 advantage on the road. Grand Rapids has its largest scoring margin against its opponents in the third period (69-32). John Leonard leads the team and ranks second in the AHL with 26 goals, while Dominik Shine ranks second on the roster with 21 and Sheldon Dries and Eduards Tralmaks are tied for third with 18. 

The Brick Wall

Sebastian Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021, collected his fifth shutout of the season on Feb. 15 against Texas with 26 saves. His career-high five shutouts are the most by a Griffin since 2015-16 (Jared Coreau). Cossa has a 23-4-3 record with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage. He enjoyed a career-high 10-game win streak from Nov. 25-Dec. 27, showing a 1.51 GAA and a .939 save percentage, and a 14-game point streak from Nov. 25-Jan. 13 (12-0-2). In the AHL rankings, Cossa places second in GAA, second in save percentage, tied for first in shutouts, first in wins and sixth in minutes played (1781:22). Cossa won two straight AHL Goaltender of the Month awards (November and December), becoming the first netminder in franchise history to receive the honor twice in the same season. The 23-year-old also became just the third goaltender in team history to win the award twice in any fashion, joining Jared Coreau (Feb. 2018, Dec. 2015) and Jimmy Howard (Dec. 2007, March 2006). In parts of four seasons with Grand Rapids since 2022-23, Cossa has notched a 67-29-17 mark with eight shutouts to go along with a 2.38 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 114 outings, becoming just the sixth netminder to reach the century mark with the team. 

 

Just Getting Started

Rookie netminder Michal Postava tied a franchise record by becoming the 10th netminder in team history to post back-to-back shutouts from Jan. 17-21. He collected his first AHL shutout on Jan. 17 with 10 saves in a 2-0 victory over Milwaukee and followed that performance with a 19-save blanking of Milwaukee on Jan. 21. His 10 saves on Jan. 17 set a new franchise record for fewest in a shutout. Postava logged a shutout streak of 156:20 from Jan. 9-25, which was 3:47 short of breaking the franchise record by Jared Coreau in 2014-15 (160:06). After beginning the campaign 5-0, the 23-year-old suffered his first AHL defeat on Jan. 9 against Texas. Postava is now 10-3-0 with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage in 15 games. Last season, Postava became a Czech Extraliga champion with Kometa Brno, showing a league-best .940 save percentage with a 1.97 GAA and a 10-7 record in 17 playoff games. During the regular season with Kometa Brno, Postava ranked among the Czech Extraliga leaders in save percentage (.921, 5th), GAA (2.39, 11th), wins (23, 4th), games played (42, T2nd) and shutouts (3, T7th). As an undrafted free agent, Postava signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Detroit Red Wings last summer.   

AHL Leaderboard Tracker

Michael Brandsegg-Nygard—Tied for second in game-winners (6), tied for 15th among rookies in goals (12), tied for ninth among rookies in assists (18), tied for ninth among rookies in points (30), tied for fourth among rookies in plus-minus (+18), tied for fifth among rookies in shots (105), first among rookies in game-winners (6)

Sebastian Cossa—Second in GAA (1.99), second in save percentage (.928), tied for first in shutouts (5), first in wins (23), tied for eighth in games played (30), sixth in minutes played (1781:22)

Sheldon Dries—Tied for 11th in power-play goals (7)

x Erik Gustafsson—Tied for 12th among defensemen in plus-minus (+18), tied for ninth among defensemen in power-play goals (2)

Justin Holl—Tied for 12th among defensemen in plus-minus (+18)

Alex Kannok Leipert—Tied for fifth in shorthanded assists (2), tied for third among defensemen in shorthanded assists (2)

William Lagesson—Tied for third in plus-minus (+26), second among defensemen in plus-minus (+26)

John Leonard—Second in goals (26), tied for third in shorthanded goals (3), first in game-winners (8)

Amadeus Lombardi—Tied for 15th in game-winners (4)

Ian Mitchell—Tied for 11th in plus-minus (+23), tied for fourth among defensemen in plus-minus (+23)

Dominik Shine—Tied for 11th in goals (21), tied for sixth in plus-minus (+25)

Antti Tuomisto—Tied for 15th in plus-minus (+21), tied for seventh among defensemen in plus-minus (+21)

Austin Watson—Sixth in penalty minutes (123) 

Milestones 

In a 3-2 win over Cleveland last Wednesday, Austin Watson competed in his 100th game as a Griffin. 

Amadeus Lombardi—Four points from 100 as a Griffin

Ian Mitchell—Two assists from 100 as a pro 

Dominik Shine—Four goals from 100 as a Griffin, one unassisted goal from claiming sole possession of the franchise record of 11

Austin Watson—One assist from 150 as a pro 

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins