GRAND RAPIDS — Trends continued Wednesday night at Van Andel Arena. The Grand Rapids Griffins can’t win at home, and Stephen Weiss can’t stay healthy.
Mitch Callahan scored ten seconds into the game to give the Griffins the lead, but that’s all the offense Grand Rapids could muster. Teemu Pulkkinen and Xavier Ouellet assisted on the goal. It was Callahan’s second of the season.
Weiss was centering Callahan and Pulkkinen for the first two periods tonight. However, Weiss never came out of the Griffins locker room after the second intermission and missed the entire third period with a lower-body injury.
Weiss was beginning a two-game conditioning stint with Grand Rapids after just playing in 44 NHL games since the Lockout ended in 2013. Weiss missed most of the 2013-2014 season with a sports hernia. He spoke with the media prior to the game about the importance of getting in game action.
Rockford evened it up a little over five and a half minutes later from a goal by Matt Carey. The game remained tied until Joakim Nordstrom scored with 1:16 left in the third period.
Tom McCollum got the start for Grand Rapids, stopping 25 of the 27 shots he faced. IceHogs goalie Michael Leighton made 38 saves. Grand Rapids is now 0-3 in home games this season.