ROSEMONT, Ill.—The Wolves earned a point but in the end fell to the Grand Rapids Griffins 5-4 in overtime Saturday night at Allstate Arena.
Ty Smith had two goals, Juha Jaaska a goal and an assist and Aleksi Heimosalmi also scored but Chicago couldn’t hold off the Central Division-leading Griffins in the second of three games in three days between the teams. Elmer Soderblom scored with 19 seconds remaining in overtime to help Grand Rapids even the season series 2-2.
“It’s tough not to get that second point,” Smith said. “We had the lead 4-3 in the third and letting that slip is a tough one.”
It didn’t take long for Heimosalmi to send stuffed animals soaring to the ice on Teddy Bear Toss Night when the defenseman pounced on a rebound of a Juha Jaaska shot and fired it through the pads of Griffins netminder Carter Gylander just 3 minutes, 47 seconds into the opening period. Jaaska earned the lone assist on Heimosalmi’s second goal of the season.
The game was briefly delayed while the stuffed animals, which will be donated to local charities, were collected.
Midway through the first, the Griffins evened the score on a goal by Brogan Rafferty and took a 2-1 advantage in the final minute of the frame when Sheldon Dries tallied.
Jaaska’s fourth goal of the season tied it early in the second. The rookie forward took a pass from Ryan Suzuki in the slot and beat Gylander to the stick side. Suzuki and Bradly Nadeau picked up assists on the score. For Suzuki, it was the forward’s 100th career American Hockey League point.
With the clock winding down in the period, the Wolves were skating with a two-man advantage and cashed in when Smith wired a one-timer from the top of the left circle and into the back of the net. The power-play goal that gave Chicago a 3-2 lead heading into the third was assisted by Tyson Jost and Scott Morrow.
“We had the five-on-three and it was a good little switch by Scott and Tyson and then a nice play by Jost to get me the puck,” Smith said. “(Skyler) Brind’Amour was at the net screening and that always helps being able to score like that.”
In the third, Grand Rapids evened the score at 3-3 on Tim Gettinger’s goal but the Wolves again seized the lead on Smith’s second of the night.
The veteran defenseman was all alone in front and converted a pass from Suzuki by shoveling a backhander past Gylander. Suzuki and Ethan Keppen assisted on Smith’s third goal of the season.
“I kind of just got lost down low and it was great vision by Suzuzi, honestly,” Smith said. “Not many guys see that play. Usually, it’s kind of reset at the top and he saw in the corner of his eye that I was all alone at the net and he did a really good job getting me the puck.”
A short time later, Austin Watson scored to make it 4-4 and set up Soderblom’s winner.
Yaniv Perets (36 saves) took the loss in goal for the Wolves while Gylander (23 saves) earned the win for the Griffins.
Chicago dropped to 8-9-2-0 on the season while Grand Rapids moved to 15-6-1-0.
The teams will conclude the three games in three days stretch Sunday afternoon.
“It’s a bit of a grind but we’ve been working hard so I think we’re ready for the challenge (Sunday),” Smith said. “It’s obviously an important in-division game so it’s one you want to come ready to play.”
Next up: The Wolves host the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday (3 p.m.) at Allstate Arena.
For information on Wolves ticket plans for the 2024-25 season—everything from single-game tickets to Flex Packs to group outings—visit chicagowolves.com or call 1-800-THE-WOLVES.
