GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Nick Lappin and Klim Kostin both found the net and Ville Husso made 31 saves to fuel the San Antonio Rampage (21-21-12) to a 2-1 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins (26-24-7) on Sunday night at Van Andel Arena.
Klim Kostin congratulates #35 Ville Husso after Rampage win (Grand Rapids Griffins)
The Rampage have won four of their last five games and improved to the .500 mark for the first time since Dec. 17. The Rampage earned consecutive wins at Van Andel Arena, where the Griffins had lost just once in regulation in their prior 11 games heading into Saturday night’s contest.
Lappin opened the scoring at 1:56 of the second period with his fifth goal of the season, and first in 31 games, to give San Antonio a 1-0 lead. Joey LaLeggia fired a pass down low from the right circle that banked off Lappin’s skate and past Grand Rapids goaltender Calvin Pickard to put San Antonio in front.
The Griffins tied the game at 11:27 of the second period. Michael Rasmussen took a pass at the side of the net and walked to the front for a backhander through Husso, a power play goal for his sixth goal of the season.
Just 26 seconds after the Rasmussen goal, Dominik Shine was sent to the box for high-sticking. The Rampage cashed in on the power play at 12:15 to take a 2-1 lead. Lappin’s right-circle shot was blockered by Pickard, but the rebound bounced off of Kostin and over the goal line for Kostin’s 12th goal of the season.
Kostin has game-winning power play goals in consecutive games.
Husso earned his 14th win of the season. He is 5-3-0 in his last eight starts and has surrendered two goals or fewer in seven of those appearances.
The Rampage had been winless in their previous nine visits to Grand Rapids prior to their victory on Saturday night. They are now 5-3-1 on the Rodeo Road Trip with one game remaining.
The Rampage climbed to within one point of the fifth-place Rockford IceHogs, and three points of the fourth-place Chicago Wolves. The IceHogs lost to the Wolves in regulation on Sunday. San Antonio has three games in hand on Rockford and one game in hand on Chicago.
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