ROSEMONT, Ill.—The Wolves took the ice against the hottest team in the American Hockey League when they faced the Grand Rapids Griffins on Sunday at Allstate Arena.
Bradly Nadeau and Evan Vierling each scored in the shootout and each also had a goal in regulation to help propel the Wolves to a thrilling 4-3 victory. Justin Robidas added a goal and an assist as Chicago won its second in a row while handing Grand Rapids its first loss of the season after an 8-0-0-0 start—the longest undefeated streak to open an AHL season since the 2021-22 campaign.
“It was kind of motivation for us going into this one knowing they hadn’t lost yet this season,” Robidas said. “We just wanted to prove that we can play with the other teams in the division. Everyone really stepped up and played well. It was a team effort for sure.”
Michael Postava started in goal for the Griffins but left the game 8 minutes, 17 seconds in with an injury. Carter Gylander took over and Robidas promptly greeted him with a snipe that gave the Wolves the early lead.
With the Wolves skating shorthanded, Robidas stole the puck at his own blue line, raced through the neutral zone and into Griffins territory before wiring a wrist shot from the left dot that beat Gylander to the glove side. The unassisted tally was Robidas’ third goal of the season—and the third in as many games—as well as the Wolves’ first shorty of the season.
“At first, I wanted to give it to Vierling but the closer I got to the net I felt like I needed to shoot it,” Robidas said. “I know (Gylander) just came into the game so I wanted to test him out a little bit to the far side and it went in.”
After the Griffins’ Sheldon Dries tied it early in the second with a power-play goal, the Wolves answered a short time later on Nadeau’s third goal of the season. The winger roared into the offensive zone while on a three-on-one break, took a terrific cross-ice feed from Robidas and banged the puck past Gylander from in close. Robidas and Ryan Suzuki recorded assists.
The Wolves notched their second shorthanded goal of the game midway through the second. This time, Vierling scooped up a pick in his own zone, out-raced a defender to create a breakaway and solved Gylander with a forehand-backhand move. The unassisted marker was Vierling’s third of the season and second in two games.
The Griffins remained on the power play and Austin Watson cashed in 46 seconds after Vierling’s goal to make it a 3-2 contest heading into the third period.
Another power-play goal—this one by Michael Brandsegg-Nygard early in the third—pulled Grand Rapids into a 3-3 tie with the Wolves.
That set up overtime and eventually a shootout. Vierling and Nadeau each found the back of the net while Wolves netminder Ruslan Khazheyev stopped two of three Griffins efforts to give the home team the triumph.
Khazheyev (30 saves) earned the win in goal while Gylander (22 saves) suffered the loss for the Griffins.
“Ruslan played great,” Robidas said. “He hasn’t been with us pretty much all year and then comes in and puts up a great game.”
Chicago upped its record to 6-4-1-0 on the season while Grand Rapids stands at 8-0-0-1.