Grosenick stops 36 in Admirals debut; Milwaukee tops Grand Rapids 4-1

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Goalie Troy Grosenick stopped 36 shots in his Admirals debut, leading Milwaukee to a 4-1 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins Saturday at Van Andel Arena.

Grosenick, a Brookfield, WI native, turned aside all but one shot in his first game since being acquired from the San Jose Barracuda. It was Milwaukee’s third win against Grand Rapids this season, all of which took place at Van Andel Arena.

Mark Zengerle gave the Admirals a 1-0 lead at 17:56 of the first period. Zengerle was able to push a loose puck between the pads of Griffins goalie Matej Machovsky and into the net. Brandon Bollig and Emil Pettersson recorded the assists.

Defenseman Alex Carrier scored a power play goal at 19:28 of the second period to give the Admirals a 2-0 lead. Carrier’s shot from the left circle found the net for his fourth goal of the season and second on the power play. Bobby Butler and Pettersson picked up the helpers.

Harry Zolnierczyk scored a 4-on-3 power play goal early in the third period to give Milwaukee a 3-0 advantage. It was his 16th goal of the season. Fred Allard’s slap shot from the point missed the net but bounced hard off the end boards for Zolnierczyk to bury. It was his seventh power play goal. Allard and Trevor Smith earned the assists.

Grand Rapids Joe Hicketts scored a power play goal at 7:02 of the third period to make the score 3-1.

Smith scored his 11th goal of the season to give the Admirals a 4-1 lead. Milwaukee forced a turnover just outside the Griffins blue line. Butler stepped into the offensive zone and fed Smith for a breakaway. Smith’s first shot was stopped but he planted the rebound at 17:01 of the third to close out the scoring.

The Admirals will return home to Panther Arena to host Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Sun., Mar. 4.

Don’t forget to follow the Admirals on Twitter (@mkeadmirals) and on Facebook.