GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS HOCKEY

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Grand Rapids Griffins/Mark NewmanGrand Rapids' Justin Abdelkader, right, works against Rockford's Jordan Hendry on Wednesday night.

GRAND RAPIDS -- It wasn't pretty, but the Grand Rapids Griffins will take the win.

The Griffins built a 5-2 first-period lead, then watched as the Rockford IceHogs rallied to force overtime before Grand Rapids could emerge with a 6-5 shootout victory at Van Andel Arena on Wednesday night.

Grand Rapids' Ville Leino came up big in the shootout with two goals, including the game-winner in the sixth round.

Grand Rapids Griffins defenseman Jakub Kindl and goaltender Daniel Larsson were named to the PlanetUSA roster for the American Hockey League All-Star Game, the league announced Wednesday afternoon.

It will be the first All-Star appearances for both players.

The Great Skate will be at Rosa Parks Circle from 10 p.m. Saturday until 10 p.m. Sunday.

A 24-hour party isn't enough for the Grand Rapids Griffins anymore. They're extending the fun.

The seventh annual Great Skate will be preceded by an inaugural Winterfest at Rosa Parks Circle from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday.

In addition to ice skating, the Winterfest will include winter sports demonstrations, family activity tents with games, dog sled rides and ice sculpture demonstrations.

No one from the Grand Rapids Griffins was named to the Canadian team for the American Hockey League All-Star game when the roster was announced Tuesday afternoon.

The biggest snub was center Darren Helm. His statistics (10 goals and 16 assists in 32 games) may not be eye-popping, but his speed, toughness and grit give the Griffins a significant advantage in every game he plays.

GRAND RAPIDS -- Evan McGrath might want to bone up on his French.

If he continues to play alongside Quebec natives Francis Lemieux and Francis Pare -- known, respectively, in the Grand Rapids Griffins' locker room as Frankie Sr. and Frankie Jr. -- then learning a little of their native language couldn't hurt.

"Trying, not quite there," McGrath said, smirking. "They like to talk it, so it's a little difficult sometimes."

Grand Rapids Griffins coach Curt Fraser wasn't too disappointed to learn that he and assistant coach Jim Paek wouldn't be coaching the Canadian team during the American Hockey League All-Star Game.

Instead, he'll use the time off to visit his family in St. Louis and enjoy a few days of rest and relaxation.

MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Mattias Ritola made sure the Grand Rapids Griffins didn't lose two games in a row for the first time since Dec. 5-6.

Ritola scored the game-winning goal with 49.5 seconds left in the game to lift the Griffins to a 2-1 victory against the Manchester Monarchs on Saturday night at Verizon Wireless Arena.

Following Friday night's 3-1 loss at Hartford, Ritola banged in Darren Haydar's rebound for his 12th goal of the season to snap the Monarchs' 4-0-0-1 run.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- The New Year did not start off with a bang for the Grand Rapids Griffins.

The Hartford Wolf Pack scored twice in the third period to snap the Griffins' eight-game point streak with a 3-1 victory Friday night at the XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Grand Rapids had been on a 7-0-1-0 run before it made its first visit in franchise history to Hartford.