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Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Prepared for Home-And-Home with Milwaukee, Trip to Manitoba

December 28, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Streak Snapped: With a 3-2 loss at Lake Erie on Sunday, the Griffins had their franchise-record 15-game winning streak snapped. The Griffins' 15-game run marked the longest streak in the AHL since Norfolk set the standard by rattling off 28 in a row on its way to winning the Calder Cup in the 2011-12 season.

Elite Status: The Griffins' 15-game streak allowed them to join some rare company among professional hockey in North America. Consider that the Griffins' 15-game run tied for the third longest in the AHL since 1992 and that just three teams in the 98-year history of the NHL have recorded winning streaks of 15 or longer (17, 1992-93 Pittsburgh; 15, 1981-82 New York Islanders and 2012-13 Pittsburgh).

Against the Best: Grand Rapids has posted a 14-4-0-1 record against its Central-Division rivals. Thus far, the division has shown to be one of the toughest in the AHL, as four Central teams rank among the top eight of the overall league standings.

New Year's Eve Promotions: Fans are encouraged to stick around after the game on Thursday and help ring in the New Year with West Michigan's largest indoor fireworks show, presented by Farm Bureau Insurance. Fans can also bring their skates to the rink and take to the ice for the post-game open skate, presented by Arby's.

Fun While it Lasted: There was plenty of buzz surrounding the Griffins during their remarkable 15-game run. Let's go by the numbers for when the streak started (Nov. 18) to when the streak ended (Dec. 27).

233

losses accumulated by the rest of the league during that span

+168

the Griffins' +/- rating

39

length, in days, of the streak

+39

goal differential during the streak (66 GF, 27 GA)

24

spots in the AHL standings the Griffins moved up (No. 30-No. 6)

18

different Griffins who scored a goal

13

assists by Robbie Russo, tying for first in the league

10

goals scored by Eric Tangradi, the most in the AHL

7

twice the Griffins scored a season-high seven goals in a game (Nov. 20 vs. SD, Dec. 26 at LE)

5

AHL teams, including Grand Rapids, who have recorded a win streak of 15 or longer since 1992

3

NHL teams who have ever recorded a win streak of 15 or longer

3

hat tricks by Grand Rapids players (Colin Campbell, Dec. 26 at LE; Eric Tangradi, Dec. 5 vs. LE; Tomas Jurco, Nov. 20 vs. SD)

3

goal deficit overcome by Grand Rapids in a 4-3 overtime win at Iowa on Dec. 13

1

shutout by Griffins goaltenders (Jared Coreau, Nov. 27 at MIL)

0.555

combined winning percentage of the seven unique teams the Griffins defeated

Longest Winning Streaks in Griffins History:

Games Dates Coach

15 Nov. 18-Dec. 26, 2015 Todd Nelson

11 March 5-31, 2006 Greg Ireland

9 Feb. 14-March 4, 2015 Jeff Blashill

Oct. 23-Nov. 13, 2009 Curt Fraser

Dec. 22, 2000-Jan. 12, 2001 Bruce Cassidy

8 Nov. 3-24, 2012 Jeff Blashill

Longest Home Winning Streaks in Griffins History:

Games Dates Coach

10 Nov. 11-Dec. 19, 2015 Todd Nelson

Jan. 23-Feb. 27, 2004 Danton Cole

Dec. 22, 2000-Jan. 26, 2001 Bruce Cassidy

9 March 1-April 14, 2006 Greg Ireland

8 Oct. 23-Nov. 13, 2009 Curt Fraser

Oct. 30-Dec. 7, 2013 Jeff Blashill

Longest AHL Winning Streaks Since 1992:

Year Team Length Season Record Division Finish Postseason Result

2011-12 Norfolk 28 55-18-1-2 1st East Calder Cup Champions

2004-05 Philadelphia 17 48-25-3-4 2nd East Calder Cup Champions

2007-08 Syracuse 15 46-26-2-6 2nd North L, Division Finals

1995-96 Albany 15 54-19-7-0 1st Central L, Division Finals

2015-16 Grand Rapids 15 ? ? ?

2004-05 Manchester 13 51-21-4-4 1st Atlantic L, Division Finals

Reaching New Heights: During their professional careers in North America, only two Griffins players had ever previously played for a team posting a winning streak of 10 games or more: Eric Tangradi with the 2011-12 Pittsburgh Penguins had an 11-game winning streak (Feb. 21-March 17) and Nathan Paetsch with the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres recorded a 10-game streak (Oct. 4-26).

Only on the West Side: Grand Rapids has twice put together winning streaks of at least 11 games in the last 11 seasons, while its parent club in Detroit has never won more than nine consecutive games in its 90 seasons of play (seven times, most recently Oct. 18-Nov. 9, 2007).

Home Cooking: The overall 15-game win streak may be over, but the home streak remains intact. Grand Rapids has matched a franchise mark by racking up 10 consecutive victories inside Van Andel Arena's friendly confines. The Griffins' current stretch is tied for the seventh-longest streak in the AHL since 2007-08 (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2015-16; Hershey, Milwaukee, Peoria 2008-09), and they have outscored their visitors by a 45-19 tally during the run.

Road Redemption: The Griffins saw their six-game road winning streak come to an end during Sunday's loss at Lake Erie. Grand Rapids has put together streaks of five consecutive wins or more on foreign ice in each of the last four seasons (2014-15: 7; 2013-14: 5; 2012-13: 6). On the road this season, the Griffins recorded their largest margin of victory (6-0 at Milwaukee on Nov. 27), mounted their biggest comeback in a 4-3 overtime win at Iowa on Dec. 13 after dipping into an early 3-0 deficit, and matched a season high for goals scored during a 7-3 win at Lake Erie on Saturday.

Short Rest: The Griffins post a 5-4 (0.556) record on the second night of a back-to-back this season, including wins in five of the last six. Grand Rapids is even in scoring with its opponents, 24-24, during the nine games on short rest.

Offensive Outburst: The Griffins equaled a season best for goals scored during Saturday's 7-3 victory at Lake Erie, despite recording just 20 shots - their third-lowest output of the campaign...Colin Campbell accounted for three of those goals on Saturday as he produced his first career hat trick and the third by a Griffin this season (Tomas Jurco, Nov. 20; Eric Tangradi, Dec. 5)...The Griffins' combined 18 goals from Dec. 18-26 marked their most over a three-game span since Jan. 17-23, 2013, when they exploded for 21 goals.

Stone Wall: Goaltenders Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum have been stout during the team's recent successes, as Coreau is responsible for 11 victories and McCollum four. Coreau matched a career high (Dec. 31, 2014 vs. RFD) by recording 47 saves in a 3-2 victory over Lake Erie on Dec. 16 and also logged the team's first shutout of the season on Nov. 27, executing 22 saves in a 6-0 win over Milwaukee. In a 3-2 loss at Lake Erie on Sunday, Coreau had his career best 11-game winning streak snapped, leaving him just one shy of tying Jimmy Howard's record for a Grand Rapids goalie. His streak marked the third straight season in which a Griffins goalie posted eight or more consecutive victories (2014-15: Petr Mrazek, 8, Nov. 12-March 4; 2013-14: Mrazek, 10, Oct. 30-Feb. 1). The third-year Griffin has stopped 357 of 382 shots (0.935) faced over his last 12 games, posting a 2.09 GAA. Coreau is tied for fourth among league netminders with a 0.928 save percentage and ninth with a 2.30 GAA. McCollum stopped 41 shots in back-to-back appearances (Nov. 28 vs. Lake Erie, Dec. 5 vs. Lake Erie) and has turned away 137 of 142 shots (0.965) with a 1.24 GAA during his last four games.

Russo's Rookie Relevance: Rookie defenseman Robbie Russo registered just one assist and a single point through his first seven professional games this season. However, his eighth career game, Nov. 18 against Rockford, proved to be his coming out party as Russo exploded for a three-point night including scoring - in game-winning fashion - his first professional goal. Since Nov. 18, Russo leads the team with 13 assists in 16 games. The former Notre Dame standout has accumulated points in 11 of the last 16 contests (2-13-15). Russo's seven-game assist streak (Dec. 5-19) set a Griffins' best this season and his plus-17 rating is tied for fourth in the league.

Power Switch: Against Texas on Dec. 18, Grand Rapids netted multiple power play goals (Martin Frk, Anthony Mantha) for the fourth time this season and the first since Nov. 20. The Griffins rank 19th on the power play (14.7%) and sixth in penalty killing (86.2%).

Goal Scoring: Partly attributable to the Griffins' current seventh-place standing in the AHL is the fact they rank in the top six for both goals for (3.22, fourth) and goals against (2.52, sixth) per game.

Movin' On Up: On Nov. 18, almost seven weeks ago, Grand Rapids stood in last place in the league with a 0.227 winning percentage. Since that date, which marked the beginning of the Griffins' 15-game winning streak, Grand Rapids (0.648) has vaulted all the way up to the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference and No. 7 in the AHL.

Magic Numbers: The Griffins are a perfect 16-0-0-0 when scoring three or more goals and 12-1-0-0 when allowing two goals or fewer...Grand Rapids is 8-0-0-0 when leading after one period, 12-1-0-0 when leading after two and 12-1-0-0 when striking first.

Griffins Leaders: Andy Miele (6-18-24) and Eric Tangradi (13-9-22) continue to pace Grand Rapids in scoring, just ahead of Anthony Mantha (7-11-18), Andreas Athanasiou (8-8-16) and Robbie Russo (2-14-16).

No. 152: Center Tomas Nosek became the 152nd Griffin to play in the NHL after he debuted with the Red Wings during Detroit's 3-2 win over Nashville on Saturday night. Nosek did not register a point in 7:26 of ice time.

Doubling Up: Fourth on the team in point production (8-8-16), Andreas Athanasiou, known as "Double A," has been on a tear since the Red Wings reassigned him to the Griffins on Nov. 19. He has registered points in nine of 13 games in his return (7-7-14), including four multi-point efforts.

Mantha Mania: Ranking third on the team in points, Anthony Mantha has picked up points in six of the last eight games, including four multi-point outings. His season best two goals came in a 3-2 win over Lake Erie on Dec. 16. His six-game point streak from Dec. 5-19 included a three-game goal streak.

Welcome Back: Forward Triston Grant made his 2015-16 debut on Sunday at Lake Erie after missing the first 26 games while recovering from a neck injury. Grant, a member of Grand Rapids' 2013 Calder Cup champion squad, has played in 127 career games as a Griffin spanning three seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16), registering 26 points (10-16-26) and 299 PIM.

Making Moves: The Detroit Red Wings on Monday recalled forward Eric Tangradi from the Griffins and reassigned goaltender Jake Paterson from the Griffins to the ECHL's Toledo Walleye. In addition, the Griffins signed goaltender Jeff Lerg to a professional tryout. Tangradi leads the team with 13 goals this season and recorded his fourth career hat trick on Dec. 5 against Lake Erie. Should he appear with the Red Wings, Tangradi will become the 153rd Griffin to play in the NHL. Paterson has not recorded any ice time with the Griffins but did serve as a backup to Jared Coreau the last seven games (Dec. 12-27). Lerg has played in 17 games with the Walleye this season, posting a 12-3-0 record and ranking eighth among ECHL goaltenders with a 2.01 GAA.

Fantastic Frk: Martin Frk has found a groove lately, accumulating points in the last seven contests (6-6-12), including a stretch of consecutive three-point games (Dec. 19 vs. Texas and Dec. 26 at Lake Erie). Frk is the second Griffin this season to deliver back-to-back three-point efforts (Andy Miele, Nov. 25 vs. Iowa and Nov. 27 at Milwaukee). His current four-game goal streak is a Griffins' best this season.

Here to Help: Robbie Russo had his Griffins' season high seven-game assist streak snapped on Saturday at Lake Erie, but he still has collected points in seven of the last nine games (1-8-9)...Andy Miele has registered a point in 10 of the last 13 games (4-12-16) after he and Mark Zengerle both recorded three assists against the Wild on Nov. 25, setting a Griffins' season high...Zengerle has points in nine of 13 (3-10-13) games since Nov. 25...Xavier Ouellet is responsible for seven points the last 11 games (1-8-9), including the game-winning goal in overtime against Iowa on Dec. 13.

We Meet Again: On Sunday, the Griffins will renew their rivalry with the Manitoba Moose, who returned to the AHL this season following a four-year absence. Sunday's contest will mark the first game for the Griffins in Winnipeg since Oct. 16, 2010 (3-2 W) and the first game overall against Manitoba since Nov. 5, 2010 at Van Andel Arena (5-6 L). With the rivalry dating back to the 1996-97 IHL season, the Griffins own a 44-24-1-1-7 all-time record against the Moose, including a 21-14-0-0-2 mark on the road. Brian Lashoff and Tom McCollum are the only current Grand Rapids players who have faced the Moose as members of the Griffins.

Out of Action: Goaltender Tom McCollum has missed the last eight games due to injury...Mitch Callahan missed the last four games and is expected to be out an extended amount of time with a broken jaw.

Climbing the Charts: Matching a season-best with 41 saves against Lake Erie on Dec. 5, Tom McCollum earned his 92nd win as a Griffin, which ranks second in franchise history behind only Joey MacDonald (109). McCollum, who needs four more appearances to equal MacDonald's mark of 210, has broken the 5,000-save barrier this season and, with 5,113 stops, stands behind only MacDonald (5,362) in club archives.

Holiday Months to Remember: After a slow start to this year's campaign that saw the Griffins finish 1-6-0-0 in October, Grand Rapids has bounced back with a combined November and December record of 16-3-0-1. In fact, the Griffins' 7-2-0-1 tally in November marked their second-most successful November over the last 10 years. The Griffins' November winning percentage of 0.750 under Todd Nelson was eclipsed in the last decade by only Jeff Blashill's 0.833 mark (10-2-0-0) during his second month at Grand Rapids' helm in 2012.

Walleye World: Thanks to a recent 8-2-0-0 stretch, the ECHL's Toledo Walleye now find themselves atop the North Division standings with a 17-7-1-3 record (38 points). The Walleye lead second-place Wheeling (14-11-1-2) by seven points. Grand Rapids-contracted Alden Hirschfeld (14-12-26), former Griffin Shane Berschbach (5-14-19) and Joel Chouinard (4-14-18) continue to do the heavy lifting on offense. Rookie netminder Jake Paterson, Detroit's second pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, shows a 5-4-1-1 record with a 2.53 GAA and 0.921 save percentage as an understudy to former Michigan State Spartan Jeff Lerg (12-3-0-2, 2.01 GAA, 0.929%), who is currently with the Griffins on a professional tryout.

Scouting Report

Tuesday, Dec. 29 at Milwaukee Admirals (20-9-1-0) - BMO Harris Bradley Center - 8 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 31 vs. Milwaukee Admirals - Van Andel Arena - 6 p.m.

Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:35 p.m. on Tuesday, 5:35 p.m. on Thursday. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 42-24-2-1-2 Home, 33-27-5-5-5 Road, 75-51-7-6-7 Overall. Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Home, 1-0-0-0 Road, 2-0-0-0 Overall. Third and fourth of eight meetings overall, second of four at BMO Harris Bradley Center and second of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators. Head Coach: Dean Evason (4th season). Notes: The Admirals rank first in the Central Division, second in the Western Conference and fourth in the AHL with a 20-9-1-0 record and 0.683 winning percentage...Milwaukee is 7-3-0-0 over its last 10 games and has won its last three...Admirals rookie netminder Juuse Saros stands 17th in the AHL with a 2.51 GAA...Milwaukee places 22nd on the circuit in penalty killing at 82.3% and ninth in the power play at 19.1%...Frederick Gaudreau posts a line of 9-12-21 to lead the Admirals while Max Reinhart is second in point production (10-7-17)...Grand Rapids is 2-0 against Milwaukee this season, outscoring the Admirals by a 10-1 tally...The Griffins recorded their first shut out of the season at Milwaukee on Nov. 27 behind Jared Coreau's 22 saves...Grand Rapids won the most recent meeting on Dec. 9 in Van Andel Arena, 4-1, with goals from Mitch Callahan, Martin Frk, Eric Tangradi and Louis-Marc Aubry...Andy Miele leads the team with four points (2-2-4) in two games against the Admirals.

Sunday, Jan. 3 at Manitoba Moose (8-16-1-2) - MTS Centre - 3 p.m.

Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 2:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 21-14-0-0-2 Road, 44-24-1-1-7 Overall. Season Series: First of four meetings overall, first of two at MTS Centre. NHL Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets. Head Coach: Keith McCambridge (1st season). Notes: The Manitoba Moose are seventh in the Central Division, 14th in the Western Conference and 29th in the AHL with an 8-16-1-2 record (0.352)... The Moose are 5-5-1-1 at home this season...Manitoba ranks 29th in goals for (2.04) and 30th in shots for (25.85) per game...Brenden Kichton is tied for 15th among the league's defensemen in point production with 16 points (3-13-16)...Kichton and Chase De Leo (7-9-16) tie for the team lead in points...Eric Comrie has played the majority of the minutes in goal for the Moose, showing a 6-8-2-0 record, a 2.87 GAA, and a 0.910 save percentage...The last meeting between these two teams came Nov. 5, 2010 at Van Andel Arena and resulted in a 6-5 Moose victory...Brian Lashoff and Tom McCollum are the only current Grand Rapids players who have faced the Moose as members of the Griffins.

This Week's Games

Tues., Dec. 29 GRIFFINS at Milwaukee Admirals 8 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Thurs., Dec. 31 Milwaukee Admirals at GRIFFINS 6 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Sun., Jan. 3 GRIFFINS at Manitoba Moose 3 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week's Results

Sat., Dec. 26 GRIFFINS 7 at Lake Erie Monsters 3 17-8-0-1, 35 points (3rd, Central Division)

Sun., Dec. 27 GRIFFINS 2 at Lake Erie Monsters 3 17-9-0-1, 35 points (3rd)

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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