Sports stats



AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

AHL's Top Two Defenses Prepare to Meet

December 9, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


The Griffins are taking advantage of a rare five-day break between games to rest up and prepare for perhaps their toughest test of the season to date. The Hamilton Bulldogs will carry their AHL-best 19-6-1-2 record into Van Andel Arena this Friday for a 7:30 p.m. start, in a battle of the league's best defensive units. Grand Rapids has surrendered only 2.36 goals per game, second on the circuit to Hamilton's 2.00 mark, and will face an equally potent Bulldog offense that exploded for a 15-1 win over Cleveland on Sunday evening. Several "lucky" fans at the game will take home prizes honoring the Friday the 13th theme, as the Griffins wear their red and white jerseys modeled after those of the Detroit Red Wings.

Cross Moose: Fans of the Manitoba Moose may provide a hostile reception for the Griffins this Saturday when Grand Rapids makes its first trip of the season to Winnipeg for an 8:30 p.m. faceoff. Going into last season's April 7 finale in Winnipeg, the Griffins had already clinched the West Division title and the Western Conference's second playoff seed, while the Moose desperately needed a victory in their last game to win a tight Canadian Division. Grand Rapids nonetheless prevailed 5-2 before a record crowd of 13,985 at Winnipeg Arena, pushing the Moose all the way from a potential third seed to the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Back on Track: After enduring a five-game winless streak (0-3-0-2), their longest since they lost five straight in regulation from April 7-16, 1999, the Griffins resumed their winning ways on Saturday with a 3-2 win over the Utah Grizzlies at Van Andel Arena. Strangely, the rare slump came immediately on the heels of the Griffins' franchise-record 14-game unbeaten streak (11-0-3-0), and the three consecutive regulation losses followed a 16-game point streak (11-0-3-2) that nearly doubled the previous team standard of nine.

Central Issues: Grand Rapids sits atop the Central Division standings at 13-6-4-2 (30 pts.), seven points ahead of Cincinnati. The Griffins' 0.640 winning percentage ranks fourth in the Western Conference and seventh overall in the AHL.

Home Sweet Home: The Griffins' eight-game home unbeaten streak (6-0-2-0) came to an end on Friday versus Utah, falling two games shy of the franchise record (10-0-0, Dec. 22, 2000-Jan. 26, 2001). The Griffins, who are 7-1-2-0 in their last 10 at home, will play six of December's last 10 games within Van Andel Arena's friendly confines.

Close Calls: Four of the Griffins' five losses during their recent winless streak came by a one-goal margin, including a pair of overtime defeats. Grand Rapids, which began the season by winning each of its first six games that were decided by a single goal, now stands at 7-2-0-2 overall in tight affairs following Saturday's 3-2 win over Utah.

Road Warriors: Despite consecutive road losses in Texas last week, the Griffins still boast a tremendous road record of 6-2-1-2. Last Monday's 5-3 loss at San Antonio broke a 12-game road point streak (9-0-1-2) that dated to last season and made the Griffins the last AHL team to suffer a regulation road defeat this year.

Power Outage: Grand Rapids has converted just three of its last 44 power play chances (6.8%) and has been held without a power play goal in four of the last seven games. By comparison, the Griffins' power play went scoreless in only five of the team's first 18 outings.

On the Shelf: Left wing Derek King has missed the last eight games, while forwards Michel Picard and Rob Collins sat out the last two contests. The three have combined for just less than 30 percent of the Griffins' team totals in goals (21 of 71), assists (31 of 117) and points (52 of 188).

Lamothe's Yo-Yo: It was a busy weekend for Griffins goalie Marc Lamothe. After backing up for the Detroit Red Wings in their 3-3 tie at Dallas on Friday, he returned to Grand Rapids on Saturday to make 24 saves for a 3-2 win over Utah. He rejoined the Red Wings on Sunday and once again served second chair for the Wings during their 4-3 overtime win against St. Louis. Lamothe has certainly earned his time with the parent club, as he ranks among the AHL's leaders with 10 wins (T1st), a 2.07 GAA (4th), two shutouts (T4th) and a 0.927 save percentage (4th).

Recent Transactions: Dec. 8 - G Marc Lamothe recalled by Detroit (NHL). C Dustin Whitecotton assigned to Missouri (UHL). C Andrew Luciuk released. Dec. 7 - G Marc Lamothe assigned by Detroit (NHL). D Philippe Plante assigned to Muskegon (UHL). G Andrew Allen assigned to Dayton (ECHL). Dec. 6 - G Marc Lamothe recalled by Detroit (NHL). C Dustin Whitecotton recalled from Missouri (UHL). G Andrew Allen recalled from Dayton (ECHL). C Andrew Luciuk signed to a professional tryout.

The More Things Change...: After leading the AHL in both goals allowed (2.23) and shots allowed (25.34) last season, the Griffins currently rank second in the league in goals allowed (2.36) and fourth in shots allowed (28.00).

League Leaders: Mark Mowers is tied for ninth in the AHL with 27 points (9-18-27) and is tied for fifth with 18 assists, while Michel Picard is tied for 12th with 26 points (11-15-26)...Dave Van Drunen is tied for second overall and first among defensemen with a plus-16 rating.

Prime Time Players: Michel Picard had scored points in four straight games (3-1-3) before missing the last two due to injury...Mark Mowers has five points (2-3-5) in his last five games...Since recording an assist in his third game with Grand Rapids, Stacy Roest has not gone more than one game without a point, earning marks in 17 of the last 22 games (5-16-21). He has points in eight of the last 10 games (2-9-11)...Tomas Kopecky had two goals, one assist and a plus-two rating in his three games last week...Patrick Boileau had a three-game assist streak snapped on Saturday.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Attendance: 6,751 avg. (6th)
* Power Play: 22-for-166, 13.3% (22nd)
* Penalty Killing: 119-for-142, 83.8% (T15th)
* Penalty Minutes: 18.0 avg. (25th)
* Goals For: 2.84 avg. (T15th)
* Goals Against: 2.36 avg. (2nd)
* Shots For: 29.44 avg. (19th)
* Shots Against: 28.00 avg. (4th)

Griffins Alumni Report: Rookie NHL head coach Bruce Cassidy's Washington Capitals are fourth in the Southeast Division with an 12-14-2-0 record...Kip Miller is fifth on the Caps with 13 assists and sixth with 16 points, while Ivan Ciernik has totaled seven points (2-5-7) in eight appearances...Florida's Jani Hurme (3-3-5) has a 2.52 GAA and a 0.924 save percentage...Ottawa's Patrick Lalime (11-7-4) owns a 2.17 GAA and a 0.914 save percentage, while Martin Prusek (3-0-0) shows a 2.73 GAA and a 0.912%...Todd White is fourth on the Sens with 16 points (6-10-16), and Petr Schastlivy is tied for eighth with 11 points (7-4-11).

Red Wings Update: The Griffins are in the first season of a five-year affiliation with the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings stand atop the NHL's Central Division with a 16-7-4-1 record, following their 4-3 overtime win against second-place St. Louis last night. They'll host Minnesota on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Get Your Tickets: Tickets for all regular season games at Van Andel Arena are currently on sale. Fans can visit either location of The Zone (Van Andel Arena store or Rivertown Crossings Mall kiosk) or any Tickets PLUS location (including Meijer stores), call 222-4000/800-585-3737 or visit www.griffinshockey.com. Full-season ticket packages, mini-plans and group tickets for all Griffins games are by calling 800-2-HOCKEY.

This Week's Scouting Report

Fri., Dec. 13 vs. Hamilton Bulldogs - Van Andel Arena - 7:30 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Second and final meeting overall, first and only in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: 4-1-0-0 Overall, 2-0-0-0 Home. Hamilton Affiliations: Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens. Head Coach: Claude Julien (3rd season). Leash Laws: The Bulldogs tied an AHL record for margin of victory with a 15-1 win at home over Cleveland on Sunday, falling one short of the league standard for goals by one team in a single game...Hamilton leads the AHL with a 19-6-1-2 record and paces the circuit with 10 road wins (10-4-0-1)...Since losing 8-0 at Binghamton on Nov. 23, the Bulldogs have allowed 12 goals while scoring 39 in their subsequent nine games...The Griffins earned a 3-1 win, their first of the season, at Hamilton on Oct. 20...The Dogs possess the league's top two scorers in Benoit Gratton (13-23-36) and Jason Ward (14-20-34) and the second-ranked goalie in Ty Conklin (1.99 GAA)...Hamilton has killed 138 of 151 opponent power plays (91.4%), best in the league.

Sat., Dec. 14 at Manitoba Moose - Winnipeg Arena - 8:30 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 8:10 p.m. Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Road. Second of four meetings overall, first of two in Winnipeg. All-Time Series: AHL: 7-2-0-0 Overall, 3-1-0-0 Road. Total: 18-9-3-0 Overall, 8-5-0-0 Road. Manitoba Affiliation: Vancouver Canucks. Head Coach: Stan Smyl (2nd season). Moose Tracks: Manitoba has won its last three outings, all on the road...The Moose are 7-3-2-0 at home this season but have lost their last two in familiar surroundings...Grand Rapids has won four of its last five visits to the Winnipeg Arena...Ryan Ready is tied for fifth in the AHL with 28 points (12-16-28)...Alex Auld (8-6-1, 2.79 GAA) and former Griffin Tyler Moss (4-5-2, 3.15) split the goaltending chores...The Griffins blanked the Moose 4-0 in an afternoon game at Van Andel Arena on Nov. 12.

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from December 9, 2002


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Grand Rapids Griffins Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central