Sports stats



AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Defense Keys Griffins' Six-Game Unbeaten Streak

December 1, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Big Home Weekend: After claiming first place in the West Division courtesy of four consecutive wins and six straight games without a loss (5-0-1-0), the Griffins are preparing for an important weekend at Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids will host the rival Milwaukee Admirals on Friday before welcoming the St. John's Maple Leafs for their first-ever visit to West Michigan on Saturday. Friday features the Griffins' first "Junk Mail Night," as fans are invited to bring their junk mail to the game and drop it into bins upon entering the arena. Random pieces will be selected throughout the night, with the addressees winning prizes. On Saturday, the first 5,000 fans will receive four Griffins trading cards in the first Shoe Carnival Trading Card night of the season.

Shut Them Down: The Griffins have lost just twice in their last 12 outings (7-2-3-0), thanks in large part to a resurgent defense that has allowed only 19 goals over that span (1.55 GAA). As a result, Grand Rapids now ranks fourth in the AHL by surrendering an average of just 2.04 goals per contest. The Griffins have allowed only three goals during their four-game winning streak (0.75 GAA) and just seven goals during their six-game unbeaten tear (1.15 GAA).

Lamothe Sets Record: Marc Lamothe, whose five-game winning streak ties his personal high as a Griffin, became the first Grand Rapids goalie to record consecutive road shutouts with his 35-save effort at Cincinnati on Sunday (2-0) and his 17-save performance at Chicago last Wednesday (3-0). He now has eight shutouts for his Griffins career, second-best all-time behind Mike Fountain's nine. Lamothe boasts a 0.80 GAA (four GA in five games) and a 0.967 save percentage (118-of-122) during his current run, in the process raising his overall save percentage from 0.901 to 0.923 and dropping his GAA from 2.62 to 1.98. He has been between the pipes for each of the Griffins' four consecutive wins as well as all five victories during their unbeaten streak.

Best of the West: The Griffins now lead the Western Conference with a 0.652 winning percentage, and their 13 wins are unmatched in the West Division. The brutally tough West Division boasts four teams - Grand Rapids, Chicago, San Antonio, Milwaukee - with winning percentages of 0.639 of higher, more than the other three divisions combined (three: East - Hershey and Bridgeport; Atlantic - Hartford).

Finding a Way: The Griffins' recent success has come despite the absence of five of their top offensive players. Kevin Miller and Michel Picard have missed time due to injuries, while Mark Mowers, Nathan Robinson and Darryl Bootland are all with the Detroit Red Wings. All five were out of the lineup during Sunday's 2-0 win at Cincinnati, but Grand Rapids won despite missing 49.2% of its goal production and 36.8% of its point production. Here is how the Griffins have fared without the quintet:

Player Team Rankings Games Missed Griffins Record
Darryl Bootland T3rd in goals (5) 12 (Nov. 8-30) 7-2-3-0 (0.708)
Mark Mowers T1st in goals (8), 2nd in points (14) 7 (Nov. 19-30) 5-1-1-0 (0.786)
Michel Picard T5th in goals (4), 6th in points (12) 4 (Nov. 23-30) 4-0-0-0 (1.000)
Nathan Robinson T5th in goals (4), T3rd in points (13) 2 (Nov. 28-30) 2-0-0-0 (1.000)
Kevin Miller T1st in goals (8), 1st in points (16) 1 (Nov. 30) 1-0-0-0 (1.000)

Young Gun: Nineteen-year-old Red Wings prospect Jiri Hudler has been unstoppable since rejoining the Griffins in mid-November. He has points in four straight games (1-5-6) and six of the last seven (1-7-8), and now is tied for third on the team in scoring with 13 points (3-10-13) in 13 outings. To top it off, his plus-eight rating leads all Griffins forwards and ranks second overall on the club.

Dynamic Duo: Two recent additions to the Griffins' lineup have paid huge, immediate dividends. Kory Karlander (UHL Muskegon) has recorded 11 points (5-6-11) - including three game-winning goals - and a plus-five rating in just 12 games, ranking seventh on the club in scoring. NHL veteran Blake Sloan (free agent) has netted the game-winners in each of the team's last two contests and now has six points (4-2-6) and a plus-four rating in seven appearances. Between the pair, they've accounted for the Griffins' last five game-winning goals.

Road Sweet Road: Grand Rapids, which set an AHL record last season with 26 road wins, currently leads the circuit with nine victories in enemy territory (9-3-1-0), giving it a 27-win pace for a full season. The Griffins, who are 7-1-1-0 in their last nine away from Van Andel Arena, own a three-game road winning streak and a six-game road unbeaten streak (5-0-1-0), two shy of the franchise record (8, 1/6/02-2/2/02, 5-0-3-0).

Natural Born Killers: The Griffins' penalty killers have been dominant of late, climbing into a tie for second overall in the AHL (101-for-112, 90.2%). They've kept the opposition power play scoreless over the last seven games (0-for-28), breaking the previous franchise record of six straight games without allowing a power play goal. Grand Rapids has killed off 34 consecutive power plays overall and has allowed just one man-advantage tally in its last 43 shorthanded situations, dating back to the third period of a 2-2 tie with San Antonio on Nov. 13.

Griffins Earn Their Wings: Four Griffins are currently playing in Detroit, where they've filled in admirably for the injury-riddled Red Wings. Right wing Darryl Bootland, who is still tied for third on the Griffins with five goals, scored his first NHL goal in Detroit's 7-1 win over Edmonton last Wednesday. He has appeared in 12 games with the Wings since his Nov. 7 recall, contributing two points (1-1-2), an even rating and a team-high 58 PIM while averaging 7:17 of ice time. His frequent Motown line mate has been center Mark Mowers, who remains tied for Grand Rapids' goal-scoring lead with eight and stands second with 14 points. Mowers, who is averaging 10:31 of ice time, has authored three assists and shows a plus-three rating in seven games since joining Detroit on Nov. 19. Forward Nathan Robinson, tied for third on the Griffins with 13 points, was recalled by the Wings on Thanksgiving to fill in for the injured Tomas Holmstrom. He made his NHL debut in Friday's 6-0 win over the Islanders and also played in Saturday's 2-1 win at St. Louis, averaging 6:10 of ice time. Finally, defenseman Jamie Rivers has seen most of his Detroit duty as a forward, going scoreless with a plus-one rating while averaging 6:06 over five games.

Milestone Watch: Travis Richards assisted on Blake Sloan's game-winner on Friday versus Chicago, notching the 200th assist of his pro career...Michel Picard, who has sat out the last four games with an injury, will register his 1,000th regular season game as a professional the next time he steps onto the ice...Mark Mowers stands at 95 points for his Griffins career (42-53-95 in 94 games)...Kevin Miller (395 pro assists) and Dave Van Drunen (98 pro assists) are also approaching milestones.

Big Mac Attack: Joey MacDonald remains undefeated on the road this season, showing a 4-0-1 record with a 1.94 GAA and a 0.946 save percentage. His road record in two AHL campaigns with Grand Rapids is now an incredible 15-2-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a 0.931 save percentage.

Best Behavior: Grand Rapids has been whistled for the fewest penalty minutes in the AHL (13.04 per game), while the oppositions' antics have provided the Griffins with 119 power play chances, second-most in the league. Despite having the fewest PIM in the league, the Griffins have faced more shorthanded situations (112) than all but six of the circuit's other 27 teams.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 17-for-119, 14.3% (T16th)
* Penalty Killing: 101-for-112, 90.2% (T2nd)
* Penalty Minutes: 13.04 avg. (28th)
* Goals For: 2.65 avg. (14th)
* Goals Against: 2.04 avg. (4th)
* Shots For: 24.52 avg. (26th)
* Shots Against: 28.70 avg. (13th)
* Attendance: 6,355 avg. (7th)

Red Wings Update: The Griffins are in the second season of a five-year affiliation with the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings took over sole possession of first place in the NHL's Central Division (14-9-2-0) on Saturday with a 2-1 win at St. Louis. They'll host Anaheim on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (FSN).

Follow the Griffins Live on the Net: Internet broadcasts of all Griffins games are available live at griffinshockey.com, courtesy of Sportsjuice.com. In addition, new for the 2003-04 season, fans and media can log on to the team's official site or go to theahl.com to view live in-progress box scores of all AHL games.

The AHL's Grand Event!: The Griffins will be in the hockey spotlight this winter, when they and the city of Grand Rapids host the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic at Van Andel Arena. The two-day event will consist of the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 8, followed by the AHL All-Star Game on Monday, Feb. 9. Of the 295 players that have taken part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, 91 percent have competed in the NHL. For ticket and event information, visit griffinshockey.com/all-star.

This Week's Scouting Report

Fri., Dec. 5 vs. Milwaukee Admirals (9-4-3-2) - 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 of eight meetings overall, first of four in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: AHL: 9-4-6-0 Overall, 5-2-2-0 Home. Total: 27-14-10-0 Overall, 16-5-2-0 Home. Milwaukee Affiliation: Nashville Predators. Head Coach: Claude Noel (1st season). Ships Ahoy: The Griffins earned a 4-1 win in the first meeting at Milwaukee on Nov. 14 despite being out-shot by a 49-16 margin...The Admirals have suffered just one regulation loss in 10 road games (5-1-2-2)...Milwaukee's power play has converted only 12.1% (12-for-99) of its chances, 24th in the AHL...The Admirals' potent offense ranks third in goals (3.06) and second in shots (33.11) per game...Timofei Shishkanov leads the club with seven goals and 13 points.

Sat., Dec. 6 vs. St. John's Maple Leafs (10-11-2-1) - Van Andel Arena - 7:30 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season/All-Time Series: 1-0-1-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Third of four meetings overall, first of two in Grand Rapids. St. John's Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs. Head Coach: Doug Shedden (1st season). Raking the Leafs: The Griffins took three of four points from St. John's during a trip to Newfoundland (Nov. 21-22) that started their current six-game unbeaten streak...The Leafs are 6-5-0-1 on the road this season, but they've lost two straight and are 2-3-0-1 in their six away from home...St. John's penalty killers rank 27th in the league (83-for-108, 76.9%)...The Leafs have been outscored 28-14 in the opening period...They allow the second-most goals per game on the circuit (3.38)...Kyle Wellwood leads the league with 18 assists and ties for eighth with 21 points.

This Week's Games:

Fri., Dec. 5 Milwaukee Admirals at GRIFFINS 7:30 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM
Sat., Dec. 6 St. John's Maple Leafs at GRIFFINS 7:30 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM

Last Week's Results:

Wed., Nov. 26 GRIFFINS 3 at Chicago Wolves 0 11-6-4-0, 26 pts. (1st, West Division)
Fri., Nov. 28 Chicago Wolves 2 at GRIFFINS 3 12-6-4-0, 28 pts. (1st)
Sun., Nov. 30 GRIFFINS 2 at Cincinnati Mighty Ducks 0 13-6-4-0, 30 pts. (1st)

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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

American Hockey League Stories from December 1, 2003


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.

OurSports Central