AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins and Penguins Take Flight Wednesday

Published on April 14, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Start Me Up: The Central Division champion Grand Rapids Griffins will begin their quest for the 2003 AHL Calder Cup championship this Wednesday, when they host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game 1 of the best-of-five Western Conference quarterfinals. The Griffins, top seed in the Western Conference playoffs, are enjoying 11 days of rest and preparation since completing their regular season schedule on April 5, while the eighth-seeded Penguins advanced from the qualifying round with an impressive two-games-to-none triumph over ninth-ranked Utah. The first 3,000 fans through the gates on Wednesday and Friday will receive hand clappers, courtesy of Alltel.

Playoff Tickets on Sale: Tickets for Games 1 and 2 versus Wilkes-Barre are currently on sale for $26, $21, $17, $13, $11 and $6 (advance purchase only). They may be purchased at The Zone and all Tickets PLUS outlets, including Meijer stores, by calling (616) 222-4000, or by visiting www.griffinshockey.com.

Calder Cup History: The Griffins have advanced to the Calder Cup playoffs for the second time in as many seasons as members of the AHL. Last season, second-seeded Grand Rapids fell three games to two to the eventual champion and seventh-ranked Chicago Wolves in the Western Conference quarterfinals. Meanwhile, the playoffs have been nearly an all-or-nothing proposition for the Penguins in their four-year history, as they missed the postseason both last year and in 1999-00, sandwiching a loss to the Saint John Flames in the 2001 Calder Cup finals.

Series Notes: The Penguins are the only Western Conference club that the Griffins did not play during the regular season...Grand Rapids, which posted a combined 4-1-1-0 mark against the South Division this season, won both meetings against Wilkes-Barre during the 2001-02 campaign, triumphing 3-0 at First Union Arena at Casey Plaza on Nov. 21, 2001, and 3-2 at Van Andel Arena on March 23, 2002...Only six current Griffins saw action in the series against the Penguins last season, including Hugo Boisvert, Sheldon Brookbank, Rob Collins, Travis Richards, Tim Skarperud and Dave Van Drunen...Grand Rapids is 8-0-0-0 all-time against teams from Pennsylvania (4-0 versus Hershey, 2-0 versus both Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton), with all meetings occurring during the regular season.

What's Next?: If the Griffins advance, they will play either #4 Chicago, #5 Hershey or #7 Milwaukee in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals. If the Penguins advance, they will face either #2 Houston or #3 Norfolk, which has already advanced to the semifinals with a three-games-to-none victory over sixth-seeded San Antonio.

Tale of the Tape: Top-seeded Grand Rapids finished the regular season with a 48-22-8-2 record and 106 points, surpassing the victory and point totals of all other AHL clubs except Hamilton (49-19-8-4, 110 pts.)...Eighth-seeded Wilkes-Barre finished third in the South Division at 36-32-7-5 (84 pts.), before defeating the Utah Grizzlies in consecutive tries (5-2 on Apr. 10, 2-1 on Apr. 12) during the qualifying round...Here's how the two teams stacked up in key statistical categories during the regular season:

Grand Rapids Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
* Power Play: 67-for-446, 15.0% (22nd) 87-for-489, 17.8% (6th)
* Penalty Killing: 303-for-362, 83.7% (15th) 350-for-420, 83.3% (T16th)
* Penalty Minutes: 16.1 avg. (28th) 19.4 avg. (T19th)
* Goals For: 3.00 avg. (9th) 3.06 avg. (8th)
* Goals Against: 2.21 avg. (1st) 3.10 avg. (23rd)
* Shots For: 28.59 avg. (25th) 33.75 avg. (3rd)
* Shots Against: 27.60 avg. (4th) 32.38 avg. (22nd)

Bird Watching: Thirteen players from Wilkes-Barre's playoff roster played a total of 243 NHL games with Pittsburgh this season, with 11 skaters accounting for 50 points (25-25-50) in 198 games. By way of comparison, two current members of the Griffins - Stacy Roest and Jason Williams - combined for six points (3-3-6) and 18 games with the Detroit Red Wings. The Penguins' group is highlighted by:
* Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin - Posted a 6-13-0 record with one shutout, a 3.13 GAA and a 0.900 save percentage in 21 appearances with the NHL's Penguins this season, and has totaled 146 games with the team (56-63-11, 5 SO, 2.91 GAA, 0.899%) over the last five seasons. Aubin has been a dominant force for the Baby Pens this year, both during the regular season (16 GP, 8-6-1, 3 SO, 1.89 GAA, 0.937%) and thus far in the playoffs (2 GP, 2-0, 1.50 GAA, 0.954%).
* Goaltender Sebastien Caron - Made his NHL debut in 24 games for Pittsburgh this season, going 7-14-2 with two shutouts, a 2.64 GAA and a 0.916%. In 27 regular season contests with Wilkes-Barre, Caron was 12-14-1 with one shutout, a 3.11 GAA and a 0.904%.
* Forwards Milan Kraft (7-5-12 in 31 games with Pittsburgh), Tomas Surovy (4-7-11 in 26 GP), Alexandre Daigle (4-3-7 in 33 GP), Eric Meloche (5-1-6 in 13 GP), Michal Sivek (3-3-6 in 38 GP) and Guillaume Lefebvre (2-4-6 in 26 GP). Daigle was chosen first overall by Ottawa in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.

Other Penguins to watch include leading scorer Toby Peterson (31-35-66) and 20-goal/50-point men Tom Kostopoulos (21-42-63) and Matt Murley (21-37-58), who ranked 1-2-3 on Wilkes-Barre in points this season.

Uneasy Lie the Heads That Wear the Crowns: All three tiers of the Detroit Red Wings' organization won either a division, conference or league title during the regular season, but the Griffins would be wise to take heed of the circumstances their parent and feeder clubs find themselves in. The Red Wings won the NHL's Central Division and finished second in the Western Conference, but they trail the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 2-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinals. Game 3 is tonight in Anaheim. Similarly, the ECHL's Toledo Storm, who claimed the Brabham Cup as regular season champs, are down 2-0 to the Cincinnati Cyclones in the best-of-five Northwest Division finals. Game 3 is Tuesday in Cincinnati.

So Close: Derek King, Michel Picard, Philippe Plante, Travis Richards and Dave Van Drunen were members of the 1999-00 Griffins team that lost in the IHL Turner Cup finals, while current Penguins Brendan Buckley, Tom Kostopoulos, Milan Kraft, Eric Meloche and Toby Peterson also played for the 2000-01 Wilkes-Barre squad that fell in the Calder Cup finals.

Tell Me What It Takes: Nine players and coaches for the Griffins have won major championships in North America at the pro, college or major junior level, including Bryan Adams (2002 AHL Calder Cup - Chicago, 2001 IHL Turner Cup - Orlando), Hugo Boisvert (2001 IHL Turner Cup - Orlando), head coach Danton Cole (2002 UHL Colonial Cup - Muskegon, 1995 NHL Stanley Cup - New Jersey, 1986 NCAA - Michigan State), assistant coach Todd Nelson (2002 UHL Colonial Cup - Muskegon, 1994 AHL Calder Cup - Portland), Michel Picard (1994 AHL Calder Cup - Portland, 1991 AHL Calder Cup - Springfield), Philippe Plante (2002 UHL Colonial Cup - Muskegon), Aaron Schneekloth (2000 NCAA - North Dakota), Tim Skarperud (2000 NCAA - North Dakota) and Jason Williams (2002 NHL Stanley Cup - Detroit).

By the Numbers: Taking into account their first five seasons in the IHL, the Griffins are 3-5 all-time in playoff series, including a 3-2 record as the higher seed and a 0-3 mark in best-of-five series. Their overall playoff record in terms of games stands at 20-20, including 8-12 at Van Andel Arena and 12-8 on the road. Grand Rapids is 3-5 in the first game of a playoff series, 3-5 in the first home game of a series, 3-2 in the first game of a playoff year and 2-3 in the first home game of a playoff year.

Strange But True: The last three teams to oust the Griffins from the playoffs each continued on to win the league championship (2002 Chicago Calder Cup, 2001 Orlando Turner Cup, 2000 Chicago Turner Cup)...The rosters of each of the last five and 11 of the past 12 Calder Cup champions sport the name of either a former Griffin or a player who would one day skate for the Griffins. The lone exception over that span was the 1997 Hershey Bears.

Playoff Veterans: Defenseman Travis Richards is the only player in Griffins history to play in all 40 postseason contests, and he is tied for the franchise career playoff lead with 17 assists...Richards and Michel Picard are tied for fourth on the points list with 20 apiece...Left wing Derek King stands as the Griffins' all-time playoff leader with 25 points (12-13-25), 12 goals (tied) and seven power play goals in 27 games...Last season, goalie Marc Lamothe led the Hamilton Bulldogs to within one win of the Calder Cup finals, ranking among the AHL playoff leaders with six wins (T4th), a 1.96 GAA (3rd) and a 0.933 save percentage (4th).

Playoff Roster: 22 players make up the Griffins' 2003 Calder Cup playoff roster: goaltenders Marc Lamothe and Joey MacDonald; defensemen Sheldon Brookbank, Ed Campbell, Danny Groulx, Jeremiah McCarthy, Philippe Plante, Travis Richards and Dave Van Drunen; and forwards Bryan Adams, Ryan Barnes, Hugo Boisvert, Darryl Bootland, Rob Collins, Derek King, Tomas Kopecky, Mark Mowers, Michel Picard, Nathan Robinson, Stacy Roest, Tim Skarperud and Jason Williams.

In Residence: Under emergency conditions (if playing strength drops below 18 skaters or two goaltenders due to injuries, recalls or suspensions), the Griffins may add players to their postseason roster from their In Residence list, which currently includes goaltender Chad Alban and defenseman Aaron Schneekloth.

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from April 14, 2003


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