AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Close out Home Schedule on Sunday

March 24, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


The Western Conference-leading Griffins will bring down the curtain on the home portion of their schedule this week, hosting the Chicago Wolves on Friday and the Hershey Bears on Sunday. During Friday's first intermission, the Griffins will announce the results of season-long balloting for the "Griffins All-Time Team," honoring the fans' choice of the top six players in franchise history. The first 3,000 fans through the gates that night will receive a Griffins mouse pad, courtesy of ReMax. On Sunday, the Griffins will host their "Grand Finale," presented by West Michigan Jeep Chrysler dealers. The first 2,000 fans will receive thermal coolers, and prizes will be given away throughout the night. Fans can witness a special pre-game show, take advantage of another Family Four Pack Night, participate in the Stouffer's Post-Game Family Fun Skate and get autographs from six Griffins players.

Get 'Em While You Can: Approximately 3,000 tickets remain for Sunday's home finale against Hershey, while only 500 tickets are left for Friday's game against Chicago. To purchase, fans can visit The Zone at Van Andel Arena or any Tickets PLUS location (including Meijer stores), call 222-4000/800-585-3737 or visit www.griffinshockey.com.

Century City: The Griffins' 3-1 win over Houston on Sunday gave them a 45-19-8-2 record and 100 points, marking the third time in the last four seasons they've reached that milestone. It also increased their lead to four points over the Aeros in the race for the Western Conference's number-one playoff seed. Grand Rapids' affiliate, the Detroit Red Wings, coincidentally is tied with Dallas atop the NHL's overall Western Conference standings with an identical 100 points.

Unbelievable: The Griffins have won each of their last four clashes with the Houston Aeros, enjoying a huge 18-2 advantage on the scoreboard despite a monstrous 145-72 deficit in shots. Grand Rapids connected on 25% of its shots in those four games, while its goalies held the Aeros to a paltry 1.4% success rate. The Griffins were out-shot 32-10 by Houston on Sunday, setting a franchise record for fewest shots for the second consecutive meeting with the Aeros. (Houston allowed just 14 shots in the Griffins' 2-1 win at the Compaq Center on Mar. 13.) Grand Rapids was out-shot 17-0 in the final frame yesterday, marking the first time the Griffins have ever been held without a shot during a period, but held firm to claim its fifth win in the last six games.

Race for Number One: Grand Rapids, Houston and Chicago are the only teams alive in the race for the Western Conference's top seed. (Based on points, the South Division champion can earn no higher than the second seed.) Here's how it breaks down:

Seed Team Record Points Games Remaining Opponent Winning %
1 Grand Rapids 45-19-8-2 100 6 (2 home/4 road) 0.551
2 Houston 43-20-7-3 96 7 (4 home/3 road) 0.565
4 Chicago 37-24-7-4 85 8 (6 home/2 road) 0.543

The Hard Way: With a combined winning percentage of 0.567, the West Division is by far the toughest in the league. Despite playing their first season as a member of the Central Division, the Griffins have played more games against West Division foes this season (40) than any AHL team, posting a solid 20-14-5-1 mark (0.575). Strangely, Grand Rapids has played only 21 games within its own division.

Williams Returns: Jason Williams, who has 43 points (22-21-43) in just 39 games with the Griffins this season, returned to Grand Rapids today following a one-day recall to the Detroit Red Wings. He skated for the Wings in their 4-0 loss at Minnesota last night, logging 7:09 over 11 shifts with one shot and a minus-one rating. Williams has appeared in 16 games with the Red Wings this season, totaling six points (3-3-6) and a plus-three rating.

Marc of Distinction: Marc Lamothe has won each of his last five decisions, in the process posting a 1.18 GAA, and 0.963 save percentage (158-164) and one shutout. A top candidate for the AHL's Aldege "Baz" Bastien award (outstanding goaltender), Lamothe has won 13 of his last 16 decisions and continues to pace the league with 32 wins, eight more than any other netminder. He also leads the league with 56 games played and 3,220 minutes, ranks second with a 2.11 GAA, stands third with five shutouts, and is fourth with 1,363 saves. Only the third AHL goalie in the last three seasons to eclipse 30 wins, Lamothe needs just five games played, 24:28 minutes played, two wins, one shutout and 73 saves to equal Grand Rapids' franchise records in each category.

Top Gun: Michel Picard, a leading candidate for the AHL's Les Cunningham Award (regular season MVP), is chasing the first scoring title of his prolific 14-year career. He currently paces the circuit with 79 points (29-50-79) - three ahead of teammate Mark Mowers and Houston's Jean-Guy Trudel - and ranks second with 50 assists. Each total stands fifth on the Griffins' single-season list. Picard, who appeared in his 500th regular season AHL contest on Thursday against Manitoba, is five assists from tying the team record he co-authored in 1996-97.

Other AHL Leaders: Mark Mowers is tied for second in the AHL scoring race with 76 points (31-45-76), his plus-27 rating ties for fifth, and his eight game-winning goals tie for third...Stacy Roest (21-45-66) is tied for 12th in league scoring...Dave Van Drunen and Travis Richards are tied for second both overall and among defensemen with plus-33 ratings...Richards' four game-winning goals tie for second among blueliners...Philippe Plante's 0.145 shooting percentage leads all AHL defensemen...Rob Collins is tied for third overall and paces all rookies with two game-tying goals...Among rookies, Tomas Kopecky is tied for 18th with 38 points (17-21-38) and is second at plus-21.

First Attendance Jump: Grand Rapids is averaging 7,034 fans per game, a 2.2% increase over its 38-game average from last season. The Griffins, who have never before witnessed an attendance increase from one season to the next, are assured of surpassing last year's total of 281,867, taking into account pre-sales for their final two home games.

Season to Remember: With six games remaining, the Griffins have already surpassed both their win and point totals from the 2001-02 season (42-27-11-0, 95 pts.), their first as a member of the AHL. They are on pace for 48 wins and 108 points, and will finish with the third-highest total of each in the franchise's seven seasons (53/113 in 2000-01 and 51/111 in 1999-00).

Stingy Defense: Grand Rapids, which ranks first in the AHL by allowing only 2.20 goals per game, is bidding to become the first team since the Rochester Americans (1990-91 and 1991-92) to post the AHL's lowest goals against average in consecutive seasons. The Griffins allowed a league-low 2.23 goals per game last year.

Road Killers: For the first time in their seven-year history, the Griffins will finish this season with more wins at home than on the road. Grand Rapids (24-7-3-2, 0.736) leads the AHL in victories in hostile territory, one shy of the franchise record of 25 set in 1999-2000, with four road contests remaining. Their road bounty surpasses the number of home wins achieved by 24 other AHL clubs.

Three Musketeers: Only once in their history have the Griffins had more than one player finish in the top 10 of their league's scoring race, that being the 2000-01 IHL season when Derek King tied for the scoring crown with 83 points and Slava Butsayev placed tenth with 68 points. However, Grand Rapids currently has three players who could finish in the AHL's top 10, including Michel Picard (1st), Mark Mowers (T2nd) and Stacy Roest (T12th).

Hot Hands: Philippe Plante owns a three-game assist streak (0-3-3)...Michel Picard has a three-game scoring streak (2-2-4) and points in seven of the last eight games (5-5-10)...Mark Mowers also has a three-game scoring streak (1-2-3), along with points in seven of eight outings (3-5-8), 13 of the last 15 games (7-11-18) and 17 of the last 21 contests (9-16-25)...Stacy Roest has three points (2-1-3) in the last two games, including the overtime game-winner on Thursday versus Manitoba...Jason Williams has scored 19 goals in his last 25 games and has recorded points in 22 of his last 30 games (20-20-40), with six multi-goal and 14 multi-point outings.

Milestones: Ed Campbell played his 500th pro game on Sunday against Houston, while Dave Van Drunen appeared in his 400th pro contest last Tuesday in Cleveland...Van Drunen needs to play in each of the final six games to become the fifth player to record 200 career games in a Griffins uniform...Stacy Roest has 96 AHL goals, while Jason Williams has 93 AHL assists.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 64-for-420, 15.2% (T22nd)
* Penalty Killing: 283-for-340, 83.2% (16th)
* Penalty Minutes: 16.4 avg. (T25th)
* Goals For: 3.07 (T8th)
* Goals Against: 2.20 avg. (1st)
* Shots For: 28.97 avg. (24th)
* Shots Against: 27.31 avg. (4th)
* Attendance: 7,034 (7th)

We Are the Champions: On March 9, Grand Rapids claimed the 2002-03 John Chick Trophy as champion of the Central Division. The Griffins have won a division crown in each of their two seasons in the AHL and have earned four consecutive division championships overall, dating back to their 1999-2000 season in the IHL. Along with the division title, the Griffins that day secured a postseason berth at the earliest date in franchise history, seven days earlier than their 2001-02 counterparts, who won the inaugural N.R. (Bud) Poile Trophy as champions of the AHL's West Division.

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 in first place in the NHL's Central Division (44-19-9-3), despite Sunday's 4-0 loss at Minnesota. Tomorrow, they'll look for revenge against the Wild in a 7:30 p.m. home start (WXSP).

Griffins Alumni Report: Patrick Boileau has appeared in 23 games for the Red Wings since Dec. 14, notching seven points (2-5-7), a plus-seven rating and 18 shots while averaging 13:17 in ice time...Rookie NHL head coach Bruce Cassidy's Washington Capitals stand second in the Southeast Division with a 35-28-8-5 record...Kip Miller is tied for fifth on the Caps with an NHL career-high 49 points (12-37-49), Ivan Ciernik has totaled 17 points (7-10-17) in 45 appearances, Jason Doig has seven points (3-4-7) in 49 games, and Joel Kwiatkowski has four assists in 48 games between the Caps and Senators...Florida's Jani Hurme (4-8-6) has a 2.71 GAA and a 0.911 save percentage...Ottawa's Patrick Lalime (36-19-6) owns a 2.19 GAA, a 0.910 save percentage and a league-leading eight shutouts, while Martin Prusek (11-2-1) shows a 2.47 GAA and a 0.908%...Todd White is third on the Sens with 57 points (24-33-57), Karel Rachunek has four goals and 24 assists in 52 games, the injured Petr Schastlivy has 19 points (9-10-19) in 33 games, and Chris Neil has chipped in six goals and three helpers.

This Week's Scouting Report

Fri., Mar. 28 vs. Chicago Wolves (37-24-7-4) - Van Andel Arena - 7:30 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season Series: 3-1-2-1 Overall, 1-0-2-0 Home. Eighth and final meeting overall, fourth and final in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: AHL: 10-6-2-1 Overall, 5-2-2-0 Home. Total: 25-13-4-1 Overall, 12-4-4-0 Home. Chicago Affiliation: Atlanta Thrashers. Head Coach: John Anderson (6th season). Hungry Like the Wolf: The defending champs begin the week as the fourth seed in the Western Conference...The Wolves have won four straight and are an AHL-best 9-1-0-1 in their last 11...Chicago has lost its last two (0-1-0-1) on the road and is just 1-4-1-1 in its last seven away from Allstate Arena...The Griffins have points in each of the Wolves' last five visits (3-0-2-0)...Chicago's power play leads the AHL at 19.8%, contributing to its second-ranked scoring attack (3.36)...Its 19 shorthanded goals also pace the league...Steve Maltais is tied for fourth in the AHL with 72 points (25-47-72) while Simon Gamache (33-33-66) is tied for 12th...Norm Maracle owns a 2.82 GAA and a 20-17-5 record.

Sat., Mar. 29 at Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (24-31-12-5) - Cincinnati Gardens - 7:35 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season Series: 6-0-1-0 Overall, 3-0-0-0 Road. Eighth and final meeting overall, fourth and final in Cincinnati. All-Time Series: 9-2-2-0 Overall, 4-2-0-0 Road. Cincinnati Affiliation: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Head Coach: Brad Shaw (1st season). Quack Me Up: Cincinnati begins the week seven points behind Philadelphia in the race for the tenth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference...Going back to last season, the Ducks are winless in their last eight games against Grand Rapids (0-5-1-2)...Cincy went 2-4-1-1 on a recent eight-game road trip, but the Ducks are 6-1 in their last seven at home...Two of the Griffins' three wins at the Gardens this season required overtime...The Ducks' power play ranks last in the AHL (11.6%)...Tony Martensson leads Cincinnati and is tied for 12th among AHL rookies with 44 points (16-28-44)...Ilja Bryzgalov (2.80 GAA, 11-22-8) mans the pipes.

Sun., Mar. 30 vs. Hershey Bears (33-24-13-2) - Van Andel Arena - 4 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 3:40 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: 3-0-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Home. Hershey Affiliation: Colorado Avalanche. Head Coach: Mike Foligno (5th season). The Bear Facts: Hershey begins the week as the sixth seed in the Western Conference, but stands just one point behind South Division-leading Norfolk and its third seed...The Bears are unbeaten in four straight (3-0-1-0) overall but have just one win in their last five road contests (1-2-2-0)...They have never beaten the Griffins, including a 2-0 loss in their lone visit to Grand Rapids last season...Hershey boasts the league's best penalty killers at 87.6%...The Bears allow only 2.60 goals per game (8th)...Leading scorer Brian Willsie (29-28-57) is on recall to Colorado...Philippe Sauve is tied for second in the AHL with 24 wins and ranks fifth with a 2.30 GAA.

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