AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Continue Road Trip in Milwaukee, Texas

January 31, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids Griffins battle the Texas Stars
Grand Rapids Griffins battle the Texas Stars
(Grand Rapids Griffins, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins)

This Week's Games

GRIFFINS at Milwaukee Admirals // Tue., Jan. 31 // 8 p.m. EST // Panther Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:45 p.m. EST

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: 1-3-0-0 Overall, 0-2-0-0 Road. Fifth of eight meetings overall, third of four at Panther Arena

All-Time Series: 108-77-7-8-8 Overall, 50-41-5-5-5 Road

NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators

Noteworthy: Cole Schneider has been the driving force for the Admirals against the Griffins this season, as he has six points (2-4-6) in four outings against Grand Rapids.

GRIFFINS at Texas Stars // Fri., Feb. 3 // 8 p.m. EST // H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

GRIFFINS at Texas Stars // Sat., Feb. 4 // 8 p.m. EST // H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:45 p.m. EST on Friday and Saturday

Watch: AHLTV on Friday and Saturday

Season Series: 2-3-0-1 Overall, 1-1-0-0 Road. Seventh and eighth of eight meetings overall, third and fourth of four at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

All-Time Series: 37-25-4-5 Overall, 17-14-3-1 Road

NHL Affiliation: Dallas Stars

Noteworthy: Former Griffin Riley Barber has 20 goals in 40 games for the Stars this season, which is tied for sixth in the AHL. Against Grand Rapids this campaign, Barber has five points (2-3-5) in six appearances.

Last Week's Results

Sat., Jan. 28 // GRIFFINS 2 at Milwaukee 4 // 15-20-2-2 (34 pts., 0.436, T6th Central)

Sun., Jan. 29 // GRIFFINS 5 at Chicago 3 // 16-20-2-2 (36 pts., 0.450, 6th Central)

Last Week's Notes

Saturday at Milwaukee (2-4 L) - A late surge from the Griffins fell short in a 4-2 loss against the Admirals at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. Matt Luff returned to the lineup for Grand Rapids, tallying an assist in his first game since sustaining an injury with the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 8 and the first contest with the Griffins since Oct. 23. Simon Edvinsson lit the lamp in the third period, his second goal in a Grand Rapids uniform and his third point in the last four games. In his second game as a Griffin, Jasper Weatherby got on the scoresheet with a goal in the final stanza. Austin Czarnik's assist on Edvinsson's goal was his 300th pro point. Recap | Highlights

Sunday at Chicago (5-3 W) - The Griffins extended their win streak against the Wolves to three with a 5-3 victory at Allstate Arena. Elmer Soderblom (2-1-3) and Simon Edvinsson (1-1-2) starred in the win, with one of the two Swedes either providing a goal or an assist on all five scores by Grand Rapids. Edvinsson has recorded a point in his last three games and has five in as many contests, while Soderblom's points were his first in a Griffin uniform. Jakub Vrana (1-1-2), Austin Czarnik (0-2-2) and Joel L'Esperance (1-1-2) also pitched in two-point outings. Victor Brattstrom got the start in net and collected 24 saves on 27 shots. The last time the Griffins had a three-game win streak against Chicago was from Oct. 20-Nov. 28, 2018. Vrana skated in his 100th AHL game, adding a goal and assist to reach the 300-point milestone as a pro. Recap | Highlights

Back With Authority: Matt Luff returned to the lineup this past weekend for Grand Rapids, tallying an assist on Jan. 28 at Milwaukee in his first game since sustaining an injury with the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 8 and his first contest with the Griffins since Oct. 23. Luff returned the following night with a helper against the Chicago Wolves. The Windsor, Ontario, native has been held off the scoresheet just once with the Griffins and has nine points (3-6-9) in seven appearances.

Blossoming Swedes: Last Saturday against Chicago, Simon Edvinsson and Elmer Soderblom combined for five points (3-2-5), with one of the two Swedes either providing a goal or an assist on all five scores by Grand Rapids. Edvinsson, a 6-foot-6 defenseman, is on a three-game point streak (2-2-4) and has five points (2-3-5) in his last five appearances. The 6-foot-8 Soderblom was held off the scoresheet in his first six AHL games but exploded for three points (2-1-3) in his last appearance against the Wolves.

Keep Chugging Along: The Griffins enjoyed a season-high four-game point streak (2-0-1-1) from Jan. 14-21. The run was halted by the Milwaukee Admirals last night in a 4-2 defeat. Since the new year, Grand Rapids has lost in regulation just three times through 11 games (5-3-1-2, 0.591). The Griffins jumped into sixth in the Central Division but are still 10 points out of a playoff spot with 32 games left.

The Last Czar: Veteran forward Austin Czarnik has been a major boost to the Griffins lineup, totaling 29 points (12-17-29) in 27 games. Czarnik has at least one point in 17 of the 27 contests and at least two points in seven outings. Last weekend, he totaled three assists in two games and now has seven points (3-4-7) in his last five games. He has also spent a decent amount of time with the Detroit Red Wings, amassing three points (2-1-3) in 12 appearances. The Washington Township, Mich., native was named the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week on Oct. 17 when he registered five points (3-2-5) in two games and became the first Griffins forward to win the award since Matt Lorito on Nov. 20, 2016.

On the Road Again: The Griffins wrapped up their season-high seven-game homestand that spanned from Dec. 31-Jan. 14. Grand Rapids finished with a 3-3-0-1 mark and are now 8-9-2-1 in West Michigan this season. The Griffins are now in the midst of a stretch of seven out of their next eight games on the road, which began on Jan. 16. Grand Rapids played its only home contest during the run on Jan. 21 against Springfield, a 3-2 overtime defeat. Grand Rapids holds an 8-11-0-1 ledger on foreign ice this season and are just three wins away from 500 on the road in franchise history (497-412-12-34-60).

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics




Images from this story

Grand Rapids Griffins battle the Texas Stars
Grand Rapids Griffins battle the Texas Stars
(Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins)		   



American Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2023


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