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AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Embark on Three Games in Five Days

December 27, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Grand Rapids Griffins left wing Cross Hanas (right) faces off with the Cleveland Monsters
Grand Rapids Griffins left wing Cross Hanas (right) faces off with the Cleveland Monsters
(Grand Rapids Griffins, Credit: Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins)

This Week's Games

GRIFFINS at Rockford IceHogs // Wed., Dec. 27 // 8 p.m. EST // BMO Center

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

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: 0-1-0-0 Overall, 0-1-0-0 Road. Second of 12 meetings overall, second of six at the BMO Center

All-Time Series: 61-44-9-11 Overall, 23-30-4-6 Road

NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks

Noteworthy: Rockford is Grand Rapids' fourth-most frequent opponent (Milwaukee 215, Chicago 196, Cleveland 128), as tonight's game marks the 126th meeting between the two franchises.

GRIFFINS at Chicago Wolves // Fri., Dec. 29 // 8 p.m. EST // Allstate Arena

Listen: 96.1 The Game at 7:45 p.m. EST

Watch: AHLTV

Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Road. Third of eight meetings overall, first of four at Allstate Arena

All-Time Series: 98-84-2-8-4 Overall, 50-46-0-2-1 Road

NHL Affiliation: None

Noteworthy: Dating back to the 2022-23 season, the Griffins have points in nine of the past 12 games against the Wolves (7-3-1-1, .667) and have outscored Chicago 43-37.

GRIFFINS vs. Cleveland Monsters // Sun., Dec. 31 // 6 p.m. // Van Andel Arena

Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6 p.m.

Watch: WXSP-TV and AHLTV at 6 p.m.

Season Series: 0-0-1-1 Overall, 0-0-1-0 Home. Third of eight meetings overall, second of four at Van Andel Arena

All-Time Series: 71-38-7-12 Overall, 40-18-3-3 Home

NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets

Noteworthy: Cleveland and Grand Rapids have had some memorable games so far in 2023-24, with the Griffins staging two late third-period comebacks. On Oct. 27 at Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids scored two goals in the final 3:04 of play to force overtime and gather a point from Cleveland. A few days later on Nov. 1 on the shores of Lake Erie, Grand Rapids scored with less than a second remaining to steal another point, ultimately losing in a shootout.

Long and Twisted Road: The Griffins continue a four-game road trip this week against Rockford and Chicago. Grand Rapids has not fared well away from home, as it is just 2-9-2-1 (.250) with a minus-24 scoring margin in foreign territory compared to a 7-4-1-0 (.625) mark at home with a plus-eight margin. Dating back to Nov. 17, the Griffins have won just one out of their last nine road contests (1-6-2-0). Grand Rapids' seven points on the road through 14 games are tied for last on the circuit, while its 15 points at home through 12 contests are tied for 14th. Despite the lackluster road ledger, the Griffins are just four points behind third place in the Central Division with two games in hand.

It's Taco Time: Last Tuesday, Taro Hirose passed Mitch Callahan for seventh on the Griffins' all-time point list with 187 (47-140-187). The former Michigan State Spartan has also continued to climb the team's all-time assist list, as he took sole possession of third place with his 136th helper on Dec. 1. Hirose is 42 assists from tying Travis Richards for second on the assist list and is nine points from tying Tomas Tatar for sixth on the point list. Th 27-year-old enjoyed a season-high seven-game point streak (3-7-10) from Nov. 17-Dec. 5, which tied Simon Edvinsson for the longest run of the campaign by a Griffin. Hirose, who has competed for the Griffins for the past five campaigns, has six multi-point games this season and has three assists in his last three outings.

Numbers Don't Lie: Below is a list of interesting trends and records this season for the Griffins:

- 7-0-1-0 when leading after two periods, compared to 2-13-2-1 when tied or trailing;

- 7-1-1-0 when scoring at least four goals, compared to 2-12-2-1 when scoring three or less;

- 8-2-0-0 when allowing two goals or less, compared to 1-11-3-1 when allowing three or more;

- 2-7-2-1 when allowing 20-29 shots a game, compared to 5-6-1-0 when allowing 30 or more;

- 3-9-2-1 when allowing a power-play goal, 6-5-2-1 when scoring a power-play goal;

- 83.7% home penalty kill, compared to 74.0% on the road.

Future is Bright: Rookie Carter Mazur has two goals in his last three games after being held scoreless in his previous five outings. The Jackson, Michigan, product is tied for fifth on the roster with 10 points (5-5-10) in 20 contests. On Nov. 15 against Chicago, Mazur tied his career high of three points (2-1-3) and later logged his second multi-point game of the season on Dec. 2 at Milwaukee (1-1-2). This past summer, the 21-year-old made his Team USA debut at the World Championship and accumulated four points (1-3-4) in 10 contests. The former third-round selection (70th overall) by the Red Wings has a total of 16 points (8-8-16) in 26 games throughout his pro career. Prior to turning pro, Mazur spent two seasons at the University of Denver (2021-23) and amassed 75 points (36-39-75) in 81 games, winning a national title in 2022 and earning a spot on the NCAA Second All-American Team in 2023.

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics




Images from this story

Grand Rapids Griffins left wing Cross Hanas (right) faces off with the Cleveland Monsters
Grand Rapids Griffins left wing Cross Hanas (right) faces off with the Cleveland Monsters
(Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins)		   



American Hockey League Stories from December 27, 2023


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