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AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Face Longest Fling before Christmas

December 15, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Finding a Way: Despite missing 10 players to either recall or injury last week, the Griffins still managed to maintain their five-point lead atop the West Division. One-goal losses to Cleveland and Houston were followed by a gutsy 2-1 win at Milwaukee on Saturday. Typifying the team's resilience in the face of adversity, Michel Picard scored a power play goal to lead Grand Rapids to that important divisional victory, playing despite a 10-stitch cut suffered under his left eye on Friday night. Among the players missing from the lineup were captain Travis Richards (injured, day-to-day) and four of the team's top six scorers - Kevin Miller (10-8-18, 1st), Jiri Hudler (4-12-16, T2nd), Mark Mowers (8-6-14, 5th) and Niklas Kronwall (2-11-13, 6th) - who are among the eight Griffins currently playing for the Red Wings.

Yuletide Hockey: The Griffins will stage their final home game before Christmas this Wednesday, Dec. 17, when the San Antonio Rampage visit at 7 p.m. Fans who bring a new, unwrapped toy for donation to the WOOD-TV 8 Salvation Army Angel Tree program will receive a free pop and hot dog at the game.

Great White North: Grand Rapids will travel to Winnipeg this weekend for a pair against the Manitoba Moose on Friday and Sunday. During their eight-year history, the Griffins have played 31 games in Canada, posting an overall mark of 21-8-2-0 (0.710) when visiting the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs (4-1-0-0), the St. John's Maple Leafs (1-0-1-0), the Toronto Roadrunners (1-0-0-0), the AHL/IHL Manitoba Moose (10-5-0-0) and the IHL Quebec Rafales (5-2-1).

Eight is Enough: In addition to ending their eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1-0), the Griffins' 4-3 loss at Cleveland last Wednesday snapped their six-game winning streak overall, their three-game winning streak on the road, and their six-game unbeaten streak away from Van Andel Arena. The defeat also stopped Marc Lamothe's seven-game winning streak one shy of Mike Fountain's franchise record. The Griffins' three-game winning streak at home, meanwhile, was broken on Friday by the Houston Aeros in a 2-1 final.

Strange Brew: Thanks to Saturday's 2-1 win at Milwaukee, the Griffins are now 3-0 versus the Admirals this season, who in turn are 12-5-3-2 (0.659) versus the rest of the AHL. Grand Rapids has outscored the Admirals by an 8-3 count in those games despite being out-shot by a combined 112-62 margin.

Welcome Back: Forward Nathan Robinson, whose 16 points (5-11-16) in 24 games tie for second on the Griffins, was reassigned to Grand Rapids by Detroit last Tuesday. He has a point in each of his last seven games as a Griffin (2-5-7), marking the team's longest scoring streak this season. Robinson made his NHL debut in five games with the Red Wings, going scoreless with two PIM and a minus-one rating while averaging 6:00 of ice time.

Road Sweet Road: Grand Rapids, which set an AHL record last season with 26 road wins, currently leads the circuit with 10 victories in enemy territory (10-4-1-0), giving it a 26-win pace for a full season. The Griffins are 6-1-1-0 in their last eight road games and 8-2-1-0 in their last 11 away from home.

Three Records Set: When Cleveland's Jon DiSalvatore scored a power play goal at 10:37 of the second period last Wednesday, it brought an end to three impressive, franchise-record streaks for the Griffins:

* Longest Road Shutout Streak, Individual: Marc Lamothe, 204:54, Nov. 23-Dec. 10 (Previous: Lamothe, 133:14, Mar. 13-18, 2003)

* Consecutive Games Without Allowing a Power Play Goal: Nine, Nov. 19-Dec. 6 (Previous: Six, Feb. 23-Mar. 6, 2002)

* Consecutive Opponent Power Plays Killed: 45, Nov. 15-Dec. 10 (Previous: 29, Feb. 23-Mar. 7, 2002)

Roster Moves: Left wing Ryan Barnes was recalled to the Red Wings today, joining seven other Griffins on the Red Wings' current roster and becoming the sixth Grand Rapids player to receive a call-up in the last seven days. In addition, Detroit assigned goaltender Joey MacDonald to Grand Rapids yesterday, while the Griffins released goaltender Bujar Amidovski. Barnes, 23, currently leads the Griffins with 36 penalty minutes and is tied for fifth on the team with eight assists. He has eight points (0-8-8) and a plus-four rating in 26 outings this season. Barnes, Detroit's second choice (55th overall) in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, will be available to make his NHL debut tonight when Detroit hosts the Florida Panthers at 7:30. MacDonald was recalled to the parent club last Tuesday after an initial assignment to the Toledo Storm of the ECHL. He served as Curtis Joseph's backup during the Red Wings' 7-2 win in Buffalo last Wednesday and their 4-3 overtime loss in Chicago on Thursday, before being scratched for Detroit's 5-1 win in Washington on Saturday. He has a 5-1-2 record in eight games with the Griffins this season, showing a 2.07 goals against average and a 0.938 save percentage. Amidovski backed up Marc Lamothe during the Griffins' last three games after signing a professional tryout last Tuesday. He has returned to the ECHL's Dayton Bombers.

Wild Day: The Griffins last Tuesday experienced a number of roster moves unprecedented in the franchise's eight seasons, as nine different players were involved in a total of 10 transactions. Decimated by injuries, the Detroit Red Wings recalled defenseman Niklas Kronwall, forwards Jiri Hudler and Kevin Miller, and goalies Curtis Joseph and Joey MacDonald (from ECHL Toledo, where he had been assigned earlier in the day). Detroit also assigned forward Nathan Robinson to Grand Rapids. In addition, the Griffins signed center Jeff Nelson (UHL Muskegon) and goalie Bujar Amidovski (ECHL Dayton) to professional tryouts and recalled defenseman Paul Ballantyne from Toledo.

More Help: Last Thursday, the Griffins signed defenseman Ryan Bonni to a pro tryout. The 24-year-old Bonni, selected by the Vancouver Canucks with the 34th overall pick in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, went scoreless in his first two Griffins games. The fifth-year pro has totaled seven points (1-6-7) and 49 penalty minutes in 15 games with the ECHL's Greensboro Generals this season. Acquired to help bolster a Griffins defense stung by the recent losses of Niklas Kronwall (recalled to Detroit last Tuesday) and Travis Richards (injured), Bonni has 145 games of AHL experience on his resume, including 61 contests with the St. John's Maple Leafs in 2002-03.

Lamothe On Fire: Marc Lamothe's seven-game winning streak was broken in Cleveland last Wednesday, one victory shy of Mike Fountain's franchise record. Lamothe, whose 43 wins now place him second behind Fountain's 55 on the team's all-time list, finished with a franchise-record road shutout streak of 204:54. He posted a 0.86 GAA (six GA in seven games) and a 0.970 save percentage (192-of-198) during his seven-game streak, and for the season now shows a 10-7-2 record with a 1.93 GAA and a 0.928 save percentage.

It Doesn't Add Up: The Griffins average the fewest penalty minutes (12.79) in the AHL, but it has not translated into an advantage for them in power plays. Grand Rapids has had more power plays than its opposition in just 11 of 28 games thus far. Overall, opponents have enjoyed two more chances with the man-advantage (138-136).

Griffins Earn Their Wings: Although Joey MacDonald has returned to Grand Rapids, eight members of the Griffins are still currently in Detroit, filling in for the injury-riddled Red Wings. Their NHL stats are as follows:

Player GP G A PTS +/- PIM Avg. Ice Time
Mark Mowers 14 1 6 7 5 0 13:32
Jiri Hudler 10 1 2 3 0 10 8:21
Darryl Bootland 18 1 1 2 -2 *63 6:36
Kevin Miller 3 0 2 2 2 0 6:58
Niklas Kronwall 3 0 1 1 2 8 14:48
Jamie Rivers 10 0 0 0 3 2 6:36
Ryan Barnes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0:00

Goalie GP W L T SO GAA Save %
Curtis Joseph 8 4 4 0 1 2.79 0.891
* Leads team

Shut Them Down: The Griffins have lost just four times in their last 17 outings (10-4-3-0, 0.676), thanks in large part to a resurgent defense that has allowed only 28 goals over that span (1.62 GAA). As a result, Grand Rapids, which has led the AHL in goals allowed each of the last two season, currently ranks third in the league by surrendering an average of just 2.00 goals per contest.

Natural Born Killers: After killing off a franchise-record 45 consecutive power plays by the opposition, the Griffins surrendered goals during back-to-back Barons advantages during the second period last Wednesday. Still, with their recent excellence, the Griffins penalty killers are rolling along at an 89.1% clip, good for fifth in the AHL. They've allowed only four power play goals in their last 60 shorthanded situations (93.3%), stretching over their last 12 games.

Rare Chance: Last Wednesday, Grand Rapids' Aaron Schneekloth was awarded the team's first penalty shot of the season at 6:30 of the second period but was denied by the Barons' Dimitri Patzold. The Griffins have attempted only seven penalty shots during their eight seasons of existence, connecting on three straight before getting turned away on each of their last three tries.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 19-for-136, 14.0% (14th)
* Penalty Killing: 123-for-138, 89.1% (5th)
* Penalty Minutes: 12.79 avg. (28th)
* Goals For: 2.57 avg. (15th)
* Goals Against: 2.00 avg. (3rd)
* Shots For: 24.93 avg. (27th)
* Shots Against: 28.86 avg. (13th)
* Attendance: 6,405 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 stand in first place in the NHL's Central Division (18-10-3-1), following Saturday's 5-1 win at Washington. They'll host Florida tonight at 7:30 (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 later 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

Wed., Dec. 17 vs. San Antonio Rampage (12-8-3-0) - Van Andel Arena - 7:00 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 6:40 p.m. Season Series: 0-1-1-0 Overall, 0-1-1-0 Home. Third of 10 meetings overall, third of five in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: 6-5-1-0 Overall, 3-3-1-0 Home. San Antonio Affiliation: Florida Panthers. Head Coach: Scott Allen. On a Stampede: The Rampage have already earned a 2-2 tie and a 2-0 win in their previous visits to Van Andel Arena this season...San Antonio has lost two straight, both on the road, dropping its road record to 3-3-2-0...The Rampage rank fourth in the AHL in goals scored per game (2.87)...Left wing Eric Beaudoin (9-18-27) leads San Antonio in scoring, defenseman Michel Periard is among the league's top rookies, and goalie Travis Scott (12-5-3, 2.13 GAA, 0.935) has been excellent.

Fri., Dec. 19 at Manitoba Moose (10-14-3-1) - Winnipeg Arena - 8:30 p.m.

Sun., Dec. 21 at Manitoba Moose - Winnipeg Arena - 3 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 8:10 p.m. (Fri.); WTKG 1230 AM at 2:40 p.m. (Sun.). Season Series: First and second of four meetings overall, first and second of two in Winnipeg. All-Time Series: AHL: 10-2-0-0 Overall, 5-1-0-0 Road. Total: 21-9-3-0 Overall, 10-5-0-0 Road. Manitoba Affiliation: Winnipeg Arena. Head Coach: Stan Smyl. Hunting Season: Since the start of the 2001-02 season, the Griffins have won 10 of 12 meetings against the Moose, including five of six in Winnipeg. They went 4-0 against Manitoba last season and extended their winning streak on Winnipeg ice to three games...The Moose are just 5-7-2-0 at home...Their power play ranks 24th in the league at 12.2%...Jaroslav Obsut leads all AHL defensemen with seven goals and is tied for fifth with 16 points...Leading scorer Fedor Fedorov (11-9-20), younger brother of Sergei, was recalled by Vancouver today.

This Week's Games:
Wed., Dec. 17 San Antonio Rampage at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM
Fri., Dec. 19 GRIFFINS at Manitoba Moose 8:30 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM
Sun., Dec. 21 GRIFFINS at Manitoba Moose 3 p.m. WTKG 1230 AM

Last Week's Results:
Wed., Dec. 10 GRIFFINS 3 at Cleveland Barons 4 15-7-4-0, 34 pts. (1st, West Division)
Fri., Dec. 12 Houston Aeros 2 at GRIFFINS 1 15-8-4-0, 34 pts. (1st)
Sat., Dec. 13 GRIFFINS 2 at Milwaukee Admirals 1 16-8-4-0, 36 pts. (1st)

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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