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AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Host Red-Hot Rampage

December 16, 2002 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Countdown to Christmas: Following a 4-0 loss to league-leader Hamilton at home on Friday, the Griffins rebounded on the road with a 3-2 victory over Manitoba on Saturday. That game began a two-game set with the Moose in Winnipeg, a series that will conclude tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. at Winnipeg Arena. The Griffins will return home this Friday to host the expansion San Antonio Rampage at 7:30 p.m., in their last game at Van Andel Arena before Christmas. Before breaking for the holidays, however, the Griffins will travel to Cleveland for a rare 12:35 p.m. start on Saturday, necessitated by the Cavaliers/Celtics NBA game at 7:30 that night.

Beware the Rampage: Friday's guest, San Antonio, is playing in a manner more befitting the Griffins' AFL sibling than an expansion AHL franchise. The Rampage have lost in regulation just twice since Nov. 10, and their 9-2-4-2 record since that date included a remarkable 13-game point streak. The Griffins took a thrilling 3-2 overtime win at home in their first-ever meeting on Nov. 22, but San Antonio answered with a 5-3 triumph at the SBC Center on Dec. 2. The first 5,000 fans on Friday will receive inflatable candy cane Thundersticks, courtesy of Nextel, and kids will have the opportunity to meet Santa and some live reindeer. A brass ensemble will play holiday tunes on the concourse during pre-game, and Christmas music and videos will entertain fans throughout the game. Sharing in the spirit of the night, the Griffins will wear their special red and white jerseys.

Family Matters: Manitoba right wing Fedor Fedorov is the younger brother of Detroit Red Wings center Sergei, San Antonio center Jim Campbell is the older brother of Griffins defenseman Ed, and Cleveland center Jeff Nelson is the younger brother of Grand Rapids assistant coach Todd. Jeff and Todd were teammates on the Griffins' inaugural 1996-97 team.

Central Issues: Grand Rapids sits atop the Central Division standings at 14-7-4-2 (34 pts.), five points ahead of Rochester and nine atop Cincinnati. The Griffins' 0.630 winning percentage is tied for second in the Western Conference and fourth overall in the AHL.

Griffins Miss King's Rule: During the first 17 games of the season, the Griffins averaged 3.06 goals per game. In the subsequent 10 games that Derek King (6-9-15) has missed due to a hamstring injury, Grand Rapids has averaged just 2.20 goals per game, a drop-off of 28%. After scoring four or more goals in five of their first 17 games, the Griffins have reached that level just once since King sustained his injury on Nov. 22.

Close Calls: Grand Rapids, which began the season by winning each of its first six games that was decided by a single goal, improved to 8-2-0-2 in tight affairs thanks to its 3-2 victory at Manitoba on Saturday.

Home Sweet Home: The Griffins, who are 7-2-2-0 in their last 11 at home, will play five of December's final eight games within Van Andel Arena's friendly confines. Grand Rapids will play four games at Van Andel Arena in a span of six days from Dec. 26 to New Year's Eve.

Road Warriors: With Saturday's 3-2 win at Manitoba, the Griffins improved their sparkling road record to 7-2-1-2. Dating back to last season, Grand Rapids is 10-2-1-2 (0.767) in its last 15 games away from Van Andel Arena.

A First Time for Everything: After setting a franchise record last season by being shut-out 10 times, the Griffins suffered their first scoreless outing of the season on Friday versus Hamilton (0-4), in their 26th game.

Fast Starts: The Griffins have doubled their opponents' scoring output during the first period this season, owning a 26-13 margin. No other AHL team can claim that distinction.

Power Outage: Grand Rapids has converted just four of its last 52 power play chances (7.7%) and has been held without a power play goal in five of the last nine games. By comparison, the Griffins' power play went scoreless in only five of the team's first 18 outings.

Bright Lights, Big City: Goalie Marc Lamothe and defenseman Patrick Boileau, along with center Jason Williams, were recalled by the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday morning. Lamothe, who has served as Curtis Joseph's backup during the Red Wings' last four games due to Manny Legace's injury, ranks among the AHL leaders with 10 wins (T4th), a 2.17 GAA (3rd) and two shutouts (T5th). Boileau, called up due to an injury to Mathieu Dandenault, currently leads all Griffins blueliners with 13 points (2-11-13).

Recent Transactions: Dec. 14 - C Marc Lamothe, C Jason Williams and D Patrick Boileau recalled by Detroit (NHL). D Philippe Plante recalled from Muskegon (UHL). Dec. 13 - G Marc Lamothe and C Jason Williams assigned by Detroit (NHL). G Andrew Allen recalled from Dayton (ECHL).

The More Things Change...: After leading the AHL in both goals allowed (2.23) and shots allowed (25.34) last season, the Griffins currently rank third in the league in goals allowed (2.41) and fifth in shots allowed (28.04).

League Leaders: Mark Mowers is tied for seventh in the AHL with 29 points (11-18-29), while Michel Picard is tied for 16th with 27 points (11-16-27)...Dave Van Drunen is tied for fifth overall and third among defensemen with a plus-16 rating.

Prime Time Players: Michel Picard has points in five of the last six games (3-2-5)...Mark Mowers owns a pair of two-point efforts in his last three outings (3-1-4) and has recorded points in five of the last seven games overall (4-3-7)...For the first time since Oct. 18-19, Stacy Roest has been held off the scoring chart in consecutive games...Joey MacDonald made 26 saves in the 3-2 victory at Manitoba last Saturday, earning his first win since Nov. 17.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 23-for-174, 13.2% (25th)
* Penalty Killing: 127-for-152, 83.6% (14th)
* Penalty Minutes: 17.9 avg. (25th)
* Goals For: 2.74 avg. (19th)
* Goals Against: 2.41 avg. (3rd)
* Shots For: 28.70 avg. (21st)
* Shots Against: 28.04 avg. (5th)
* Attendance: 6,723 avg. (6th)

Griffins Alumni Report: Rookie NHL head coach Bruce Cassidy's Washington Capitals are fourth in the Southeast Division with an 13-16-2-0 record...Kip Miller is sixth on the Caps with 17 points (3-14-17), Ivan Ciernik has totaled seven points (2-5-7) in 10 appearances, and Jason Doig has two assists in four games...Florida's Jani Hurme (3-3-5) has a 2.52 GAA and a 0.924 save percentage...Ottawa's Patrick Lalime (13-7-4) owns a 2.19 GAA and a 0.914 save percentage, while Martin Prusek (4-0-0) shows a 2.57 GAA and a 0.915%...Todd White is fourth on the Sens with 21 points (9-12-21), Petr Schastlivy is ninth with 11 points (7-4-11), and Karel Rachunek has five assists in eight games since rejoining the team.

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 atop the NHL's Central Division with a 17-8-4-1 record, following their 6-4 win over Columbus on Saturday. They'll visit the New York Islanders tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.

Get Your Tickets: Tickets for all regular season games at Van Andel Arena are currently on sale. Fans can visit either location of The Zone (Van Andel Arena store or Rivertown Crossings Mall kiosk) or any Tickets PLUS location (including Meijer stores), call 222-4000/800-585-3737 or visit www.griffinshockey.com. Full-season ticket packages, mini-plans and group tickets for all Griffins games are by calling 800-2-HOCKEY.

This Week's Scouting Report

Tue., Dec. 17 at Manitoba Moose - Winnipeg Arena - 8:30 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 8:10 p.m. Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Road. Third of four meetings overall, second and final in Winnipeg. All-Time Series: AHL: 8-2-0-0 Overall, 4-1-0-0 Road. Total: 19-9-3-0 Overall, 9-5-0-0 Road. Manitoba Affiliation: Vancouver Canucks. Head Coach: Stan Smyl (2nd season). Moose Tracks: The Griffins took a 3-2 win in the opener of the two-game set on Saturday in Winnipeg...The Moose have lost four of their last five at home, and Grand Rapids has won five of its last six visits to the Winnipeg Arena...Ryan Ready is tied for fifth in the AHL with 30 points (13-17-28)...Alex Auld (8-8-1, 2.76 GAA) and former Griffin Tyler Moss (5-5-2, 3.12) split the goaltending chores.

Fri., Dec. 20 vs. San Antonio Rampage - Van Andel Arena - 7:30 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season/All-Time Series: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Home. Third of 10 meetings overall, second of five in Grand Rapids. San Antonio Affiliation: Florida Panthers. Head Coach: John Torchetti (1st season). No Bull: If the playoffs started today, surprising San Antonio would hold the sixth seed in the Western Conference...The Griffins beat the Rampage 3-2 in overtime at Van Andel Arena on Nov. 22...San Antonio is just 2-8-3-2 on the road...Chris Mason ranks 11th in the AHL with a 2.34 GAA...The Rampage convert only 9.9% of their road power plays...Jim Campbell, brother of Griffins defenseman Ed, leads San Antonio with 21 points (4-17-21).

Sat., Dec. 21 at Cleveland Barons - Gund Arena - 12:35 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 12:10 p.m. Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Road. Third of six meetings overall, first of three in Cleveland. All-Time Series: 3-3-0-0 Overall, 1-1-0-0 Road. Cleveland Affiliation: San Jose Sharks. Head Coach: Roy Sommer (2nd season). Spy Glass: The Barons emerged from a seven-game winless streak (0-4-1-2), which included a 15-1 loss at Hamilton on Dec. 8, with a 4-3 win over Worcester on Saturday...Cleveland is 5-6-0-2 at home this season...The Griffins split a pair of visits to Gund Arena last year...Rookie Niko Dimitrakos stands fourth in the AHL with 31 points (9-22-31)...San Jose Sharks prospects Vesa Toskala (3.40 GAA) and Seamus Kotyk (3.67) share time in goal.

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