AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins in dogfight with Admirals

March 22, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Three's Company: The Griffins' 2-1 loss at Rochester last Friday, coupled with Milwaukee's 7-2 win at Utah, bumped the Griffins out of first place in the West Division for the first time since Nov. 25. Still, despite winning just four of its last 10 games, Grand Rapids (90 points) stands only two points behind Milwaukee in both the West Division and the overall AHL standings. Entering the season's final three weeks, the Griffins and Admirals each have won a league-high 41 games. In a three-way race for the division title, the Griffins have the easiest remaining schedule, but Milwaukee has had the most success against its remaining foes and Chicago has the most favorable balance of home and road games:

Team Points Games Left (Home/Road) Opponent. Win. % Win. % vs. Remaining Opp.
Milwaukee 92 11 (5/6) 0.519 0.713
Grand Rapids 90 10 (4/6) 0.494 0.653
Chicago 82 10 (6/4) 0.560 0.434

Job Fair: The Griffins and Michigan Works! will host the 2004 Community Employment Expo during this Wednesday's game against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks at 7 p.m. Anyone who presents an unemployment benefit stub from the current year will receive one free ticket to attend the game, allowing them to meet with any of the 26 West Michigan companies that have reserved concourse tables.

Hanging 10: With 10 games left on their schedule, the Griffins hope to duplicate the success of their last four stretch runs. While winning division titles each of the last four seasons (2000-2003), the Griffins posted an aggregate record of 25-12-3-0 (0.663) over each campaign's final 10 games, fending off challengers along the way:

Season Status with 10 Games Left Record over Final 10 Result
2002-03 94 points, T1st in West. Conf. with HOU 6-4-0-0 Won conf. by 2 over HOU
2001-02 84 points, 1st in West Div., 2 pts. over UTA 5-4-1-0 Won div. by 2 over HOU
2000-01 99 points, 1st in IHL East. Conf., 8 pts. over ORL 6-2-2 Won conf. by 12 over ORL
1999-00 95 points, 1st in IHL East. Conf., 2 pts. over ORL 8-2-0 Won conf. by 5 over ORL Playoff Positioning: With San Antonio's 2-2 tie versus Chicago last Friday, the Griffins secured no worse than third place in the West Division, earning an exemption from the qualifying round and an automatic berth in the division semifinals. Their magic number for clinching second place and home-ice advantage in the division semis currently stands at 13 points over Chicago. Although the exact dates and opponent are yet to be determined, tickets for Grand Rapids' first two home games during the 2004 Calder Cup playoffs are now on sale. Single-game playoff ticket prices are $26, $21, $18, $13, $11 and $6 (advance purchase only), reflecting a league-wide increase of $1 over regular season prices. Playoff tickets may be purchased at The Zone and all Star Tickets Plus outlets, including West Michigan Meijer stores, or by calling (616) 222-4000.

Making His Marc: Marc Lamothe made 22 saves in Sunday's 3-2 win at Philadelphia to record his 20th victory of the season and the 53rd triumph of his Griffins career. He now stands just two shy of Mike Fountain's franchise record of 55 wins. Lamothe and Joey MacDonald (20 wins) are just the second pair of Griffins goalies to reach 20 victories apiece in the same season, joining the 1999-2000 tandem of Jani Hurme (29) and Fountain (21). In addition to the franchise standard for wins, which he could tie as soon as this Friday, Lamothe already holds Griffins' career records with 101 games played, 5853:48 minutes played, 10 shutouts and 2,474 saves. He owns a lifetime AHL record of 99-81-25 (0.544) in 220 games over parts of six seasons.

Truly Offensive: The Griffins' offense, which tallied just four goals in a recent five-game span (Mar. 8-19), has scored as many as three goals just twice in its last nine contests. Over their last 10 games, a stretch in which they've posted a 4-6-0-0 record, the Griffins have been out-scored by a 26-17 margin.

A Night to Forget: The Griffins' 6-0 loss to the Toronto Roadrunners last Wednesday tied a franchise record for the largest margin of defeat at home, mirroring a 6-0 whitewashing to the IHL's San Antonio Dragons back on Nov. 2, 1996, the 12th game of the Griffins' inaugural season.

Roster Shuffling: In the wake of an injury sustained by Derian Hatcher, the Red Wings last Wednesday recalled defenseman Anders Myrvold. As a result, the Griffins on Thursday recalled defenseman Paul Ballantyne from the Louisiana IceGators of the ECHL. Ballantyne, 21, appeared in his sixth Griffins game of the season on Friday in Rochester, scoring their lone goal (his first in the AHL) in a 2-1 defeat. Detroit's eighth choice in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, Ballantyne was traded from the Toledo Storm to Louisiana last Tuesday, in exchange for future considerations. He compiled 36 points (13-23-36) in 54 games with the Storm, and currently ranks among the circuit's top defensemen in both points (T14th) and goals (T6th).

Powerful Play: Jeff Nelson's game-winning power play goal on Sunday in Philadelphia broke the Griffins' 0-for-17 drought with the man advantage. Despite its recent struggles, Grand Rapids is tied for third in the AHL in power play conversions at 17.1%.

Milestones: Travis Richards is set to play his 600th regular season game as a Griffin this Friday at Utah...Derek King is one point shy of 900 for his pro career (375-524-899 in 1,181 games)...Jeff Nelson needs three points to reach 500 for his AHL career (163-334-497 in 542 games), a plateau reached by only 69 other players (including Michel Picard) in the league's 68-year history.

Gathering Moss: Former Grand Rapids goalie Tyler Moss made 23 saves on Wednesday to lead Toronto to its 6-0 victory. Moss, who played 15 games for the Griffins in 1996-97, joined Tom Askey as the only goaltenders to record three career shutouts against Grand Rapids. Earlier this season (Dec. 19), he made 27 saves in a 3-0 win for Manitoba, while his other blanking was a 30-save effort during a 5-0 Orlando Solar Bears victory back on March 25, 1999.

Crime Apparently Pays: The Griffins were awarded a penalty shot at 4:49 of the second period during Wednesday's loss to Toronto, but Kevin Miller's attempt clanged off the iron. Grand Rapids, which had not enjoyed a penalty shot at home in over two years (Feb. 24, 2002), has now squandered its last five chances overall.

Ninety is Fine: With their win on Sunday, the Griffins reached the 90-point plateau in just their 70th game, marking the sixth time in eight seasons they've reached the milestone. A 0.500 record over their last 10 games would secure their fourth 100-point campaign in the last five years (106 in 2002-03, 113 in 2000-01, 111 in 1999-00).

D.C. Nears Record: The Griffins' 3-2 win at Philly on Sunday marked their 89th regular season triumph under head coach Danton Cole (89-43-16-2 from 2002-present), putting him just six wins behind Bruce Cassidy (95-49-18-0 from 2000-2002) on the team's all-time wins list.

Big Mac: Joey MacDonald has won nine of his last 10 decisions at Van Andel Arena, going 9-1-0 with five shutouts, a 1.15 GAA and a 0.959 save percentage (278-290) since Jan. 16. His overall 20-6-3 record this season gives him the highest winning percentage of any AHL goalie (0.741), and he also places among the league's best with a 0.939 save percentage (3rd) and a 1.83 GAA (4th).

Any Place, Any Time: Grand Rapids is tied for the second-most home wins (22-8-6-0) and the most road victories (19-13-2-0) in the league.

Accidents at Home: Following a franchise-record 16-game home unbeaten streak (13-0-3-0) and a record-tying 10-game home winning streak, the Griffins have dropped three of their last four games at Van Andel Arena. Still, the Griffins, who have shut out six of their last 14 guests, sport a remarkable 19-5-3-0 record at Van Andel Arena since Nov. 28. Prior to last Wednesday's 6-0 loss to Toronto, the four other losses since that date were by a total of five goals.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 54-for-316, 17.1% (T3rd)
* Penalty Killing: 299-for-341, 87.7% (6th)
* Penalty Minutes: 16.47 avg. (25th)
* Goals For: 2.44 avg. (17th)
* Goals Against: 1.99 avg. (3rd)
* Shots For: 26.90 avg. (26th)
* Shots Against: 28.56 avg. (11th)
* Attendance: 6,666 avg. (9th)

League Leaders: Four Griffins currently rank among the AHL's best in various categories: Marc Lamothe - 2.01 GAA (T9th); Joey MacDonald - 0.741 winning percentage (1st), 1.83 GAA (4th) and a 0.939 save percentage (3rd); Kevin Miller - Nine game-winning goals (T2nd); and Nathan Robinson - 11 power play goals (T5th).

Griffins Earn Their Wings: Twelve members of the Griffins have contributed to the success of the Detroit Red Wings this season. Five of those players remain with Detroit:

Player GP G A PTS +/- PIM Avg. Ice Time
Mark Mowers 49 3 7 10 2 4 10:20
Jamie Rivers 43 3 4 7 11 39 10:07
Anders Myrvold 7 0 1 1 -1 2 12:11
Ryan Barnes 2 0 0 0 0 0 2:22 Goalie GP W L T SO GAA Save %
Curtis Joseph 31 16 10 3 *2 2.39 0.909
* Leads team

Red Wings Update: The Griffins are in the second season of a five-year affiliation with the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings (43-19-11-2), who have clinched the Central Division title, sustained an 8-6 loss last night at Anaheim. They'll visit San Jose tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. (FSN).

This Week's Scouting Report

Wed., Mar. 24 vs. Cincinnati Mighty Ducks (25-34-9-1) - Van Andel Arena - 7 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 6:40 p.m. Season Series: 6-3-0-0 Overall, 3-1-0-0 Home. Tenth and final meeting overall, fifth of five in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: 16-5-2-0 Overall, 8-1-2-0 Home. Cincinnati Affiliation: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Head Coach: Brad Shaw (2nd season). Quack Me Up: Grand Rapids has shut out Cincinnati in each of its last three visits, compiling a streak of 182:23 against the Ducks that dates back to Nov. 5...After going 1-2 and being out-scored 10-5 in the first three meetings this season, the Griffins have won five of the last six clashes with Cincy while enjoying a 12-4 scoring advantage...The Ducks are 10-21-2-0 away from home, where they've lost two straight and eight of their last 11...Cincy's 89.1 penalty killing percentage ranks third in the AHL...Former Ferris State star Chris Kunitz leads the Ducks with 17 goals, while Grand Haven native Dan Bylsma has six points (3-3-6) in 29 games.

Fri., Mar. 26 at Utah Grizzlies (24-38-5-5) - The E Center - 9:05 p.m.

Sat., Mar. 27 at Utah Grizzlies - The E Center - 9:05 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 8:59 p.m. both nights. Season Series: 3-2-1-0 Overall, 1-1-0-0 Road. Seventh and eighth (final) meetings overall, third and fourth (final) meetings in West Valley City. All-Time Series: AHL: 12-14-2-0 Overall, 6-6-1-0 Road. Total: 20-19-3-0 Overall, 7-11-2-0 Road. Utah Affiliation: Dallas Stars. Head Coach: Don Hay (3rd season). Grin and Bear It: After winning just one of its first four games versus Utah this season, Grand Rapids has won the last two by a combined 7-2 margin...The Grizzlies' two series victories came via 1-0 decisions...They kept their faint playoff hopes alive with wins last week against Milwaukee (2-1 on Wed.) and at Chicago (5-2 on Sat.)...Veteran Jarrod Skalde leads the team with 51 points (22-29-51)...Michigan native Jason Bacashihua owns a 2.65 GAA and a 0.916 save percentage.

This Week's Games:
Wed., Mar. 24 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM
Fri., Mar. 26 GRIFFINS at Utah Grizzlies 9:05 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM
Sat., Mar. 27 GRIFFINS at Utah Grizzlies 9:05 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM

Last Week's Results:
Wed., Mar. 17 Toronto Roadrunners 6 at GRIFFINS 0 40-20-8-0, 88 pts. (T1st, West Division)
Fri., Mar. 19 GRIFFINS 1 at Rochester Americans 2 40-21-8-0, 88 pts. (2nd)
Sun., Mar. 21 GRIFFINS 3 at Philadelphia Phantoms 2 41-21-8-0, 90 pts. (2nd)

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2004


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