Griffins Prepare for First Visit to 'The Rock'
November 17, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release
No Rest for the Weary: After posting a 2-1-1-0 mark during a stretch of four games in five nights last week, the Griffins will have little time to recuperate before diving into another four-in-five this week. Following a visit by Houston on Wednesday at 7 p.m., the Griffins will embark on their first-ever trips to St. John's, Newfoundland, and Toronto, Ontario. Friday's tilt with the Maple Leafs will be televised live throughout West Michigan on WXSP-TV.
Uneasy Lies the Head: The defending Calder Cup champion Houston Aeros have struggled this season, posting a 4-7-1-1 mark out the gate, including two losses at Van Andel Arena in which they were outscored by a cumulative 10-4 margin. The Griffins will try to make it three-for-three against their West Division rival on Wednesday.
A Piece of the Rock: Friday's and Saturday's games in St. John's will mark the Griffins' first-ever contests east of the Eastern Time Zone. St. John's is the capital city of Newfoundland (a.k.a. "The Rock"), an island in the Atlantic Ocean that is part of the province of Newfoundland & Labrador. Located 1,626 miles by air from Grand Rapids, St. John's has a population of just 99,182, approximately half that of the Griffins' hometown. Newfoundland operates in its own time zone, half an hour earlier than the Atlantic Time Zone and 1.5 hours earlier than Eastern Time.
Ricoh Suave: On Sunday, the Griffins will conclude their torturous week with a 5 p.m. contest against the expansion Toronto Roadrunners at the Ricoh Coliseum. The 81-year-old arena, located downtown on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition Place, underwent a $38 million renovation that transformed the building into a state-of-the-art, 9,500-seat facility. The visit will mark the Griffins' first to Canada's largest city, following a 3-3 tie with the Roadrunners in Grand Rapids on Oct. 29.
Cure For What Ails Ya: The Griffins, who last Saturday suffered their first home shutout since a 4-0 loss to Hamilton on Dec. 13, 2002, will have ample opportunity to tune up their offense this week. Grand Rapids' three opponents rank 26th (Toronto at 3.27), 27th (Houston at 3.38) and 28th (St. John's at 3.47) in the AHL in goals allowed per game.
Big Mac Attack: Joey MacDonald set a personal AHL high last Friday by stopping 48-of-49 shots in the Griffins' 4-1 win at Milwaukee. He remains undefeated this season with a 5-0-1 record, a 1.79 GAA and a 0.944 save percentage. On the road, MacDonald is 4-0 with a 1.72 GAA and a 0.951 save percentage thus far, improving his lifetime road record in the AHL to 15-2 with a 1.96 GAA and a 0.931 save percentage.
Turn it Around: During their recent four-game point streak (2-0-2-0 from Nov. 8-14), the Griffins outscored their opposition by a 9-0 margin in the third period. Over their first 11 contests, they were out-gunned 9-4 over the final 20 minutes.
Domestic Affairs: On Wednesday, the Griffins will complete a run of home cooking that has seen them play six of seven at Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids, which has three ties in its last six home games (1-2-3-0), has suffered just two losses in its first eight games in friendly confines (3-2-3-0).
Power Surge: The Griffins exploded for three power play goals in a span of 6:37 during the third period of last Tuesday's 6-2 win over Houston. It marked the first time they've netted three goals with the man advantage in a game since a 7-4 win at Chicago on Feb. 26, 2003, and the first time they've scored three in one period since the third frame of a 9-1 rout of Utah on Feb. 24, 2002.
Worth a Shot: After firing a season-high 40 shots at San Antonio's Travis Scott last Thursday, the Griffins attempted a season-low 16 on Friday versus Milwaukee's Brian Finley.
Booter in the Show: Griffins right wing Darryl Bootland has appeared in five games with the Red Wings since his Nov. 7 recall, contributing an assist while totaling 21 PIM and an even rating. He recorded his first NHL point last Wednesday with an assist on Steve Thomas' game-winner in a 6-2 victory at Dallas.
To the Point: Mark Mowers, who has registered points in 10 of the Griffins' first 16 games, leads the team and ranks among the AHL's best with 14 points (T17th), eight goals (T4th) and three game-winners (T3rd)...Aaron Schneekloth's two assists on Friday in Milwaukee were the first points of his AHL career...Michel Picard had a three-game point streak (1-2-3) snapped on Saturday...Nathan Robinson has points in three of his last five outings (1-2-3)...Derek King totaled four points (1-3-4) in four games last week...Kevin Miller had his second two-goal performance of the season on Friday. His three game-winners tie Mowers for third in the AHL. It's Been Such a Long Time: Kory Karlander scored the game-tying goal in the third period of last Thursday's 2-2 deadlock with San Antonio, marking his first goal in a Grand Rapids uniform since Dec. 12, 1999. The 31-year-old, who was signed to a PTO on Nov. 8 and made his first Griffins appearance since Dec. 28, 1999 later that night, has four points (1-3-4) in five games since reuniting with the club.
Hudler Returns: Last Wednesday, center Jiri Hudler was assigned to the Griffins by the Detroit Red Wings. He has appeared in seven games with the Red Wings this season, contributing one assist and 10 penalty minutes while averaging 7:45 of ice time. After notching an assist on Thursday, Hudler has now totaled five points (2-3-5), a game-winning goal and a plus-two rating in six games with Grand Rapids.
By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 12-for-88, 13.6% (T18th)
* Penalty Killing: 73-for-84, 86.9% (12th)
* Penalty Minutes: 14.13 avg. (27th)
* Goals For: 2.69 avg. (T12th)
* Goals Against: 2.31 avg. (T8th)
* Shots For: 23.44 avg. (28th)
* Shots Against: 28.94 avg. (14th)
* Attendance: 6,504 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 second place in the NHL's Central Division (9-7-2-0), following Saturday's 1-1 tie at Minnesota. They'll host Columbus on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (FSN).
This Week's Scouting Report
Wed., Nov. 19 vs. Houston Aeros (4-7-1-1) - Van Andel Arena - 7 p.m.
TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 6:40 p.m. Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Overall, 2-0-0-0 Home. Third of 10 meetings overall, third of five in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: AHL: 11-7-6-0 Overall, 8-3-2-0 Home. Total: 19-11-10-0 Overall, 12-5-3-0 Home. Houston Affiliation: Minnesota Wild. Head Coach: Todd McLellan (3rd season). Aero Dynamics: The first five meetings of these teams are being staged at Van Andel Arena, with the final five set for the brand new Toyota Center...Houston's power play (11.3%, 24th) is among the AHL's worst, but its penalty killing unit (89.7%) is the best...The Aeros give up the second-most goals per game (3.38) on the circuit...Rickard Wallin leads Houston with five goals and nine points.
Fri., Nov. 21 at St. John's Maple Leafs (8-7-1-1) - Mile One Stadium - 6:05 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 22 at St. John's Maple Leafs - Mile One Stadium - 6:05 p.m.
TV: WXSP-TV at 6 p.m. (Friday only). Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 5:59 p.m. (Fri.), WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 5:40 p.m. (Sat.). Season Series: First and second of four meetings overall, first and second of two in St. John's. All-Time Series: Teams have never met. St. John's Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs. Head Coach: Doug Shedden (1st season). Raking the Leafs: St. John's is just two points out of the North Division lead despite a pedestrian 3-4-1-0 record at home...The Leafs' power play is tied for seventh in the AHL (17.9%) but their penalty kill ranks 26th (79.5%)...They allow 3.47 goals per game, worst in the league...Jeff Daw (13 points), Harold Druken (six goals) and Sebastien Centomo (5-3-1, 2.55 GAA, 0.921%) lead the Leafs.
Sun., Nov. 23 at Toronto Roadrunners (4-9-2-0) - Ricoh Coliseum - 5 p.m.
TV: None. Radio: WTKG 1230 AM at 4:40 p.m. Season/All-Time Series: 0-0-1-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Road. Second of four meetings overall, first of two in Toronto. Toronto Affiliation: Edmonton Oilers. Head Coach: Geoff Ward (1st season). Wile E. Bunch: Toronto stands last in the North Division with a 4-9-2-0 mark...The Roadrunners, who rank second in the AHL in attendance with an 8,440 average, are still looking for their first home win (0-1-1-0)...Toronto ranks 26th in the league in goals allowed (3.27)...Jamie Wright paces the team with six goals and 12 points.
This Week's Games:
Wed., Nov. 19 Houston Aeros at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM
Fri., Nov. 21 GRIFFINS at St. John's Maple Leafs 6:05 p.m. WXSP-TV/WOOD 1300 AM
Sat., Nov. 22 GRIFFINS at St. John's Maple Leafs 6:05 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM
Sun., Nov. 23 GRIFFINS at Toronto Roadrunners 5 p.m. WTKG 1230 AM
Last Week's Results:
Tue., Nov. 11 Houston Aeros 2 at GRIFFINS 6 7-4-2-0, 16 pts. (3rd, West Division)
Thu., Nov. 13 San Antonio Rampage 2 at GRIFFINS 2 OT 7-4-3-0, 17 pts. (3rd, West Division)
Fri., Nov. 14 GRIFFINS 4 at Milwaukee Admirals 1 8-4-3-0, 19 pts. (1st, West Division)
Sat., Nov. 15 San Antonio Rampage 2 at GRIFFINS 0 8-5-3-0, 19 pts. (T3rd, West Division)
American Hockey League Stories from November 17, 2003
- Checkers Look for First Home Win this Week - Charlotte Checkers
- Roadrunners Play Three Games this Weekend - Edmonton Road Runners
- Phantoms Weekly - Adirondack Phantoms
- Bridgeport Sound Tigers Highlight AHL Weekly - Bridgeport Islanders
- Come Back Wins Highlight 4-0 Week & Move Into First Place Overall - Bridgeport Islanders
- Canucks Recall Nathan Smith - Manitoba Moose
- Niittymaki named AHL Player of the Week - Adirondack Phantoms
- Griffins Prepare for First Visit to 'The Rock' - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Taffe Recalled to Phoenix - Springfield Falcons
- Wolves Weekly Notes - Chicago Wolves
- Amerks Play Three - Rochester Americans
- IceCats Recall Goalie - Worcester IceCats
- Moore Recalled, Tampa Bay Assigns Rumble for Conditioning - Hershey Bears
- Bears Gearing up for Sunday's Season Ticket Holder Skating Party - Hershey Bears
- P-Bruins Host One Game this Weekend - Providence Bruins
- Kings Recall Cammalleri - Manchester Monarchs
- Reich Climbs Crunch's All-Time List - Syracuse Crunch
- Admirals Weekly - Milwaukee Admirals
- The Road is their Middle Name - Portland Pirates
- Sound Tigers Making Noise in East - AHL
- Niittymaki Earns Player of the Week Nod - AHL
- Moose Split in Salt Lake City - Manitoba Moose
- B-Sens Weekly - Binghamton Senators
- Bulldogs currently in first place in North Division - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Bears Boast Best Point Total in AHL as Week Begins - Hershey Bears
- Barons Weekly Report - Cleveland Barons
- Blue and Gold Stymied by Hershey - Norfolk Admirals
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