
Griffins Set for Battle against Cleveland & Toronto
April 5, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release
This Week's Games
GRIFFINS vs. Cleveland Monsters // Wed., April 6 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 4-0-1-0 Overall, 1-0-1-0 Home. Sixth of eight meetings overall, third of four at Van Andel Arena.
All-Time Series: 65-34-6-10 Overall, 36-17-2-2 Home
NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets
Noteworthy: The Griffins are 11-3-1-0 (0.767) against the Monsters over the last two seasons, with points in all five contests this campaign (4-0-1-0).
GRIFFINS at Toronto Marlies // Sat., April 9 // 4 p.m. // Coca-Cola Coliseum
GRIFFINS at Toronto Marlies // Sun., April 10 // 4 p.m. // Coca-Cola Coliseum
Listen: 96.1 The Game at 3:35 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday
Watch: Leafs Nation Network and AHLTV on Saturday and Sunday
Season Series: 0-1-1-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Away. Third and fourth of four meetings overall, first and second of two at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
All-Time Series: 32-32-4-2 Overall, 13-17-2-1 Away
NHL Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids has not competed at Toronto since April 2, 2016. The Griffins are 1-6-1-0 against the Marlies since the 2015-16 season, having been outscored 34-18.
Last Week's Results
Fri., April 1 // GRIFFINS 1 vs. Texas 2 // 27-28-6-2 (62 pts., 0.492, T6th Central Division)
Sat., April 2 // GRIFFINS 2 vs. Texas 3 // 27-29-6-2 (62 pts., 0.484, 6th Central Division)
Sun., April 3 // GRIFFINS 1 at Milwaukee 3 // 27-30-6-2 (62 pts., 0.477, 7th Central Division)
Last Week's Notes
Friday vs. Texas (1-2 L) - The Texas Stars defeated the Griffins 2-1 courtesy of Michael Karow's first professional goal during his AHL debut at Van Andel Arena. Riley Barber extended his point streak to five games (4-2-6) after notching the Griffins' lone goal. Netminder Victor Brattstrom appeared in his career-high fifth straight contest. Trenton Bliss made his pro debut, becoming the seventh Michigan Tech Husky to play for the Griffins. Hayden Verbeek skated in his first game with the Griffins since Feb. 23, due to rehabbing an injury. The Griffins saw their season-high four-game streak of scoring on a power play come to an end. Recap | Highlights
Saturday vs. Texas (2-3 L) - Texas' Ben Gleason's two-goal night helped lift the Stars over the Griffins 3-2 on at Van Andel Arena. After dropping the eighth and final meeting, Grand Rapids ended the season series 3-4-1-0 against Texas. Six of the eight games played between Texas and Grand Rapids this season were decided by one goal. Turner Elson notched his team-leading 19th goal of the campaign while Riley Barber recorded his fifth tally in the last six contests. Barber also extended his point streak to six games (5-2-7), giving him 15 points (7-8-15) in as many games since being reassigned to Grand Rapids on March 2. Dominik Shine saw his career-high seven-game point streak (7-3-10) come to an end. During a first-intermission ceremony, the Griffins raised Jeff Hoggan's No. 10 to the rafters. Hoggan became just the third player in franchise history to have his jersey retired, joining No. 24 Travis Richards and No. 7 Michel Picard. Recap | Highlights
Sunday at Milwaukee (1-3 L) - Two power-play tallies in the third period gave the Milwaukee Admirals a 3-1 victory over Grand Rapids at Panther Arena. The Griffins dropped the final five contests against the Admirals and finished the season series with a 5-6-1-0 mark. Riley Barber extended his point streak to seven outings (5-3-8) with a helper. After seeing his career-high seven-game point streak end on April 2, Dominik Shine returned with his eighth goal in his last nine games. Turner Elson pushed his point streak to three outings (1-2-3). The Griffins have two wins in their last 10 contests (2-7-1-0) and have not won in regulation since March 11 against Cleveland. Recap | Highlights
No Time to Waste: The Griffins currently sit in seventh place in the Central Division standings with a 27-30-6-2 (0.477) mark and only 11 games remaining. The top five teams from the division will qualify for the Calder Cup Playoffs, with the top three receiving a first-round bye. The Griffins' magic number over Texas, who sits in the final playoff spot, is 28 points heading into the week. The Griffins have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule in the division with a remaining opponent win percentage of 0.563 while Texas has the toughest at 0.603. Grand Rapids has appeared in the last seven Calder Cup Playoffs, dating back to the 2012-13 season when it lifted the cup for the first time.
Immortalized Forever: On Saturday during a first-intermission ceremony, the Griffins retired Jeff Hoggan's No. 10 jersey and raised it to the Van Andel Arena rafters. Hoggan joined Travis Richards (No. 24) and Michel Picard (No. 7) as the only three players to have their numbers retired in franchise history. Hoggan was the longest-tenured captain in franchise history (2012-16) and helped set the recent culture for Griffins hockey. Hoggan finished his Griffins career with an 8-3 playoff-series record and had a massive impact in lifting Grand Rapids' first Calder Cup in 2013.
Shine Bright: Dominik Shine recorded a career-high seven-game point streak (7-3-10) from March 16-27 and has tallied eight goals in his last nine outings. Before this run, the Detroit, native registered just one tally and four assists in his previous 28 games. Shine scored in four straight games from March 22-27, which is a new career-high goal streak. The 28-year-old has set career-best numbers in goals (14), assists (14), points (28), penalty minutes (121) and shots (100) this campaign with 11 games remaining.
Welcome to the Barber Shop: Riley Barber has been on a tear as of late, with points in seven straight games (5-3-8). Since being reassigned by Detroit on March 2, Barber has notched 16 points (7-9-16) in as many games, including four multi-point outings. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native ranks fourth on the roster with 35 points (15-20-35) in 39 games. Last season, Barber paced the Griffins with 34 points (20-14-34) in 32 contests and finished second in the league with 20 goals. Through 71 games with the Griffins, the 28-year-old veteran has 69 points (35-34-69) and 42 penalty minutes.
Race to the Top: Jonatan Berggren has cracked the Griffins' top-10 rookie single-season scoring list, as he currently places eighth with 45 points (15-30-45) in 58 games, which is also tied for the team lead this season. Berggren has logged two points in three of his last seven games, with one goal and six helpers during the run. The Uppsala, Sweden, native is tied for seventh among rookies with his 45 points, while his 30 assists are tied for fourth. Berggren is tied for third among rookies with five game-winning goals. Berggren is on pace for 53 points, which would place fourth in Griffins' rookie single-season scoring history.
American Hockey League Stories from April 5, 2022
- Hodgson Returns to Phantoms - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Proof of Vaccination Lifted for Rogers Arena and Abbotsford Centre - Abbotsford Canucks
- IceHogs' Top Scorer Lukas Reichel Recalled to Chicago Blackhawks - Rockford IceHogs
- Wolves' Leivo Suspended for One Game - AHL
- Coming for the Crown - Stockton Heat
- Kyle Criscuolo Heads East - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Griffins Set for Battle against Cleveland & Toronto - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Bears Edge Islanders in OT - Bridgeport Islanders
- Inaugural Season Ticket Memberships Now Available - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- IceHogs to Host Pucks and Paws Night on Sunday, April 10 - Rockford IceHogs
- Texas Stars Sign UMass Goaltender Matt Murray - Texas Stars
- Moose Recall Burgess and Boland - Manitoba Moose
- Bears Earn Historic 3,000th Victory in Dramatic Fashion - Hershey Bears
- Monsters Sign Goaltender Evan Moyse to Pro Tryout Contract - Cleveland Monsters
- Griffins to Host Two Youth Hockey Camps this Summer - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Seattle Recalls Cale Fleury - Charlotte Checkers
- Belleville Sens Earn Three Points in as Many Games to Begin Road Trip - Belleville Senators
- Toronto Marlies Sign Defenceman Michael Joyaux and Forward Nolan Walker - Toronto Marlies
- Hogs Look to Bounce Back in Series Finale with Silver Knights - Rockford IceHogs
- Syracuse Crunch Weekly - Syracuse Crunch
- Game #58: Iowa at Tucson - Tucson Roadrunners
- Griffins Ink Dove-McFalls to ATO - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Game Preview: Bears at Islanders, 10:30 a.m. - Hershey Bears
- Islanders Host Bears at 10:30 a.m. - Bridgeport Islanders
- Silver Knights Win against IceHogs, 4-1 - Henderson Silver Knights
- Miromanov, Silver Knights Power Past IceHogs - Rockford IceHogs
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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