AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Tackle Another Three-in-Three this Weekend

Published on October 20, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Flying High: With consecutive weekend wins over Houston and Hamilton, the Griffins improved to 3-1 on the young season, tying the second-best start in their eight-year history. Grand Rapids also jumped out to a 3-1 start in 2001-02, its first AHL season. The franchise posted a perfect 4-0 start in 2000-01, its last as a member of the IHL. Bulldogs and Ducks and Bears, Oh My!: The Griffins will face a gauntlet of three games in three nights for the second consecutive weekend, beginning with a visit by the Utah Grizzlies this Friday (7:30 p.m.) and concluding with road games against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks on Saturday (7:35 p.m.) and the Hamilton Bulldogs on Sunday (4 p.m.). Friday is "Meet the Griffins Night." The first 3,000 fans will receive a Griffins team poster, and concourse displays and video board features will introduce the players to fans throughout the night. The Griffins will wear their new predominantly red third jerseys, modeled after those of the Red Wings, and six players will sign autographs in the stands for 15 minutes after the game.

Bring It On: Although it's early, the 2003-04 Griffins appear to enjoy the challenges of heavy scheduling and playing on the road as much as their 2002-03 predecessors did. Last season, Grand Rapids set an AHL record with 26 road wins and achieved an overall mark of 14-7-3-0 when playing three games in three nights. This year, the Griffins have charged from the gate with two wins in their first three road contests, and they posted a 2-1 record over the weekend while playing the first of nine three-in-three sets they'll face this season.

Who's Next?: Four games into the season, Grand Rapids has already vanquished both of the 2003 Calder Cup finalists. On Saturday, the Griffins scored four goals in the first period against reigning playoff MVP Johan Holmqvist before coasting to a 4-2 win over the defending champion Houston Aeros. The four-goal explosion marked the most by any AHL team in an opening period so far this season. Grand Rapids followed that performance on Sunday by gutting out a 4-3 overtime win at Hamilton, which fell to Houston in seven games last June.

Miller's Magic: Kevin Miller has already notched a pair of overtime goals this season, giving the Griffins a 3-2 win at Chicago on Oct. 11 and a 4-3 victory in Hamilton on Sunday. As a result, the Griffins now own a 10-2 record all-time in regular season AHL games decided in overtime. Following a perfect 2-0 mark during its inaugural AHL season in 2001-02, Grand Rapids posted a 6-2 record in extra sessions last year.

Kings of the Mountain: The Griffins opened their home schedule last Saturday before a sellout crowd of 10,834, marking the eighth straight season that they've debuted before a capacity crowd. As a result, Grand Rapids currently leads the entire AHL in attendance average.

Frequent Driver Miles: After bussing a total of 1,256 miles to play three games in three days in as many cities (Cleveland, Grand Rapids, Hamilton) last weekend, the Griffins face a nearly identical task beginning with Friday's home game against Utah. They'll travel 1,221 miles for games in Cincinnati (Sat.) and Hamilton (Sun.) before returning home early Monday morning. As was the case last weekend, Hamilton will once again enjoy a Saturday night off before hosting the road-weary Griffins.

Homecoming in Hamilton: This Sunday's game in Hamilton will once again serve as a homecoming of sorts for five Griffins who hail from southern Ontario. Derek King is a native of the Steel City, while Ryan Barnes (Dunnville - 33 miles), Darryl Bootland (Toronto - 45 miles), Matt Ellis (Welland - 47 miles) and Nathan Robinson (Scarborough - 57 miles) all were born within an hour's drive.

Efficient Offense: The Griffins may not register many shots on goal, but they make them count. Grand Rapids ranks 26th in the league by averaging just 21.25 shots per game, but its team shooting percentage of 12.9 (11 for 85) stands third on the circuit.

Moving Day: Grand Rapids' busy weekend and the Detroit Red Wings' injury situation prompted three Griffins roster moves last Saturday. Defenseman Jamie Rivers was recalled to Motown to take the roster spot of Derian Hatcher, who is expected to be sidelined four to six months with a torn ACL suffered in last Thursday's 3-2 win over Vancouver. To fill Rivers' spot, the Griffins recalled Aaron Schneekloth from the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays, and they added to their forward depth by signing center Tyler Rennette (ECHL Peoria) to a professional tryout. Schneekloth remains with the team, while Rennette was released earlier today.

Fast Starts: Marc Lamothe, last year's AHL goaltender of the year, has picked up where he left off last season. After earning First Star honors against the Wolves on Oct. 11 by making 34 saves in the 3-2 overtime win, he suffered the 2-0 loss last Friday in Cleveland despite stopping 27 of 28 shots. He came right back with another 27-save effort on Saturday at home against Houston, improving to 2-1 with a 1.66 GAA and a 0.946 save percentage...Niklas Kronwall, the talented 22-year-old defenseman who was Detroit's first choice (29th overall) in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, has contributed four points (1-3-4) in as many games, tying for sixth in scoring among AHL defensemen in his first season in North America...Michel Picard leads the Griffins and is tied for 12th in the AHL with five points (2-3-5), while 38-year-old Kevin Miller, the oldest player in the league, is averaging one point per game (3-1-4) and paces Grand Rapids with three goals.

Upcoming Milestone: Kevin Miller needs three points to reach 700 for his pro career. He has registered 697 points (309-388-697) in 965 regular season games during his 16 seasons.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 3-for-20, 15.0% (T16th)
* Penalty Killing: 18-for-21, 85.7% (14th)
* Penalty Minutes: 15.75 avg. (21st)
* Goals For: 2.75 avg. (T12th)
* Goals Against: 2.25 avg. (T11th)
* Shots For: 21.25 avg. (26th)
* Shots Against: 27.14 avg. (T19th)
* Attendance: 10,834 avg. (1st)

Red Wings Update: The Griffins are in the second season of a five-year affiliation with the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings are tied for first place in the NHL's Central Division (3-1-0-0), despite suffering a 4-3 loss at Pittsburgh on Saturday. They'll visit Montreal 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.

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

This Week's Scouting Report

Fri., Oct. 24 vs. Utah Grizzlies - Van Andel Arena - 7:30 p.m. TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season Series: First of eight meetings overall, first of four in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: AHL: 9-12-1-0 Overall, 4-7-0-0 Home. Total: 17-17-2-0 Overall, 11-7-0-0 Home. Utah Affiliation: Dallas Stars. Head Coach: Don Hay (3rd season). Grin and Bear It: After winning all seven home games against the Grizzlies during their IHL days, the Griffins have won just four of 11 Utah visits over the last two AHL seasons...Utah is winless in four games (0-3-0-1) so far this season, heading into tonight's home game against San Antonio...Former Griffin David Oliver has yet to register a point this season for Utah.

Sat., Oct. 25 at Cincinnati Mighty Ducks - Cincinnati Gardens - 7:35 p.m. TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season Series: First of 10 meetings overall, first of five in Cincinnati. All-Time Series: 10-2-2-0 Overall, 5-2-0-0 Road. Cincinnati Affiliation: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Head Coach: Brad Shaw (2nd season). Quack Me Up: The Griffins posted a near-flawless 7-0-1-0 record against the Ducks last season, including a 4-0 mark at Cincinnati Gardens...Grand Rapids has points in nine straight games (8-0-1-0) versus Cincy, dating to the 2001-02 season...Former Ferris State standout Chris Kunitz now plays for the Ducks, as does former Griffins blueliner Sheldon Brookbank (2001-03).

Sun., Oct. 26 at Hamilton Bulldogs - Copps Coliseum - 4 p.m. TV: None. Radio: WTKG 1230 AM at 3:40 p.m. Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Road. Second of four meetings overall, second and final in Hamilton. All-Time Series: 5-2-0-0 Overall, 3-1-0-0 Road. Hamilton Affiliation: Montreal Canadiens. Head Coach: Doug Jarvis (1st season). Dog Day Afternoon: The Bulldogs are winless in their last three outings (0-2-0-1) overall and have yet to claim a win at home (0-1-0-1)...Once again, Hamilton will host Grand Rapids following a Saturday night off, while the Griffins play their third game in as many days to end a 1,200-mile weekend...Former Griffins Patrick Traverse (1996-97) and Philippe Plante (1999-2003) patrol Hamilton's blueline.

This Week's Games:
Fri., Oct. 24 Utah Grizzlies at GRIFFINS 7:30 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM
Sat., Oct. 25 GRIFFINS at Cincinnati Mighty Ducks 7:35 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM
Sun., Oct. 26 GRIFFINS at Hamilton Bulldogs 4 p.m. WTKG 1230 AM

Last Week's Results:
Fri., Oct. 17 GRIFFINS 0 at Cleveland Barons 2 1-1-0-0, 2 pts. (T4th, West Division)
Sat., Oct. 18 Houston Aeros 2 at GRIFFINS 4 2-1-0-0, 4 pts. (3rd, West Division)
Sun., Oct. 19 GRIFFINS 4 at Hamilton Bulldogs 3 OT 3-1-0-0, 6 pts. (3rd, West Division)

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from October 20, 2003


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