AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Unbeaten Streak Stands at Eight

Published on December 8, 2003 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


Flying High: On the strength of six straight wins and an eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1-0), the first-place Griffins have built a five-point lead atop the West Division standings. Their 34 points tie for the AHL lead, while their 15 wins and 0.680 winning percentage each stand second on the circuit. Grand Rapids will put yet another significant streak - six straight road games without a loss (5-0-1-0) - on the line this Wednesday, in a 7 p.m. start against the Cleveland Barons at Gund Arena. Bad Hair Day: The mullet, a staple on hockey players' heads in the 1970s and 80s, will be in vogue at Van Andel Arena this Friday when the defending Calder Cup champion Houston Aeros visit at 7:30 p.m. The first 1,500 fans through the doors for will receive a mullet wig, and fans will win free haircuts and hair care products throughout the night. The Griffins will also look to scalp the Aeros, who were the last team to clip them (3-1 on Nov. 19).

Strange Brew: The Western Conference's top two teams in terms of winning percentage will clash once again this Saturday, when the Griffins travel to the Bradley Center for an 8 p.m. start. In two games against Milwaukee this season, the Griffins have outscored the Admirals 6-2 despite being out-shot by a combined 83-35 margin. Grand Rapids has connected on 17.1% of its shots against Brian Finley, while Joey MacDonald (48 saves on Nov. 14) and Marc Lamothe (33 saves on Dec. 5) have joined forces to stop 97.6% of the Admirals' attempts.

Lamothe On Fire: Marc Lamothe made a season-high 41 saves in Saturday's 3-1 victory over St. John's, becoming just the third Griffins goalie (Mike Fountain, Martin Prusek) to earn seven straight wins, one shy of Fountain's franchise record. The win was the 42nd of his Griffins career, moving him into second place on the team's all-time list behind Fountain's 55. Lamothe boasts a 0.86 GAA (six GA in seven games) and a 0.970 save percentage (192-of-198) during his current run, in the process raising his overall save percentage from 0.901 to 0.932 and dropping his GAA from 2.62 to 1.86. Lamothe has been between the pipes for each of the Griffins' six consecutive wins as well as all seven victories during their unbeaten streak. Last month, he became the first Grand Rapids goalie to record consecutive road shutouts, with his 35-save effort at Cincinnati on Nov. 30 (2-0) and his 17-save performance at Chicago on Nov. 26 (3-0).

Shut Them Down: The Griffins have lost just twice in their last 14 outings (9-2-3-0, 0.750), thanks in large part to a resurgent defense that has allowed only 21 goals over that span (1.47 GAA). As a result, Grand Rapids now ranks fourth in the AHL by surrendering an average of just 1.96 goals per contest. The Griffins have allowed only five goals during their six-game winning streak (0.83 GAA) and just nine goals during their eight-game unbeaten tear (1.11 GAA).

Young Gun: Nineteen-year-old Red Wings prospect Jiri Hudler has points in six straight games (2-7-9) and eight of the last nine (2-9-11), and now ranks second on the team in scoring with 16 points (4-12-16) in 15 outings. To top it off, his plus-11 rating ties Danny Groulx for highest on the club.

Fountain of Youth: Kevin Miller, at 38 the Griffins' senior statesman, has flourished playing alongside Jiri Hudler. Miller has goals in each of his last three outings and in four of his last five games, with Hudler earning the first assist on all four tallies.

Natural Born Killers: The Griffins' penalty killers have been untouchable lately, climbing to second overall in the AHL (110-for-121, 90.9%). They've kept the opposition power play scoreless over the last nine games (0-for-37), smashing the previous franchise record of six. Grand Rapids has killed off 43 consecutive power plays overall and has allowed just one tally in its last 52 shorthanded situations, dating back to the third period of a 2-2 tie with San Antonio on Nov. 13.

Road Sweet Road: Grand Rapids, which set an AHL record last season with 26 road wins, currently leads the circuit with nine victories in enemy territory (9-3-1-0), giving it a 27-win pace for a full season. The Griffins, who are 7-1-1-0 in their last nine away from Van Andel Arena, own a three-game road winning streak and a six-game road unbeaten streak (5-0-1-0), two shy of the franchise record (8, 1/6/02-2/2/02, 5-0-3-0).

Welcome Back: After clearing waivers last Friday, goaltender Curtis Joseph joined the Griffins on Saturday and backed-up during their 3-1 win over St. John's. He played one game for Grand Rapids during a rehab assignment earlier this season, making 20 saves and earning Second Star honors in a 4-1 win over the Utah Grizzlies at Van Andel Arena on Oct. 24. In five games with the Red Wings this season, Joseph shows a 2-3-0 record with one shutout, a 3.12 goals against average and a 0.885 save percentage. He helped lead Detroit to the Central Division title last season, going 34-19-6 with a 2.49 GAA and five shutouts. The Keswick, Ontario, native has appeared in 772 NHL contests since 1989, posting a 382-282-87 record with a 2.76 goals against average and 42 shutouts. Joseph's 382 career wins rank ninth on the league's all-time list.

Finding a Way: The Griffins' recent success has come despite the absence of three of their top offensive players, as Mark Mowers, Nathan Robinson and Darryl Bootland are all with the Detroit Red Wings. Here is how the Griffins have fared without the trio:

Player Team Rankings Games Missed Griffins Record
Darryl Bootland T3rd in goals (5) 14 (Nov. 8-Dec. 6) 9-2-3-0 (0.750)
Mark Mowers 2nd in goals (8), 3rd in points (14) 9 (Nov. 19-Dec. 6) 7-1-1-0 (0.833)
Nathan Robinson T5th in goals (4), T4th in points (13) 4 (Nov. 28-Dec. 6) 4-0-0-0 (1.000) Big Mac Attack: Joey MacDonald remains undefeated on the road this season, showing a 4-0-1 record with a 1.94 GAA and a 0.946 save percentage. His road record in two AHL campaigns with Grand Rapids is now an incredible 15-2-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a 0.931 save percentage.

Griffins Earn Their Wings: Four members of the Griffins are currently playing in Detroit, where they've filled in admirably for the injury-riddled Red Wings:

Player GP G A PTS +/- PIM Avg. Ice Time
Mark Mowers 10 1 4 5 4 0 12:33
Darryl Bootland 14 1 1 2 -1 *63 6:56
Nathan Robinson 5 0 0 0 -1 2 6:00
Jamie Rivers 6 0 0 0 1 0 5:35
* Leads team

Milestone Watch: Last Friday night, Michel Picard played the 1,000th regular season game of his professional career...Kevin Miller (395 pro assists) and Dave Van Drunen (98 pro assists) are also approaching milestones.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 17-for-122, 13.9% (T14th)
* Penalty Killing: 110-for-121, 90.9% (2nd)
* Penalty Minutes: 12.72 avg. (28th)
* Goals For: 2.64 avg. (13th)
* Goals Against: 1.96 avg. (4th)
* Shots For: 24.32 avg. (27th)
* Shots Against: 29.44 avg. (16th)
* Attendance: 6,479 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 are tied for first place in the NHL's Central Division (15-10-3-0), following Saturday's 5-2 loss at Toronto. They'll visit Los Angeles 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.

The AHL's Grand Event!: The Griffins will be in the hockey spotlight this winter, when they and the city of Grand Rapids host the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic at Van Andel Arena. The two-day event will consist of the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Sunday, Feb. 8, followed by the AHL All-Star Game on Monday, Feb. 9. Of the 295 players that have taken part in the AHL All-Star Classic since 1995, 91 percent have competed in the NHL. For ticket and event information, visit griffinshockey.com/all-star.

This Week's Scouting Report

Wed., Dec. 10 at Cleveland Barons (9-7-3-3) - Gund Arena - 7 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 6:40 p.m. Season Series: 0-1-0-0 Overall, 0-1-0-0 Road. Second of four meetings overall, second and final in Cleveland. All-Time Series: 6-5-0-0 Overall, 3-3-0-0 Road. Cleveland Affiliation: San Jose Sharks. Head Coach: Roy Sommer (3rd season). Rock-n-Roll: The Griffins have 45 more wins than the Barons over the last three seasons (105-60), yet their record versus Cleveland is just one game above 0.500 at 6-5-0-0...Following a 7-5 Barons win over the Griffins in Cleveland on Dec. 8, 2001, the last four meetings of these teams at Gund Arena have featured three shutouts and a total of seven goals...The Barons are 4-6-1-1 at home this season...Miroslav Zalesak is tied for ninth in AHL scoring with 22 points (8-14-22)...Dimitri Patzold's three shutouts, including a 2-0 stifling of Grand Rapids on Oct. 17, tie him for third on the circuit.

Fri., Dec. 12 vs. Houston Aeros (7-13-2-2) - Van Andel Arena - 7:30 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season Series: 2-1-0-0 Overall, 2-1-0-0 Home. Fourth of 10 meetings overall, fourth of five in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: AHL: 11-8-6-0 Overall, 8-4-2-0 Home. Total: 19-12-10-0 Overall, 12-6-3-0 Home. Houston Affiliation: Minnesota Wild. Head Coach: Todd McLellan (3rd season). Aero Dynamics: The Aeros were the last team to defeat the Griffins, taking a 3-1 win at Van Andel Arena on Nov. 19...The defending AHL champs have just 18 points, tied for fewest in the league...Houston has won two straight to break out of an eight-game winless skid (0-6-1-1)...The Aeros' power play ranks 27th in the league at 9.1%, (9.1%4th)...They allow the second-most goals per game (3.17).

Sat., Dec. 13 at Milwaukee Admirals (11-5-3-2) - Bradley Center - 8 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 7:40 p.m. Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Road. Third of eight meetings overall, second of four in Milwaukee. All-Time Series: AHL: 10-4-6-0 Overall, 4-2-4-0 Road. Total: 28-14-10-0 Overall, 11-9-8-0 Road. Milwaukee Affiliation: Nashville Predators. Head Coach: Claude Noel (1st season). Ships Ahoy: Milwaukee is 0-2 versus the Griffins but 11-3-3-2 (0.711) against the rest of the league...The Admirals' two losses to Grand Rapids, by a combined 6-2 score, have come despite a prodigious 83-35 advantage in shots...Milwaukee's power play has converted only 10% of its chances, tying for 25th in the AHL...The Admirals' potent offense stands second in goals (3.00, tied) and shots (32.95) per game.

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from December 8, 2003


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