AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

Griffins Unbeaten Three Games into Marathon

January 12, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


No Rest: Facing a brutal stretch of seven games in nine days that ties for the busiest run in franchise history, the Griffins jumped off to a tremendous start by going 2-0-1-0 over the weekend. Grand Rapids will complete the task by playing four games in five days this week, starting tomorrow in San Antonio. On Wednesday, the Griffins are scheduled to arrive in Grand Rapids less than four hours before their 7 p.m. tilt with Manitoba, which starts a six-game stand at Van Andel Arena, the second-longest in team history. The Griffins posted a 5-1-1 mark while playing seven straight at home between Feb. 18-28, 1999.

Promotional Calendar: A big weekend is on tap at Van Andel Arena, as Grand Rapids prepares to face the Chicago Wolves (Friday at 7:30 p.m.) and St. John's Maple Leafs (Saturday at 7:30 p.m.). The Griffins will wear their alternate red jerseys on Friday against the rival Wolves, whom they've beaten in seven of their last nine meetings. Chicago stands just four points behind first-place Grand Rapids in the West Division race. On Saturday, the Griffins will host "We Love the '80s Night," as they try to stay unbeaten (2-0-1-0) against the Leafs this season. The first 1,500 fans will receive a special Griffins-edition Rubix Cube, and music and videos from the '80s will be played throughout the night.

Dynamic Duo: After spending a month with the Detroit Red Wings and the Czech Junior National Team, Jiri Hudler on Friday returned to the Griffins and reassumed his position on Kevin Miller's line. The pair combined for 11 points in three games over the weekend, with Hudler (4-2-6) earning a nomination as AHL Player of the Week. He lit the lamp in all three games and registered three points on Saturday (2-1-3) versus Cleveland, assisting on Hugo Boisvert's goal to force overtime and notching the game-winning goal in the extra session. The AHL All-Star has points in each of his last nine games (6-9-15) for Grand Rapids, the team's longest scoring streak this season. Miller (2-3-5), for his part, scored shorthanded and assisted on the Griffins' other three tallies in the 4-3 win over the Barons, establishing a team season-high with four points in one game.

That's More Like It: After scoring just one goal while suffering their first three-game losing streak in more than a year, the Griffins' offense exploded for 12 goals during their unbeaten three-game weekend.

Is It Something We Said?: The Griffins last night beat San Antonio 6-2 to wrap-up their fifth set of three games in three nights this season. For the fourth time, they concluded the stretch against a rested team that was idle the night before. In identical situations, the Griffins also won 4-3 at Hamilton on Oct. 19 and 3-1 at Hamilton on Oct. 26, while losing 2-0 at home to San Antonio on Nov. 15. Overall, the Griffins are 9-3-3-0 this season when playing "three in three," including a 4-1-0-0 mark in the third game.

Road Warriors: Grand Rapids, which set an AHL record last season with 26 road wins, is currently tied for the league lead with 13 victories in enemy territory (13-7-1-0), giving it a 24-win pace for a full season.

Rarities: Cleveland scored three times in the second period on Saturday at Van Andel Arena, marking the first time since the third period of a 4-2 loss to San Antonio on March 5, 2003, that the Griffins surrendered three goals in a single frame at home. However, the Griffins rallied from a 3-2 deficit after 40 minutes that night to eventually take the 4-3 overtime win, marking the first time this season that they've won when trailing after two periods (1-10-2-0).

The Untouchables: Grand Rapids, San Antonio and Providence are the only AHL clubs that have not suffered an overtime loss this season. Following Saturday's 4-3 overtime win against Cleveland, the Griffins have been taken to an extra session eight times, showing three wins and five ties. In 37 overtime games during their three AHL seasons, the Griffins now have 11 wins, 24 ties and just two losses.

Work Horse: Last Friday, defenseman Dave Van Drunen passed Todd Nelson (236 games) into third place on the Griffins' all-time games played list. Van Drunen, whose 239 games played stand behind only Travis Richards (567) and Michel Picard (324), is also nearing Richards' record for consecutive regular season games played. Van Drunen has played in 120 straight games, last sitting out on April 6, 2002, while Richards made 126 consecutive appearances from Jan. 16, 1998 to Oct. 9, 1999. Including playoffs, Van Drunen has participated in each of the Griffins' last 140 games.

Milestones: Kevin Miller, who registered his 400th pro assist on Saturday versus Cleveland, is scheduled to appear in the 1,000th game of his 16-year career on Wednesday versus Manitoba...Michel Picard became the first Griffin to record 350 points with an assist on Friday against Utah. He needs three goals to become the first Griffin to hit 150...Ryan Bonni appeared in his 300th pro game yesterday in San Antonio.

Brisson's Back: The Griffins on Friday assigned right wing David Brisson to their United Hockey League affiliate, the Muskegon Fury. Brisson, who has four points (3-1-4) in 27 games with Grand Rapids this season, tallied two assists over a pair of Muskegon wins this weekend before being recalled by the Griffins on Sunday.

All-Star Quartet: Four Griffins were selected last week to participate in the 2004 Pepsi AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held Feb. 8-9 at Van Andel Arena. Forward Nathan Robinson was named to the Canadian All-Star team on Wednesday, while captain Travis Richards (starter), fellow defenseman Niklas Kronwall and forward Jiri Hudler were chosen for the PlanetUSA squad on Thursday. The four selections tie Grand Rapids with Hamilton and Manchester for greatest representation during the event and match the Griffins' record all-star bounty of 2001, when current NHL players John Gruden, Kip Miller, Martin Prusek and Petr Schastlivy were tabbed for the AHL's mid-season showcase.

Home-Work: The Griffins will host 17 games during January (eight) and February (nine), marking the busiest two-month stretch at home in franchise history. This month, they'll host games on both Friday and Saturday over three consecutive weekends, the first time that has ever happened. Grand Rapids will also be at home for every Friday in February, only the second time that has occurred during a month (Nov. 2000).

Tough to Beat: Marc Lamothe, the reigning AHL goaltender of the year, has surrendered more than two goals in just three of his last 20 appearances, dating back to Nov. 13.

Big Mac Attack: With last night's 6-2 win at San Antonio, Joey MacDonald continued his masterful play on the road. This year, he shows a 7-1-1 record with a 2.33 GAA and a 0.927 save percentage, giving him two-year totals of 18-3-1 with a 2.14 GAA and a 0.925 save percentage in foreign buildings.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 27-for-183, 14.8% (T12th)
* Penalty Killing: 177-for-200, 88.5% (5th)
* Penalty Minutes: 14.92 avg. (27th)
* Goals For: 2.56 avg. (T13th)
* Goals Against: 2.13 avg. (4th)
* Shots For: 26.62 avg. (22nd)
* Shots Against: 27.77 avg. (9th)
* Attendance: 6,607 avg. (7th)

Griffins Earn Their Wings: Although Nathan Robinson (Dec. 9), Joey MacDonald (Dec. 14), Ryan Barnes (Dec. 16), Kevin Miller (Dec. 20), Darryl Bootland (Dec. 29) and Jiri Hudler (Jan. 9) have returned to Grand Rapids over the last month, four other members of the Griffins are still on recall to Detroit. Their NHL stats are as follows:

Player GP G A PTS +/- PIM Avg. Ice Time
Mark Mowers 27 2 7 9 5 0 11:30
Niklas Kronwall 16 0 4 4 4 16 13:54
Jamie Rivers 15 0 0 0 6 4 7:44

Goalie GP W L T SO GAA Save %
Curtis Joseph *18 *10 7 1 *2 *2.19 *0.914 * 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 stand in first place in the NHL's Central Division (26-13-4-2), following their 2-1 overtime loss at Boston on Saturday. They'll host Chicago on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. (FSN).

The AHL's Grand Event!: The Griffins will be in the hockey spotlight next month, 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

Tue., Jan. 13 at San Antonio Rampage (15-14-5-0) - SBC Center - 8 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 7:59 p.m. Season Series: 2-1-1-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Road. Fifth of 10 meetings overall, second of five in San Antonio. All-Time Series: 8-5-1-0 Overall, 4-2-0-0 Road. San Antonio Affiliation: Florida Panthers. Head Coach: Scott Allen (1st season). On a Stampede: The Griffins crushed the Rampage 6-2 on Sunday...San Antonio is just 3-8-2-0 in its last 13 games...Grand Rapids has won four of six all-time meetings at the SBC Center...Tuesday's game will already be the 23rd home contest for the Rampage, who have played just 12 games on the road...AHL All-Star Eric Beaudoin leads San Antonio and ranks eighth in the league with 38 points (17-21-38)...Goalie Travis Scott ranks among the AHL's best with 14 wins (T2nd) and 886 saves (1st).

Wed., Jan. 14 vs. Manitoba Moose (16-20-6-1) - Van Andel Arena - 7 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 6:40 p.m. Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Home. Third of four meetings overall, first of two in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: AHL: 11-3-0-0 Overall, 5-1-0-0 Home. Total: 22-10-3-0 Overall, 11-4-3-0 Home. Manitoba Affiliation: Vancouver Canucks. Head Coach: Stan Smyl (3rd season). Hunting Season: The Moose have just one win in their last six visits to Van Andel Arena...Manitoba has allowed seven shorthanded goals, the second-highest total in the AHL...The Moose are 1-4-2-0 in their last seven road contests...Leading scorer Brandon Reid (9-22-31), an AHL All-Star, is currently with the Vancouver Canucks...Former Griffin Tyler Moss is 1-1-0 with a 2.01 GAA and a 0.922 save percentage versus Grand Rapids this season, compared to 8-11-4 with a 2.79 GAA and a 0.900 save percentage against the rest of the AHL.

Fri., Jan. 16 vs. Chicago Wolves (19-14-5-2) - Van Andel Arena - 7:30 p.m.

TV: None locally. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season Series: 3-2-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Home. Sixth of 10 meetings overall, second of five in Grand Rapids. All-Time Series: AHL: 13-9-2-1 Overall, 6-3-2-0 Home. Total: 28-16-4-1 Overall, 13-5-4-0 Home. Chicago Affiliation: Atlanta Thrashers. Head Coach: John Anderson (7th season). Huffin' and Puffin': The Griffins' 4-1 loss at Chicago on Jan. 2 marked their first loss to the Wolves by more than two goals since a 5-1 playoff defeat on April 15, 2002, a span of 20 regular season and postseason meetings. Grand Rapids beat Chicago three times by a three-goal margin during that stretch...Dating back to the 2003 playoffs, the Griffins have won seven of the last nine against their fiercest rival...The Wolves have lost just twice in their last 10 games (6-2-2-0) to close within four points of the division-leading Griffins, but are 0-2-2-0 in their last four on the road...AHL All-Star Kari Lehtonen owns a 14-10-1 record with a 2.43 GAA and a 0.925 save percentage.

Sat., Jan. 17 vs. St. John's Maple Leafs (19-18-4-1) - Van Andel Arena - 7:30 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 7:10 p.m. Season/All-Time Series: 2-0-1-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Home. Fourth and final meeting overall, second and final in Grand Rapids. St. John's Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs. Head Coach: Doug Shedden (1st season). Raking the Leafs: Grand Rapids took a 3-1 decision over St. John's on Dec. 6 at Van Andel Arena...The Leafs are unbeaten in their last four (2-0-2-0)...St. John's penalty killers rank last in the AHL both overall (79.7%) and on the road (75.3%)...The Leafs tie for fourth in goals per game (2.83) but also allow the most in the league (3.12)...Aaron Gavey paces the team with 31 points (11-20-31), while AHL All-Star Kyle Wellwood ranks second among all rookies with 30 points (7-23-30).

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from January 12, 2004


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