Sports stats



AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

No Rest for Weary Griffins

January 2, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


This Weekend's Games:
Fri., Jan. 3 GRIFFINS at Chicago Wolves 8:30 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM
Sat., Jan. 4 GRIFFINS at Milwaukee Admirals 3:12 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM
Sun., Jan. 5 GRIFFINS at Cincinnati Mighty Ducks 4:05 p.m. WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM

Recent Results:
Thu., Dec. 26 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks 1 at GRIFFINS 6 18-7-4-2, 42 pts. (1st, Central Division)
Fri., Dec. 27 GRIFFINS 3 at Cincinnati Mighty Ducks 2 OT 19-7-4-2, 44 pts. (1st)
Sat., Dec. 28 Milwaukee Admirals 6 at GRIFFINS 1 19-8-4-2, 44 pts. (1st)
Mon., Dec. 30 Utah Grizzlies 2 at GRIFFINS 6 20-8-4-2, 46 pts. (1st)
Tue., Dec. 31 Utah Grizzlies 4 at GRIFFINS 3 20-9-4-2, 46 pts. (1st)

Bring It On: Fresh off a stretch which saw the Griffins post a 3-2 record in a span of only six days after Christmas, Grand Rapids will jump back into the fray this weekend with three road games in three cities in as many nights. After visiting the defending Calder Cup champion Chicago Wolves at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, the Griffins will take a short bus trip up I-94 to Milwaukee for a 3:12 p.m. Saturday tilt with the Admirals. (Originally set for 8:12 p.m., the game was moved to avoid a conflict with that night's Green Bay Packers playoff contest.) The Griffins will conclude the long weekend with a journey to Cincinnati for a 4:05 p.m. Sunday start against the Mighty Ducks.

Road Warriors: Despite the daunting task this weekend, the Griffins' success both on the road and when playing three times in three nights suggests they are more than up to the challenge. Grand Rapids is 10-2-1-2 (0.767) on the road this season and 13-2-1-2 (0.806) in enemy territory since April 2002. In addition, the Griffins have compiled an 8-3-1-0 mark (0.708) this year when playing on three consecutive days.

Reversals of Fortune: The Griffins' four home games between Christmas and New Year's Day offered a roller coaster of results. They opened the stretch with a 6-1 win over Cincinnati on Dec. 26, marking their largest margin of victory this season and tying their largest goal output. The Griffins then lost by an identical score to Milwaukee on Dec. 28, suffering their largest margin of defeat at home since a 5-0 loss to Orlando on March 25, 1999. Grand Rapids responded with a 6-2 win over Utah on Dec. 30, before falling behind 4-0 to the Grizzlies the following night and seeing its furious rally come up short in an eventual 4-3 final.

Score at Will: The Griffins scored five goals in a span of just 10:38 during the second period of Monday's 6-2 win over Utah, their most in a single frame since they netted five in the second period of an 8-0 win at Cleveland on April 1, 2001. The Griffins last accomplished the feat at home on March 9, 2001, during the third period of a 9-3 demolition of Chicago.

A Very Good Year: Grand Rapids posted an aggregate 41-24-13-2 record (0.606) during the 2002 calendar year.

Central Issues: Grand Rapids occupies first place in the Central Division standings at 20-9-4-2 (46 pts.), eight points ahead of Rochester, 16 atop Cincinnati, and 20 in front of both Cleveland and Syracuse. The Griffins' 0.657 winning percentage ranks second in the Western Conference and fifth overall in the AHL.

White-Out: Former Griffins center Todd White, now with the Ottawa Senators, has been named the NHL's Player of the Month for December. White, who tallied 54 points (22-32-54) in 64 contests with the Griffins in 2000-01, recorded 18 points (7-11-18) and a plus-eight rating in 15 December games, leading the Senators in scoring during a 10-3-2-0 run that propelled the club to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. White joins previous winners Dan Cloutier of Vancouver (Nov.) and Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux (Oct.).

Hello, I Must Be Going: After being reassigned to Grand Rapids late on New Year's Eve following a 19-day stint in Detroit, defenseman Patrick Boileau was again recalled by the Red Wings earlier today to assist their banged-up defensive corps. Boileau, originally recalled on Dec. 14, appeared in six contests for the defending champs and earned his first assist in a Detroit uniform on Dec. 26 versus Columbus. He totaled a plus-one rating and four shots while averaging 10:28 of ice time during his initial stay. The eighth-year pro appeared in seven games with Washington from 1996-02, recording one assist and four penalty minutes.

Fowl Play: Rob Collins has dominated the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks this season, single-handedly giving the Griffins three more points in the standings than they otherwise would have had. The rookie from Ferris State scored overtime goals at Cincinnati Gardens on both Dec. 27 and Nov. 17, and he notched the game-tying goal in a 2-2 deadlock at Van Andel Arena on Nov. 20. Collins also contributed a goal and an assist in a 6-1 rout of Cincy on Dec. 26. In all, four of Collins' seven goals and seven of his 15 points this season have come in the Griffins' four games against the Ducks.

Loss of Power: Since converting two of five power play chances on Dec. 26 against Cincinnati, the Griffins' power play unit has scored just once (1-for-25, 4.0%) while allowing a pair of shorthanded goals over the last four games.

Like Father, Like Son: The Griffins and parent Detroit Red Wings form the only AHL/NHL affiliation in which each member currently resides atop its division...Both Detroit and the Griffins' previous affiliate, the Ottawa Senators, occupy first place overall in their respective NHL conferences.

Congrats: Defenseman Dave Van Drunen scored a goal and added two assists on Monday against Utah, marking his only multi-point effort in 83 AHL contests, 155 games as a Griffin and 166 games at the Triple-A level.

Top Guns: Michel Picard has points in three straight contests (1-3-4), eight of his last nine games (3-7-10) and 12 of his last 14 outings (6-8-14)...Derek King owns a five-game point streak (2-6-8)...Mark Mowers has eight goals in the last 13 contests...Stacy Roest has four assists in the last two games and six points (2-4-6) in the last five games...Hugo Boisvert (2-2-4) and Tim Skarperud (2-2-4) each have a pair of two-point games in the last five outings. Skarperud's two goals on Monday versus Utah were his first since Nov. 15...Rob Collins (3-1-4) and Travis Richards (0-3-3) have each earned points in three of the last five games...Dave Van Drunen contributed four points (1-3-4) in the two games against the Grizzlies.

New Season, Same Great "D": After leading the AHL in goals allowed (2.23 per contest) last season, the Griffins currently rank second in the league by surrendering just 2.37 goals per game.

You're Unbelievable: Goalie Marc Lamothe is tied for the AHL lead with 14 wins and ranks among the league's best with a 2.10 GAA (2nd) and three shutouts (T2nd).

League Leaders: Mark Mowers (15-21-36) and Michel Picard (14-22-36) are in a two-way tie for fifth in the AHL scoring race...Dave Van Drunen is tied for fifth overall and ranks third among defensemen with a plus-19 rating.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:
* Power Play: 27-for-217, 12.4% (25th)
* Penalty Killing: 168-for-201, 83.6% (17th)
* Penalty Minutes: 18.5 avg. (23rd)
* Goals For: 2.89 avg. (14th)
* Goals Against: 2.37 avg. (2nd)
* Shots For: 29.69 avg. (19th)
* Shots Against: 27.46 avg. (5th)
* Attendance: 6,700 avg. (7th)

Close Calls: Grand Rapids, which began the season by winning each of its first six games that was decided by a single goal, holds an impressive 10-3-0-2 record in tight affairs following its 4-3 loss to Utah on New Year's Eve.

Griffins Alumni Report: Rookie NHL head coach Bruce Cassidy's Washington Capitals have climbed into second place in the Southeast Division with an 18-16-3-2 record. They stand only one point behind first place Tampa Bay...Kip Miller is sixth on the Caps with 23 points (5-18-23), Ivan Ciernik has totaled nine points (3-6-9) in 18 appearances, and Jason Doig has two assists in 12 games...Florida's Jani Hurme (3-4-5) has a 2.47 GAA and a 0.926 save percentage...Ottawa's Patrick Lalime (17-9-5) owns a 2.15 GAA and a 0.916 save percentage, while Martin Prusek (6-0-0) shows a 2.55 GAA and a 0.914%...Todd White is fourth on the Sens with 30 points (13-17-30), Petr Schastlivy is tied for 12th with 11 points (7-4-11), Karel Rachunek has 12 assists in 16 games since rejoining the team, and Chris Neil has chipped in three goals.

Red Wings Update: The Griffins are in the first season of a five-year affiliation with the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings stand atop the NHL's Central Division with a 22-8-7-1 record, following their 5-1 win over second-place St. Louis on New Year's Eve. They'll host Phoenix tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. (FSN).

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

This Week's Scouting Report

Fri., Jan. 3 at Chicago Wolves - Allstate Arena - 8:30 p.m. TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 8:10 p.m. Season Series: 1-0-1-1 Overall, 0-0-0-1 Road. Fourth of eight meetings overall, second of four in Chicago.
All-Time Series: AHL: 8-5-1-1 Overall, 3-3-0-1 Road. Total: 23-12-3-1 Overall, 11-8-0-1 Road. Chicago Affiliation: Atlanta Thrashers. Head Coach: John Anderson (6th season). Hungry Like the Wolf: Since posting a nine-game winning tear and an 11-game point streak (10-0-0-1), the defending champion Wolves have lost four of their last seven...Chicago is 10-4-0-1 at home, including a 2-1 overtime win against Grand Rapids on Nov. 30...They had won nine straight at home before a 1-0 loss to San Antonio on Dec. 30...Chicago's ever-dangerous power play ranks third in the league at 19.5%...47 of their 104 goals have been scored with the advantage...Norm Maracle stands 15th in the league with a 2.47 GAA, and Steve Maltais is tied for 18th on the circuit with 31 points (11-20-31).

Sat., Jan. 4 at Milwaukee Admirals - Bradley Center - 3:12 p.m. TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 2:40 p.m.
Season Series: 1-1-1-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Road. Fourth of six meetings overall, first of three in Milwaukee. All-Time Series: AHL: 7-3-5-0 Overall, 2-1-3-0 Road. Total: 25-13-9-0 Overall, 9-8-7-0 Road. Milwaukee Affiliation: Nashville Predators. Head Coach: Peter Horachek (1st season). Smooth Sailing: The Griffins' 6-1 loss to Milwaukee last Saturday marked their largest margin of defeat at home since a 5-0 loss to Orlando on March 25, 1999...The Admirals' Wyatt Smith that night joined teammate Greg Classen (Nov. 2) as the only players to score hat tricks against Grand Rapids this season...The last three meetings this season will be contested at the Bradley Center, where the Griffins lost just once last year (2-1-3-0)...Milwaukee has won two straight to emerge from a 4-10-2-2 slump...Rookie Darren Haydar ranks fourth in league scoring with 37 points (13-24-37)...Chris Madden owns a 2.93 GAA, while Jan Lasak (3.03) has returned from NHL Nashville.

Sun., Jan. 5 at Cincinnati Mighty Ducks - Cincinnati Gardens - 4:05 p.m.
TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 4:00 p.m. Season Series: 3-0-1-0 Overall, 2-0-0-0 Road. Fifth of eight meetings overall, third of four in Cincinnati. All-Time Series: 6-2-2-0 Overall, 3-2-0-0 Road. Cincinnati Affiliation: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Head Coach: Brad Shaw (1st season). Quack Me Up: Cincinnati trails the Griffins by 16 points in the Central Division...Three of the first four meetings between these teams this season went to overtime, with Grand Rapids winning twice and earning a tie...Rob Collins scored in overtime in each of the Griffins' first two visits to the Gardens this year...The Ducks have been outscored 15-8 in the series...Cincinnati is winless in its last six (0-5-0-1) and has won just two of its last 15 (2-9-2-2)...Rookie Tony Martensson is tied for sixth among AHL rookies and leads all Cincy scorers with 27 points (9-18-27)...Jean-Francois Damphousse (3.11) and Ilja Bryzgalov (3.26) share goaltending duties.

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...

American Hockey League Stories from January 2, 2003


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.

Other Recent Grand Rapids Griffins Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central