AHL Grand Rapids Griffins

There's No Place Like Road

Published on November 4, 2002 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Grand Rapids Griffins News Release


The Griffins, one of two perfect road teams in the AHL, will put their 3-0 road record on the line this week. On Thursday they'll meet the 11-1 Houston Aeros, who have accounted for two of the Griffins' three losses this season. On Saturday they'll clash with the Utah Grizzlies at The "E" Center, where the Griffins are just 3-8-2-0 all-time. Grand Rapids' 3-0 road start equals the team record set in 2000-01 and 2001-02.

On a Roll: Grand Rapids is 4-1-2-0 since its 0-2 start and has earned points in four straight games (3-0-1-0). The Griffins stand in first place in the Central Division with a 4-3-2-0 record and 10 points, two more than Cincinnati.

Down the Dial: Due to the 7:45 p.m. start of the Michigan-Minnesota football game on Saturday, the Griffins' broadcast from Utah has been moved from WOOD 1300 AM to its sister station, WTKG 1230 AM, where it can be heard live and in its entirety beginning with the pre-game show at 8:40 p.m.

Good to See You Again: Grand Rapids will encounter two very familiar faces this week. Houston goaltender Dieter Kochan posted a 0.64 GAA in two games with the Griffins during the 1999-00 season, while Utah forward David Oliver scored 31 points (14-17-31) in 51 games for the 2000-01 Griffins.

Hush Puppies: The Griffins silenced the Chicago Wolves on Friday night with their largest comeback since the 2000-01 season, earning their first home win in a 4-3 thriller. Facing a 3-0 deficit with six minutes remaining in the second period, Grand Rapids received goals from Rob Collins and Mark Mowers before the intermission. Hugo Boisvert scored shorthanded to tie it midway through the third, and Patrick Boileau won it with 1:51 left. The Griffins last rallied from a three-goal hole on Feb. 16, 2001, in a 7-5 win at Kansas City.

Working Overtime: Last season, Grand Rapids was the only AHL squad that did not sustain an overtime loss (two overtime wins and 11 ties), and that trend has carried over to the 2002-03 campaign. The Griffins have played an extra session three times this season, tying Chicago 3-3 on Oct. 19, winning 2-1 at Rochester on Oct. 25, and tying Milwaukee 3-3 on Saturday.

Groovy, Man: As part of "Turn Back the Clock Night" last Saturday, the Griffins wore tie-dyed jerseys that raised $9,420 for Big Brothers Big Sisters through a post-game auction. Michel Picard's jersey drew a high bid of $800.

High Marks: Center Mark Mowers has points in eight of the Griffins' nine games, including five multi-point nights, and ranks among the AHL leaders with 14 points (T6th) and nine assists (T6th)...Goalie Marc Lamothe is undefeated in his last five outings (3-0-2-0) and has lost just once this season, to Cleveland on opening night.

Player Notes: Michel Picard has registered points in seven straight games (4-7-11), the longest streak by a Griffin and tied for the second-longest scoring streak in the AHL this season...Derek King scored two goals within 16 seconds on Saturday against Milwaukee. He now has points in seven of the last eight games (5-4-9)...Stacy Roest has points in five of the last six games (1-5-6)... Rob Collins scored his first professional goal on Friday, sparking the Griffins' dramatic comeback against the Wolves...Patrick Boileau, who scored the game-winner versus Chicago on Friday, has points in four straight games (1-4-5) and seven of nine outings (2-6-8).

Finish What You Started: The Griffins are out-scoring their opposition 23-14 over the first two periods but are being out-gunned 13-5 in the third period.

Full Power: The Griffins were awarded a franchise-record 11 power plays on Friday against Chicago, breaking the mark of 10 set on six occasions. With a power play goal on Saturday versus Milwaukee, Grand Rapids tied another franchise record by scoring with the man-advantage in its eighth consecutive game (2/20/98-3/7/98).

Transactions: Defenseman Paul Ballantyne was recalled by the Griffins today from their ECHL affiliate in Toledo. Ballantyne, who was assigned to the Storm on Thursday, appeared in two games over the weekend, going scoreless...Center Stacy Roest returned to the Griffins last Friday, following his Oct. 28 recall to Detroit...Right wing Gregor Baumgartner, assigned to ECHL Pensacola on Thursday, scored a goal in his debut with the Ice Pilots on Saturday.

By the Numbers: Where the Griffins rank among the AHL's 28 teams in various statistical categories:

* Attendance: 6,538 avg. (8th)
* Power Play: 11-for-65, 16.9% (14th)
* Penalty Killing: 50-for-63, 79.4% (25th)
* Penalty Minutes: 20.9 avg. (21st)
* Goals For: 3.22 avg. (13th)
* Goals Against: 3.00 avg. (10th)
* Shots For: 29.00 avg. (20th)
* Shots Against: 29.11 avg. (10th)

Griffins Alumni Report: Rookie NHL head coach Bruce Cassidy's Washington Capitals stand third in the Southeast Division with a 5-6-1-0 record...Kip Miller is tied for the Caps' lead with seven assists and ranks fourth with nine points...Ottawa's Patrick Lalime owns a 2.21 GAA and 0.904 save percentage...Petr Schastlivy, who had a goal and an assist in the Sens' 5-2 win over Detroit on Saturday, is second on the team with four goals and seven points.

Deutschland Cup: At least seven former Griffins will represent their countries this week at the Deutschland Cup, a four-team international tournament taking place Nov. 8-10 in Hannover, Germany. The United States, Canada, Germany and Switzerland will each play three games in a round robin format. Kevin Miller, Dave Roberts, John Gruden and Keith Aldridge will suit up for the U.S. squad, while Mathieu Chouinard, Ian Gordon and Todd Hlushko will play for Canada.

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 second in the Central Division with a 6-4-2-0 record, three points behind St. Louis, following a 3-3 tie at home against Dallas last night. They'll host Chicago tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets On Sale Now: 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 currently available by calling 800-2-HOCKEY.

This Week's Scouting Report

Thu., Nov. 7 at Houston Aeros - Compaq Center - 8:00 p.m. TV: None. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 7:40 p.m. Season Series: 0-2-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Road. Third of 10 meetings overall, first of five in Houston. All-Time Series: AHL: 4-5-5-0 Overall, 1-2-3-0 Road. Total: 12-9-9-0 Overall, 5-4-6-0 Road. Houston Affiliation: Minnesota Wild. Head Coach: Todd McLellan (2nd season).

Battle Plans: Houston opened the season with eight consecutive wins and currently stands atop the AHL with an 11-1 record...The Aeros are 4-0 this season on home ice, and they've twice beaten the Griffins by 4-2 margins in Grand Rapids...Jean-Guy Trudel is tied for fourth in league scoring (6-9-15) while Cory Larose is second with 12 assists...Goalie Derek Gustafson ranks among the AHL leaders with six wins (T1st) and a 2.32 GAA (T5th)...The Aeros are tied for second in goals per game (3.92) and stand third in goals allowed (2.42).

Sat., Nov. 9 at Utah Grizzlies - The "E" Center - 9:00 p.m.

TV: None. Radio: WTKG 1230 AM/WHTC 1450 AM at 8:40 p.m. Season Series: First of 10 meetings overall, first of five in West Valley City. All-Time Series: AHL: 4-7-1-0 Overall, 2-3-1-0 Road. Total: 12-12-2-0 Overall, 3-8-2-0 Road. Utah Affiliation: Dallas Stars. Head Coach: Don Hay (2nd season).

Grin and Bear It: The Grizzlies are off to a 5-6 start but have been impressive in their own den (4-2)...Top scorer Jon Sim (3-9-12) will miss the game while representing Canada in the Deutschland Cup...Former NHLer Corey Hirsch (3.33 GAA) and rookie Jason Bacashihua (3.03) have split time between the pipes...Utah ranks 24th in the AHL in goals per game (2.64) and is allowing a league-high 39.82 shots per game.

Check out the Grand Rapids Griffins Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from November 4, 2002


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