This Week’s Games
GRIFFINS at Milwaukee Admirals // Tues., Dec. 11 // 8 p.m. EST // UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
Milwaukee Admirals at GRIFFINS // Sat., Dec. 15 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:35 p.m. on Tuesday, 6:35 p.m. on Saturday
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 1-0-0-1 Home, 0-0-0-0 Road, 1-0-0-1 Overall. Third and fourth of 10 meetings overall, first of five at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, third of five at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 51-29-2-2-3 Home, 42-32-5-5-5 Road, 93-61-7-7-8 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators
Noteworthy: The Griffins have points in the last four matchups overall with Milwaukee (3-0-0-1) and are 10-3-1-1 in their last 15 regular season battles.

Rockford IceHogs at GRIFFINS // Fri., Dec. 14 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
GRIFFINS at Rockford IceHogs // Sun., Dec. 16 // 6 p.m. EST // BMO Harris Bank Center
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. on Friday, 5:35 p.m. on Sunday
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Home, 0-0-1-0 Road, 1-0-1-0 Overall. Third and fourth of 10 meetings overall, second of five at Van Andel Arena, second of five at the BMO Harris Bank Center
All-Time Series: 28-10-1-2 Home, 13-19-3-6 Road, 41-29-4-8 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks
Noteworthy: Since the 2012-13 season, the Griffins are 22-4-1-1 (0.821) against the ‘Hogs at the Van. In that same time frame, Grand Rapids is 11-12-1-4 (0.482) at Rockford.

Last Week’s Results
Wed., Dec. 5 San Antonio Rampage 2 at GRIFFINS 4 14-7-0-2 (30 points, 3rd Central Division)
Fri., Dec. 7 GRIFFINS 2 at Rockford IceHogs 3 OT 14-7-1-2 (31 points, T2nd Central)
Sat., Dec. 8 GRIFFINS 2 at Iowa Wild 5 14-8-1-2 (31 points, 3rd Central)

Status Update: The Grand Rapids Griffins will look to get back in the win column tonight at Milwaukee after seeing their nine-game point streak (7-0-1-1) ended in last Saturday’s 5-2 loss at Iowa and their six-game winning streak halted in last Friday’s 3-2 overtime defeat at Rockford. Saturday’s shortfall in Des Moines marked the first regulation loss for the Griffins since Nov. 16 vs. Ontario. Grand Rapids has picked up points in 15 of its last 18 games (12-3-1-2) and is third in the Central Division with a 14-8-1-2 overall mark, one point behind Milwaukee. The Griffins wrap up a three-game road trip tonight, during which they are 0-1-1-0, before turning their sights toward a three-in-three weekend. The Griffins are in the midst of facing 14 Central Division opponents in a row. Grand Rapids is 7-1-1-1 in its last 10, the best mark in the Western Conference in that span.

Follow the Leader(s):
Points: Chris Terry (26)
Goals: Terry (16)
Assists: Carter Camper (15)
Plus-Minus: Turner Elson (+12)
PIM: Elson (29)
Wins: Harri Sateri (8)
GAA: Patrik Rybar (2.52)
Save %: Rybar (0.902)

Last Week’s Notes:
Wednesday vs. San Antonio – Grand Rapids has won 10 of the last 11 meetings overall against the Rampage, including six straight at Van Andel Arena...Grand Rapids totaled two PIM and allowed one power play opportunity, both season bests...Patrik Rybar stopped 25 shots and won his third consecutive game...Filip Hronek extended his point streak to seven following his unassisted first-period goal...Axel Holmstrom scored his sixth goal of the season, which turned out to be his second game-winner...Chris Terry and Colin Campbell both notched a goal, and both players show three goals in the last two games…Grand Rapids won its fourth straight at Van Andel Arena and is 9-2-0-2 on home ice. Recap | Highlights
Friday at Rockford – Grand Rapids had its streak of 27 straight penalties killed spanning more than eight games snapped when Rockford scored the game-tying goal on the man-advantage with 2:58 remaining...The Griffins fired a season-high 43 shots...Rookie Givani Smith banked his first pro goal, tipping in Matt Ford’s shot at 3:45 in the second period...Ford’s assist on Smith’s goal marked his 200th career AHL helper...Derek Hulak tallied his first goal as a Griffin…Matt Puempel’s assist on Hulak’s goal was his 200th point as a pro...Grand Rapids lost in overtime for the first time this season (3-1)...The Griffins are winless in their last seven trips to the BMO Harris Bank Center (0-3-1-3). Recap | Highlights
Saturday at Iowa – Grand Rapids’ nine-game point streak was snapped...The Griffins also saw their four-game winning streak at Wells Fargo Arena ended...Grand Rapids lost in regulation for the first time this season when tied after two periods (6-1-1-1), as Iowa scored three times in the final frame...Chris Terry tallied his league-leading 16th goal at 14:30 of the first period...Terry and Matt Puempel both recorded two-point games...The five goals allowed by Patrik Rybar were the most since giving up five in his North American debut on Oct. 13. Recap | Highlights

This Week’s Promotions: On Friday against Rockford, fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last. On Saturday against Milwaukee, the first 2,500 fans will receive a pair of Griffins athletic socks, courtesy of Fifth Third Bank. Read the full list of promos here.

Among AHL’s Best Since Oct. 27: The Griffins are 12-3-1-2 since Oct. 27, leading the league in points, tying for the most wins and placing third in points percentage in that time.

Road Reversal: After dropping their first four away games, the Griffins have points in six of their last eight (5-2-1-0). On foreign ice, Chris Terry has a team-high 11 points (7-4—11) and Patrik Rybar is 3-2-0.

Friendly Confines: The Griffins have points in 11 of their first 13 games at Van Andel Arena (9-2-0-2), including wins in four straight and points in six consecutive (5-0-0-1). Grand Rapids’ nine wins at home tie for the most in the AHL. Grand Rapids is a +12 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.69 goals, compared to -9 and 2.75 on enemy ice.

‘Tis the Season: Grand Rapids has suffered just two regulation losses at home in December since Dec. 10, 2014, going 17-2-2-3 (0.813) in its last 24 games on home ice during the last month on the calendar. The Griffins have notched a winning mark in December in eight consecutive seasons, showing a 61-29-7-7 (0.654) record since 2010-11.

Back Up Terr: The AHL’s leading scorer from a season ago, Chris Terry is atop the league’s goal leaderboard with 16 and has lit the lamp four times in the last four games and eight in the last 11. The 10th-year pro also shows points in seven of the last eight contests, racking up 10 (5-5—10) in that span. Since the Griffins’ stretch of 15 points in their last 18 games began on Oct. 27, Terry has a league-high 14 goals while his 22 points in that period are sixth.

Central of Attention: The Griffins are in the midst of playing 14 straight Central Division opponents. Cleveland on Dec. 19 ends the run. Grand Rapids will also play 20 consecutive divisional games from Feb. 10-March 31.

Filip Hero-nek: Second-year defenseman Filip Hronek was held off the scoresheet for the first time in eight outings during last Saturday’s loss at Iowa. Hronek’s eight-game assist streak matched a franchise record, which was set by center Valtteri Filppula from March 26-Oct. 13, 2006, and his eight-game point streak tied with Bryan Helmer (Feb. 25-March 14, 2006) for the longest single-season point streak by a Griffins defenseman since 1999-2000. In the last nine games, the 21-year-old boasts 12 points (4-8—12), four two-point efforts and a plus-six rating. His 12 points since Nov. 23 are the most among league defensemen and tie for fourth among all AHL skaters. Last month, Hronek became the first player in franchise history to record an overtime goal in back-to-back games when he provided the theatrics in Nov. 24’s 4-3 win at Chicago and Nov. 26’s 3-2 victory at Iowa.

Longest Single-Season Point Streaks by a Griffins Defenseman Since 1999-2000:

Page Turner: Sixth-year pro and second-year Griffin Turner Elson ranks second on the team with 21 points through 25 games and is on pace for 63, which would more than double his previous best of 30. He has already equaled last season’s output when he secured 21 points (9-12—21) in 57 appearances. In the last 13 outings, Elson accounts for 15 points (6-9—15). His two shorthanded goals, which are the team’s only two, tie for second in the AHL.

Rybar Supports: Goaltender Patrik Rybar (pronounced REE-bar) shows points in eight of 11 starts this season (6-3-2) and is 10th in the AHL with a 2.52 goals against average. The 25-year-old is in his first season in North America and led the Czech Extraliga in both GAA (1.73) and shutouts (7) in 36 games with Hradec Kralove last season.

A Harri Situation: Goalie Harri Sateri has points in seven of his last eight starts (6-1-1-0), including five in a row. He had his four-game winning streak snapped in last Friday’s overtime defeat. During his five-game point run, the Finnish netminder owns a 2.54 goals against average and a 0.912 save percentage and has collected two wins in overtime.

Shots, Shots, Shots: Grand Rapids is one of only three teams (Bakersfield, Tucson) to rank in the top 10 in both shots for (31.36, 8th) and against (27.44, 6th). The Griffins have out shot 16 of 25 opponents and have eclipsed the 40-shot mark on three occasions (Dec. 7 at RFD, Nov. 23 vs. MIL, Nov. 10 at MB).

Immediate ROI: Signed to a PTO last Wednesday, Derek Hulak scored his first goal as a Griffin while making his team debut last Friday at Rockford. Hulak is the 501st player ever to play for Grand Rapids.

Puemped Up: Points have come in bunches for second-year Griffin Matt Puempel as of the 11 games he has registered on the scoresheet, eight of those have been two-point outings, tying for the most on the team. Puempel’s team-high 89 shots are third in the AHL.

Milestones Within Reach:
Axel Holmstrom – needs three GP to reach 100 in the AHL
Filip Hronek – needs four GP to reach 100 in the AHL
Chris Terry – needs one goal to reach 200 in the AHL
Jake Chelios – needs three points to reach 100 in the AHL

Rockford Notes: Current record 11-10-1-4, 27 points, 5th Central Division…Former Griffin Derek King is the interim head coach of the IceHogs after Jeremy Colliton was brought up to coach the Blackhawks on Nov. 6…King played in Grand Rapids from 1999-01 and 2002-04 and is the franchise’s all-time leading playoff scorer (16-25—41) and ranks fifth in regular season points (73-130—203)…Rockford averages 2.27 goals per game, ranking last in the AHL…Grand Rapids has points in six straight against Rockford (5-0-1-0) after a seven-game winless streak (0-4-0-3 from April 1-Dec. 23, 2017)…The Griffins are winless in their last seven trips to the BMO Harris Bank Center (0-3-1-3), with their last victory coming 4-0 on March 25, 2017…Grand Rapids has won the last five matchups in West Michigan…Since the 2012-13 season, the Griffins are 22-4-1-1 (0.821) against the ‘Hogs at the Van…In that same time frame, Grand Rapids is 11-12-1-4 (0.482) at Rockford…In the last meeting at Van Andel Arena on Nov. 14 during Grand Rapids’ annual school day game, Filip Zadina scored twice and Patrik Rybar stopped 29 shots to help the Griffins to a 3-1 victory…In the most recent matchup last Friday in Illinois, Rockford scored the game-tying goal with 2:58 left in regulation and won with 37 seconds to play in overtime…Rookie Givani Smith notched his first pro goal at Rockford last Friday.

Milwaukee Notes: Current record 14-9-4-0, 32 points, 2nd Central Division…With a rivalry dating back to the International Hockey League days, the Griffins have faced the Admirals more than any other opponent in team history as the two clubs will meet up for the 177th and 178th times this week…The Griffins have points in the last four matchups overall with Milwaukee (3-0-0-1) and are 10-3-1-1 in their last 15 regular season battles…Admirals netminder Tom McCollum played with the Griffins from 2009-16 and 2017-18 and is the franchise’s all-time goalie leader in wins (123), games played (263), minutes (14900:25) and saves (6640), helped Grand Rapids win the 2013 Calder Cup and is the team’s only four-time AHL Man of the Year nominee…McCollum is 0-0-2 with a 1.90 GAA and a 0.952 save percentage in two career appearances vs. Grand Rapids, with both games coming as a member of the Charlotte Checkers on April 12 and 14, 2017…McCollum served as a backup in both Milwaukee-Grand Rapids clashes so far this season…Griffins first-year head coach Ben Simon appeared in 18 games with the Admirals during the 2003-04 campaign and finished with four points (1-3—4)…Grand Rapids and Milwaukee have split the two meetings this season, with the Griffins winning 2-1 on Nov. 3 and the Admirals taking a 3-2 shootout victory on Nov. 23...Matt Puempel has collected four points (2-2—4) in the two games, which is the most for either team...Turner Elson (Oct. 11, 2013 vs. MIL), Joe Hicketts (Nov. 12, 2016 at MIL) and Filip Hronek (March 29, 2017 vs. MIL) all picked up their first AHL goals against the Admirals, while Dominik Shine made his pro debut against Milwaukee (March 19, 2017 at MIL).

Say ‘Cheese’: Since the Admirals moved to Panther Arena at the beginning of the 2016-17 campaign, Grand Rapids is 9-2-0-0 at Milwaukee in the regular season, including seven straight wins. During the seven-game winning streak in Wisconsin, the Griffins are outscoring the Admirals 31-13, while the power play is 9-for-30 (30.0%) and the penalty kill is 25-for-27 (92.6%). Milwaukee’s last win on home ice vs. Grand Rapids was March 19, 2017 (6-3 final).

Win Some, Lose Some: Compare the statistics between the Griffins’ 14 wins and 11 (including OT and SO) losses:

Back to Backs: This weekend will mark the ninth of 26 times total this season the Griffins will play on consecutive nights. Grand Rapids has won five of its last six on the second night.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins