This Week’s Games
Fri., Jan. 22 - Toronto Marlies at GRIFFINS - 7 p.m. - WOOD 1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Sat., Jan. 23 - GRIFFINS at Rockford IceHogs - 8:05 p.m. - WOOD 1300 AM / AHLLive.com / Comcast Ch. 57 (Rockford)

Sun., Jan. 24 - GRIFFINS at Chicago Wolves - 4 p.m. - WOOD 1300 AM / AHLlive.com / Comcast Ch. 100 (Chicago)

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Jan. 15 - Peoria Rivermen 3 at GRIFFINS 2 - 20-20-0-1, 41 pts. (6th, North Division)

Sat., Jan. 16 - Hamilton Bulldogs 1 at GRIFFINS 3 - 21-20-0-1, 43 pts. (6th)

Sun., Jan. 17 - Rockford IceHogs 4 at GRIFFINS 3 - 21-21-0-1, 43 pts. (6th)

The Me Decade: The Griffins will step back in time this Friday when they host the Toronto Marlies on ‘80s Night presented by Great Lakes Dodge. Fans are encouraged to dress in their best ‘80s attire while they enjoy several ‘80s-themed promotions throughout the game. The popular Dollar Beers, Dollar Dogs promotion runs from 6-8 p.m. (while supplies last), and special discounts on upper bowl tickets will be available for fans that follow the Griffins on Facebook and Twitter.

Where We Stand: Having claimed recent victories over first-place Hamilton (3-1 on Jan. 16) and second-place Rochester (6-3 on Jan. 8), the Griffins emerge from the AHL All-Star break in sixth place in the North Division standings with a 21-21-0-1 record, trailing fifth-place Lake Erie by one point and fourth-place Abbotsford by five points in the battle for a playoff spot.

The Maine Event: Griffins center Patrick Rissmiller played for the PlanetUSA AHL All-Star Team at the 2010 Time Warner Cable AHL All-Star Classic, which was held earlier this week at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine. In the Canadian AHL All-Stars’ 18-12 win in Monday’s skills competition, Rissmiller tied for the most goals scored (3-for-5) in Rapid Fire and also competed in the Breakaway Relay and Pass and Score events. He then went scoreless during PlanetUSA’s 10-9 shootout loss on Tuesday.

Worth Noting: Behind a brilliant 39-save performance by Daniel Larsson, the Griffins beat Western Conference-leading Hamilton 3-1 last Saturday, limiting their opposition to just a single goal for the first time since Dec. 5…Grand Rapids’ offense ranks fourth in the AHL in goals per game (3.19) and has outscored its opposition 102-96 at even strength this season…The Griffins have outscored their opponents 50-33 in the third period…Grand Rapids remains undefeated when leading after two periods (11-0-0-0) and has rallied for a league-high (tied) five victories when trailing entering the final frame.

Great Skate Winterfest: Celebrate winter in our city and skate with Griffins players at the Great Skate Winterfest, coming to Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids on Jan. 30-31. Enjoy a day full of winter-inspired events, sports demonstrations and family activities starting at noon on Saturday, followed by a 24-hour skating marathon with Griffins players. Fans can help raise money for the Griffins Youth Foundation by sponsoring a Griffin or soliciting pledges for their own participation in the Great Skate. Admission to the Great Skate Winterfest is free, but donations are encouraged and certain activity fees apply. For more information, visit griffinshockey.com/greatskate.

Who’s Hot?: Cory Emmerton (1-2—3), Kris Newbury (1-1—2) and Francis Pare (1-1—2) have tallied points in consecutive games, while Jakub Kindl (1-2—3) and Evan McGrath (1-1—2) each have points in two of the last three contests…Mattias Ritola has points in three of five games (2-2—4) since returning from the Red Wings, while Tomas Tatar has points in three of the last five outings (2-2—4) as well.

Winter Potholes: The Griffins have managed only one power play goal (1-for-31, 3.2%) in their last eight games, a span during which their opponents have gone 11-for-43 (25.6%)…Grand Rapids’ recent seven-game losing streak on home ice (Dec. 12-Jan. 15) tied a team mark established at the start of the 2007-08 season….Since their overall 4-11-0-1 skid began with a 4-3 shootout loss to Peoria on Dec. 15, the Griffins have allowed their opposition to convert 21 of 71 (29.6%) power play chances and have been outscored by a 32-14 margin during the second period…After giving up 75 goals in their first 27 games this season (2.78 GAA), the Griffins have surrendered 69 in their last 16 contests (4.31 GAA)…Grand Rapids’ starting netminder has been pulled in seven of the last 13 games.

Scouting Report

Fri., Jan. 22 vs. Toronto Marlies (15-20-5-2) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through griffinshockey.com. All-Time Series: 18-15-1-0 Overall, 10-5-1-0 Home. Season Series: 3-1-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Home. Fifth of six meetings overall, second of three in Grand Rapids. NHL Affiliation: Toronto Maple Leafs. Head Coach: Dallas Eakins (1st season). Notes: Former Griffin Joey MacDonald, who remains Grand Rapids’ all-time leader with 16 shutouts, is 4-12 with a 3.59 GAA and a 0.871 save percentage in 16 appearances for the Marlies…Toronto, which will bring a 0-5-2-0 slide into Van Andel Arena, has won an AHL-low four road games (4-15-2-2)…The Marlies have been outscored by 42 goals (26-68) during the second period.

Sat., Jan. 23 at Rockford IceHogs (24-18-2-3) – Rockford MetroCentre – 8:05 p.m.
TV: Comcast Ch. 57 (Rockford) at 8 p.m. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 7:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through griffinshockey.com. All-Time Series: 5-5-1-1 Overall, 2-1-1-1 Road. Season Series: 1-3-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Road. Fifth of eight meetings overall, second of four in Rockford. NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks. Head Coach: Bill Peters (2nd season). Notes: All four games between the Griffins and IceHogs this season have resulted in a one-goal victory for the home team, including Grand Rapids’ 5-4 shootout win in Rockford on Jan. 2…The IceHogs have used a 4-0-0-1 run to vault into second place in the West Division…Rockford’s 15 home wins (15-6-1-1) are tied for first in the Western Conference…The Griffins are in the midst of playing the IceHogs four times in a seven-game span.

Sun., Jan. 24 at Chicago Wolves (24-16-0-2) – Allstate Arena – 4 p.m.
TV: Comcast Ch. 100 (Chicago) at 4 p.m. Radio: WOOD 1300 AM at 3:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through griffinshockey.com. All-Time Series: 45-31-2-3-2 Overall, 22-19-0-1-0 Road. Season Series: 1-2-0-0 Overall, 0-1-0-0 Road. Fourth of six meetings overall, second of three in Rosemont. NHL Affiliation: Atlanta Thrashers. Head Coach: Don Lever (1st season). Notes: The Wolves have won six straight games and are 9-1 in their last 10…Chicago is tied with Rockford for the most home wins (15-6-0-1) in the conference…A Wolves player ranks among the AHL’s top three in goals (Brett Sterling, 22, T1st), assists (Jason Krog, 36, 2nd), goals against average (Peter Mannino, 1.94, 3rd) and save percentage (Mannino, 0.938, T2nd).