GRIFFINS (19-12-3-3) at Milwaukee Admirals (19-12-5-1)

Griffins Game #38 * Road Game #20 * AHL Game #555

Season Series: 2-1-0-1 Home Series: 2-0-0-1 Road Series: 0-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 94-62-7-7-8 All-Time Home Series: 52-29-2-2-3 All-Time Road Series: 42-33-5-5-5

Griffins at Admirals
Fifth of 10 meetings overall, second of five at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena…Grand Rapids has points in five of the last six matchups (4-1-0-1) and is 11-4-1-1 in the last 17 regular season clashes…In the most recent meeting on Dec. 15, the Griffins rallied back twice from a two-goal deficit, including Joe Hicketts notching the game-tying goal with 1:17 remaining in regulation, to set up Dominic Turgeon scoring the only goal in the shootout for a 5-4 victory…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 179th time tonight…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 picked up his first career win against his former club on Dec. 11 after stopping 26 of 28 shots...In three appearances vs. Grand Rapids, McCollum is 1-0-2 with a 1.93 GAA and a 0.946 save percentage...Griffins first-year head coach Ben Simon skated in 18 games with the Admirals during the 2003-04 campaign and finished with four points (1-3—4)…In four meetings this season, Matt Puempel has collected three goals among five points, both of which are the most for either side…In 13 career games vs. Milwaukee as a Griffin, Puempel has 14 points (7-7—14)…Patrik Rybar is 0-0-1 with a 1.86 GAA and a 0.929 save percentage against the Admirals this season while Harri Sateri is 2-1-0 with a 2.97 GAA and a 0.873 save percentage...Turner Elson (Oct. 11, 2013 vs. MIL), Joe Hicketts (Nov. 12, 2016 at MIL) and Trevor Hamilton (Dec. 15, 2018 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)…Milwaukee ranks third in penalty killing at 86.1% and ties for second in goals against per game (2.70)…Anthony Richard (13-11—24) and Emil Pettersson (9-15—24) lead the team in scoring…Defenseman Matt Donovan was selected to the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic.

Say ‘Cheese’
Since the Admirals moved to Panther Arena at the beginning of the 2016-17 campaign, Grand Rapids is 9-3-0-0 at Milwaukee in the regular season. Milwaukee’s 5-2 win on Dec. 11 ended Grand Rapids’ seven-game regular season winning streak in Wisconsin, as the Admirals defeated the Griffins on home ice for the first time since March 19, 2017. The Griffins have not dropped consecutive games at Milwaukee since losing three straight from Dec. 29, 2015-March 29, 2016.

Last Game (Saturday): Griffins 4 at Bears 6 - Read the full recap here
Grand Rapids had both its six-game point streak overall (4-0-1-1) and its four-game road point streak (2-0-1-1) ended…The Griffins fell for the first time ever at Hershey (4-1-0-0)…The Griffins and Bears split the two-game season series, with Grand Rapids winning 6-3 back on Oct. 12…Jake Chelios picked up his 100th career AHL point while assisting on Chris Terry’s league-leading 22nd goal of the season…Rookie defenseman Trevor Hamilton recorded his first career multi-point game behind two assists…Wade Megan (1-1—2) and Matt Puempel (1-1—2) also notched multi-point outings…Grand Rapids outshot Hershey 39-30…Six goals against matched a season high.

Status Update
The Griffins are 0-1-0-1 to begin the new year and have points in six of their last seven outings (4-1-1-1). Also collecting points in 23 of their last 30 games (17-7-3-3), the Griffins tie Milwaukee for third in the Central Division with a 19-12-3-3 overall record (44 points). Grand Rapids concludes a three-game road trip at the Admirals tonight before returning home on Friday and Saturday to host the Belleville Senators for the first time ever.

Halfway Home
Tonight is game No. 38, marking the halfway point of the season. Three times in the season’s opening 37 games the Griffins have embarked on at least a five-game point streak (7-0-1-1 from Nov. 17-Dec. 7, 4-0-1-1 from Dec. 21-Jan. 4, 4-0-0-1 from Oct. 27-Nov. 8). The Griffins are aiming to reach 20 wins by a season’s midpoint for the 16th time overall in franchise history and the fifth since the AHL went to a 76-game schedule beginning in 2011-12.

Terry Selected for 2019 AHL All-Star Classic
The AHL announced last Thursday that the Griffins’ top point producer and the league’s leading goal scorer, Chris Terry, has been selected to play for the Central Division All-Star Team at the 2019 Lexus AHL All-Star Classic presented by MGM Springfield, to be held Jan. 27-28 in Springfield, Mass. Terry, in his 10th season as a professional and first in Grand Rapids, has earned his third consecutive AHL All-Star bid and fourth overall (2012). The John B. Sollenberger Trophy award winner from 2017-18 as the league’s leading scorer and a reigning AHL First All-Star Team selection, Terry paces the league with 22 goals this season and places fourth with 39 points in 37 games while adding a plus-13 rating and 16 PIM. He is bidding to join Teemu Pulkkinen (34 in 2014-15) and Donald MacLean (56 in 2005-06) as the only Griffins to lead the league in goals.

What You Doin’ Terr
The AHL’s leading scorer from a season ago, Chris Terry sits atop the league’s goal leaderboard with 22. The 10th-year pro has reached the 20-goal plateau for the sixth time in his AHL career. He is also one of three active AHL players with 200 or more career goals. Over the last 20 contests since Nov. 24, Terry has accumulated 23 points (11-12—23), which is the second most in the league in that span. In the last seven games, he is responsible for 10 points (4-6—10). Terry places fourth in the league with 39 points overall.

Puemped Up
Matt Puempel banked his team-leading 11th multi-point game of the season with a goal and an assist last Saturday at Hershey. In comparison, Puempel had 15 in all of 2017-18. The sixth-year pro and second-year Griffin places second on the team in both goals (14) and points (28).

Between the Pipes
Harri Sateri has points in nine of his last 11 starts (7-2-2) and has allowed one goal in two of his last four games. His 11 victories on the season tie for ninth in the league. In his last six outings, Patrik Rybar has notched a 2.13 GAA and a 0.927 save percentage to go along with a 2-2-2 record. Skating in his first season in North America, Rybar ranks sixth in the AHL with a 2.38 overall GAA.

Page Turner
Turner Elson ties for third on the team with 26 points (11-15—26) and is just four shy of matching his career high of 30, which he has attained twice previously (2014-15 with Adirondack and 2015-16 with Stockton). He has already bettered his output from his first season with the Griffins in 2017-18 (9-12—21 in 57 GP). The sixth-year pro shows two points (1-1—2) in his first five games back after missing four due to injury. Elson has all three of the Griffins’ shorthanded goals this season, which also ties for the most in the AHL. Three shorties is the most by a Griffin in a single season since Landon Ferraro and Tomas Nosek both collected three in 2014-15.

Hicks Mix
With Filip Hronek on recall with the Red Wings, third-year pro Joe Hicketts is the team’s top defenseman in terms of point production with 11 (2-9—11) in 28 games. He has points in three of the last four games. Hicketts’ two goals this season have come in timely fashion, as he scored the game-tying goal with 1:17 remaining in regulation during a 5-4 shootout win Dec. 15 vs. Milwaukee and netted the game-winner on New Year’s Eve against Rockford with 4:44 to play.

Wading Back In
Following nearly a month’s stay in the NHL with Detroit where he appeared in five games after being recalled on Dec. 4 and assigned on Jan. 3, veteran center Wade Megan has three points (1-2—3) in his first two outings back in Grand Rapids’ lineup. Megan became the 172nd Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut on Nov. 1 vs. New Jersey and has skated in 11 games this season and tallied one assist. Appearing in 16 games with the Griffins, the sixth-year pro shows 10 points (4-6—10) and a plus-five rating.

This Date in Griffins History
2001: In online voting by fans, Mike Fountain, Travis Richards and Todd White are chosen as starters for the 2001 IHL All-Star Game.
2003: In a press conference at Van Andel Arena, AHL president David Andrews awards the 2004 AHL All-Star Classic to the Griffins and the city of Grand Rapids. The dates for the event are later set for Feb. 8 (skills competition) and Feb. 9 (game).
2004: The Griffins finish with a 2-2 tie against Utah and NHL veteran goalie Ron Tugnutt, who makes 24 saves. Michel Picard registers an assist, becoming the first Griffin to record 350 points.
2013: In a 6-3 win at Rockford, Triston Grant sets a franchise record for penalty minutes in a period and ties the mark for a game by collecting 34 PIM, all during the third stanza.
2016: Andy Miele’s goal in the second round of the shootout gives the Griffins their 13th consecutive home win, a 4-3 decision over Lake Erie.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins