Griffins Game #27 * Road Game #13 * AHL Game #391

Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 0-2-0-0 All-Time Home Series: 0-1-0-0 All-Time Road Series: 0-1-0-0

Griffins at Condors
First of four meetings overall, first of two at Mechanics Bank Arena...The clubs are matching up for the first time since the 2015-16 season…Grand Rapids’ 2015-16 campaign was bookended with games against the Condors, as the Griffins opened the year with a 1-0 loss at Bakersfield on Oct. 9 and concluded the regular season on April 16 with a 3-2 defeat at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids shows a 26-19-1-1-3 all-time record (0.570) against Edmonton’s AHL affiliates (note this does not include the 2006-07 campaign when Edmonton held partial affiliations with five AHL clubs, one of those being the Griffins)…Bakersfield forwards Tomas Jurco and Luke Esposito are former Griffins…A 2013 Calder Cup champion, Jurco was chosen in the second round, 35th overall, of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit and skated in 113 career games for the Griffins over parts of four seasons (2012-14; 2015-17), and amassed 71 points (33-38—71)…Esposito spent his rookie campaign in 2017-18 with Grand Rapids and recorded eight points (1-7—8) in 31 games…Captain Matt Ford suited up for the Condors during their inaugural AHL season in 2015-16 and led the team in points (51) and goals (27) in 64 contests.

Last Time Out (Wednesday): Griffins 4 at Gulls 3 - Recap
Matt Ford scored the game-winner with 1:27 remaining in regulation as the Griffins scored the game’s final three goals to rally from a two-goal deficit...Ford’s goal marked his 200th in the AHL in what was his 684th game...Givani Smith (4), Joe Hicketts (1) and Chris Terry (PP, 12) lit the lamp for Grand Rapids…Assigned by Detroit on Tuesday, defenseman Madison Bowey picked up the primary assist on Ford’s GWG during his Griffins debut...Grand Rapids is 2-1 all time against the Gulls...San Diego scored 13 seconds apart in the first period, which was the fastest consecutive goals by a Griffins opponent since Manitoba tallied two in an 11-second span on Oct. 7, 2017 at Van Andel Arena...Grand Rapids outshot San Diego 31-21, finished 1-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

Status Update
The Griffins will look to make it points in three consecutive (1-0-0-1) when they continue their season-high six-game road swing tonight against Bakersfield. Grand Rapids finishes off a two-game set against the Condors tomorrow before heading back to San Diego on Tuesday.

Road Trippin’
The Griffins’ 14-day, six-game road trip is the team’s longest this season in both categories. The trip that covers 4,243 miles started Wednesday at San Diego, continues in Bakersfield this weekend, heads back to San Diego next Tuesday and concludes Dec. 20-21 at Iowa. Grand Rapids has posted a 0.500 record or better during each of its last six road trips lasting six games or longer: 5-1-0-0 in 2018-19 (March 16-26), 3-2-0-2 in 2016-17 (Feb. 28-March 12), 4-2-0-1 in 2013-14 (March 13-28), 4-2-0-1 in 2012-13 (March 23-April 6), 3-3-0-0 in 2010-11 (Jan. 6-18), 4-1-0-1 in 2009-10 (March 12-25).

Friday the 13th
Grand Rapids has proven Friday the 13th isn’t such an unlucky date after all. Entering tonight, the Griffins have played 21 times on a Friday the 13th and show a 12-6-1-2 record (0.643). The last Friday the 13th occurrence came on Oct. 13, 2017 and resulted in a 7-3 victory at San Jose. The Griffins will play on Friday the 13th for a second time this season in March against Bakersfield.

We’re Going Going, Back Back, to Cali Cali
Tonight marks game No. 18 all time for Grand Rapids in the Golden State, including playoffs. The Griffins are 5-9-1-2 (0.382), which includes 1-1 in the postseason.

Rotating Roster
The Griffins have used 28 skaters already this season (not including three goalies), which is the team’s most through Dec. 12 in the last 15 seasons. Since the AHL’s season began on Oct. 4, the Red Wings have recalled or assigned a player from or to Grand Rapids a total of 48 times.

Time to Tango
Signed to a one-year contract by Grand Rapids 90 minutes prior to the opening faceoff against Rockford on Dec. 6, Eric Tangradi has points in his first two outings in his return to a Griffins uniform. A 2017 Calder Cup champion with Grand Rapids, Tangradi ranks among the team’s all-time leaders with 166 points (9th), 77 goals (6th), 21 PPG (10th), 14 GWG (4th), three OT goals (T3rd) and eight unassisted goals (T3rd) in 202 games since 2015-16. His next goal will tie him with Jamie Tardif for fifth all time. Tangradi posted nine points (5-4—9) in 22 games for Astana Barys of the KHL this season and spent the 2018-19 campaign in the New Jersey organization.

Back Up, Terr
Chris Terry snapped a three-game scoreless streak with the game-tying goal on Wednesday. He ranks fourth in the AHL in points (28) while pacing the Griffins in goals (12), assists (16), multi-point games (9) and power play goals (8). In his 11th-year pro, Terry led the Griffins with 61 points last season and the most recent player to lead GR in scoring in back-to-back seasons was Andy Miele in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Blueline Scoring
Behind his first goal of the season on Wednesday, Joe Hicketts (1-12—13) has overtaken rookie Moritz Seider (1-11—12) as the team’s top point-producing defenseman. Hicketts ties for third overall on the club in scoring and his 12 assists tie for 14th in the AHL. Seider ties for fourth among rookie blueliners in points. Born April 6, 2001, Seider ties Ontario’s Tobias Bjornfot for the second-youngest player in the AHL this season. Only Bridgeport’s Simon Holmstrom (May 24, 2001) is younger.

Griffins in General
Grand Rapids is in the franchise’s 24th overall season of play, 19th as a member of the American Hockey League and 18th as the primary affiliate of the 11-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings…Grand Rapids is 975-669-27-59-114 (0.583) in the regular season since 1996-97 to go along with 17 playoff appearances, seven division titles and two Calder Cups (2017, 2013)…The Griffins have earned 40 or more wins and accumulated 90 or more points in six of the last seven seasons…Grand Rapids has qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in a franchise-record seven consecutive seasons and advanced to at least the second round on five occasions…The Griffins’ 8-5 season-opening win at Chicago on Oct. 5 marked the club’s 750th win in the AHL…Grand Rapids’ 315 regular season wins since the 2012-13 campaign are third behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 317 and Toronto’s 334 while the Griffins’ 684 points in that span are fourth, trailing Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (687), Providence (695) and Toronto (724)…Since the affiliation began in 2002-03, 91 Griffins have gone on to play for the Red Wings.

This Date in Griffins History
1996: Jeff Nelson sets team records with four assists and five points in a 7-4 home win over Las Vegas.
2000: Mike Fountain wins his eighth consecutive game, extending his own Griffins record with a 4-2 victory versus Milwaukee.
2015: Xavier Ouellet’s goal with 2:27 remaining in overtime completes a comeback from a three-goal deficit and gives the Griffins a 4-3 win at Iowa, as Grand Rapids ties a franchise record with its 11th consecutive victory.
2017: Exactly two years after coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 in overtime at Iowa, the Griffins replicate the feat on home ice, rallying from three goals down to claim a 4-3 shootout win over the Wild. Ben Street scores the Griffins’ second and third goals to force overtime then notches the only shootout tally.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins