Griffins Game #28 * Road Game #14 * AHL Game #402

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

Griffins at Condors
Second of four meetings overall, second of two at Mechanics Bank Arena…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 27-19-1-1-3 all-time record (0.578) 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….The Griffins hold a 9-11-1-3 record (0.458) against current teams in the Pacific Division, including a 4-6-1-2 (0.423) mark on the road...Grand Rapids will play eight games against the Pacific this season...The season series between the teams will conclude March 13-14 in West Michigan.

Last Time Out (Friday): Griffins 6 at Condors 5 OT - Recap
In the third all-time meeting between the teams, Grand Rapids picked up its first win…Rookie Taro Hirose bagged two goals, including the overtime-winner with 12 seconds remaining, and added an assist...Rookie Joe Veleno registered his first two-goal outing...Givani Smith tallied a career-high three assists...Eric Tangradi (2) and Dominic Turgeon (6) also lit the lamp for Grand Rapids...Acquired by Detroit from Carolina in exchange for Oliwer Kaski on Thursday, defenseman Kyle Wood made his Griffins debut...Assigned by the Red Wings on Wednesday, defenseman Dennis Cholowski made his Griffins season debut...The Griffins played their fourth game of the season tied after regulation and won their first overtime game since Feb. 16, 2019 vs. San Antonio...Grand Rapids outshot Bakersfield 33-25, finished 2-for-4 on the PP and 3-for-3 on the PK.

Status Update
The Griffins have points in three consecutive games (2-0-0-1) and are 2-0 in their season-high six-game road trip, which continues tonight as Grand Rapids finishes off a two-game set against Bakersfield. After today’s tilt, Grand Rapids will be halfway through its road trip and will head back to San Diego for a Tuesday night matchup. Grand Rapids has come back from trailing by two goals during both contests on the road trip so far. Tonight completes the ninth of 25 times this season the Griffins will play on back-to-back nights.

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).

Goalvani
Second-year pro Givani Smith has a team-high five points (1-4—5) in the road trip so far. With 13 points (4-9—13) in 16 AHL games this season, he has already matched his scoring production from his rookie campaign when he appeared in 64 contests (6-7—13).

We’re Going Going, Back Back, to Cali Cali
Tonight marks game No. 19 all time for Grand Rapids in the Golden State, including playoffs. The Griffins are 6-9-1-2 (0.417), which includes 1-1 in the postseason.

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 three outings in his return to a Griffins uniform, including a season-high two points last night. A 2017 Calder Cup champion with Grand Rapids, Tangradi ranks among the team’s all-time leaders with 168 points (9th), 78 goals (T5th), 21 PPG (10th), 14 GWG (4th), three OT goals (T3rd) and eight unassisted goals (T3rd) in 203 games since 2015-16. 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.

Hicks Mix
Behind four points in the last four games (1-3—4), Joe Hicketts ranks third overall on the Griffins in scoring while leading all team defensemen with 15 points (1-14—15). He ranks among the AHL’s defenseman leaders in assists (T7th) and points (T15th).

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 976-669-27-59-114 (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’ 316 regular season wins since the 2012-13 campaign are third behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 317 and Toronto’s 334 while the Griffins’ 686 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
2000: Goalie Mike Fountain, defenseman Travis Richards and center Todd White are chosen to play in the 2001 IHL All-Star Game. Former Griffins bench boss Guy Charron is promoted to head coach of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.
2005: In the midst of a regular season in which they score a franchise-record 323 goals, the Griffins suffer their only shutout loss, 5-0 at Toronto.
2011: Landon Ferraro’s goal in the seventh round of the shootout lifts Grand Rapids to a 5-4 win over Rockford.
2013: A 5-0 win over Milwaukee marks the Griffins’ 17th win in their last 20 games and improves their record to 19-5-1-1, marking the best 26-game start in franchise history. Tom McCollum stops 31 shots to claim his first shutout of the season.
2018: Chris Terry tallies his 200th AHL goal and his league-leading 17th goal of the season, but Rockford takes a 3-2 win in overtime.