GRIFFINS (16-11-2-2) at Manitoba Moose (11-15-2-0)

Griffins Game #32 * Road Game #16 * AHL Game #456

Season Series: 3-1-0-0 Home Series: 1-0-0-0 Road Series: 2-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 59-29-1-1-7 All-Time Home Series: 30-12-1-1-5 All-Time Road Series: 29-17-0-0-2

Griffins at Moose
Fifth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Bell MTS Place…The teams will meet next on Jan. 23 at Van Andel Arena...Grand Rapids has won eight of the last nine regular season meetings, including a six-game winning streak from Jan. 8-Nov. 8, 2018…During the last nine games, the Griffins have outscored the Moose 31-15...Grand Rapids has also claimed seven of the last eight inside Bell MTS Place...Chris Terry has five goals among seven points in four meetings this season, both of which are the most for either side…Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16 following a four-year hiatus, the Griffins are 15-5 vs. Manitoba, including 8-3 at Bell MTS Place…Grand Rapids and Manitoba have met 97 times in the regular season since 1996-97 when both were members of the International Hockey League…Defenseman Dylan McIlrath hails from Winnipeg…Dominic Turgeon recorded his first career hat trick at Manitoba on Feb. 17, 2018…Axel Holmstrom made his AHL debut at Manitoba on April 4, 2017, and scored his first AHL goal (overtime) at the Moose on April 5, 2017...Bryan Moore, who has appeared in two games with the Griffins this season after recently being recalled from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, skated in two contests with the Moose during the 2016-17 campaign.

Last Game (Friday): Griffins 4 at Moose 1 - Read the full recap here
Grand Rapids snapped a four-game winless streak (0-3-1-0) on the road...The Griffins had scored three goals in their previous 171:57 of game play before notching three in a 2:13 span during the third period to take control of the game…Dominic Turgeon, Matt Ford and Chris Terry lit the lamp in the final frame...After a two-game suspension, Matt Puempel returned to the lineup and tallied the game’s first goal…Carter Camper picked up his first point in his second game back after missing four due to injury...Harri Sateri turned aside 27 shots to earn his 10th win of the season...Four goals was the most the Griffins had posted on the road since Nov. 24 at Chicago (4-3 OTW).

Status Update
The Griffins ended a two-game slide with last night’s victory and tie for third in the Central Division standings with a 16-11-2-2 overall record (36 points). With points in six of its last 10 games (4-4-2-0), Grand Rapids concludes a two-game set at Manitoba this afternoon before breaking for the holiday. The Griffins will be off until traveling to Cleveland on Dec. 28.

Puemped Up
Returning to the lineup last night after serving a two-game suspension, Matt Puempel scored the game’s first goal 14:09 in. The second-year Griffin has collected points in five of his last six outings, banking six (3-3—6) in that span. Puempel places second on the club with 13 goals and third with 22 points.

Back Up Terr
The AHL’s leading scorer from a season ago, Chris Terry is atop the league’s goal leaderboard with 19 and has found twine four times in the last seven games. The 10th-year pro is one of three active AHL players with 200 or more career goals. Terry also shows points in 11 of the last 14 contests, accumulating 15 (8-7—15) in that span. His seven goals in the month of December tie for the second most in the league and his 11 points tie for seventh.

Most Goals by Christmas in Griffins History

Zadina Joins Czech Republic for WJC
The Red Wings on Thursday reassigned rookie forward Filip Zadina from the Griffins to the Czech Republic U20 National Team for the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship. Born in Pardubice, Czech Republic, the 19-year-old will represent his country at the tournament that runs Dec. 26, 2018-Jan. 5, 2019 in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. Zadina was named to the WJC All-Star Team at the 2018 event in Buffalo, N.Y., after recording eight points, including a team-high seven goals, in seven tournament games. Selected sixth overall in this year’s NHL Entry Draft by Detroit and the highest Red Wings draft pick to ever play for the Griffins, Zadina has accounted for 17 points (8-9—17) and 10 penalty minutes in 27 games during his first full professional season. The last player to leave the Griffins mid-season to compete in the World Junior Championship was Tomas Tatar in 2009-10. He tallied five points (3-2—5) in six games for Slovakia.

Between the Pipes
Harri Sateri has points in seven of his last eight starts (6-1-1), including two wins in overtime and one in a shootout. His 10 victories are seventh in the league. Patrik Rybar has collected points in nine of 14 starts this season (6-5-3) – his first in North America – and ranks seventh in the AHL with a 2.49 GAA.

Page Turner
Sixth-year pro and second-year Griffin Turner Elson ties for the league lead with three shorthanded goals. Three shorties is the most by a Griffin in a single season since Landon Ferraro and Tomas Nosek both collected three in 2014-15. Elson is the 21st player in team history to log three or more SHG in a season. He has reached the double-digit goal plateau for the third time in his AHL career and first since 2015-16. With 24 points, Elson has already bettered his output from 2017-18 (9-12—21 in 57 GP) and is on pace for 65, which would more than double his previous best of 30. Elson shows 10 points (5-5—10) in his last nine games and 18 (8-10—18) in his last 16. He has missed the last three games due to injury.

This Date in Griffins History
2003: Nathan Robinson is named AHL Player of the Week after collecting four goals, five points and a plus-three rating in three games.
2005: Donald MacLean’s five-point night, including his team record-tying second hat trick of the season, propels the Griffins to a 6-4 win over Hershey. The victory vaults Grand Rapids past Manitoba into first place in the North Division, a position it would maintain for the duration of the season.
2010: Ilari Filppula notches his second goal of the third period with just 2:54 left to lift the Griffins to a 4-3 victory over Toronto. The game marks the first time ever that brothers Brian Lashoff of the Griffins and Matt Lashoff of the Marlies play against each other in organized competition.
2012: Brian Lashoff’s shot from the right circle slips through Matt Climie 2:49 into overtime, sending the Griffins (16-9-1-1) into the Christmas break in first place for the first time in seven years with a 2-1 victory over Chicago.
2017: Matthew Ford’s goal with 1:47 remaining in regulation forces overtime, and the Griffins go on to take a 3-2 shootout win at Iowa.

Photo by Jonathan Kozub/Manitoba Moose