Griffins Game #7 * Road Game #5 * AHL Game #89

Season Series: 1-2-0-0 Home Series: 1-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-2-0-0
All-Time Series: 88-66-2-6-3 All-Time Home Series: 43-29-2-4-2 All-Time Road Series: 45-37-0-2-1

Griffins vs. Wolves

Fourth of 10 meetings overall, third of five at the Triphahn Center Ice Arena...The Wolves — formerly the AHL’s last undefeated team at 7-0 — were dealt their first loss of the season by the Griffins on Friday at Van Andel Arena, as Grand Rapids jumped out to leads of 1-0 in the first four minutes and 3-0 before the game was 23 minutes old en route to claiming their fourth straight win...When Riley Barber banked a backhand off Antoine Bibeau’s leg from below the goal line at 3:59 of the first, it gave Chicago its first deficit in a span of 334:49, dating to the second period of the Wolves’ second game on Feb. 6...Barber’s second goal of the game, 2:02 into the second, put the Wolves in a three-goal deficit for the first time this season...After surrendering seven goals (including an empty-netter) over their two season-opening losses at Chicago, the Griffins have limited each opponent to just a single goal during their four-game winning streak...The Wolves are averaging 2.7 goals per game against the Griffins and 5.4 against the rest of the league, a figure inflated by their 10-2 win over Iowa on Feb. 20…Chicago hasn’t had to travel far to collect its seven wins, as five came at the Triphahn Center Ice Arena while two were earned just 59 miles up the road at Rockford’s BMO Harris Bank Center…Taro Hirose, Givani Smith and Dylan McIlrath were all up with the Red Wings when the Griffins dropped the pair of games at Chicago.

But Wait, There’s More

Last year, the Griffins went 0-2 against the Wolves at Van Andel Arena and 3-1 at Allstate Arena to earn a series split...Grand Rapids has faced Chicago 165 times in the regular season dating back to their IHL days, the second-most of any Griffins opponent (Milwaukee, 192)…As part of his 11-year pro career, Griffins coach Ben Simon registered 87 points (37-50—87) in 196 games with the Wolves from 2001-03 and 2004-05 and was a part of their first Calder Cup title in 2002.

No Soup For You

The Griffins rank second in the AHL in both goals allowed per game (1.83) and shots allowed per game (24.0), and they boast a dynamic goaltending duo in Pat Nagle and Kevin Boyle. Nagle owns a 2-1 record and ranks among the AHL’s leaders with a 1.68 GAA (8th) and a 0.937 save percentage (11th). If you exclude goalies who haven’t yet played two games, Nagle’s rankings rise to fourth and seventh, respectively. Boyle also owns a 2-1 record to go with his 0.922 save percentage, and his 1.69 GAA ranks a hair behind Nagle at ninth in the league (fifth among goalies with multiple appearances). Both netminders have won two games in a row...The 13 shots surrendered by the Griffins in their Feb. 18 win at Rockford were one more than the franchise record for fewest allowed. Two decades ago they held visiting Hershey (Oct. 13, 2001) and host Houston (March 31, 2000) to just a dozen shots each in shutout victories…The Griffins have yet to allow 30 shots in a game, but they’ve matched or eclipsed that number themselves on four occasions.

Late Bloomers

Eight of Grand Rapids’ 15 goals this season have been scored after the second period, including seven during the third period and Dennis Cholowski’s overtime tally on Feb. 20 versus Cleveland…The Griffins’ first three wins of the season each came after the game was tied through 40 minutes of play...Friday’s win over Chicago marked the first time in six games that Grand Rapids held a lead at either the end of the first period or the end of the second period.

Taking Advantage

Both of the Griffins’ goals in last Saturday’s 2-1 home-opening win against Cleveland came on the power play, giving them at least one such goal in each of the season’s first five games. After being denied in four power play chances against the Wolves on Friday, Grand Rapids’ power play is now tied for fifth on the circuit at 22.2% (6 for 27)...The Griffins killed all 12 opponent power plays over the last three games, including five against the Wolves on Friday. Their penalty kill is now tied for ninth in the AHL at 86.4% (19 for 22).

High-Flying Griffins

Riley Barber notched the first two-goal game by a Griffin this season in Friday’s 4-1 win over Chicago, pushing his team-leading point total to eight (4-4—8, tied for 11th in the league) and his team-high scoring streak to six games...By assisting on his Barber’s first goal, Michael Rasmussen (2-2—4) and Taro Hirose (0-5—5) extended their point streaks to four and three games, respectively...After posting consecutive two-point outings, Dennis Cholowski registered an assist on Friday to push his scoring streak to three games (1-4—5)...Givani Smith, who scored his first goal of the season on Friday, has two points in three games since coming down from Detroit.

This Date in Griffins History

2015: Behind 27 saves by Petr Mrazek, the Griffins equal a franchise record with their seventh consecutive road win, a 5-0 triumph at Chicago.

We Miss You, Bob!
On Feb. 8, the beloved 21-year Voice of the Griffins, Bob Kaser, underwent successful heart surgery at the Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids to repair several blocked arteries. Released from the hospital on Feb. 14 and now recuperating at home, he is expected to miss the better part of this 30-game shortened season. Everyone in Griffins Nation, the Griffins organization, the AHL, and the Michigan hockey community wishes Bob all the best in his recovery and a quick return to health. We can’t wait until he is back in the booth.

Fruitful Februarys
February has once again been very kind to the Griffins, as they’ve posted a winning record for the month for the 11th straight year, going a combined 72-34-5-6 (0.662) since 2011. They are 4-2-0-0 so far this February heading into today’s conclusion.

Milestones Achieved and Within Reach
Riley Barber logged his 300th pro game on Feb. 20 against Cleveland, while Dylan McIlrath reached 400 AHL games on Friday against Chicago. Other milestones on the horizon include:

Griffins – Two wins for 1,000 regular season victories in franchise history
Kyle Criscuolo – Two goals from 50 for his AHL/pro career
Turner Elson — Four games played for 200 as a Griffin
Brian Lashoff – Four assists for 100 as a pro
Gustav Lindstrom - Four points for 50 as a pro
Dylan McIlrath – Four games played for 200 as a Griffin
Dominik Shine – Five points from 50 for his Griffins/AHL/pro career, six games played for 200 as a Griffin
Dominic Turgeon – Four points from 100 for his Griffins/AHL/pro career

Changing of the Guard

Prior to the season, the Griffins named Brian Lashoff as the 17th captain in franchise history, while Kyle Criscuolo, Turner Elson, Dylan McIlrath and Dominic Turgeon were selected as alternate captains. Lashoff, 30, begins his 12th season in a Griffins uniform, having made his debut as 18-year-old on March 29, 2009 at Philadelphia. One of three players to be a part of Grand Rapids’ 2017 and 2013 Calder Cup championship teams, he played his 500th regular season game with the Griffins on March 11, 2020 against Iowa, joining Travis Richards (655) as the only players to hit that milestone out of the 526 who suited up for Grand Rapids over its first 24 seasons. Lashoff’s 506 games rank first among active AHL players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and rank ninth in league history among one-team players. Of the eight players ahead of him on that list, the most recent – and, coincidentally, the record-holder – last played during the 1970-71 season (Bill Needham of the Cleveland Barons, 981 games played). Next for Lashoff to eclipse are the 513 games that Stan Smrke played for the Rochester Americans from 1957-67. Over those 502 games, Lashoff has contributed 107 points (25-82—107) and 263 penalty minutes, to go with 20 points (5-15—20) and 34 PIM in 75 Calder Cup Playoff games, the second-most in Griffins history behind former captain Nathan Paetsch’s 78. Lashoff’s resume also includes 136 games and 15 points scored (2-13—15) over parts of seven seasons (2012-15; 2016-20) with the Detroit Red Wings, along with a gold medal at the 2010 World Junior Championship earned by helping the United States defeat host Canada for just its second tournament championship ever. The Albany, N.Y., native had previously served the Griffins as an alternate captain for six seasons (2012-13; 2015-20), and now he wears the “C” for the first time since his final junior season with Kingston in the Ontario Hockey League.

Are You Experienced?

Nineteen members of the Griffins’ current 26-man roster saw action in at least one game with the club last season — from Notre Dame product Tory Dello, who made his pro debut in the final game before the shutdown, to Dominic Turgeon, who appeared in each of the team’s 63 contests — while Kyle Criscuolo has returned to Grand Rapids after having helped the Griffins win the Calder Cup as a rookie in 2016-17. Brand new to the team are goaltenders Kevin Boyle (AHL San Diego) and Kaden Fulcher (ECHL Toledo), defenseman Donovan Sebrango (OHL Kitchener), and forwards Riley Barber (AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton), Max Humitz (WCHA Lake Superior State) and Patrick Curry (H-East Boston U.).

It Is So, Joe!

Defenseman Joe Hicketts and left wing Taro Hirose are the Griffins’ top returning scorers from a season ago, when their 27 points tied for third on the squad with current free agent Matthew Ford (10-17—27). Only Chris Terry (21-30—51), now with the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod (KHL), and Matt Puempel (17-22—39), who has reunited with 2019-20 Griffin Joe Veleno in Sweden with Malmo, tallied more points.

Pick Up Where You Left Off

Pat Nagle finished 2019-20 by going 6-3 with a 2.33 GAA and a 0.925 save percentage in his last 10 appearances, and he allowed two goals or less in five of his last nine starts. The former Ferris State Bulldog appeared in 20 games for Grand Rapids last season after totaling only eight games in the AHL – including three with the Griffins – during his first eight pro seasons. If Nagle had enough minutes to qualify (about 64 shy), his 2.32 overall season GAA would have ranked eighth in the AHL.

At the Helm

Ben Simon begins his sixth season with Grand Rapids and his third as head coach. He served the first three seasons as an assistant under Todd Nelson, now an assistant coach with the NHL’s Dallas Stars. The 42-year-old Simon guided the Griffins to a 29-27-3-4 record in 2019-20, putting the team in position for what would have been an eighth straight postseason berth before the final 13 games and playoffs were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His club achieved that franchise-record seventh consecutive playoff appearance during the 2018-19 season by posting a 38-27-7-4 mark (0.572), and he played an integral role in helping the club win its second Calder Cup in 2017. During Simon’s first six seasons as a coach in Grand Rapids, the Griffins have compiled cumulative records of 204-134-14-21 (0.594) in the regular season and 24-14 (0.632) in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Griffins in General

Grand Rapids is in the franchise’s 25th overall season of play, 20th as a member of the American Hockey League and 19th as the primary affiliate of the 11-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings…Grand Rapids is 998-685-27-61-116 (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)…Grand Rapids has qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs a franchise-record seven consecutive times — and was in position to do so for an eighth straight season when the COVID shutdown hit in last March — and advanced to at least the second round in five of those postseasons.

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins