Milwaukee Admirals (19-15-6-1) vs. GRIFFINS (22-13-3-4)

Griffins Game #43 * Home Game #21 * AHL Game #622

Season Series: 3-1-0-1 Home Series: 2-0-0-1 Road Series: 1-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 95-62-7-7-8 All-Time Home Series: 52-29-2-2-3 All-Time Road Series: 43-33-5-5-5

Griffins vs. Admirals
Sixth of 10 meetings overall, fourth of five at Van Andel Arena…In the most recent meeting on Jan. 9 at Milwaukee, Carter Camper, Axel Holmstrom and Matt Puempel lit the lamp while Patrik Rybar turned aside 28 shots to help Grand Rapids to a 3-1 win…In the last matchup at Van Andel Arena 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…The Griffins have faced the Admirals more than any other opponent in team history as the two clubs will meet up for the 180th 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 four appearances vs. Grand Rapids, McCollum is 1-0-3 with a 2.39 GAA and a 0.928 save percentage…Three of those four appearances have come at Van Andel Arena...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 five games this season, Puempel has accumulated four goals among six points, both of which are the most for either side…In 14 career games vs. Milwaukee as a Griffin, Puempel has 15 points (8-7—15)…Against the Admirals this season, Rybar is 1-0-1 with a 1.45 GAA and a 0.947 save percentage 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), 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)…Defenseman Matt Donovan and goaltender Troy Grosenick were selected to the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic.

Ship Captain
Since the 2013-14 campaign, the Griffins are 36-16-2-1 against the Admirals, including 19-7-1-1 on home ice...The Griffins have points in six of the last eight meetings at Van Andel Arena (4-2-1-1)…Grand Rapids has points in six of the last seven matchups overall (5-1-0-1) and is 12-4-1-1 in the last 18 regular season clashes.

Last Game (Friday): Griffins 3 at IceHogs 1 - Read the full recap here
Grand Rapids won at Rockford for the first time since March 25, 2017, snapping an eight-game winless streak inside the BMO Harris Bank Center (0-4-1-3)...Jake Chelios scored his first goal as a Griffin at 2:00 in the second period and added an assist for his second multi-point game of the season...Wade Megan factored in to all three of Grand Rapids’ goals by assisting on Chelios’ goal and then tallying the game-winner at 10:33 in the third period and an empty-netter at 19:57...Harri Sateri turned aside 29 shots and has stopped 70 of 73 (0.959) in his last two outings.

Status Update
The Griffins have climbed back into first place in the Central Division with a 22-13-3-4 record (51 points) following last night’s 3-1 victory at Rockford. Grand Rapids is 3-2-0-2 in 2019 and shows points in 10 of its last 12 outings (7-2-1-2). Grand Rapids opens up a four-game homestand tonight when the Griffins welcome the Milwaukee Admirals to Van Andel Arena.

Friendly Confines
The Griffins have points in 17 of their first 20 games at Van Andel Arena (13-3-1-3) and in 12 of their last 13 (9-1-1-2). The Griffins place among the AHL’s leaders at home with 30 points (6th), 13 wins (T4th) and a 0.750 points percentage (T3rd). Grand Rapids is a +14 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.50 goals, compared to -11 and 2.68 on enemy ice.

Griffins in General
The Griffins need just one more win to notch 950 in franchise history in the regular season, showing a 949-642-27-54-112 all-time record (0.586) since 1996-97...Grand Rapids’ 289 regular season wins and 625 points since the 2012-13 campaign are both the second-most in the AHL in that time, trailing only Toronto (297 wins, 639 points) and just ahead of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (287 wins, 618 points).

Wading Back In
Since being assigned by Detroit on Jan. 3, Wade Megan has collected points in five of his first seven games back in Grand Rapids’ lineup. His eight points (4-4—8) in the new year are a team high while his plus-six rating ties for a club best. Megan factored in to all three Griffins goals last night, his first three-point outing since Dec. 30, 2017 (1-2—3, CHI vs. RFD).

Puemped Up
Matt Puempel paces the team with 12 multi-point efforts and places second in both goals (16) and points (33). The sixth-year pro banked both his 100th career AHL assist and his 200th AHL point on Jan. 12 vs. Belleville and needs just one more goal to reach 100 in the AHL.

Between the Pipes
Harri Sateri has points in 11 of his last 13 starts (9-2-2) and has allowed two goals or fewer in four of his last six. He’s stopped 70 of 73 shots (0.959) in his last two. Sateri’s 13 wins on the season tie for eighth in the league. Patrik Rybar had his season-high five-game point streak (3-0-2) snapped in Wednesday’s loss but still shows a 2.26 GAA and a 0.919 save percentage in his last six outings. Skating in his first season in North America, Rybar ranks fourth in the AHL with a 2.42 overall GAA. Griffin netminders have given up two goals or fewer in seven of the last 12 games.

Page Turner
Turner Elson places fourth on the team with 28 points (12-16—28) and is just two shy of matching his career high of 30, which he has attained twice previously (2014-15 with Adirondack and 2015-16 with Stockton). Sixteen assists has already equaled his career best total from 2015-16. He has also bettered his output from his first season with the Griffins in 2017-18 (9-12—21 in 57 GP). Elson has all three of the Griffins’ shorthanded goals this season, which ties for second 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.

Z-Score
Since returning to the Griffins after representing the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championship, rookie forward Filip Zadina has recorded three points (2-1—3) in five games. The sixth overall selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit, the 19-year-old leads the Griffins with four multi-goal outings and is one of five Griffins with 10 or more tallies. Among AHL rookies, Zadina ties for 17th in goals.

(Don’t) Put It In Reverse Terr
The AHL’s leading scorer from a season ago, Chris Terry sits atop the league’s goal leaderboard with 23. The 10th-year pro has reached the 20-goal plateau for the sixth time in his AHL career and is on pace to become just the third Griffin ever to bank 40 or more goals in a single season. 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. Over his last 23 contests since Nov. 24, Terry has accumulated 25 points (12-13—25), which ties for the fourth most in the league in that span. He ties for sixth in the league with 41 points overall. Selected to play for the Central Division at the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic, Terry has earned his third consecutive AHL All-Star bid and fourth overall (2012).

This Date in Griffins History
2013: The Griffins set franchise records for goals and combined penalty minutes in a wild 11-6 win at Rockford. Thanks largely to a bench-clearing brawl in the second period, the teams combine for 230 penalty minutes, including 91 for Grand Rapids and an opponent-record 139 for the IceHogs. Mitch Callahan nets a hat trick, Jeff Hoggan logs five points (1-4—5) and the Griffins finish 4-for-7 on the power play.

PROMOTIONS

Game presented by Eikenhout

Time: 7 p.m. at Van Andel Arena (doors open at 6 p.m.).

Toy Night presented by Eikenhout: The Griffins’ annual Toy Night will feature toy-themed elements throughout the arena.

Rubik’s Cube Giveaway presented by Eikenhout: The first 2,500 fans in attendance will receive a Griffins Rubik’s Cube. Click here to see it.

Fan-Designed Jersey Auction: After the game, fans can bid on the fan-designed jerseys that will be worn by the Griffins during the game, with proceeds to benefit the Griffins Youth Foundation. The jersey auction will take place off the Griffins’ bench in sections 121 and 122. Select players will also be in attendance. Click here to see the jersey.

Great Skate Winterfest: Griffins fans can enjoy a day full of winter-inspired events and family activities starting at noon on Saturday as part of the 2019 Great Skate Winterfest, which will run for 34 consecutive hours from Saturday to Sunday at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids. The 10th annual Winterfest will begin at noon on Saturday, leading into the Griffins’ game versus Milwaukee at 7 p.m. Following the contest, Griffins players will make their way to Rosa Parks Circle for the 16th annual Great Skate, which features at least one player skating with fans for 24 consecutive hours – 10 p.m. on Saturday to 10 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, a schedule of events, or to make a donation to the Griffins Youth Foundation in support of a Griffins player’s participation, visit griffinshockey.com/greatskate. The Great Skate Winterfest is presented by Meijer, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., and the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, with support from Mobile GR, Centennial Securities, Smallegan Real Estate, FASTSigns, Connoisseur Design, Gilmore, and Michigan First Credit Union.

Friends & Family 4-Packs presented by Big E's Sports Grill: Available for all Saturday games, each pack includes four or more tickets and $12 in concession cash for a great low price, plus a coupon for one FREE large, one-topping pizza at Big E's Sports Grill. Visit griffinshockey.com/f4p or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins