Milwaukee Admirals (30-24-13-2) vs. GRIFFINS (38-21-6-4)

Griffins Game #70 * Home Game #36 * AHL Game #1055

Season Series: 6-1-0-1 Home Series: 3-0-0-1 Road Series: 3-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 98-62-7-7-8 All-Time Home Series: 53-29-2-2-3 All-Time Road Series: 45-33-5-5-5

Griffins vs. Admirals
Ninth of 10 meetings overall, fifth of five at Van Andel Arena…The Griffins have won five straight games over Milwaukee while also showing points in nine of the last 10 (8-1-0-1) and in 17 of the last 21 (15-4-1-1)…Since the 2013-14 campaign, the Griffins are 39-16-2-1 against the Admirals, including 20-7-1-1 at home and 18-9-1-0 away…Grand Rapids has points in all four meetings at Van Andel Arena this season (3-0-0-1)…The Griffins have faced the Admirals more than any other opponent in team history as the two clubs will meet for the 183rd time in the regular season today...In the most recent matchup on March 16 at Milwaukee, Harri Sateri blocked 30 of 32 shots in regulation and Matt Puempel was the only scorer in the shootout as Grand Rapids skated away with a 3-2 victory…In the last meeting at the Van on Jan. 19, Patrik Rybar stopped all 24 shots he faced to record his first shutout in North America and help Grand Rapids to a 3-0 win…Rybar has back-to-back clean sheets against Milwaukee (March 9, Jan. 19) and has not allowed an Admirals goal since the 8:03 mark of the first period on Jan. 9, a shutout streak of 171:49…On the season, Rybar is 3-0-1 with a 0.74 GAA and a 0.973 save percentage vs. Milwaukee…Sateri shows a record of 3-1-0 to go along with a 2.67 GAA and a 0.893 save percentage…Puempel (6-3—9 in 8 GP) and Matthew Ford (1-5—6 in 8 GP) lead the scoring for Grand Rapids…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…In five appearances vs. Grand Rapids, McCollum is 1-1-3 with a 2.32 GAA and a 0.927 save percentage…Head coach Ben Simon skated in 18 games with the Admirals during the 2003-04 campaign and finished with four points (1-3—4)…Grand Rapids will conclude its regular season at Milwaukee on April 13.

Last Time Out (Saturday): Griffins 1 at IceHogs 4 - Read the full recap here
Grand Rapids wrapped up the 10-game season series with a 3-3-4-0 record...Rockford scored three unanswered goals in the third period...Colin Campbell netted his seventh goal of the season at 4:41 of the second period...Patrik Rybar stopped 30 of 33 shots...Grand Rapids finished 0-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.

Status Update
The Griffins’ magic number to extend their franchise-record Calder Cup Playoff streak to seven years stands at four points. Grand Rapids is in sole possession of second place in the Central Division standings with a 38-21-6-4 record and 86 points, trailing Chicago by four points. The Griffins have earned points in nine of their last 13 outings (7-4-2-0) and in 20 of their last 28 (17-8-3-0). Grand Rapids wraps up its three-in-three weekend this afternoon against Milwaukee before heading to California on Wednesday to play the Ontario Reign for the second time in franchise history. The Griffins conclude their stretch of facing 20 consecutive division foes today (10-6-3-0 record so far).

Playoffs?
The Griffins can clinch a Calder Cup Playoff berth tonight with a win vs. Milwaukee and any Rockford loss (regulation/OT/SO) against Chicago. Should the Griffins secure a spot, it will extend their franchise-record postseason streak to seven years and mark the 17th time in the franchise’s 23-year history they have qualified for the league’s playoffs (includes IHL).

Home Cooking
The Griffins host Milwaukee in their third to last game of the regular season at Van Andel Arena, a place where they have points in six of their last eight games (4-2-2-0) and in eight of their last 11 (6-3-2-0). With a 22-7-3-3 overall mark inside friendly confines, the Griffins rank among the league’s home leaders with 22 wins (T5th), 50 points (4th) and a 0.714 points percentage (5th). The Griffins have won 20 or more home games for the seventh straight season. Grand Rapids is a +21 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.20 goals and operating at 18.42% on the power play, compared to –7, 2.76 and 9.70% on the road. Chris Terry (14-19—33), Carter Camper (11-19—30) and Matt Puempel (12-15—27) lead the team in scoring at home. Harri Sateri is 13-2-2 at Van Andel Arena with a 2.42 GAA and a 0.909 save percentage while Patrik Rybar is 9-5-4 with a 2.36 GAA and a 0.913 save mark.

(Don’t) Put It In Reverse Terr
With 28 goals (T8th in AHL), 59 points (T13th) and 31 assists – all team highs – Chris Terry has surpassed the 50-point mark in his seventh consecutive full AHL season. Owning 499 career AHL points, he needs one more to become the 96th player in league history to amass 500 or more.

Wade For It
In 28 GP in 2019, Wade Megan leads Grand Rapids with 27 points and 14 goals while tying for third with 13 assists and ranking third with a plus-nine rating. He has produced 10 points (4-6—10) in his last 10 outings.

Adding to the List
Jake Chelios became the 179th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL, as well as the 100th player in franchise history to make his NHL debut after playing for Grand Rapids, when he skated in Detroit’s 4-0 win vs. New Jersey on Friday at Little Caesars Arena. He was also the 100th player in franchise history to make his NHL debut after playing for Grand Rapids. Chelios finished with a plus-one rating in 17:11 of ice time.

Page Turner
Sixth-year pro Turner Elson has set new career highs this season in both points (37) and assists (21), and needs one more goal to match his career best of 17 set in 2014-15 with Adirondack.

You’re A Wizard, Harri
Harri Sateri has points in eight of his last nine decisions (5-1-3) and in his last 18 games he is 11-3-3 with a 2.35 GAA and a 0.915 save percentage. With 22 victories – which tie for 10th in the AHL – the Finnish netminder has reached the 20-win mark for the first time in his AHL career.

Rybar Supports
Patrik Rybar, in his first season in North America, is third in the league with 2.30 GAA and in his last 12 appearances he shows a 7-5-0 record to go along with a 2.11 GAA, a 0.924 save percentage and two shutouts.

Griffins in General
Grand Rapids needs two wins and four points to reach 40 and 90, respectively, for the seventh consecutive season...The Griffins were the second team in the Western Conference to reach 80 points following a 2-1 shootout win at San Antonio on March 19...Grand Rapids became the first in the West to hit the 70-point plateau after a 4-3 shootout win against Texas on Feb. 22...The Griffins became the fifth team in the league this season to reach 30 victories after a 3-2 overtime win vs. San Antonio on Feb. 16...Grand Rapids achieved 30 Ws or more in its first 53 games for the sixth time in the last seven seasons...The Griffins’ 3-0 win against Milwaukee on Jan. 19 marked the franchise’s 950th all-time regular season victory…Grand Rapids is 965-650-27-57-112 (0.587) in the regular season since 1996-97…Grand Rapids’ 305 regular season wins and 660 points since the 2012-13 campaign are both the second-most in the AHL in that time, trailing only Toronto (315 / 681) and just ahead of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (301 / 651).

This Date in Griffins History
The Griffins are 7-3-0-0-0 all time when playing on March 31, including a 3-2-0-0-0 mark on home ice.
2000: The Griffins clinch a first-round playoff bye and set a franchise record for shots allowed (12) in a 1-0 win at Houston. Mike Fountain’s third shutout of the season gives Grand Rapids a total of seven, establishing a new team record.
2001: Mike Fountain leads the Griffins to a 5-2 victory at Cincinnati and ties Pokey Reddick’s franchise record with his 30th win of the season.
2006: Grand Rapids claims both the North Division and Western Conference regular season titles with a 5-4 overtime win at Manitoba, giving the team its record 11th straight win, its record-tying 53rd win of the season, and a best-ever mark of 12-1 for the month. Bryan Helmer’s overtime winner gives him 53 points, matching the single-season club mark for defensemen set by Niklas Kronwall. In addition, Jiri Hudler’s three assists give him a franchise-record 57 for the season, and Jimmy Howard extends his team-record winning streak to 12 games, finishing March with a perfect 11-0 slate.
2012: Four-point nights from Chris Minard – including his third hat trick of the season – and Chris Conner pace the Griffins to a 6-2 victory over Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City.

Marching On
Owning a 7-4-2-0 slate this month, the Griffins have secured a winning record in March for the 11th consecutive season and have combined for a 85-46-7-8 (0.634) mark since 2008-09.

Back to Backs
This weekend will mark the 24th of 26 times total this season the Griffins will play on consecutive nights and the third and final time playing a three-in-three.

Game presented by Nestlé Purina

Jake Engel Memorial Dog Game presented by Nestlé Purina: Man’s best friend is invited to Van Andel Arena to watch some hockey as the Griffins host their fifth annual Dog Game. Owners may bring their dog to the game with the purchase of both a human ticket for $15 and a dog ticket for $5. All dog ticket proceeds will benefit Paws with a Cause. For more information, including a downloadable waiver form for your dog, please visit griffinshockey.com/dog. The game is in memory of its former coordinator Jake Engel, the Griffins corporate sales account manager who passed away on Feb. 6, 2018.

Post-Game Jersey Auction: After the game, fans can bid on the special-edition jerseys that will be worn by the Griffins during the game, with proceeds to benefit Grand Valley State University’s Iota Tau Alpha chapter. 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.

Post-Game Open Skate: Bring your skates to the rink and take to the ice for the post-game open skate.

Sunday is Funday: For all Sunday games, enjoy $1 small Pepsi drinks and $1 small ice cream cups from 3-5 p.m.

Pepsi Reading Goals Redemption Date: Children with Griff’s Reading Goals bookmarks who have completed the required three hours of reading can redeem their bookmark for two free upper level tickets to any of the following games: March 31 or April 10.

Library Nights: For all Wednesday and Sunday games, fans can present their Grand Rapids Public Library card or Kent District Library card at the Van Andel Arena box office on the night of the game or at The Zone anytime during the store’s regular business hours to purchase either an Upper Level Faceoff ticket for $14, an Upper Level Center Ice ticket for $17, or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $20. Limit four tickets per card per person, subject to availability.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins