Griffins Game #35 * Home Game #18 * AHL Game #506

Season Series: 1-1-2-0 Home Series: 1-0-1-0 Road Series: 0-1-1-0
All-Time Series: 41-30-5-8 All-Time Home Series: 28-10-2-2 All-Time Road Series: 13-20-3-6

Griffins vs. IceHogs
Fifth of 10 meetings overall, third of five at Van Andel Arena…Rockford’s 2-1 win on Dec. 16 snapped Grand Rapids’ eight-game point streak in the series (5-0-2-1)…The Griffins are 0-1-2-0 in the last three matchups vs. Rockford...Grand Rapids has points in each of the last six meetings on home ice (5-0-1-0) and in 10 of the last 11 (9-1-1-0)…Since the 2012-13 campaign, Grand Rapids is 22-4-2-1 (0.810) against the IceHogs at the Van and 11-13-1-4 (0.466) at Rockford…The Griffins are winless in their last eight trips to the BMO Harris Bank Center (0-4-1-3)...Turner Elson, Chris Terry and Filip Zadina all have two goals in the season series to lead the Griffins…Patrik Rybar has started three of the four matchups so far and is 1-1-1 with a 2.01 GAA and a 0.926 save percentage...Former Griffin Derek King is the interim head coach of the IceHogs after Jeremy Colliton was brought up to coach the Blackhawks on Nov. 6…King played in Grand Rapids from 1999-01 and 2002-04 and is the franchise’s all-time leading playoff scorer (16-25—41) and ranks fifth in regular season points (73-130—203)…King and Ben Simon were both assistant coaches with the Toronto Marlies in 2014-15...Simon also served as an assistant coach with the IceHogs during the 2012-13 season...AHL firsts vs. RFD: Givani Smith first goal (Dec. 7, 2018 at RFD), Colin Campbell first goal (March 29, 2014 vs. RFD), Jake Chelios first point (April 18, 2014 at RFD) and Vili Saarijarvi debut and first point (Oct. 28, 2017 at RFD)...Derek Hulak made his Griffins debut at Rockford on Dec. 7 and potted a goal.

Last Game (Saturday): Monsters 3 at Griffins 4 SO - Read the full recap here
Grand Rapids has points in 11 of the last 13 meetings (8-2-1-2) against Cleveland...The Griffins finished the four-game season series with a 2-1-1-0 mark...Chris Terry notched a game-high three points (1-2—3) and was the only scorer in the three-round shootout…Terry and Axel Holmstrom scored goals 36 seconds apart in the opening period...Carter Camper extended his point streak to four behind a goal and an assist…Patrik Rybar turned aside a season-high 33 shots and stopped all three in the shootout...Dominik Shine skated in his 100th career AHL game...Grand Rapids has given up a season-high 36 shots on three occasions and all have come against the Monsters.

Status Update
Following Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win against Cleveland, the Griffins are on a four-game point streak (3-0-1-0) and own an 18-11-3-2 overall record (41 points) to tie for second in the Central Division. Grand Rapids has points in 21 of its last 27 games (16-6-3-2). The Griffins host the Rockford IceHogs tonight in their 22nd annual New Year’s Eve Celebration and then will begin 2019 by heading to Pennsylvania for games against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday and the Hershey Bears on Saturday.

New Year’s Eve
With the exception of the 1999-00 season, Grand Rapids has hosted a game on New Year’s Eve every year since the franchise’s inception in 1996 as today marks the 22nd annual New Year’s Eve Celebration and the 19th consecutive calendar closer. The Griffins post a 10-9-1-1 (0.524) record on NYE and beat Milwaukee 4-3 in overtime last season. Tonight’s tilt will mark the fourth time Grand Rapids and Rockford have met to bring in the New Year, with the Griffins owning a 2-0-0-1 record (3-1 W in 2012, 2-3 SOL in 2014, 5-2 W in 2016). The most lopsided game on NYE came during the 2008-09 season when Grand Rapids shut out Iowa, 6-0 at Van Andel Arena. Including tonight, the Griffins have sold out six consecutive New Year’s Eve clashes.

Friendly Confines
The Griffins have points in 14 of their first 17 games at Van Andel Arena (11-3-1-2) and in nine of their last 10 (7-1-1-1). The Griffins’ 25 points at home ties for third in the AHL. Grand Rapids is a +11 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.53 goals, compared to –9 and 2.65 on enemy ice.

Sellouts
With a capacity crowd of 10,834 expected tonight, it will mark the 175th overall regular season sellout of Van Andel Arena. Over the course of their 23-year history at the “Freezer on Fulton,” the Griffins have enjoyed raucous crowd support, presenting a 93-63-1-2-15 record (0.586) while showing a +63 goal differential when the Van is at capacity. Grand Rapids is 4-1-0-1 when hosting Rockford at a sold-out Van Andel Arena.

2018 Highlights
The Griffins have collected a 46-21-4-5 record (0.664) during the calendar year with one game remaining...Grand Rapids qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs for a franchise-record sixth consecutive season...The Griffins fell in a decisive Game 5 of the Central Division Semifinals to snap their streak of five straight seasons advancing to at least the second round of the playoffs...Grand Rapids saw eight players either return to or debut in the NHL including Dominic Turgeon (debuted Jan. 14 DET at CHI), Joe Hicketts (debuted Jan. 22 DET at NJ), Dennis Cholowski (debuted Oct. 4 DET vs. CBJ), Libor Sulak (debuted Oct. 4 DET vs. CBJ), Filip Hronek (debuted Oct. 4 DET vs. CBJ), Wade Megan (returned Nov. 1 DET vs. NJ), Christoffer Ehn (returned Nov. 6 DET vs. VAN) and Eddie Pasquale (debuted Dec. 4 TBL at DET).

‘Tis the Season
Grand Rapids has suffered just three regulation losses at home in December since Dec. 10, 2014, going 19-3-3-3 (0.786) in its last 28 games on home ice during the last month on the calendar. With a 6-4-3-0 record in December, the Griffins have assured themselves a ninth consecutive season with a winning record in the final month.

What You Doin’ Terr
The AHL’s leading scorer from a season ago, Chris Terry is atop the league’s goal leaderboard with 21 and is on a four-game point streak (3-4—7). The 10th-year pro has reached the 20-goal plateau for the sixth time in his AHL career. He is also one of three active AHL players with 200 or more career goals. In the last 17 contests, he has accumulated 20 points (10-10—20). Terry’s nine goals in the month of December are the most in the league and his 16 points tie for third.

Puemped Up
After missing two games due to a league-issued suspension, Matt Puempel has five points in his last four outings (1-4—5). The second-year Griffin has collected points in seven of his last nine games, banking 10 (3-7—10) in that span. Puempel places second on the club in both goals (13) and points (26).

Between the Pipes
Harri Sateri has points in eight of his last nine starts (6-1-2) and his 10 victories on the season tie for 11th in the AHL. In his last four starts, Patrik Rybar shows a 2.01 GAA and a 0.934 save percentage to go along with a 2-2-0 record. Skating in his first season in North America, Rybar ties for fourth in the AHL with a 2.41 overall GAA.

Page Turner
Sixth-year pro and second-year Griffin Turner Elson is responsible for 11 points (5-6—11) in his last 11 games and 19 (8-11—19) in his last 18. With 25 points, he has already surpassed his output from 2017-18 (9-12—21 in 57 GP) and is just five shy of matching his career high of 30, which he has attained twice previously (2014-15 with Adirondack and 2015-16 with Stockton). Elson has all three of the Griffins’ shorthanded goals this season, which also ties for the most 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.

Happy Camper
During his season-high four-game point streak, first-year Griffin Carter Camper has totaled five points (2-3—5). Camper paces the club with 18 assists and ties for third in points with 25.

Zadina Playing in WJC
Rookie forward Filip Zadina is representing the Czech Republic at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship that is currently underway and lasts until Jan. 5, 2019 in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. In three games, the Czech Republic has one overtime win and two regulation losses. Zadina shows a minus-two rating, two PIM and no points in three 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 PIM in 27 GP during his first full pro season with the Griffins. 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.

This Date in Griffins History
2003: Despite a 1-0 loss to Utah, the Griffins finish calendar year 2003 with a 48-23-8-0 record (0.658), the best mark of the AHL’s 28 teams.
2010: Joey MacDonald makes a season-high 43 saves to best Toronto rookie Ben Scrivens’ 40 stops, enabling the Griffins to complete their dramatic comeback from a late 1-0 deficit. After Francis Pare scores with just 1:37 left in regulation to put Grand Rapids on the board, the Griffins think they have won the game on another Pare goal from close range with just a half second left in overtime, with the entire bench and even MacDonald joining in a pile-up celebration behind the Toronto goal. But the roar of the sold-out crowd is belatedly snuffed out by a linesman’s ruling that the puck came to Pare on a hand pass from Jamie Tardif. Undaunted, the Griffins then take the shootout 3-1 to secure the win.
2013: One night after Toronto spoils Grand Rapids’ inaugural outdoor game with a shootout win in subfreezing conditions at Comerica Park, Marlies rookie goaltender Garret Sparks freezes the Griffins’ top-ranked offense by making 31 saves in a 3-1 win. The Griffins close out a tremendous 2013 that garnered a Calder Cup championship and a 46-24-4-5 (0.639) regular season record during the calendar year.
2014: Jared Coreau’s 47 saves enable the Griffins to earn a point in a 3-2 shootout loss to division-leading Rockford.
2015: Jared Coreau pitches a 23-save shutout as the Griffins ring out 2015 with their franchise-record 11th consecutive home win, a 3-0 decision over division-leading Milwaukee.
2016: The Griffins’ 5-2 victory over Rockford secures a spot for head coach Todd Nelson in the 2017 AHL All-Star Classic, by virtue of Grand Rapids (20-8-1-2, 0.694) owning the best points percentage in the Central Division as 2016 expires.

PROMOTIONS

New Year’s Eve Post-Game Fireworks presented by Farm Bureau Insurance: Fans are encouraged to stick around after the game and help ring in the New Year with West Michigan’s Largest Indoor Fireworks Show.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins