Griffins Game #41 * Home Game #19 * AHL Game #595

Season Series: 2-2-0-1 Home Series: 1-0-0-1 Road Series: 1-2-0-0
All-Time Series: 45-34-7-9 All-Time Home Series: 30-11-3-3 All-Time Road Series: 15-23-4-6

Griffins vs. IceHogs
Sixth of 10 meetings overall, third of five at Van Andel Arena…In the last meeting on Dec. 6, Eric Tangradi signed a one-year contract with the Griffins 90 minutes prior to the opening faceoff and then scored the team’s only goal in their shootout loss…Grand Rapids is winless in the last three matchups (0-2-0-1)…Chris Terry (1-3—4 in 5 GP) is the series’ leading scorer…As a member of the Griffins, Matt Puempel has 18 points (8-10—18) in 20 GP against the IceHogs…Grand Rapids has killed off 13 consecutive penalties against the IceHogs and gone 19-for-20 on the PK in the series (95.0%)…Rockford’s lone PPG came during a 5-on-3 on Nov. 15…Since the 2016-17 season, the home team in the series has posted a 24-8-2-1 record (0.729)…Grand Rapids has points in 10 of the last 11 meetings at Van Andel Arena (7-1-2-1)…In the last 10 overall against Rockford, the Griffins are 3-4-2-1…Head coach Ben Simon served as an assistant in Rockford for two seasons (2011-13)…Rockford head coach Derek 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).

Last Time Out (Saturday): Moose 2 at Griffins 6 - Recap
Logan Stanley’s goal at 19:49 of the first period ended Calvin Pickard’s home shutout streak at 107:42...Pickard stopped 52 straight shots during that span...Five goals in the second period were the most in a single period since scoring six in the third of an 8-4 win at Cleveland on Nov. 4, 2018...Five goals were the most in a home period since netting five in the third of a 5-3 victory vs. Cleveland on Nov. 25, 2016...Dominic Turgeon started the period’s goal cascade with his eighth of the year 46 seconds in...Dennis Cholowski scored his first AHL goal in his 40th game at 2:36 of the second period…In his second game back after missing the previous 23 due to injury, Michael Rasmussen posted his third goal of the season at 12:30 of the second and added his fourth at 6:21 of the third...Moritz Seider (2) and Chris Terry (15) added power play goals at 15:34 and 18:31, respectively, in the middle frame…The Griffins tied a season high with three power play goals.

Status Update
The Griffins have won three straight for the second time this season (Oct. 23-26) and will continue their season-high eight-game homestand against Rockford tonight and Friday. Grand Rapids started last week last in the Central Division, but three victories helped the Griffins climb into a tie for fourth place.

Staycation
The Griffins are 2-0 to start their eight-game homestand that lasts through Jan. 25. It is the team’s lengthiest since an eight-game stretch from Oct. 14-Nov. 4, 2006 (4-3-0-1 record). In fact, the only longer homestand Grand Rapids has enjoyed is nine games from Oct. 26-Nov. 18, 2004 (4-4-1-0 record). Chris Terry (8-10—18) and Matt Puempel (6-9—15) lead the team in scoring at Van Andel Arena this season. Calvin Pickard has turned aside 85 of 88 shots (0.966) in his last three home appearances. Since the 2016-17 season, Grand Rapids is 15-6-0-1 (0.705) in West Michigan in January.

Pickard Named Player of the Week
The AHL announced on Monday that Griffins goaltender Calvin Pickard has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending January 12, 2020. Pickard turned aside 82 of the 86 shots he faced in his three victories last week. Pickard is the first Griffins player to garner Player of the Week accolades since netminder Jared Coreau on Feb. 18, 2018. He was recalled by Detroit on Sunday.

Lights Out
Since the third period on Nov. 27 at Chicago, Grand Rapids has fended off 62 of its last 68 penalties (91.2%). The Griffins have vaulted from 30th in the AHL in penalty killing on Nov. 28 to their current position of 15th.

Back Up, Terr
2020 AHL All-Star Classic selection Chris Terry is on a four-game point streak (2-5—7) and has nine points (2-7—9) in his last six outings. He ranks fifth in the AHL in points (39) while pacing the Griffins in goals (15), assists (24), multi-point games (13) and power play goals (9). In his 11th-year pro, Terry guided the Griffins with 61 points last season and the most recent player to lead GR in scoring in back-to-back seasons was Andy Miele in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

0 to 100
Chris Terry became the 43rd player in franchise history to score 100 points in a Griffins uniform (44-56—100) following his three-point effort last Saturday. He ties Slava Butsayev as the seventh-fastest player to reach the century mark.

Page Turner
Turner Elson is on a four-game point streak (1-4—5) and his six points (2-4—6) in 2020 are second on the team to Chris Terry’s nine (2-7—9).

Ford, Terry Heading to All-Star Classic
The AHL announced on Jan. 3 that Chris Terry has been selected to the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic. Terry joins Matthew Ford on the all-star team, after the Griffins’ captain was named as one of the two playing captains on Dec. 18. Terry, in his 11th season as a pro and second in Grand Rapids, has earned his fourth straight AHL All-Star bid and fifth overall (2012). He becomes the sixth Griffin ever to be named an all-star in back-to-back years (Matt Lorito 2017-18, Xavier Ouellet 2015-16, Gustav Nyquist 2012-13, Niklas Kronwall 2004-05, Michel Picard 1997-98 in the IHL) and only the third Grand Rapids forward to earn consecutive AHL selections, joining Lorito and Nyquist. A SoCal native, Ford is in his third season as the Griffins’ captain, fourth in Grand Rapids and 12th in the AHL. He becomes the fourth Griffin to be chosen as a playing captain for an AHL All-Star Classic, joining Jeff Hoggan (2016, West), Kip Miller (2007, PlanetUSA) and Travis Richards (2004, PlanetUSA).

Knuble Named Honorary Coach
USA Hockey announced last Tuesday that Mike Knuble will serve as one of two honorary head coaches for the 2020 BioSteel All-American Game on Jan. 20 at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich. Scott Gomez is the other coach. Knuble, a Kentwood, Mich., native is in his seventh season as an assistant coach for the Griffins and represented Team USA at the 2006 Winter Olympics as well as the 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2005 IIHF World Championships.

Rotating Roster
Kevin Poulin made his Griffins debut on Jan. 4 and became the fifth goaltender to log minutes for Grand Rapids this season, the team’s most since five suited up during the 2014-15 campaign (Pat Nagle, Jonas Gustavsson, Petr Mrazek, Jared Coreau, Tom McCollum). Including those five goalies, the Griffins have used 38 players already just past the halfway mark this season. Here is how the current usage stacks up to the final player counts in recent seasons: 2018-19 – 41 players, 2017-18 – 32, 2016-17 – 39, 2015-16 – 37 and 2014-15 – 39. Since the AHL’s season began on Oct. 4, the Red Wings have recalled or assigned a player from or to Grand Rapids a total of 63 times.

Red Wings Report
There have been 12 players who have played for both Detroit and Grand Rapids this season – Madison Bowey, Dennis Cholowski, Jonathan Ericsson, Jimmy Howard (conditioning), Joe Hicketts, Taro Hirose, Brian Lashoff, Dylan McIlrath, Calvin Pickard, Givani Smith, Evgeny Svechnikov and Filip Zadina. Lashoff, Pickard, Smith and Zadina remain on recall.

This Date in Griffins History
2000: Grand Rapids beats Orlando 4-1, giving the Griffins the most wins (26) and best winning percentage (0.688) in the IHL at the All-Star break.
2003: Facing nine former teammates from the 2001-02 season in a Grand Rapids reunion, the Griffins skate to a 2-2 tie against Binghamton. For the first time since Feb. 21, 2001, the Griffins do not face a shorthanded situation.
2005: The Griffins suffer a record seventh straight defeat at home, 3-2 to Milwaukee.
2013: The Griffins join forces with the Detroit Red Wings to help the parent club prepare for the NHL’s truncated regular season, and several Griffins factor into the scoring in a 4-2 Team Red victory over Team White at a packed Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Mich. Four of the game’s six goals are scored by active members of the Griffins, as the game involves mixed rosters as well as a post-game shootout.
2014: Jordin Tootoo registers his first two-goal game since 2011 in the Griffins’ 3-1 win over Chicago, marking his first multi-point outing as a member of the Detroit Red Wings organization. His last two-goal performance (part of a three-point night on April 5, 2011 vs. Atlanta) and two-point game (two assists on Feb. 25, 2012 vs. San Jose) had each come while wearing a Nashville Predators uniform.
2016: The Griffins extend their team-record home winning streak to 14 games with an incredible 1-0 overtime victory against Lake Erie, their 21st win in the last 25 games overall. With 2:52 left in a frantic 3-on-3 overtime, Nick Jensen speeds into the Monsters’ zone and tees up a blistering slap shot that many believe glances harmlessly off the iron, although the Griffins’ bench immediately erupts. Play continues without a stoppage until the extra frame expires nearly three minutes later, at which time the referees spend several minutes reviewing the overhead replay before emerging and signaling a goal.

Griffins in General
Grand Rapids is in the franchise’s 24th overall season of play, 19th as a member of the American Hockey League and 18th as the primary affiliate of the 11-time Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings…Grand Rapids is 982-675-27-60-114 (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)…The Griffins have earned 40 or more wins and accumulated 90 or more points in six of the last seven seasons…Grand Rapids has qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in a franchise-record seven consecutive seasons and advanced to at least the second round on five occasions…The Griffins’ 8-5 season-opening win at Chicago on Oct. 5 marked the club’s 750th win in the AHL…Grand Rapids’ 322 regular season wins since the 2012-13 campaign tie Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for second, behind only Toronto’s 338 while the Griffins’ 699 points in that span tie Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for third, trailing Providence (707) and Toronto (732)…Since the affiliation began in 2002-03, 92 Griffins have gone on to play for the Red Wings.

Winning Wednesday: Every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. To redeem a Winning Wednesday ticket, please visit the box office following the Winning Wednesday game, The Zone during normal business hours, or the Van Andel Arena box office prior to the next Wednesday game beginning at 5:30 p.m. Fans who exchange their Winning Wednesday ticket at The Zone on a non-game day will receive 20% off the purchase of one item (excluding jerseys). One discount per person present.

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 (regularly $16 advance and $19 day of game), an Upper Level Center Ice ticket for $17 (regularly $19 advance and $22 day of game) or a Lower Level Faceoff ticket for $20 (regularly $22 advance and $25 day of game). Limit four tickets per card per person, subject to availability.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins