Griffins Game #61 * Home Game #30 * AHL Game #948

Season Series: 4-2-0-0 Home Series: 2-1-0-0 Road Series: 2-1-0-0
All-Time Series: 71-49-11-11 All-Time Home Series: 42-18-6-5 All-Time Road Series: 29-31-5-6

IceHogs at Griffins
Seventh of 12 meetings overall, fourth of six at Van Andel Arena…Tonight’s game will mark the second of three straight against Rockford for the Griffins...Grand Rapids will play Rockford six times in the final 12 games of the season...Grand Rapids is on a four-game win streak against Rockford and have held the IceHogs to an average of 1.50 goals per game in the last four meetings...The Griffins are 23-14-4-1 (.607) since the 2020-21 season against Rockford and have a plus-10 scoring margin (117-107). At home since 2020-21, Grand Rapids is 10-6-4-1 (.595) against Rockford with a plus-six scoring margin (56-50)...Rockford is Grand Rapids’ third-most frequent opponent, as tonight’s game marks the 143rd meeting between the two franchises...The IceHogs are 4-5-1-0 in their last 10 games and are on a three-game winless streak (0-2-1-0)...Rockford is 14-12-2-0 at home compared to 11-15-4-1 on the road...The Griffins are 5-3-1-1 in their last 10 games and are on a three-game winning streak...Grand Rapids is 17-12-2-0 on the road compared to 15-10-2-2 at home...Rockford’s power play places 12th at 19.1% and its penalty kill ranks eighth at 84.2%...Rockford ranks 26th with 2.85 goals per game and tied for 15th with 3.05 goals against...IceHogs’ Cole Guttman leads the team in points (52), goals (21), and assists (31). He is also tied for seventh in the AHL in points and tied for 17th in goals...Former Griffin Andreas Athanasiou (2013-16) is featured on Rockford’s roster. Athanasiou helped Grand Rapids claim a division title in 2014-15 and totaled 51 points (25-26—51) in 83 regular-season games with the Griffins. 

Last Time Out
The Griffins scored all three of their tallies on the power play to defeat the Rockford IceHogs 3-1 and win their third straight game on Saturday at the BMO Center. The Griffins were led by their defensive efforts, holding Rockford to a mere 15 shots in the contest. The 15 shots tied for the fewest by a Grand Rapids opponent this season. Between the pipes, Jan Bednar collected a win in his AHL debut with 14 saves and marked his name in Griffins’ history, becoming the ninth Grand Rapids rookie goaltender to win their debut. On the offensive end, Austin Watson scored once again, extending his goal streak to four straight games and his point streak to five (4-2—6) with a multi-point outing (1-1—2). Amadeus Lombardi continued to dish the puck, as he tallied an assist to push his helper streak to four (0-5—5). Joe Snively got in on the act, earning two assists of his own (0-2—2). Snively has registered six points in six matchups against the IceHogs this season (1-5—6). The Griffins finished 3-for-6 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill. 

This Date in Griffins History
2009: The first penalty-free game in Griffins’ history and the AHL’s first in one year and a day sees Grand Rapids sweep its weekend set against the Toronto Marlies by a 3-2 count at Van Andel Arena.

Getting Back Into Form
The Griffins have won three straight and have points in eight of their last 11 games (6-3-1-1) after going 3-7-1-0 in the month of February. The last time Grand Rapids won at least three in a row was Jan. 19-29 when it strung together four straight victories. The Griffins are now two points behind second-place Milwaukee and three points back of first-place Texas. In the last 11 games, Grand Rapids has averaged 3.09 goals while allowing 3.18. However, in the past three games, the Griffins have held their opponents to just 1.33 goals. Scoring at least three goals has been key for Grand Rapids, as it has a 26-2-0-1 mark (.914) when reaching at least three goals and a 6-20-4-1 (.274) record when it fails to do so. The defense, a usual strong spot for the Griffins, has allowed 2.97 goals per game since the start of the calendar year but is still tied for seventh overall with 2.75 goals allowed per game this season. 

Playoff Picture
The Griffins have a magic number of six points to clinch a playoff berth. Grand Rapids is currently in third place in the division and is just two points out of second place and three points behind first. Five teams make the playoffs, with the top three receiving a first-round bye into the Central Division semifinals. 

Home Cooking
The Griffins are on a five-game point streak at home (3-0-1-1). Grand Rapids is 15-10-2-2 inside Van Andel Arena this year with an even scoring margin (78-78). Last season, the team finished with a 23-7-4-2 mark at home with a plus-31 scoring margin (111-80), which included a franchise-record 19-game home point streak (14-0-3-2) from Jan. 13-April 5. Grand Rapids is in a stretch that will see it play seven of eight games at Van Andel Arena, running from March 12-April 4. 

The Watson Supercomputer
Veteran Austin Watson is on a four-game goal streak from March 8-15, which is tied for his career high in the AHL. Watson is also on a season-high five-game point streak from March 5-15 (4-2—6). The 33-year-old has 37 points (16-21—37) in 56 appearances, which includes AHL career-high marks in plus-minus rating (+9), penalty minutes (94), power-play goals (7), and short-handed goals (2). He ranks among the team leaders in points (T2nd), assists (4th), goals (3rd), plus-minus (3rd), penalty minutes (1st), and power-play goals (T1st). Throughout 807 pro games (518 in NHL), Watson has 296 points (149-138—296) and 890 penalty minutes. 

Making History
Netminder Jan Bednar made history last Saturday at Rockford, becoming the ninth rookie goaltender in franchise history to win their debut. The 22-year-old collected 14 saves during his first AHL appearance last Saturday in a 3-1 victory over the IceHogs. Bednar has seen action in 33 games in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye this season, showing a 21-8-4 record with three shutouts to go along with a 2.33 GAA and a .914 save percentage. Below is a list of the nine rookie goalies to win their debuts with the Griffins. 

The Lombardi Trophy
Second-year pro Amadeus Lombardi is on a career-high four-game assist streak from March 8-15 (0-5—5). Lombardi was sidelined for 28 games due to rehabbing an upper-body injury from Dec. 6-Feb. 15. Since his return, the Aurora, Ontario, native has 11 points (3-8—11) in 12 outings, which includes two career-best four-game point streaks. Through 32 appearances, Lombardi has 26 points (12-14—26) after showing 26 points (5-21—26) in 70 games as a rookie last season. The 21-year-old was selected 113th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. 

Seabass Fishing
Netminder Sebastian Cossa is on a season-high six-game point streak (4-0-2) and has points in seven of his last eight appearances (5-1-2) from Feb. 14-March 14. Through 34 games this season, the 6-foot-7 goaltender has a 19-10-5 record with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage. Cossa, the 15th overall pick in 2021 by Detroit, ranks among the league leaders in games played (T7th), minutes played (2030:16, 6th), GAA (7th), wins (T8th), and save percentage (T7th). As a rookie last year, he set a franchise record with a 19-game point streak overall from Jan. 19-April 5 (13-0-6). He also tied the franchise records for the longest home point streak (9-0-4, Jan. 24-April 5) and road point streak (8-0-2, Dec. 27-April 17). 

Nate The Great 
Nate Danielson, the ninth overall pick by Detroit in 2023, tied his season high of a four-game point streak from Feb. 14-21 and now has 10 points (5-5—10) in his last 14 games. He has had a promising rookie season with 32 points (9-23—32), 33 penalty minutes and a plus-two rating in 59 appearances. In addition to ranking fourth in points and second in assists on the team, Danielson is tied for 11th among AHL rookies in assists (23) and second in the AHL in short-handed assists (4). Prior to turning pro, the 20-year-old spent four seasons in the WHL with Brandon (2020-24) and Portland (2023-24), producing a combined 217 points (83-134—217) in 199 career games.   

Winning Skills
The Griffins are 7-2 during shootouts this season, as the seven wins are tied for the league lead with Ontario (7-1). The last time Grand Rapids won at least seven games in the skills competition was back in 2006-07 (8-5), and it has not had a winning season in a shootout since 2018-19 (6-4). The Griffins are 125-129 all time during the shootout. Cross Hanas (2-for-2), Ondrej Becher (1-for-2) and Nate Danielson (3-for-6) lead the way for Grand Rapids. In net, Sebastian Cossa is 17-for-22 (77.3%) this season and 31-for-40 (77.5%) all time as a Griffin in the shootout, which ranks fifth in franchise history. 

Shoot Your Shot
The Griffins have outshot their opponent in 13 of the last 17 games since Feb. 7. In the first 43 contests, Grand Rapids outshot its opponent just 12 times. Since Feb. 7, the Griffins have averaged 31.5 shots per game after showing 25.9 shots per game in the first 43 games. In the two outings last weekend against Milwaukee and Rockford, Grand Rapids held its opponents to 18 and 15 shots for an average of 16.5 shots. Rockford’s 15 shots last Saturday tied for the fewest by a Griffins opponent this season and threatened the team’s franchise record of 12 allowed (10/13/01 vs. HER and 3/31/00 at HOU). 

Lock it Down
The Griffins’ defense has allowed just 1.33 goals per game in their last three outings and 2.20 goals in their previous five contests. Grand Rapids uncharacteristically allowed 4.00 goals per game in the month of February after allowing just 2.09 goals per outing in January. The Griffins are tied for seventh in the AHL with 2.75 goals allowed per contest but has averaged 2.97 goals against since the start of the calendar year. At the start of February, the Griffins ranked first in the AHL with 2.43 goals allowed per game. Sebastian Cossa has shown a 2.31 GAA and .915 save percentage through 34 games, Jack Campbell has a 3.01 GAA and an .882 save percentage in 11 appearances, and Jan Bednar possesses a 1.00 GAA and a .933 save percentage in one game. 

Power Struggle
The Griffins exploded for a season-high three power-play goals last Saturday at Rockford (3-for-6). The power play has scored in five of the last nine games (7-for-37, 18.9%) and is 9-for-49 in its last 11 outings (18.4%). However, Grand Rapids is still 10-for-80 (12.5%) on the man-advantage in its last 20 games. The power play has quickly fallen into 26th place on the circuit at 16.7% (36-for-215) after being ranked 10th at the beginning of February (18.7%). If you break it down further, Grand Rapids’ home power play is 16-for-95 (16.8%, 25th) and its road power play is 20-for-120 (16.7%, T20th). The Griffins have given up eight short-handed goals, which is tied for the ninth most. The Griffins’ penalty kill has gone 24-for-28 (85.7%) in its last nine games but has allowed a power-play goal in 11 of the previous 19 games (48-for-63 on PK, 76.2%) and in 17 of its last 28 outings (75-for-96 on PK, 78.1%). The Griffins have the fewest penalty minutes in the AHL this season at 618. The penalty kill ranks 13th at 82.8% after starting the month of February in seventh place at 85.1%. Grand Rapids has scored seven short-handed tallies, which is tied for 13th in the AHL. The Griffins are 19-5-2-2 when scoring on the power play and 12-14-2-1 when they allow a power-play goal. 

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Shai Buium—Tied for fifth among rookie defensemen in assists (20), tied for 11th among rookie defensemen in points (22), tied for sixth among rookie defensemen in power-play goals (2), tied for 10th among rookie defensemen in power-play assists (6), tied for 11th among rookie defensemen in shots (65)
Sebastian Cossa—Sixth in minutes played (2,030:16), tied for seventh in games played (34), seventh in GAA (2.31), tied for eighth in wins (19), tied for seventh in save percentage (.915)
Nate Danielson—Tied for 11th among rookies in assists (23), second in short-handed assists (4), first among rookies in short-handed assists (4), 15th among rookies in shots (111)
Josiah Didier—Tied for seventh in short-handed assists (2), tied for third among defensemen in short-handed assists (2)
Alex Doucet—Tied for second among rookies in short-handed goals (2) 
Sheldon Dries—Tied for sixth in game-winners (6)
Austin Watson—Tied for first in major penalties (10) 

Milestones
On March 8 at Chicago, William Wallinder competed in his 300th pro game and Sheldon Dries registered his 100th assist in the AHL.   
Jack Campbell—One game from 450 as a pro 
Sheldon Dries—One goal from 150 as a pro, one game from 450 as a pro
x Dominik Shine—One unassisted goal from claiming the franchise record of 11 in a career, one goal from moving into a tie for ninth place in the franchise’s all-time goals scored list (Derek King, 73) 
Austin Watson—One goal from 150 as a pro, four points from 300 as a pro 

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins