Griffins Game #40 * Home Game #18 * AHL Game #572

Season Series: 2-3-0-0 Home Series: 2-1-0-0 Road Series: 0-2-0-0
All-Time Series: 64-33-1-1-7 All-Time Home Series: 34-14-1-1-5 All-Time Road Series: 30-19-0-0-2

Griffins vs. Moose
Sixth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena…The season series will conclude April 4-5 in Winnipeg…Grand Rapids’ victory last night snapped Manitoba’s three-game winning streak in the series...Since the Moose rejoined the AHL in 2015-16, Grand Rapids is 20-9 against Manitoba and outscored them 92-67…On home ice in that span, the Griffins are 11-4 with a 50-36 scoring advantage…Grand Rapids has claimed six of the last eight meetings at Van Andel Arena…Matt Puempel recorded his first AHL hat trick and Joe Veleno netted his first pro goal on Oct. 25 vs. Manitoba…Chris Terry leads the Griffins with 11 points (5-6—11) in five games this season vs. Manitoba…Grand Rapids has scored on 6 of 14 power play opportunities…Moose forward Derek Hulak skated in 35 regular season games with the Griffins last season and tallied four points (1-3—4) before showing a goal and an assist in four games during the Central Division Semifinals against Chicago…Dylan McIlrath was born in Winnipeg and Calvin Pickard lives there in the offseason.

Last Game (Friday): Moose 0 at Griffins 1 - Recap
Calvin Pickard stopped 23 shots for his second shutout of the season and 14th career in the AHL…Grand Rapids blanked Manitoba for the first time since Feb. 17, 2018 in Winnipeg (5-0 W)...The Griffins claimed a 1-0 victory for the first time since Feb. 15, 2018, which also came against the Moose...Michael Rasmussen made his return to the lineup after missing the last 23 games due to injury...Chris Terry’s goal at 13:37 of the first period ended Grand Rapids’ goal drought at Van Andel Arena at 174:13…Grand Rapids halted a six-game losing streak on home ice...Joe Veleno and Moritz Seider played their first AHL games since Dec. 17 after representing Canada and Germany, respectively, at the World Junior Championship.

Status Update
Grand Rapids started the second half of its season with a 1-0 victory last night. The Griffins will aim for three consecutive wins for the first time since Oct. 23-26 as they finish a weekend set against the Moose in game No. 2 of their eight-game homestand tonight. Grand Rapids faces five different opponents during the eight games and up next is the Rockford IceHogs on Wednesday.

Staycation
Tonight is the second of an 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 (7-8—15) and Matt Puempel (6-7—13) lead the team in scoring at Van Andel Arena this season. Calvin Pickard has turned aside 55 of 56 shots (0.982) in his last two home appearances. Since the 2016-17 season, Grand Rapids is 14-6-0-1 (0.690) in West Michigan in January.

Back Up, Terr
2020 AHL All-Star Classic selection Chris Terry is on a three-game point streak (1-3—4) and has six points (1-5—6) in his last five outings. He ties for fifth in the AHL in points (36) while pacing the Griffins in goals (14), assists (22), multi-point games (12) and power play goals (8). Terry needs three more points to become the 43rd player in franchise history to score 100 points in a Griffins uniform (43-54—97 in 106 GP). 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.

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 on 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.

Page Turner
Turner Elson is on a three-game point streak (1-3—4) and his five points (2-3—5) in 2020 is second on the team to Chris Terry’s six (1-5—6).

Puemped Up
Matt Puempel, in his seventh pro year, notched his second career AHL hat trick, with both coming this season, in last Sunday’s loss at San Antonio. He recorded his first on Oct. 25 vs. Manitoba in what was his 301st AHL game and netted his second in his 19th game after that. The last player with two or more hat tricks in one season was Teemu Pulkkinen in 2014-15 when he netted two in the regular season (Jan. 29 at Iowa, March 4 vs. Oklahoma City) and one in the postseason (May 6 vs. Rockford). Despite missing 11 games this season, Puempel ranks second on the Griffins in both points (25) and goals (12).

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 62 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, Smith and Zadina remain on recall.

This Date in Griffins History
2014: With a 4-1 victory over Iowa, the Western Conference-leading Griffins complete the first half of their regular season slate with a 25-10-1-2 record, marking the team’s second-most wins and points ever through 38 games.

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 981-675-27-60-114 (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’ 321 regular season wins since the 2012-13 campaign tie Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for second, behind only Toronto’s 337 while the Griffins’ 697 points in that span tie Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for third, trailing Providence (703) and Toronto (730)…Since the affiliation began in 2002-03, 92 Griffins have gone on to play for the Red Wings.

Presented by Michigan First Credit Union

Heroes vs. Villains Night presented by Michigan First Credit Union: A select number of popular heroes and villains will be available to take photos on the concourse, interact with fans and take part in game-night promotions, courtesy of the Cosplay Crusaders. The Newaygo Ghost Busters will also be on hand.

Poster Giveaway presented by Michigan First Credit Union: Fans will get to go home with a one-of-a-kind poster as they exit the game.

Post-game Autograph Session presented by Huntington Bank: Dylan McIlrath, Calvin Pickard and Joe Veleno will sign autographs following the game from the team’s bench.

Baby Derby presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan: During the first intermission, a select number of babies will participate in a race on the ice with the winner receiving a $100 Meijer gift card. Nominate your baby for the derby by visiting griffinshockey.com/baby-derby.

Friends & Family 4-Packs presented by Big E’s Sports Grill: Available for all Saturday games, each pack includes four tickets and $20 in concession cash for a great low price. Visit griffinshockey.com/f4p or call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2. Continuing this season, fans may use their concession cash to purchase healthy choice menu options at the stand located outside of section 126, including low-fat yogurt, apples, oranges, granola bars and smoothies.

Photo by Sam Iannamico/Griffins