Griffins Game #43 * Home Game #21 * AHL Game #620

Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home Series: 0-0-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 2-1-0-1 All-Time Home Series: 1-0-0-1 All-Time Road Series: 1-1-0-0

Griffins vs. Senators
First of two meetings overall, first and last at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids will make the return trip to Belleville on March 20…In the inaugural matchups between the teams last season, Grand Rapids finished 2-1-0-1, including 1-0-0-1 at Van Andel Arena…Matt Puempel (2-2—4) and Matt Ford (1-3—4) led the Griffins in scoring in the series…The Griffins are 143-93-1-11-18 (0.594) all time against current North Division members, with 98 of those games coming against Cleveland (53-30-0-5-10), 72 against Rochester (41-24-1-3-3) and 68 against Toronto (32-31-0-3-2)…Eric Tangradi played three seasons (2006-09) for Belleville in the OHL and totaled 168 points (67-101—168) in 176 games.

Stepbrothers
Belleville is in its third season as the primary affiliate to the Ottawa Senators. The Griffins spent three seasons (1999-2002) as Ottawa’s affiliate, including their last two as members of the International Hockey League (1999-2001) and their first in the American Hockey League (2001-02). From 1999-2002, the Griffins won three straight division titles while compiling a 146-71-11-4-12 regular season record (0.653) to go along with an 18-14 playoff mark (0.563). The Senators showed similar success during the affiliation, advancing to the Stanley Cup Playoffs all three seasons and showing a 128-76-29-13 regular season record (0.606). Of the Griffins’ 182 alumni to play in the NHL, 38 came from 1999-02.

Last Game (Friday): IceHogs 1 at Griffins 4 - Recap
The Griffins snapped a four-game winless streak against Rockford (0-2-0-2)...Skating in his 700th AHL game, captain Matt Ford posted a goal and an assist...Dominik Shine notched his third goal at 14:11 of the opening period and added an assist for his third multi-point outing of the season...Chase Pearson netted his fifth goal and 10th point of the year...Pearson’s two game-winning goals tie for second on the team...Chris Terry added an empty-netter with 2:41 remaining...Pat Nagle recorded 21 saves and picked up his second win of the season...Including a 3-for-3 effort on the penalty kill, Grand Rapids has fended off its last 17 penalties against the IceHogs.

Status Update
The Griffins are on a season-high five-game point streak (4-0-0-1) and continue their eight-game homestand by taking on Belleville tonight for the first time this season. This will be the 14th of 25 times this season Grand Rapids will play on back-to-back nights. Iowa is up next in game No. 6 of the homestand on Wednesday. During the five-game point streak, the Griffins are outscoring opponents 15-7 and outshooting foes 158-135 while operating at 26.7% on the power play (4-for-15) and killing off all 10 penalties.

Great Skate Winterfest
Griffins fans can enjoy a day full of winter-inspired events and family activities starting at noon today as part of the 2020 Great Skate Winterfest, which will run for 34 consecutive hours from Saturday to Sunday at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids. The 11th annual Winterfest begins today at noon, leading into tonight’s game against Belleville. Following the contest, Griffins players will make their way to Rosa Parks Circle for the 17th annual Great Skate, which features at least one player skating with fans for 24 consecutive hours – 10 p.m. tonight to 10 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, a schedule of events, or to make a donation to the Griffins Youth Foundation, visit griffinshockey.com/greatskate.

Staycation
The Griffins are 3-0-0-1 halfway through 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 (9-10—19) and Matt Puempel (6-10—16) lead the team in scoring at Van Andel Arena this season. Since the 2016-17 season, Grand Rapids is 16-6-0-2 (0.708) in West Michigan in January.

Lights Out
Since the third period on Nov. 27 at Chicago, Grand Rapids has fended off 66 of its last 72 penalties (91.7%), including 10 in a row. The Griffins have vaulted from 30th in the AHL in penalty killing on Nov. 28 to their current position of 13th.

Net Nagle
Pat Nagle has allowed two goals or fewer in each of his last three starts, showing a 1.69 GAA and stopping 66 of 71 shots in that span (0.930). His 2.15 season GAA ranks sixth among league netminders with more than 440 minutes.

All That Ras
Second-year pro Michael Rasmussen has collected three points (2-1—3) in his first four games back in the lineup after missing the previous 23 due to injury. Among Griffins with more than 10 GP this season, Rasmussen ranks third in points per game with 0.86, behind only Chris Terry’s 1.00 and Matt Puempel’s 0.90.

Back Up, Terr
2020 AHL All-Star Classic selection Chris Terry shows 10 points (3-7—10) in his last eight outings. He ranks fifth in the AHL in points (40) while pacing the Griffins in goals (16), assists (24), multi-point games (13) and power play goals (9). He became the 43rd player in franchise history to score 100 points in a Griffins uniform following his three-point effort last Saturday and he tied Slava Butsayev (1999-01) as the seventh-fastest player to reach the century mark. 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, which will be held Jan. 26-27 in Ontario, Calif. 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).

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 64 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. Pickard, Smith and Zadina remain on recall.

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 the day prior to earning the award.

Knuble Named Honorary Coach
USA Hockey announced on Jan. 7 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.

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 983-675-27-60-115 (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’ 323 regular season wins since the 2012-13 campaign are second, behind only Toronto’s 338 while the Griffins’ 702 points in that span are 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.

This Date in Griffins History
2003: Thanks to a 4-2 win over San Antonio at Van Andel Arena, the Griffins extend their lead atop the Central Division to 17 points, marking the largest margin in the team’s seven seasons.
2006: Donald MacLean’s second consecutive hat trick ties an AHL record, sets a franchise mark and sends the Griffins on to their fifth straight win, a 6-3 triumph over Iowa. With his team-record fourth hat trick of the campaign, MacLean becomes the first AHL player since Hartford’s John Tripp in 2002-03 to notch four hat tricks in one season. Mathias Tjarnqvist also scores three goals for the Stars, marking just the second time in Grand Rapids history that both a Griffins player and an opposing player tally hat tricks in the same game.
2008: The Griffins earn their 500th win in franchise history off two goals and an assist by Mark Hartigan during a 3-1 victory over the Rochester Americans.
2017: Tallies from Tyler Bertuzzi and Ben Street erase a two-goal, third-period deficit before Martin Frk scores on the power play 1:34 into overtime, as the Griffins steal a 3-2 victory at Iowa to close out the first half of the season with a 25-10-1-2 mark.
2019: A 3-1 win at Rockford snaps the Griffins’ eight-game winless streak (0-4-1-3) at the BMO Harris Bank Center and marks their first victory in the building since March 25, 2017.

Presented by Marathon

Wizards Night presented by Marathon: On a night of witchcraft and wizardry, fans are encouraged to enjoy magical music before the game and search for the seven secret passages around the concourse, which will also include a sorting hat station, wanted wizard posters and the famous Platform 9 ¾. An intermission Quidditch match will also take place.

Character Appearances: Popular witches, wizards and other magical characters will be located throughout the arena.

Wizards Jersey Auction: After the game, fans can bid on the wizard-themed jerseys that were worn during the game, with proceeds benefiting the Griffins Youth Foundation. The live jersey auction will take place off the Griffins’ bench in sections 121 and 122. Select players will also be in attendance.

Great Skate Winterfest: Griffins fans can enjoy a day full of winter-inspired events and family activities starting at noon on Saturday as part of the 2020 Great Skate Winterfest, which will run for 34 consecutive hours from Saturday to Sunday at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids. The 11th annual Winterfest will begin at noon on Saturday, leading into the Griffins’ game versus Belleville at 7 p.m. Following the contest, Griffins players will make their way to Rosa Parks Circle for the 17th annual Great Skate, which features at least one player or coach skating with fans for 24 consecutive hours – 10 p.m. on Saturday to 10 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, a schedule of events, or to make a donation to the Griffins Youth Foundation in support of a Griffins player’s participation, visit griffinshockey.com/greatskate. The Great Skate Winterfest is presented by the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., and Meijer, with support from Centennial Securities, Connoisseur Design, FASTSigns, Gilmore, MassMutual, Mobile GR, and Smallegan Real Estate.

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 at top by Mark Newman/Griffins