Griffins Game #44 * Home Game #22 * AHL Game #644

Season Series: 0-1-2-0 Home Series: 0-0-1-0 Road Series: 0-1-1-0
All-Time Series: 31-13-3-2 All-Time Home Series: 14-6-2-2 All-Time Road Series: 17-7-1-0

Griffins vs. Wild
Fourth of six meetings overall, second of three at Van Andel Arena...The Griffins are winless in their last four vs. Iowa (0-2-2-0)…In the last 10 meetings overall, Grand Rapids is 3-3-3-1…In the last 10 at Van Andel Arena, the Griffins are 3-4-2-1…While winning 20 of the first 24 all-time meetings, Grand Rapids outscored the Wild 91-43…Since then, the Griffins are 11-9-3-2 in the series and have been outscored 80-71…18 of the last 27 meetings have been decided by one goal, including 12 that have been tied after regulation…The Griffins are 19-6-3-3 (0.710) all time on home ice against teams from Iowa, including 1-0-0-0 vs. Iowa Chops, 4-0-0-0 vs. Iowa Stars and 14-6-2-2 vs. Iowa Wild…Matt Puempel (0-4—4 in 3 GP) and Chris Terry (1-2—3 in 3 GP) lead the Griffins in the season series…Former Ferris State Bulldog and Wyandotte, Mich., native Gerald Mayhew has 16 points (11-5—16) and a plus-10 rating in 16 career games against Grand Rapids.

Last Time Out (Saturday): Senators 4 at Griffins 3 SO - Recap
Belleville made its first and only trip of the season to Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids played its eighth game that was tied after regulation…Dominik Shine has goals in back-to-back games for the first time this season after he lit the lamp at 3:20 in the second period…Dennis Cholowski netted his second AHL goal at 16:58 of the second…Cholowski scored his first AHL goal on Jan. 11 in his 40th game and now has two in the last four outings…Evgeny Svechnikov tallied his sixth goal of the season and first since Dec. 17…Kevin Poulin recorded 27 saves and has points in back-to-back outings…Three shots in the opening period tied for the fewest the Griffins have allowed in a single frame in 2019-20…Grand Rapids’ 46 shots were a season high and its 23 attempts in the second period were the most since firing 23 in the third period on April 10, 2019 vs. Iowa.

Status Update
The Griffins are on a season-high six-game point streak (4-0-0-2) and have moved into a tie for fourth place in the Central Division standings. Grand Rapids is 3-0-0-2 in its eight-game homestand and up next is the Iowa Wild tonight. The stretch will conclude on Friday and Saturday as the San Diego Gulls roll into West Michigan for the first time since Nov. 20, 2015. The Griffins will then pause for the AHL all-star break.

Streak of Six
During their six-game point streak, the Griffins are outscoring opponents 18-11 and outshooting foes 204-166 while operating at 25.0% on the power play (5-for-20) and killing off all 12 penalties. Chris Terry (3-3—6) leads the team in goals and points during the streak, followed by Turner Elson (1-3—4), Joe Hicketts (1-3—4) and Michael Rasmussen (2-2—4).

Staycation
The Griffins are 3-0-0-2 so far in their eight-game homestand that lasts through Saturday. 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 (3-2—5) and Michael Rasmussen (2-2—4) are the Griffins’ point leaders during the home stretch. Since the 2016-17 season, Grand Rapids is 16-6-0-3 (0.700) in West Michigan in January.

Lights Out
Since the third period on Nov. 27 at Chicago, Grand Rapids has fended off 68 of its last 74 penalties (91.9%), including 12 in a row. The Griffins have vaulted from 30th in the AHL in penalty killing on Nov. 28 to their current position of 12th.

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 seventh among league netminders with more than 440 minutes.

All That Ras
Second-year pro Michael Rasmussen has collected four points (2-2—4) in his first five 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 0.87, behind only Chris Terry’s 0.98 and Matt Puempel’s 0.88.

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 this coming Sunday and Monday 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).

Back Up, Terr
2020 AHL All-Star Classic selection Chris Terry shows 10 points (3-7—10) in his last nine outings. He ties for 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 on Jan. 11 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.

This Date in Griffins History
2003: The Griffins earn a 3-3 tie at Norfolk and finish a game without any penalty minutes for the first time in nearly two years (Feb. 21, 2001).
2005: Snowstorms in the Midwest prevent the Griffins from arriving in Houston in time to play their game, resulting in the third postponement in club history. The game is rescheduled for March 7 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, home of Houston’s NHL parent, the Minnesota Wild.
2010: Joey MacDonald, who won 38 home games during five memorable seasons (2002-07) as a member of the Griffins, earns his first victory as an opposing goaltender at Van Andel Arena, making 24 saves to lead Toronto to a 4-1 win over his old team.

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 983-675-27-60-116 (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 third behind Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s 324 and Toronto’s 338 while the Griffins’ 703 points in that span are fourth, trailing Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (704), Providence (710) and Toronto (733)…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