Griffins Game #19 * Home Game #10 * AHL Game #288

Season Series: 2-1-0-0 Home Series: 1-1-0-0 Road Series: 1-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 54-37-9-11 All-Time Home Series: 34-12-5-5 All-Time Road Series: 20-25-4-6

Griffins vs. IceHogs
Fourth of eight meetings overall, third of four at Van Andel Arena…Dating back to the final meeting of the 2019-20 season, Grand Rapids now has points in 10 of the last 12 games (7-2-2-1) against the IceHogs...The Griffins are 18-11-6-6 in the last five seasons against Rockford. At home in the past five years, Grand Rapids is 15-4-4-3 against the IceHogs, outscoring them 77-54...Rockford comes to West Michigan with a 5-4-0-1 road record this season...Prior to their 9-4 win at Rockford on March 3 last season, the Griffins’ last nine-goal outing was a 9-1 win at Rockford on Feb. 5, 2016. They came within two goals of matching of their team record, set in an 11-6 victory at – you guessed it – Rockford on Jan. 19, 2013…Rockford is Grand Rapids’ third-most frequent opponent (Chicago 177, Milwaukee 195), as tonight’s game marks the 112th meeting between the two franchises...Both Grand Rapids’ (17.2%, T25th) and Rockford’s (19.3%, 15th) power play percentage rank in the bottom half of the AHL. In addition, the penalty kill for each franchise (Griffins 72.5%, 30th; IceHogs 78.6%, T23rd) also place near the bottom of the circuit...Tyler Spezia (1-2—3), Jonatan Berggren (0-3—3) and Ryan Murphy (0-3—3) lead the way for the Griffins against Rockford with three points in three games...Griffins head coach Ben Simon served as an assistant in Rockford for two seasons (2011-13).

Last Time Out
The Griffins dropped their first contest against Rockford on Friday, after coming into the game with a 2-0-0-0 record against the IceHogs. Kyle Criscuolo got things going for Grand Rapids in the first when he extended his point streak to five games (5-5—10) with an early goal. However, that turned out to be the only tally for the Griffins, as Rockford went on to score four unanswered and take a 4-1 victory. Netminder Calvin Pickard made his seventh straight start and his 11th consecutive appearance. Matt Berry recorded his 250th game as a pro and Riley Barber skated in his 50th contest as a Griffin. Dennis Yan made his first appearance since Oct. 30, after being sidelined for 12 games due to injury.

Roster Shake Up
The Detroit Red Wings on Thursday reassigned center Kyle Criscuolo and defenseman Dan Renouf to the Griffins. After being recalled on Monday, Criscuolo made his NHL season debut on Wednesday against Seattle and totaled 9:17 of ice time and a minus-one rating. The Harvard University graduate is currently enjoying a four-game point streak (3-6—9) from Nov. 20-28 with Grand Rapids. Renouf skated in one game for Detroit last week, logging a plus-two rating on Nov. 24 against St. Louis. Through 11 games this season with the Griffins, the Pickering, Ontario, native has two points (0-2—2) and 15 penalty minutes. On Tuesday, Grand Rapids released left wing Max Humitz from his PTO. The second-year pro skated in four games for the Griffins from Nov. 17-28, logging a plus-two rating. This was Humitz’s second stint with Grand Rapids this season, as he appeared in two outings from Nov. 5-6 and bagged an assist during his AHL season debut on Nov. 5 at Iowa. Humitz has registered six points (3-3—6) and two penalty minutes in 14 AHL contests, all coming with Grand Rapids.

Huffin’ and Puffin’
So far this season, the Griffins are 0-4-1-0 (0.100) against the Central Division-leading Chicago Wolves and 7-4-1-1 (0.615) against the rest of the AHL.

Sweet Berries
Matt Berry was named the Warrior Hockey ECHL Player of the Month for November when he led the ECHL with a plus-13 rating while scoring eight goals with 13 assists in 12 games. The former Michigan State Spartan logged at least one point in ten of Toledo’s 12 contests. His four assists on Nov. 14 started a stretch in which he totaled 10 points (3-7—10) in three games, which was enough to make him the Player of the Week in the ECHL. In total, the Canton, Mich., native bagged five multi-point outings in November.

This Date in Griffins History
2004: The Griffins become the first squad in franchise history to win 15 of its first 21 games (15-5-1-0), thanks to a 2-1 triumph over Utah.

Cris-COOL-o
After being sidelined in the first four games due to an injury, center Kyle Criscuolo has made up for his lost time with 13 points (7-6—13) in just as many outings. The Harvard University graduate logged a two-game point streak (1-1—2) from Oct. 30-31 and surpassed that mark with an active five-game point streak (5-5—10) from Nov. 20-Dec. 3. He posted back-to-back three-point nights last week against Milwaukee and Chicago. Criscuolo’s three-game goal streak (Nov. 20-26) tied Jonatan Berggren (Oct. 30-Nov. 5) for the longest on the team this season. The sixth-year pro is tied for second on the roster with 13 points, while his seven goals is a team high. On Monday, Criscuolo was recalled by Detroit and made his NHL season debut on Wednesday against Seattle, marking his first NHL game since March 5, 2018. Criscuolo was then reassigned to Grand Rapids the following morning.

High-Flying Hirose
After leading the Griffins in assists a year ago with 23, Taro Hirose has picked off right where he left off as he has bagged 13 helpers in the opening 18 games, which is a team high and tied for seventh in the league. Eight assists have come on the power play, which is tied for third in the AHL. Hirose saw his six-game point streak (2-7—9) from Oct. 30-Nov. 13 come to an end on Nov. 17 against Chicago. Hirose’s 17 points (4-13—17) this season pace the Griffins and are tied for 11th on the circuit.

Calvin’s University
Goaltender Calvin Pickard is off to a fast start, as he has allowed two goals or less in seven of his 15 appearances this season. Pickard recorded his first shutout of the season and fourth as a Griffin on Nov. 12 against Manitoba, moving him into a tie for 10th place in franchise history with Jani Hurme, Martin Prusek, and Eddie Pasquale. The 10-year pro currently ranks 13th in the AHL with a 2.52 goals against average while his 0.924 save percentage is tied for sixth. The netminder made his sixth straight start on Nov. 28 and 10th consecutive appearance, both personal highs as a Griffin. In fact, Pickard has seen action in 15 of the 18 games this season. Pickard played in just nine games in North America a season ago due to being assigned to Detroit’s taxi squad for much of the year. The Moncton, New Brunswick, native also spent some time with Vienna in the ICEHL last season, logging six games and a 1.96 goals against average.

Jonny on the Spot
Rookie Jonatan Berggren saw his six-game point streak (3-4—7 from Oct. 30-Nov. 13) come to a close on Nov. 17 against Chicago. The Uppsala, Sweden, native bagged his first AHL goal and two-point (1-1—2) night on Oct. 30, which began a three-game goal scoring streak for the right winger. The forward recorded his first two-goal night in the AHL on Nov. 20 at Texas. The former second-round draft choice notched his 50th pro assist on Nov. 12 against Manitoba and is tied for eighth among league rookies with six goals while his 13 points (6-7—13) are tied for ninth among first-year players.

Return of Riley
Although it was a slow start to this year, Riley Barber rattled off a six-game point streak (4-5—9) from Oct. 30-Nov. 13. His 13 points (5-8—13) this season place second on the roster while his four power play goals are tied for first in the AHL. Barber led the Griffins in goals (20), points (34) and points per game (1.06) a season ago. His scoring pace equaled a 48-goal, 81-point clip in a regular 76-game AHL season. Barber also ranked second in the league for goals, just one shy of Cooper Marody (who played seven more games), and was named a Central Division AHL All-Star. Six game-winning goals tied a career best while his four-game goal streak from Feb. 26 through March 11 also matched a career high. The forward added seven multi-point outings out of 32, including a career-high four points (2-2—4) on May 7 against Chicago. Barber posted a nine-game point streak (8-5—13) from Feb. 5-March 11 that was the longest ever to start a player’s Griffins career as well as the longest from the start of a Griffins season.

Rarified Air
Brian Lashoff’s 527 games played for the Griffins ranks first among active AHL players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and seventh in league history among one-team players. Of the players ahead of him on that list, the most recent – and, coincidentally, the record-holder – last played during the 1970-71 season (Bill Needham of the Cleveland Barons, 981 games played). Lashoff overtook Pete Kapusta (Providence Reds 1946-55) for the No. 7 spot on Oct. 27 against Chicago and is now four games behind No. 6 Roger DeJordy (Hershey Bears 1962-70). Lashoff is still 128 games away from breaking the Griffins’ all-time games played record, held by Travis Richards with 655 games (1995-2006).

Power Outage
Following a 2019-20 campaign in which they finished sixth in the AHL’s power play rankings at 20.9%, the Griffins exceeded that mark in 2020-21 with a power play conversion rate of 21.5%, the fifth best on the circuit. This season began just like the past years but the power play has stalled as of late, cashing in on just four of its last 36 opportunities (0.11%). Grand Rapids was held scoreless in 17 consecutive power play chances before it broke the drought on Nov. 24 with a goal on the man advantage against Milwaukee. Through 18 games the power play is converting on 17.2% of its opportunities, which is tied for 25th in the AHL. The penalty kill has not been any better, placing second to last in the AHL at 72.5%. Through the 18 games this season, the penalty kill has allowed at least one goal in 14 contests.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Riley Barber—Four power play goals are tied for first
Jonatan Berggren—Six goals are tied for eighth among league rookies, 13 points (6-7—13) are tied for ninth among first-year players
Taro Hirose—17 points (4-13—17) are tied for 11th, 13 assists are tied for seventh, eight power play assists are tied for third
Ryan Murphy—Three goals are tied for 10th among blueliners
Wyatt Newpower—30 penalty minutes are second among rookies and 11th among league defensemen
Calvin Pickard—2.52 goals against average places 13th, 0.924 save percentage is tied for sixth
Dominik Shine—56 penalty minutes are tied for second
Luke Witkowski—41 penalty minutes are third among league blueliners

Upcoming Milestones
Riley Barber appeared in his 50th game as a Griffin on Dec. 3 against Rockford. Matt Berry skated in his 250th game as a pro on Dec. 3 versus the IceHogs. Finally, Ryan Murphy suited up for his 250th game in the AHL on Dec. 3. Other upcoming milestones include:
Riley Barber—Three points from 50 as a Griffin,
Turner Elson—Four assists from 100 in the AHL, five goals from 50 as a Griffin
Brian Lashoff—Three assists from 100 as a pro
Brett McKenzie—Three goals from 50 as a pro
Donovan Sebrango—One game from 50 as a Griffin
Luke Witkowski—Three points from 50 in the AHL, one assist from 50 as a pro

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins