Griffins Game #32 * Home Game #16 * AHL Game #381

Season Series: 6-3-0-0 Home Series: 3-1-0-0 Road Series: 3-2-0-0
All-Time Series: 60-34-5-10 All-Time Home Series: 34-17-1-2 All-Time Road Series: 26-17-4-8

Griffins vs. Monsters

Tenth of 10 meetings overall, fifth of five at Van Andel Arena…The Griffins conclude their shortest season ever on the latest date they’ve ever played a regular season game...Given that the Griffins participated in the last seven Calder Cup Playoffs (2013 through 2019), were in position to qualify when the 2019-20 season was canceled, and were in contention for the 2020-21 Central Division title up until Wednesday, tonight’s contest marks the first game that the Griffins will play at Van Andel Arena in more than nine years without so much as a division banner to play for. They sustained a 7-5 loss to Chicago on April 13, 2012, their home finale in the last season in which they didn’t make the playoffs...Grand Rapids is 6-3 against second-place Cleveland this season. Against all other foes, the Monsters are 13-4-0-2 and the Griffins are 9-9-3-1...Riley Barber (6-4—10 in nine contests) is averaging more than a point per game versus the Monsters...Cleveland ranks second in the AHL on the power play (26.9%) and third in goals per game (3.57)...The Monsters have gone 9-for-23 (39.1%) with the man-advantage over their last six games against the Griffins…Grand Rapids and Cleveland are Central Division foes for the first time since 2017-18, following the Monsters’ two-year foray into the North Division and Eastern Conference...These teams split a four-game series in 2019-20, with each winning and losing once on the other’s ice...Griffins head coach Ben Simon is a native of the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights.

Busy Bodies

After playing just 16 games overall and only four times at home during the first 70 days of this season – owing to both a light early schedule and six postponements since March 19 – the Griffins on April 16 began a brutal stretch of playing their final 16 games and 12 home contests over a span of only 30 days. Grand Rapids tonight plays its sixth game in the last nine days and its 12th game in the last 20 days.

Overcoming Adversity

The Griffins managed an 8-8 road record this season despite bussing to and from the host city on the same day of 14 of those 16 games...Despite having six games postponed and subsequently rescheduled due to COVID protocols between March 19 and April 15 — including four straight from April 9-15 — the Griffins were able to play all 30 games on their original 2020-21 schedule along with an extra pair of contests against Cleveland that were added mid-season. Grand Rapids’ last 16 games, constituting half of its season, were played without any COVID interruptions.

This Date in Griffins History

2013: Five Griffins score goals and six enjoy two-point nights, as a well-balanced attack paces Grand Rapids to a 5-4 victory over Toronto and gives the Griffins a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Life of Riley

Riley Barber has registered points in seven of the last 10 games (5-6—11) and in 23 of 31 contests this season. His 19 goals are second in the league — two behind Bakersfield’s Cooper Marony, who has played six more games — his 33 points (19-14—33) tie for ninth and his 16 power play points pace the circuit. Barber’s projected numbers over a normal 76-game season would be 46 goals and 80 points; in franchise history, only Donald MacLean (56 during his MVP 2005-06 season) and Michel Picard (46 in 1996-97) have scored as many goals while only nine players have registered as many points, the most recent being Darren Haydar (80) in 2008-09. Barber posted a nine-game point streak 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.

Last Time Out

In their final road game of the 2020-21 season, the Griffins fell to the Cleveland Monsters by a 6-4 count on Friday at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. After getting shut out by Kaden Fulcher and the Griffins 2-0 on Tuesday, the Monsters opened the scoring 6:07 into this contest, when Tristan Mullin roofed a shot over Fulcher from low in the left circle. Cleveland’s potent power play then connected just seven seconds into its first opportunity, as Carson Meyer scored from the slot at 8:18 to make it 2-0 for the home team. Chase Pearson put Grand Rapids on the board at 12:56 by deflecting Seth Barton’s shot, giving Barton his first pro point in his third game, but Cliff Pu got it right back at 13:43 by taking a shot that glanced off Joe Hicketts and past Fulcher, giving the Monsters a 3-1 advantage. Pat Nagle replaced Fulcher between the Griffins’ pipes, and Grand Rapids immediately responded by scoring two quick goals to knot the score at 3-3. Max Humitz got a stick on Givani Smith’s feed at 15:17, before Smith redirected Taro Hirose’s pass into the top of Daniil Tarasov’s net from the right post 50 seconds later for a power play goal. Cleveland received a full two-minute 5-on-3 advantage 50 seconds into the middle frame after an interference call on Patrick Curry and a violation by Pearson on the ensuing faceoff, and the Monsters capitalized on Gavin Bayreuther’s one-timer from the right circle at 2:06 to move back ahead 4-3. That margin held until the 3:49 mark of the third, when Josh Dunne cleaned up a rebound in front of Nagle to post Cleveland to its second two-goal cushion of the evening. Riley Barber unleashed his deadly snap shot from above the right circle during a power play at 12:27 for his 19th goal of the campaign and a 5-4 score, but the Griffins could get no closer. Dunne sealed matters with an empty-netter at 18:55.

High-Flying Griffins

Second on the Griffins in scoring with 27 points (5-22—27) in 28 games, Taro Hirose has points in six of nine contests (1-8—9) and 12 of the last 17 games (2-13—15). He has registered a pair of assists in three of the last five games, and his 22 assists on the season would project to 53 over a full 76-game campaign, a total reached by only four players in franchise history (most recently Jiri Hudler with a team-record 60 assists in 2005-06)…Chase Pearson has nine points (3-6—9) in his last eight games and owns a three-game assist streak.

Another First for Fulcher

Tuesday’s 22-save shutout at Cleveland, Kaden Fulcher’s first AHL whitewash, was the latest in his line of firsts this season. On April 17, he made his AHL debut and played his first game in more than 15 months, due to an injury that ended his 2019-20 season, the pandemic, and bouncing between the Griffins and Detroit's taxi squad this season. His last game had been on Jan. 4, 2020, when he made 24 saves for the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye in a 5-2 home loss to Indy. Fulcher made 25 saves in that 4-3 overtime loss to Iowa, including 12 during the third period to help the Griffins rally from a two-goal deficit and earn a point. On April 21, he earned his first victory in the AHL and first at any level in more than two years, 2-1 over Cleveland. Fulcher, who was limited to two ECHL games last season due to an injury, made 27 saves in his second career AHL contest, logging his first win since making 27 stops in Toledo’s 5-0 home triumph over Indy on March 3, 2019.

Welcome Back

With the end of the Detroit Red Wings’ season, goalie Kaden Fulcher and forwards Givani Smith and Joe Veleno were reassigned to the Griffins from the taxi squad last Saturday night. Goalie Calvin Pickard was subsequently assigned to Grand Rapids on Monday after clearing waivers.

Youth is Served

On April 29 against Chicago, the Griffins had four rookie defensemen in their lineup – Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Tory Dello, Jared McIsaac and Donovan Sebrango – for the first time in more than four years, dating to a 5-1 win at Milwaukee on April 15, 2017 when five first-year blueliners took to the ice: Hicketts, Dennis Cholowski, Filip Hronek, Patrick McCarron and Dan Renouf. Grand Rapids has now had four rookie D in the lineup during each of its last nine games, with Patrick Holway and Seth Barton making their pro debuts during that stretch.

Congrats Are in Order

Joe Veleno made his NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings on April 27 in their 1-0 shootout loss at Columbus, logging two shots and winning 57% (4 of 7) of his faceoffs in 14:59 of ice time. He became the 185th Griffins alum to play in the NHL, after recording 23 points (11-12—23) in 54 games with Grand Rapids last season. Veleno, who last Friday tallied his first NHL goal during a power play to begin a rally from a 0-2 deficit in Detroit’s 5-2 victory at Columbus, played five games with Detroit, totaling one goal, eight shots and four penalty minutes while winning 50% of his faceoffs.

Rarified Air

Brian Lashoff’s 513 games played for the Griffins rank first among active AHL players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and tie for eighth 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, who has been unfit to play the last 18 games, tied No. 8-ranked Stan Smrke (Rochester 1957-67) on March 26 and is now four games behind No. 7 Pete Kapusta (Providence Reds 1946-55).

Powerful Play

Following a 2019-20 campaign in which they finished sixth in the AHL’s power play rankings at 20.9%, the Griffins have been even better this season, currently standing sixth in the league at 21.6% and second on the road at 30.0%. Their home power play, however, ranks 26th, having converted 12.5% of its chances.

Offense Taken

The Griffins have scored more than three goals just twice in their last 12 games. They stand sixth in the AHL in shots per game (31.94) and 20th in goals per game (2.97).

For the Defense

Grand Rapids is 13th in the league in goals allowed per game (3.10)…The Griffins have been outshot in only nine of their 31 games, but it’s happened in six of the last 11 contests. Only seven times have they allowed 30 or more shots, a total that they have reached on 18 occasions. Grand Rapids ranks fourth in the AHL in shots allowed per game (26.35).

Milestones

Last night, Joe Hicketts recorded the 100th assist of his Griffins/AHL career in the loss at Cleveland. Meanwhile, Turner Elson stands one point from 100 for his Griffins career.

It’s a Start

The roar of a Griffins crowd was partially restored on March 13 when the team began welcoming up to 750 fans per home game, pursuant to the most recent order from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Griffins 2021-22 season ticket members are being given the first opportunity to purchase tickets to home games during the remainder of the 2020-21 season. Other fans can sign up for Griffins Nation, the team’s official email newsletter, to receive priority access to 2020-21 tickets whenever limited seats are made available for sale throughout the season. On occasion, single-game tickets may also be purchased online at griffinshockey.com.

We Miss You, Bob!

On Feb. 8, the beloved 21-year Voice of the Griffins, Bob Kaser, underwent successful heart surgery at the Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids to repair several blocked arteries. Released from the hospital on Feb. 14, his recovery at home continues to go well. Everyone in Griffins Nation, the Griffins organization, the AHL, and the Michigan hockey community wishes Bob all the best in his recovery and a quick return to health. We can’t wait until he is back in the booth.

A Sincere and Endless Thank You

In Bob Kaser’s absence, a veritable army of broadcasters was enlisted to provide play-by-play for Griffins games this season. Our entire organization is indebted to them for their help in bringing Griffins hockey to the masses, and we thank them for sharing their time and talents with us and our fans. On WXSP-TV, traditional radio color analyst Larry Figurski called the home action alongside commentators Lou Rabaut and Mike Knuble, doing yeomen’s work for the Griffins’ most extensive TV package in years. Meanwhile, a bevy of radio talents provided road play-by-play either exclusively for Newsradio WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM and ESPN 96.1 FM or while doing double-duty for fans in both West Michigan and their home AHL markets. Enormous thanks to Rockford’s Joey Zakrzewski, Joey Battaino of the OHL’s Saginaw Spirit, Iowa’s Joe O’Donnell, Matt Melzak of the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, Aaron Sims of the Milwaukee Admirals, and former AHL Utica/ECHL Kalamazoo voice Joe Roberts for filling Bob’s size 37 EEEs this season.

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins