This Week’s Games
Rockford IceHogs at GRIFFINS // Fri., March 15 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: ESPN 96.1 FM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 2-0-2-0 Home, 3-1-4-0 Overall. Ninth of 10 meetings overall, fifth of five at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 29-10-3-2 Home, 43-30-7-8 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks
Noteworthy: At Van Andel Arena, the Griffins have points in eight in a row (6-0-2-0) and in 12 of the last 13 (10-1-2-0) against Rockford.

GRIFFINS at Milwaukee Admirals // Sat., March 16 // 7 p.m. EDT // UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 2-1-0-0 Road, 5-1-0-1 Overall. Eighth of 10 meetings overall, fourth of five at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
All-Time Series: 44-33-5-5-5 Road, 97-62-7-7-8 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators
Noteworthy: Patrik Rybar has started the last three games against the Admirals and his shutout streak against them, which is bolstered by back-to-back shutouts on Jan. 19 and March 9, stands at 171:49.

Last Week’s Results
Wed., March 6 Texas Stars 2 at GRIFFINS 5 32-17-5-4 (73 points, T1st Central Division)
Fri., March 8 Iowa Wild 4 at GRIFFINS 3 OT 32-17-6-4 (74 points, T2nd Central)
Sat., March 9 GRIFFINS 4 at Milwaukee Admirals 0 33-17-6-4 (76 points, 2nd Central)

Status Update: Showing an overall record of 33-17-6-4, the Grand Rapids Griffins are in second place in the Central Division with 76 points, trailing first-place Chicago by three and leading third-place Iowa by two. The Griffins have picked up points in 10 of their last 12 outings (7-2-3-0) and in 15 of their last 19 (12-4-3-0). After earning five out of a possible six points last week, Grand Rapids returns to action on Friday at home against Rockford before heading to Milwaukee on Saturday to kick off a season-high six-game road trip. The Griffins are in a stretch of facing 20 consecutive division foes (5-2-3-0).

Last Week’s Notes:
Wednesday vs. Texas – Grand Rapids scored three unanswered goals in the third period and won its fourth consecutive game against Texas...Chris Terry produced a career-high five points (2-3—5), the first five-point game by a Griffin since Eric Tangradi (2-3—5) on March 11, 2016 vs. Manitoba...The Griffins finished 6-for-6 on the penalty kill as the Stars entered the matchup ranking second in the league in power play efficiency...Grand Rapids played in the franchise’s 1,800th regular season game...Patrik Rybar stopped 28 shots between the pipes...Martin Frk (2), Carter Camper (13) and Christoffer Ehn (2) also scored in regulation...Camper’s goal at 5:00 of the third period was his 100th in the AHL. Recap | Highlights

Friday vs. Iowa – Grand Rapids is 1-1-1-1 in the six-game season series after Matt Bartkowski scored the game-winner at 4:08 of overtime...16 of the last 22 games between the two teams have been decided by a single goal, including 10 that have been tied after regulation...Martin Frk (3) started the scoring 17 seconds into the game...Givani Smith (5) and Axel Holmstrom (11) also lit the lamp in regulation…Defenseman Dylan McIlrath notched a season-high two points (0-2—2)...Grand Rapids outshot Iowa 37-21 and finished 6-for-6 on the penalty kill. Recap | Highlights

Saturday at Milwaukee – Patrik Rybar and the Griffins shut out Milwaukee for the second consecutive game (Jan. 19)…Rybar’s shutout streak against the Admirals stands at 171:49…Grand Rapids improved to 5-1-0-1 in the 10-game season series…Matt Ford (9), Dominik Shine (5), Chris Terry (27) and Martin Frk (4) tallied goals…The Griffins notched two goals 17 seconds apart in the opening period and then tacked on two more in a 1:14 span late in the third stanza…Seventeen seconds marked the fastest consecutive goals by the Griffins this season…Grand Rapids is 11-3-0-0 all time at Panther Arena in the regular season. Recap | Highlights

This Week’s Promotions: The Griffins host ‘90s Night presented by Spectrum Health Stroke Awareness on Friday against Rockford. Fans can also enjoy $2 hot dogs/$2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last. Click here to see the full list of promos.

Friendly Confines: The Griffins have points in six consecutive home games (4-0-2-0) and in eight of their last nine (6-1-2-0). With a 22-5-3-3 overall mark inside friendly confines, the Griffins pace the league in both home wins (22) and points (50), while ranking second in points percentage (0.758). Grand Rapids is a +23 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.24 goals and operating at 19.15% on the power play, compared to -9, 2.74 and 8.85% on enemy ice. Chris Terry (14-19—33), Carter Camper (10-19—29) and Matt Puempel (12-15—27) lead the team in scoring at home. Harri Sateri is 13-2-2 at Van Andel Arena with a 2.37 GAA and a 0.910 save percentage while Patrik Rybar is 9-3-4 with a 2.27 GAA and a 0.919 save mark.

Road Trippin’: The Griffins have points in nine of their last 13 games on foreign ice (6-4-2-1). Grand Rapids will play 11 of its final 16 contests in enemy territory, including a season-high six-game road swing from March 16-26. Chris Terry (13-8—21) Matt Puempel (10-10—20) and pace the team in scoring in away games.

Suite Life: Saturday at Milwaukee will be the third of nine road games the Griffins will play in the month of March. This season marks the eighth consecutive in which Grand Rapids hits the road for seven or more contests in March (7 in 2017-18, 10 in 2016-17, 8 in 2015-16, 7 in 2014-15, 9 in 2013-14, 11 in 2012-13 and 9 in 2011-12). Despite the lack of home games, the Griffins have posted an overall winning record in March in 10 straight years, combining for an 80-42-7-8 (0.639) mark since 2008-09. The Griffins played just two road games in February, their fewest since having two in 2011-12.

Griffins in General: Grand Rapids became the first team in the Western Conference to hit the 70-point plateau after a 4-3 shootout win against Texas on Feb. 22...The Griffins became the fifth team in the league this season to reach 30 victories after a 3-2 overtime win vs. San Antonio on Feb. 16...Grand Rapids achieved 30 Ws or more in its first 53 games for the sixth time in the last seven seasons...The Griffins’ 3-0 win against Milwaukee on Jan. 19 marked the franchise’s 950th all-time regular season victory…Grand Rapids is 960-646-27-57-112 (0.587) in the regular season since 1996-97…Grand Rapids’ 300 regular season wins and 650 points since the 2012-13 campaign are both the second-most in the AHL in that time, trailing only Toronto (310 / 670) and just ahead of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (296 / 640).

Know Your Own Power: The Griffins have killed off their last 16 penalties. Last Wednesday against Texas, who entered the game second in the league in power play efficiency, Grand Rapids finished 6-for-6 when down a man. The Griffins again produced a 6-for-6 effort two days later versus Iowa, who entered the contest third in the power play.

Wade For It: In 22 GP in 2019, Wade Megan leads Grand Rapids in points (23), goals (12) and plus-minus (+13), while tying for third in assists (11). He has tallied six points (2-4—6) during his current four-game point streak.

Puemped Up: Matt Puempel became the 40th player in franchise history to record 100 or more points in a Griffins uniform following a two-assist effort last Friday against Iowa. He has points in eight of his last 10 games (5-6—11). The sixth-year pro leads Grand Rapids with 16 multi-point outings and seven power play goals while placing second in both goals (22) and points (47). His team-high 198 shots are third in the league. Puempel has reached the 20-goal plateau for the third time in his AHL career and in back-to-back campaigns after depositing 23 last season (22 with Grand Rapids, 1 with Hartford).

Fastest to 100 Points in Franchise History:

Page Turner: Turner Elson picked up an assist in last Saturday’s win at Milwaukee, marking his 31st point and 17th assist of the season to establish new career highs in both categories. His 14 goals are three shy of his career best from 2014-15.

(Don’t) Put It In Reverse Terr: Chris Terry logged seven points (3-4—7) in three games last week, including a career-high five-point effort (2-3—5) in Wednesday’s win against Texas. Terry became the first Griffin with a five-point game since Eric Tangradi tallied two goals and three assists on March 11, 2016 vs. Manitoba. In fact, Wednesday was only the fifth time since the 2011-12 season that a Griffin produced five points in a single contest. With 27 goals (T5th in AHL) and 54 points (T12th), Terry has surpassed the 50-point mark in his seventh consecutive full AHL season. Owning 494 career AHL points, Terry needs six more to become the 96th player in league history to amass 500 or more points.

AHL's Active Goal Leaders:
1) Chris Bourque (BRI) -248
2) Chris Mueller (TOR) - 213
3) Chris Terry - 210

AHL's Active Point Leaders:
1) Chris Bourque (BRI) - 736
2) T.J. Hensick (SJ) - 576
3) Cal O'Reilly (IA) - 566
4) Travis Morin (TEX) - 558
5) Chris Conner (LV) - 517
6) Chris Mueller (TOR) - 513
7) Chris Terry - 494

You’re a Wizard, Harri: Harri Sateri has points in 10 of his last 12 starts (7-2-3) and shows a 2.29 GAA and a 0.919 save percentage in that span. The Finnish netminder’s 18 wins on the season, which matches his AHL career best (2013-14 with Worcester), tie for 13th in the league.

Rybar Supports: Patrik Rybar is 6-2-0 in his last eight starts, showing a 1.87 GAA and a 0.937 save percentage with two shutouts in that time. He ties for second in the AHL with a 2.26 overall GAA.

Hicketts On a Roll: Third-year defenseman Joe Hicketts tallied a career-high five-game point and assist streak (0-6—6) from Feb. 20-March 6. With Filip Hronek on recall with Detroit, Hicketts is Grand Rapids’ top defenseman in point production with 22 (2-20—22) and has points in six of the last seven games.

Happy Camper: Carter Camper has points in six of his last seven games (2-4—6). His six-game point streak from Feb. 16-March 8 was his longest since a career-high nine-game streak from March 1-21, 2015 with Binghamton. His game-winning goal at 5:00 of the third period last Wednesday against Texas marked his 100th career AHL tally.

Instant Impact: Since being assigned to Grand Rapids on Feb. 14, rookie defenseman Dennis Cholowski places third on the team with five assists and ties for third with a plus-six rating in that span. Also assigned on Feb. 14, right wing Martin Frk is averaging a point per game with the Griffins (4-4—8 in 8 GP) and ties for tops on the team with a plus-seven rating over that stretch. Frk is on a four-game point and three-game goal streak.

Free Hockey: The Griffins have played in 19 games that have lasted more than 60 minutes (5-6 OT record, 4-4 SO record). The franchise record for most games tied after regulation in a single season is 20 (2008-09, 2006-07).

Milestones Within Reach:
Vili Saarijarvi – needs one game played to reach 100 as a Griffin
Brian Lashoff – needs five points to reach 100 as a Griffin
Carter Camper – needs two games played to reach 500 as a pro, needs five games played to reach 500 in the AHL
Wade Megan – needs two games played to reach 400 as a pro
Chris Terry – needs six points to reach 500 in the AHL
Derek Hulak – needs three points to reach 100 in the AHL
Colin Campbell – needs seven points to reach 100 as a Griffin
Matthew Ford – needs five points to reach 100 as a Griffin

Rockford Notes: Current record 27-24-4-6, 64 points, T5th Central Division…Six of the eight games this season have been decided by one goal, including four in overtime…Rockford has claimed all four matchups that have been tied after regulation…Grand Rapids has points in 12 of the last 13 meetings overall (7-1-4-1)…At Van Andel Arena, the Griffins have points in eight in a row (6-0-2-0) and in 12 of the last 13 (10-1-2-0)…In the most recent matchup on March 1 in Illinois, Grand Rapids came back from being down three in the first period to force overtime and earn a point in a 5-4 loss…In the last meeting in West Michigan on Feb. 20, Rockford rallied from a two-goal first-period deficit to tie the game before Luke Johnson scored the winner in overtime with 0.6 seconds remaining…Since the 2012-13 campaign, Grand Rapids is 23-4-3-1 (0.806) against the IceHogs at the Van and 12-13-2-4 (0.484) at Rockford…Matt Puempel (3-3—6 in 7 GP) and Wade Megan (4-1—5 in 3 GP) lead the team in scoring vs. Rockford…Patrik Rybar is 1-1-1 with a 2.01 GAA and a 0.926 save percentage against Rockford this season while Harri Sateri is 2-0-3 with a 2.49 GAA and a 0.921 save mark…The season series will conclude at Rockford on March 30.

Rockford Connections: Rockford interim head coach Derek King played in Grand Rapids from 1999-01 and 2002-04 and is the franchise’s all-time leading playoff scorer (16-25—41) and ranks fifth in regular season points (73-130—203)…King and Ben Simon were both assistant coaches with the Toronto Marlies in 2014-15...Simon also served as an assistant coach with the IceHogs during the 2012-13 season.

Milwaukee Notes: Current record 25-24-13-1, 64 points, T5th Central Division…Since the Admirals moved to Panther Arena at the start of the 2016-17 season, the Griffins are 11-3-0-0 at Milwaukee in the regular season…Grand Rapids has points in eight of the last nine matchups overall (7-1-0-1) and is 14-4-1-1 in the last 20 regular season clashes…Since the 2013-14 campaign, the Griffins are 38-16-2-1 against the Admirals, including 20-7-1-1 at home and 18-9-1-0 away…Grand Rapids has not allowed a goal to Milwaukee since the 8:03 mark of the first period on Jan. 9…Patrik Rybar has started the last three games against the Admirals and his shutout streak against them, which is bolstered by back-to-back shutouts on Jan. 19 and March 9, stands at 171:49…Rybar is 3-0-1 in the season series with a 0.74 GAA and a 0.973 save percentage…Harri Sateri shows a 2-1-0 record to go along with a 2.97 GAA and a 0.873 save mark…In seven games this season, Matt Puempel shows five goals among eight points, both of which are the most for either team…In 16 career games vs. Milwaukee as a Griffin, Puempel has 17 points (9-8—17) and a plus-seven rating…The Griffins have faced the Admirals more than any other opponent in team history as the two clubs will meet for the 182nd time in the regular season on Saturday.

Milwaukee Connections: Admirals netminder Tom McCollum played with the Griffins from 2009-16 and 2017-18 and is the franchise’s all-time goalie leader in wins (123), games played (263), minutes (14900:25) and saves (6640), helped Grand Rapids win the 2013 Calder Cup and is the team’s only four-time AHL Man of the Year nominee… In five appearances vs. Grand Rapids, McCollum is 1-1-3 with a 2.32 GAA and a 0.927 save percentage…Griffins first-year head coach Ben Simon skated in 18 games with the Admirals during the 2003-04 campaign and finished with four points (1-3—4).

Win Some, Lose Some: Compare the statistics between the Griffins’ 33 wins and 27 (including OT and SO) losses:

Back to Backs: This weekend will mark the 21st of 26 times total this season the Griffins will play on consecutive nights.

Photo at top by Sam Iannamico/Griffins