This Week’s Games
Fri., Oct. 18 Milwaukee Admirals at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM/ AHLLive.com
Sat., Oct. 19 GRIFFINS at Rockford IceHogs 8 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM/ AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Sat., Oct. 12 GRIFFINS 4 at Hamilton Bulldogs 3 SO 2-0-1-0, 5 pts. (1st, Midwest Division)

Homecoming: After going 2-0-1-0 on the road to start the season, the Griffins will finally raise their 2013 Calder Cup championship banner when they make their Van Andel Arena debut this Friday at 7 p.m. versus the Milwaukee Admirals. The ceremony will begin at approximately 6:55 p.m. Friday will be the 18th consecutive home-opening sellout (10,834) in Griffins history. Only scattered singles and Griffins access tickets remain, which can be purchased at griffinshockey.com/buytickets. Grand Rapids enters its 18th season overall, 13th in the AHL, and 12th as the primary affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.

Friday Promos: Friday’s game versus Milwaukee features many returning promotions along with a giveaway and jersey auction. The first 5,000 fans will receive a commemorative LED glow necklace, courtesy of Huntington Bank. Post-game events include the return of the popular post-game open skate and a jersey auction where fans can bid on 30 home jerseys that were worn during both the Calder Cup Finals and the 2012-13 regular season. Fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m., while supplies last, and also take advantage of College Night specials. College students can purchase an upper bowl ticket for $13 (or $11 in advance at The Zone) and stop by the McFadden’s concourse table to receive a free pass to the post-game party at McFadden’s. Every Friday night is also a Griffins WGRD D-Zone night, where fans can have $2 beers and $2 hot dogs served directly to their seats. Call (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com/dzone to order D-Zone tickets.

Good Starts: Grand Rapids is now 2-0-1-0 overall, marking the best road start since the 2008-09 season.

No Place Like Home: The Griffins are 10-6-0-1 all time in home openers. Last year’s 3-2 loss to the Milwaukee Admirals on Oct. 12, 2012 snapped Grand Rapids’ 3-0-0-1 streak in Van Andel Arena debuts.

A Narrow Lead: The Griffins rank first in the Midwest Division with five points, while the Chicago Wolves and Rockford IceHogs are tied for second place with four points. Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win over the Hamilton Bulldogs gave the Griffins their second win of the season. Grand Rapids appeared to have kept Hamilton at bay with a one-goal lead deep into the third period, until the Bulldogs opted for the extra skater and right wing Akim Aliu shelfed the puck past goaltender Petr Mrazek’s shoulder. After a scoreless overtime, Gustav Nyquist was the only skater out of nine to connect in the shootout. Grand Rapids will face two Midwest Division opponents this weekend. First, the Griffins host the Milwaukee Admirals for the home opener on Friday, Oct. 18 when the team will raise its championship banner before the puck drop. On Saturday, Oct. 19, the Griffins will face the Rockford IceHogs at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford, Ill for the fourth road game of the season.

Working Overtime: Despite leading in shots in all three contests this season, the Griffins went to overtime for the second straight game on Saturday. The Griffins fell to the Toronto Marlies 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 5, allowing a power play goal 2:59 into the extra session.

AHL Leaders: Gustav Nyquist (2-4—6, T3rd) ranks among the league’s leaders in scoring and continues to lead in scoring for the team; Tom McCollum is tied for third with a 1.00 goals-against average; Alexey Marchenko (1-3—4, T3rd) and Adam Almquist (0-4—4, T3rd) rank among defensive leaders in points, while Marchenko is also tied for second among rookie leaders in points.

Up and Down: The Detroit Red Wings last Friday assigned center Cory Emmerton and goaltender Petr Mrazek to Grand Rapids and recalled center Luke Glendening. Glendening made his NHL debut in Detroit’s 5-2 victory against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday and became the 133rd Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL. He saw a combined 17:32 of total ice time between Friday’s game and Monday’s victory over the Boston Bruins. Mrazek was recalled to the Wings earlier today.

Scouting Report

Fri., Oct. 18 vs. Milwaukee Admirals (1-0-1-0) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:40 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 59-46-7-5-7 Overall, 33-22-2-1-2 Home. Season Series: First of 10 meetings overall, first of five at home. NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators. Head Coach: Dean Evason (2nd season). Notes: Grand Rapids lost the 2012-13 series, 3-4-0-1, including a 1-3 record at Van Andel Arena…Milwaukee finished 41-28-4-3 last season and tallied 89 points, finishing second in the Midwest Division, 8th in the Western Conference and 12th overall in the AHL…The Admirals lost to Texas 3-1 in the Western Conference Quarterfinals…Milwaukee has played two games this season, with right wing Taylor Beck and rookie center Colton Sissons tying for the team’s scoring lead at two points each…Milwaukee is tied for second in the league in goals allowed per game (2.00)…Griffins left wing Triston Grant played for the Admirals from 2008-10.

Sat., Oct. 19 at Rockford IceHogs (2-2-0-0) – BMO Harris Bank Center – 8 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:40 p.m. TV: 23 Weather Now (Rockford) at 8 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 13-15-3-3 Overall, 4-9-2-2 Road. Season Series: First of 10 meetings overall, first of five on the road. NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks. Head Coach: Ted Dent (3rd season). Notes: Grand Rapids won the 2012-13 series, 5-2-1-0, posting a 2-2 record at BMO Harris Bank Center…Rockford finished 42-31-2-1 last season and tallied 87 points, finishing third in the Midwest Division, 9th in the Western Conference and 14th overall in the AHL…Rockford has three skaters tied for first on the team in scoring: defenseman Adam Clendening (2-2—4), center Brad Mills (2-2—4), who is currently on a four-game point streak on the road, and center Alex Broadhurst (1-3—4)...Rockford ranks last in the league in shots allowed (39.50) through four games.