This Week’s Games
Texas Stars at GRIFFINS // Wed., March 6 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 2-1-0-0 Home, 3-2-0-0 Overall. Sixth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 15-6-0-3 Home, 28-14-2-3 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Dallas Stars
Noteworthy: Grand Rapids has claimed the last three matchups, including a 4-3 shootout win in the most recent meeting on Feb. 22.

Iowa Wild at GRIFFINS // Fri., March 8 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 0-0-0-1 Home, 1-1-0-1 Overall. Fourth of six meetings overall, second of three at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 14-5-0-2 Home, 30-11-0-2 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Minnesota Wild
Noteworthy: Fifteen of the last 21 meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal, including nine that have been tied after regulation.

GRIFFINS at Milwaukee Admirals // Sat., March 9 // 8 p.m. EST // UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
Listen: ESPN 96.1 FM at 7:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Road, 4-1-0-1 Overall. Seventh of 10 meetings overall, third of five at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
All-Time Series: 43-33-5-5-5 Road, 96-62-7-7-8 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators
Noteworthy: Since the Admirals moved to Panther Arena at the start of the 2016-17 season, the Griffins are 10-3-0-0 at Milwaukee.

Last Week’s Results
Fri., March 1 GRIFFINS 4 at Rockford IceHogs 5 OT 31-17-5-4 (71 points, 2nd Central Division)

Status Update: The Grand Rapids Griffins are in third place in the Central Division with 71 points and trail leaders Iowa and Chicago by just one. Grand Rapids shows an overall record of 31-17-5-4 and has picked up points in seven of its last nine outings (5-2-2-0) and in 12 of its last 16 (10-4-2-0). After playing only once last week, the Griffins return to action with home games against Texas and Iowa on Wednesday and Friday, respectively, before heading to Milwaukee on Saturday. Grand Rapids is in a stretch of facing 20 consecutive division foes (3-2-2-0 record so far). Wednesday’s contest against Texas will be the Griffins’ 1,800th regular season game.

Follow the Leader(s):
Points: Chris Terry (47)
Goals: Terry (24)
Assists: Carter Camper (29)
Plus-Minus: Jake Chelios, Turner Elson (+14)
PIM: Dylan McIlrath (68)
Wins: Harri Sateri (18)
GAA: Patrik Rybar (2.36)
Save %: Rybar (0.914)

Last Week’s Notes:
Friday at Rockford – Grand Rapids rallied back from a three-goal first period deficit to force overtime and earn a point…Matt Puempel (21, 22) lit the lamp twice, his fourth multi-goal game of the season…Puempel leads the Griffins with six points (3-3—6 in 7 GP) in the season series…Turner Elson (14) and Wade Megan (15) also scored in regulation…Elson’s goal marked his 30th point of the season, equaling his career high…Grand Rapids is 3-1-4-0 in the 10-game season series against Rockford…The IceHogs have won all four of the matchups this season that have gone into overtime. Recap | Highlights

This Week’s Promotions: Wednesday against Texas is a Winning Wednesday presented by Farm Bureau Insurance. Every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. The Griffins host their eighth annual Purple Community Game to benefit Van Andel Institute on Friday against Iowa. On Friday, 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.

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 958-646-27-56-112 (0.587) in the regular season since 1996-97…Grand Rapids’ 298 regular season wins and 645 points since the 2012-13 campaign are both the second-most in the AHL in that time, trailing only Toronto (308 / 665) and just ahead of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (295 / 637).

Friendly Confines: The Griffins have points in 13 of their last 15 contests at home (11-2-1-1). With a 21-5-2-3 overall mark inside friendly confines, the Griffins lead the league in both home wins (21) and points (47) while placing second in points percentage (0.758). Grand Rapids is a +21 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.19 goals and operating at 19.38% on the power play, compared to -13, 2.69 and 9.17% on enemy ice. Chris Terry (12-16—28), Carter Camper (9-19—28) and Filip Zadina (12-14—26) lead the team in scoring at home. Harri Sateri is 13-2-1 at Van Andel Arena with a 2.28 GAA and a 0.915 save percentage while Patrik Rybar is 8-3-4 with a 2.29 GAA and a 0.918 save mark.

Road Trippin’: The Griffins have points in eight of their last 12 games on foreign ice (5-4-2-1). Grand Rapids will play 12 of its final 19 contests in enemy territory, including a season-high six-game road swing from March 16-26. In fact, after their seven-game homestand concluded on Feb. 22, the Griffins host just seven more tilts at Van Andel Arena in the season’s final 50 days. Matt Puempel (10-10—20) and Chris Terry (12-7—19) pace the team in scoring in away games.

Suite Life: Last Friday at Rockford kicked off the first 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 a 78-42-6-8 (0.634) mark since 2008-09. The Griffins played just two road games in February, their fewest since having two in 2011-12.

One on One: The Griffins have played five consecutive one-goal games, which ties for their longest such streak of the season (Nov. 16-26), and show a 2-1-2-0 record. For the season, Grand Rapids is 13-3-5-4 in games decided by a single tally.

Wade For It: In 20 GP in 2019, Wade Megan leads Grand Rapids in points (20), goals (12) and plus-minus (+10), while placing fourth in assists (8). He notched his second career hat trick (Dec. 28, 2016, CHI at RFD) on Feb. 15 vs. San Antonio, and it also marked the first three-goal game by a Griffin since Colin Campbell on April 14, 2018 vs. CLE.

Hicketts On a Roll: Third-year defenseman Joe Hicketts is on a four-game assist streak (0-5—5), which establishes new career highs for both point and assist streaks. Previously, his best assist streak was two, set six times, and point streak was three. With Filip Hronek on recall with Detroit, Hicketts is Grand Rapids’ top defenseman in point production with 20 (2-18—20).

Happy Camper: Carter Camper has recorded five points (1-4—5) during his five-game point streak, which ties for his longest this season (Dec. 21-31). Camper joins Chris Terry (six-game streak from Nov. 24-Dec. 5, five-game streak Dec. 21-31), as the only Griffins with two or more point streaks of at least five games this season.

Puemped Up: Matt Puempel paces the team with 15 multi-point efforts in 52 GP. In comparison, he had 15 in 62 GP last season. He’s also matched his goal production with the Griffins last season when he banked 22 in 57 games during his first season with the club. The sixth-year pro leads Grand Rapids with seven power play goals while ranking second in both goals (22) and points (44). His team-high 188 shots are fourth 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). Puempel needs just two more points to become the 40th player in franchise history to record 100 or more points in a Griffins uniform.

You’re a Wizard, Harri: Harri Sateri has points in nine of his last 11 starts (7-2-2) and shows a 2.15 GAA and a 0.926 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 11th in the league.

Rybar Supports: Patrik Rybar has points in nine of his last 12 games (7-3-2) and shows a 2.21 GAA and a 0.923 save percentage with one shutout in that span. Rybar ranks fourth in the AHL with a 2.36 overall GAA.

(Don’t) Put It In Reverse Terr: The AHL’s leading scorer from a season ago, Chris Terry ties for 12th on the league’s goal leaderboard with 24 as part of a team-high 47 points. The 10th-year pro has achieved 20 goals for the sixth time in his AHL career. Terry earned his third consecutive AHL All-Star bid and fourth overall (2012).

AHL's Active Goal Leaders:
1) Chris Bourque (BRI) - 248
2) Chris Mueller (TOR) - 213
3) Chris Terry - 207

Page Turner: Turner Elson places fifth on the team in scoring with 30 points (14-16—30) and has two goals in the last three games. His 30 points equal his career high, which he attained twice previously entering this season (2014-15 with Adirondack and 2015-16 with Stockton). Elson’s 16 assists match his career-high total from 2015-16 and his 14 goals are three shy of his career best from 2014-15.

Dennis the Menace: Since being assigned to Grand Rapids on Feb. 14, rookie defenseman Dennis Cholowski leads the team with a plus-eight rating in the last six games while tying for second with four assists in that span.

Milestones Within Reach:
Vili Saarijarvi – needs three games to reach 100 as a Griffin
Carter Camper – needs one goal to reach 100 in the AHL, needs four games played to reach 500 as a pro
Wade Megan – needs two assists to reach 100 as a pro, needs four games played to reach 400 as a pro
Dominic Turgeon – needs three games played to reach 200 as a Griffin
Jake Chelios – needs one game played to reach 300 as a pro
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 one point to reach 400 in the AHL, needs seven points to reach 100 as a Griffin
Matt Puempel – needs two points to reach 100 as a Griffin

Texas Notes: Current record 28-23-4-3, 63 points, T4th Central Division…Grand Rapids is 3-2 in the season series, winning the last three matchups…In the last meeting on Feb. 22 at Van Andel Arena, Derek Hulak scored the deciding goal in the fifth round of a shootout to help Grand Rapids to a 4-3 victory…In the last 15 meetings between the teams in West Michigan, the Griffins are 11-3-0-1…Since the 2013-14 campaign, Grand Rapids is 18-7-1-1 in 27 games overall vs. Texas…Chris Terry headlines scoring for the Griffins with six points (4-2—6 in 5 GP) in the series…Patrik Rybar is 1-0-0 with a 2.77 GAA and a 0.919 save percentage vs. Texas while Harri Sateri is 2-2-0 with a 3.28 GAA and a 0.882 save percentage…The Stars sit second in the league with a power play efficiency of 24.9% and have converted on 7 of 20 chances (35.0%) against the Griffins…Hulak, in his first season as a Griffin, made his AHL debut with the Stars during the 2013-14 campaign and helped Texas win the 2014 Calder Cup…Appearing in 142 regular season games from 2013-16, he compiled 86 points (39-47—86), a plus-18 rating and 42 PIM…Hulak added one goal in 10 Calder Cup Playoff contests.

Iowa Notes: Current record 30-17-7-5, 72 points, T1st Central Division…15 of the last 21 meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal, including nine that have been tied after regulation…Three of the last four matchups have gone past 60 minutes…The Griffins won 20 of the first 24 all-time games against the Wild, and are 10-7-0-2 since…In the last 10 games at Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids is 5-3-0-2…In the last meeting on Dec. 8 in Des Moines, the Griffins came back from an early 2-0 deficit only to see Iowa score the game’s final three goals…The last time the teams matched up in West Michigan on Nov. 2, the Wild won 3-2 in a shootout…Chris Terry is the leading scorer in the season series for either team with four points (2-2—4) in three games…Patrik Rybar has started all three games vs. Iowa and is 1-1-1 with a 2.88 GAA and a 0.878 save percentage…Landon Ferraro tallied 140 points (75-65—140) in 270 games with the Griffins over parts of five seasons (2009-10; 2011-15) and helped the team win the 2013 Calder Cup…Gerald Mayhew, in his second full pro season with Iowa, is a Wyandotte, Mich., native and skated four seasons with the Ferris State Bulldogs (WCHA), tallying 119 points (52-67—119) in 150 games from 2013-17.

Milwaukee Notes: Current record 24-22-12-1, 61 points, 6th Central Division…Since the Admirals moved to Panther Arena at the start of the 2016-17 season, the Griffins are 10-3-0-0 at Milwaukee in the regular season…Grand Rapids has points in seven of the last eight matchups overall (6-1-0-1) and is 13-4-1-1 in the last 19 regular season clashes…Since the 2013-14 campaign, the Griffins are 37-16-2-1 against the Admirals, including 20-7-1-1 at home and 17-9-1-0 away…In the last meeting on Jan. 19 at Van Andel Arena, Patrik Rybar turned aside all 24 shots he faced to record his first shutout in North America and propel Grand Rapids to a 3-0 victory…The last time the clubs squared off in Milwaukee on Jan. 9, Carter Camper, Axel Holmstrom and Matt Puempel lit the lamp while Rybar stopped 28 shots to help the Griffins to a 3-1 win…In six games this season, Puempel shows five goals among eight points, both of which are the most for either team…In 15 career games vs. Milwaukee as a Griffin, Puempel has 17 points (9-8—17) and a plus-six rating…Rybar is 2-0-1 with a 0.98 GAA and a 0.963 save percentage against Milwaukee and Harri Sateri is 2-1-0 with a 2.97 GAA and a 0.873 save mark…The Griffins have faced the Admirals more than any other opponent in team history as the two clubs will meet for the 181st time on Saturday…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’ 31 wins and 26 (including OT and SO) losses:

Back to Backs: This weekend will mark the 20th of 26 times total this season the Griffins will play on consecutive nights.

Photo by Mark Newman/Griffins