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This Week’s Games
Tues., Jan. 12 GRIFFINS at Charlotte Checkers 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Wed., Jan. 13 GRIFFINS at Charlotte Checkers 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Jan. 15 Lake Erie Monsters at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sun., Jan. 17 Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS 4 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Last Week’s Results
Tues., Jan. 5 GRIFFINS 1 at Manitoba Moose 2 19-11-0-1, 39 points (3rd, Central Division)
Fri., Jan. 8 Milwaukee Admirals 2 at GRIFFINS 4 20-11-0-1, 41 points (3rd)
Sat., Jan. 9 Lake Erie Monsters 3 at GRIFFINS 4 SO 21-11-0-1, 43 points (2nd)
Hello, 2016: Grand Rapids’ remarkable run continues as the Griffins have won 19 of their last 22 overall and are 3-1-0-0 in the New Year following Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win against Lake Erie. Currently situated second in the Central Division, Grand Rapids trails first-place Rockford by just 0.019 percentage points. Arguably two of the hottest teams in the league will be squaring off this week when Grand Rapids travels to Charlotte for a two-game set beginning on Tuesday. The Checkers are on a 12-game point streak and have not lost in regulation since Dec. 6, 2015.
Weekend Promotions: For Friday’s contest against Lake Erie, fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m. while supplies last. The Griffins host their second annual Dog Night on Sunday against Chicago. Owners may bring their dog to the game with the purchase of both a human ticket for $15 and a dog ticket for $5. All dog ticket proceeds will benefit Great Lakes Weimaraner Rescue. For more information, including a downloadable waiver form for your dog, please visit griffinshockey.com/doggame.
Movin’ On Up: On Nov. 18, nearly eight weeks ago, Grand Rapids stood in last place in the league with a 0.227 winning percentage. Since that date, which marked the beginning of the Griffins’ 19 wins in 22 games stretch, Grand Rapids (0.652) has vaulted all the way up to the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference and No. 6 in the AHL.
All-Star Nods: Defenseman Xavier Ouellet and forward Jeff Hoggan (playing captain) have been selected to participate in the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic held on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at War Memorial Arena in Syracuse, N.Y. Ouellet receives his second consecutive all-star nod, but was unable to play in the 2015 All-Star Classic because he was on recall with the Detroit Red Wings. He becomes just the fourth Griffins defenseman ever to be selected to play in two all-star games, joining Niklas Kronwall (2004 and 2005), Travis Richards (2001 IHL and 2004) and John Gruden (2000 IHL and 2002). Selected as one of two playing captains, along with Syracuse’s Mike Angelidis, Hoggan will be making his first career all-star appearance. Hoggan becomes the third Griffin to be chosen as a playing captain for an All-Star Classic, joining Kip Miller (2007, PlanetUSA) and Travis Richards (2004, PlanetUSA).
Home Cooking: With a 4-3 shootout win over Lake Erie on Saturday, the Griffins extended their franchise-record home winning streak to 13 games. Grand Rapids’ current stretch is the fifth-longest home winning streak in the AHL since 1998-99 and the Griffins have outscored their visitors by a 56-24 tally during the run. In addition, Jared Coreau has collected 11 straight wins between the pipes on home ice (Dec. 9-Jan. 9), setting a new record for a goaltender’s longest home winning streak in franchise history (previous high: 9; Daniel Larsson, March 21-Dec. 9, 2009; Jimmy Howard, March 1-April 14, 2006; Mathieu Chouinard, Oct. 6, 2000-Feb. 11, 2001).
Longest Home Winning Streaks in Griffins History:
| Games | Dates | Coach |
| 13 | Nov. 11-Jan. 9, 2015 | Todd Nelson |
| 10 | Jan. 23-Feb. 27, 2004 | Danton Cole |
| Dec. 22, 2000-Jan. 26, 2001 | Bruce Cassidy | |
| 9 | March 1-April 14, 2006 | Greg Ireland |
| 8 | Oct. 30-Dec. 7, 2013 | Jeff Blashill |
| Oct. 23-Nov. 13, 2009 | Curt Fraser |
Longest AHL Home Winning Streaks since 1998-99:
| Games | Team | Year |
| 24 | Hershey | Nov. 29, 2009-March 19, 2010 |
| 17 | Rochester | Dec. 17, 2004-March 4, 2005 |
| 15 | Norfolk | Feb. 10-April 7, 2012 |
| 14 | Norfolk | Dec. 20, 2006-Feb. 7, 2007 |
| 13 | Grand Rapids | Nov. 11, 2015-Jan. 9, 2016 |
| 12 | Hershey | Dec. 28, 2013-Feb. 15, 2014 |
| 12 | Texas | Nov. 23, 2013-Jan. 24, 2014 |
| 12 | Providence | Dec. 27, 1998-Feb. 14, 1999 |
| 12 | Philadelphia | Oct. 22, 2004-Dec. 1, 2005 |
Busy, Busy: January will be the most frenetic month of the season on the ice for the Griffins as they are set to play 14 games in the 31-day month. The January schedule includes four sets of back-to-back games (Jan. 8-9, 12-13, 22-23, 29-30). Including Tuesday’s game at Charlotte, the Griffins will play four games in six days.
Short Rest: The Griffins post a 6-4 (0.600) record on the second night of a back-to-back this season, including wins in six of the last seven. Grand Rapids has outscored its opponents, 28-27, during the 10 games on short rest.
Goaltender of the Month: Jared Coreau was selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December, as announced by the AHL on Jan. 4. In 11 December starts, Coreau posted a 9-2-0 record along with a 1.92 goals against average and a 0.938 save percentage. He becomes the fifth Griffins goaltender to earn monthly league (AHL/IHL) accolades and the first since Jimmy Howard in December 2007. Coreau recorded his second shutout of the season and the fifth of his three-year professional career in Dec. 31’s 3-0 win over Milwaukee. Both of Coreau’s shutouts this year have come against the first-place Admirals (Nov. 27, Dec. 31).
Whoa, Nellie: Named the franchise’s 10th head coach on June 19, 2015, Todd Nelson has already attached his name to several records in Griffins lore. In the first few months under Nelson’s watch, Grand Rapids has set franchise records for overall win streak (15, Nov. 18-Dec. 26) and home win streak (13, Nov. 11-current). Additionally, the Griffins’ 0.833 winning percentage (10-2-0-0) in the month of December marked the most successful December ever in the franchise’s 20 seasons.
Against the Best: The Griffins own a 17-10-0-1 (0.625) record against teams with a winning record this season, including a 7-4-0-0 (0.636) mark against teams with a winning percentage greater than 0.600 as of Jan. 11. Grand Rapids has also posted an 18-6-0-1 (0.740) record against its Central Division rivals. Thus far, the division has shown to be one of the toughest in the AHL as four Central teams rank in the top 10 of the overall league standings.
On the Plus Side: Among the 20 Griffins who have appeared in 10 or more games this season, 16 find themselves with a positive plus/minus rating and two have a rating of 0. Rookie Robbie Russo leads the team at +22, which also places him second in the league.
Goal Scoring: Partly attributable to the Griffins’ current sixth-place standing in the AHL is the fact they rank in the top five for both goals for (3.12, fifth) and goals against (2.39, fifth) per game.
Griffins Leaders: Eric Tangradi (16-12—28) and Andy Miele (7-18—25) continue to pace Grand Rapids in scoring, just ahead of Anthony Mantha (9-14—23), Martin Frk (11-8—19), Mark Zengerle (5-14—19), Robbie Russo (2-15—17) and Andreas Athanasiou (8-8—16).
Making the Grade: Eric Tangradi has accumulated points in 15 of the last 18 outings (13-10—23), including seven multi-point contests. His eight-game point streak from Nov. 27-Dec. 26 set a Griffins’ best this season, and also included a three-game goal streak from Dec. 5-12. Tangradi’s team-leading 16 goals are buoyed by his fourth career hat trick recorded Dec. 5 against Lake Erie, one of three Griffins to net three goals in a game this season (Colin Campbell, Dec. 26 at LE; Tomas Jurco, Nov. 20 vs. San Diego). League wide, Tangradi is tied for third in goals (16) and tied for 20th in points (28).
Magic Numbers: The Griffins are a perfect 20-0-0-0 when scoring three or more goals and 15-2-0-0 when allowing two goals or fewer…Grand Rapids is 11-0-0-0 when leading after one period, 15-1-0-0 when leading after two and 16-1-0-0 when striking first.
Fantastic Frk: Martin Frk has found a groove lately, accumulating points in 10 of the last 13 contests (8-8—16), including a stretch of consecutive three-point games (Dec. 19 vs. Texas and Dec. 26 at Lake Erie). Frk is the second Griffin this season to deliver back-to-back three-point efforts (Andy Miele, Nov. 25 vs. Iowa and Nov. 27 at Milwaukee). His eight goals scored over the last 13 games (Dec. 9-Jan. 9) are tied for second-most in the AHL during that span. To top it off, his four-game goal streak lasting Dec. 18-27 set a Griffins’ long this year.
Stone Wall: Goaltender Jared Coreau has been nothing short of magnificent during the team’s recent 19 wins in 22 games stretch as he is responsible for 15 of those victories. Among Coreau’s accomplishments during the run, lasting Nov. 18-Jan. 9, include: matching a career high (Dec. 31, 2014 vs. RFD) by recording 47 saves in a 3-2 victory over Lake Erie on Dec. 16, shutting out Milwaukee in a 6-0 win on Nov. 27 by executing 22 saves, and tallying his second bagel of the season behind 23 saves in a 3-0 blanking of Milwaukee on Dec. 31. Coreau is responsible for both of the team’s shutouts thus far and both have come against the Admirals. In a 3-2 loss at Lake Erie on Dec. 27, Coreau had his career best 11-game winning streak snapped, leaving him just one shy of tying Jimmy Howard’s record for a Grand Rapids goalie. Over the last 18 games, he has stopped 516 of 551 shots (0.930) and recorded a 1.95 GAA. Overall for the season, Coreau’s 17 wins place him just one off the league lead and he also ranks inside the top five for save percentage (0.931, second) and GAA (2.14, third).
Another Day, Another Start: Jared Coreau has now started 14 straight games in goal for the Griffins (Dec. 9-Jan. 9). To add some perspective, the Griffins record for consecutive games started by a goaltender is held by Joey MacDonald, who started 24 in a row from Feb. 25-April 9, 2005. The mark for most consecutive games played in a season by a netminder is 31, also owned by MacDonald (Feb. 4-April 9, 2005).
Road Redemption: After dropping their first five away games, the Griffins have won seven of their last 10 on the road, including a six-game winning streak that lasted from Nov. 21-Dec. 26. Grand Rapids has put together streaks of five consecutive wins or more on foreign ice in each of the last four seasons (2014-15: 7; 2013-14: 5; 2012-13: 6). On the road this season, the Griffins recorded their largest margin of victory in a 6-0 victory at Milwaukee on Nov. 27, mounted their biggest comeback in a 4-3 overtime win at Iowa on Dec. 13 after dipping into an early 3-0 deficit, and matched a season high for goals scored during a 7-3 win at Lake Erie on Dec. 26.
Russo’s Rookie Relevance: Rookie defenseman Robbie Russo registered just one assist and a single point through his first seven professional games this season. However, his eighth career game, Nov. 18 against Rockford, proved to be his coming out party as Russo exploded for a three-point night including scoring – in game-winning fashion – his first professional goal. Since Nov. 18, Russo leads the team with 14 assists in 22 games. Russo’s seven-game assist streak (Dec. 5-19) set a Griffins’ best this season and his plus-22 rating is second in the league.
No. 152: Center Tomas Nosek became the 152nd Griffin to play in the NHL after he debuted with the Red Wings during Detroit’s 3-2 win over Nashville on Dec. 26. Nosek played in six games for Detroit and did not record a point. The Red Wings assigned him back to the Griffins on Jan. 5. Nosek has collected two points (1-1—2) in his first two games back in Grand Rapids.
Mantha Mania: Ranking third on the team in points (9-14—23), Anthony Mantha has picked up points in three of the last five, including a pair of multi-point outings.
Zengerle Pitches In: Mark Zengerle has displayed a consistent output over the season’s first 33 games and is tied for fourth on the team in points (5-14—19). The former Wisconsin Badgers standout has points in eight of the last 12 games (3-7—10), including a season-best two goals on Jan. 3 at Manitoba.
Andy Assister: Leading the team with 18 assists overall and second with 25 points (7-18—25), Andy Miele is responsible for seven points (3-4—7) the last 10 games. His three assists at Iowa on Nov. 25 tied a Griffins season-high as Mark Zengerle also contributed three assists in the same game.
0 to 100: Accounting for 95 points in 104 regular season games as a Griffin, Andy Miele is on pace to attain the 100-point career plateau reached by 32 players previously. Should he record five points in the next 17 games, he will rank among the 10 fastest Griffins to ever hit the century mark:
| Games | Player | Date |
| 81 | Michel Picard | April 12, 1997 |
| 87 | Kip Miller | Jan. 27, 2005 |
| 97 | Jeff Nelson | Dec. 21, 2003 |
| 98 | Donald MacLean | March 25, 2006 |
| 102 | Gustav Nyquist | Jan. 17, 2013 |
| 103 | Derek King | Feb. 14, 2001 |
| 107 | Slava Butsayev | Jan. 19, 2001 |
| 108 | Teemu Pulkkinen | Jan. 23, 2015 |
| 117 | Jiri Hudler | Oct. 28, 2005 |
| 121 | Glen Metropolit | Feb. 6, 1999 |
Camping Out: Aided by his first career hat trick on Dec. 26 at Lake Erie, Colin Campbell has recorded seven points in the last 10 outings (4-3—7).
Out of Action: Goaltender Tom McCollum has been unavailable the last 14 games due to injury…Mitch Callahan missed the last 10 games and is expected to be out an extended amount of time with a broken jaw...The Griffins have combined to miss 72 games due to injury this season.
Welcome Back: Forward Triston Grant made his 2015-16 debut on Dec. 27 at Lake Erie after missing the first 26 games while recovering from a neck injury. Grant, a member of Grand Rapids’ 2013 Calder Cup champion squad, has played in 130 career games as a Griffin spanning three seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16), registering 26 points (10-16—26) and 299 PIM. Grant has not recorded a point in four games with the Griffins this season.
Climbing the Charts: Matching a season-best with 41 saves against Lake Erie on Dec. 5, Tom McCollum earned his 92nd win as a Griffin, which ranks second in franchise history behind only Joey MacDonald (109). McCollum, who needs four more appearances to equal MacDonald’s mark of 210, has broken the 5,000-save barrier this season and, with 5,113 stops, stands behind only MacDonald (5,362) in club archives.
Making Moves: On Sunday, the Griffins signed forward A.J. Jenks to a professional tryout.
Walleye World: A recent 7-3-0-0 stretch has the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye atop the North Division standings with a 20-10-1-3 record (44 points). The Walleye lead second-place Wheeling (15-16-2-2) by 10 points. Former Griffin Shane Berschbach (10-17—27) paces the offense. Alden Hirschfeld and A.J. Jenks rank among the team’s offensive leaders but are both with Grand Rapids. Rookie netminder Jake Paterson, Detroit’s second pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft who is currently with the Griffins, shows a 5-6-1-1 record with a 2.46 GAA and 0.921 save percentage as an understudy to former Michigan State Spartan Jeff Lerg (15-4-0-2, 1.92 GAA, 0.934%).
Record Setters: The Griffins posted a franchise-record 15-game winning streak from Nov. 18-Dec. 26 before Lake Erie halted the historic run on Dec. 27 by defeating Grand Rapids 3-2. Grand Rapids’ 15-game run marked the longest streak in the AHL since Norfolk set the standard by rattling off 28 in a row on its way to winning the Calder Cup in the 2011-12 season.
Elite Status: The Griffins’ 15-game streak allowed them to join some rare company among professional hockey in North America. Consider that the Griffins’ 15-game run tied for the third longest in the AHL since 1992 and that just three teams in the 98-year history of the NHL have recorded winning streaks of 15 or longer (17, 1992-93 Pittsburgh; 15, 1981-82 New York Islanders and 2012-13 Pittsburgh).
Only on the West Side: Grand Rapids has twice put together winning streaks of at least 11 games in the last 11 seasons, while its parent club in Detroit has never won more than nine consecutive games in its 90 seasons of play (seven times, most recently Oct. 18-Nov. 9, 2007).
November and December to Remember: The Griffins posted a 10-2-0-0 record in the final month of the calendar year after starting December with an 8-8-0-1 mark and closing at 18-10-0-1. In fact, Grand Rapids’ 0.833 winning percentage in December marked the most prosperous December in the franchise’s 20-year history, just edging out the 2000-01 team (12-3-0-0, 0.800%). The strong December record comes on the heels of a fruitful November, where the Griffins’ 7-2-0-1 tally marked their second-most successful November over the last 10 years. The Griffins’ November winning percentage of 0.750 under Todd Nelson was eclipsed in the last decade by only Jeff Blashill’s 0.8333 mark (10-2-0-0) during his second month at Grand Rapids’ helm in 2012.
Longest Winning Streaks in Griffins History:
| Games | Dates | Coach |
| 15 | Nov. 18-Dec. 26, 2015 | Todd Nelson |
| 11 | March 5-31, 2006 | Greg Ireland |
| 9 | Feb. 14-March 4, 2015 | Jeff Blashill |
| Oct. 23-Nov. 13, 2009 | Curt Fraser | |
| Dec. 22, 2000-Jan. 12, 2001 | Bruce Cassidy | |
| 8 | Nov. 3-24, 2012 | Jeff Blashill |
Longest AHL Winning Streaks Since 1992:
| Year | Team | Length | Season Record | Division Finish | Postseason Result |
| 2011-12 | Norfolk | 28 | 55-18-1-2 | 1st East | Calder Cup Champions |
| 2004-05 | Philadelphia | 17 | 48-25-3-4 | 2nd East | Calder Cup Champions |
| 2007-08 | Syracuse | 15 | 46-26-2-6 | 2nd North | L, Division Finals |
| 1995-96 | Albany | 15 | 54-19-7-0 | 1st Central | L, Division Finals |
| 2015-16 | Grand Rapids | 15 | ? | ? | ? |
| 2004-05 | Manchester | 13 | 51-21-4-4 | 1st Atlantic | L, Division Finals |
Scouting Report
Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Charlotte Checkers (21-11-1-1) – Bojangles’ Coliseum – 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 13 at Charlotte Checkers – Bojangles’ Coliseum – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. each night Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 10-11-0-1 Overall, 5-4-0-1 Road. Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Road. Third and fourth of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at Bojangles’ Coliseum. NHL Affiliation: Carolina Hurricanes. Head Coach: Mark Morris (1st season). Notes: The Charlotte Checkers are third in the Central Division, fourth in the Western Conference and seventh overall with a 21-11-1-1 (0.647) record…Charlotte is on a 12-game point streak and has not lost in regulation since Dec. 6…The Checkers are 7-6-1-0 at home compared to 14-5-0-1 on the road…Charlotte ranks fourth in the power play (21.8%) and 14th in the penalty kill (83.6%)…Derek Ryan ranks sixth in the league in point production (12-20—32)…Former Michigan State Spartan Jake Chelios, and son of former Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios, has 17 points (5-12—17) in 31 games…Drew MacIntyre has seen the majority of minutes in the crease, posting a 9-9-1-0 record to go along with a 3.07 GAA and a 0.893 save percentage…In the teams’ last meeting, Oct. 23, 2015 at Van Andel Arena, Charlotte came away with a 3-1 victory…Andy Miele leads the team with three points (1-2—3) in two games against the Checkers.
Friday, Jan. 15 vs. Lake Erie Monsters (18-12-2-3) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 21-10-1-1 Home, 36-22-3-7 Overall. Season Series: 3-0-0-0 Home, 5-2-0-1 Overall. Ninth of 12 meetings overall, fourth of six at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets. Head Coach: Jared Bednar (1st season). Notes: The Lake Erie Monsters are fifth in the Central Division, seventh in the Western Conference and 11th in the AHL with an 18-12-2-3 record (0.586)…Monsters head coach Jared Bednar played for the Griffins during their 1998-99 IHL campaign, racking up 21 points (3-18—21) and a team-high 220 PIM in 74 games…Lake Erie is 3-5-1-1 in its last 10…The Monsters are 7-9-2-1 on the road… T.J. Tynan leads the Monsters with 24 points (3-21—23)…The Monsters rank ninth in goals against per game (2.71) but are 22nd in goals for (2.66)…Lake Erie ranks fourth in shots for per game (32.74) and fourth in shots against (27.03)…The Monsters are responsible for snapping the Griffins’ franchise record 15-game winning streak on Dec. 27…In the Dec. 27 game, which ended in a 3-2 Monsters victory, the two teams combined for an AHL season-high 158 PIM (GR 84, LE 74)…The Griffins have won five of the last six against the Monsters this season after dropping the first two…Andy Miele’s goal in the second round of the shootout helped the Griffins to a 4-3 shootout win in the teams’ last meeting on Jan. 9…Eric Tangradi (6-1—7) and Anthony Mantha (4-3—7) lead the Griffins in point production against the Monsters.
Sunday, Jan. 17 vs. Chicago Wolves (16-15-1-2) – Van Andel Arena – 4 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 3:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 33-21-2-3-2 Home, 67-48-2-5-2 Overall. Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Home, 2-0-0-0 Overall. Third of eight meetings overall, second of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues. Head Coach: John Anderson (14th season). Notes: The Chicago Wolves rank sixth in the Central Division, 12th in the Western Conference and 20th overall with a 16-15-1-2 record (0.515)…Chicago is 5-5-0-0 over its last 10 games and have lost the last two…Griffins head coach Todd Nelson served as an assistant coach with the Wolves for two seasons (2006-08) and won the 2008 Calder Cup in his final season with Chicago…Griffins assistant coach Ben Simon spent three seasons playing for the Wolves (2001-03, 2004-05) and helped Chicago capture the Calder Cup in 2002…Center Pat Cannone, who ranked second in scoring on the Wolves last season, is tied for the team’s scoring leaders with 23 points (8-15—23) and a plus-11 rating in 15…With 23 points (3-20), Andre Benoit ranks sixth among AHL defensemen in point production… In the teams’ last meeting, Dec. 4 at Van Andel Arena, the Griffins came away with a 3-1 victory behind goals from Mark Zengerle, Tomas Nosek and Andreas Athanasiou and 31 saves from Jared Coreau…Athanasiou (3-0—3) and Eric Tangradi (0-3—3) lead Grand Rapids in point production against Chicago.
This Week’s Games
Tues., Jan. 12 GRIFFINS at Charlotte Checkers 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Wed., Jan. 13 GRIFFINS at Charlotte Checkers 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Jan. 15 Lake Erie Monsters at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sun., Jan. 17 Chicago Wolves at GRIFFINS 4 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Last Week’s Results
Tues., Jan. 5 GRIFFINS 1 at Manitoba Moose 2 19-11-0-1, 39 points (3rd, Central Division)
Fri., Jan. 8 Milwaukee Admirals 2 at GRIFFINS 4 20-11-0-1, 41 points (3rd)
Sat., Jan. 9 Lake Erie Monsters 3 at GRIFFINS 4 SO 21-11-0-1, 43 points (2nd)
Hello, 2016: Grand Rapids’ remarkable run continues as the Griffins have won 19 of their last 22 overall and are 3-1-0-0 in the New Year following Saturday’s 4-3 shootout win against Lake Erie. Currently situated second in the Central Division, Grand Rapids trails first-place Rockford by just 0.019 percentage points. Arguably two of the hottest teams in the league will be squaring off this week when Grand Rapids travels to Charlotte for a two-game set beginning on Tuesday. The Checkers are on a 12-game point streak and have not lost in regulation since Dec. 6, 2015.
Weekend Promotions: For Friday’s contest against Lake Erie, fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m. while supplies last. The Griffins host their second annual Dog Night on Sunday against Chicago. Owners may bring their dog to the game with the purchase of both a human ticket for $15 and a dog ticket for $5. All dog ticket proceeds will benefit Great Lakes Weimaraner Rescue. For more information, including a downloadable waiver form for your dog, please visit griffinshockey.com/doggame.
Movin’ On Up: On Nov. 18, nearly eight weeks ago, Grand Rapids stood in last place in the league with a 0.227 winning percentage. Since that date, which marked the beginning of the Griffins’ 19 wins in 22 games stretch, Grand Rapids (0.652) has vaulted all the way up to the No. 3 spot in the Western Conference and No. 6 in the AHL.
All-Star Nods: Defenseman Xavier Ouellet and forward Jeff Hoggan (playing captain) have been selected to participate in the 2016 Toyota AHL All-Star Classic held on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 at War Memorial Arena in Syracuse, N.Y. Ouellet receives his second consecutive all-star nod, but was unable to play in the 2015 All-Star Classic because he was on recall with the Detroit Red Wings. He becomes just the fourth Griffins defenseman ever to be selected to play in two all-star games, joining Niklas Kronwall (2004 and 2005), Travis Richards (2001 IHL and 2004) and John Gruden (2000 IHL and 2002). Selected as one of two playing captains, along with Syracuse’s Mike Angelidis, Hoggan will be making his first career all-star appearance. Hoggan becomes the third Griffin to be chosen as a playing captain for an All-Star Classic, joining Kip Miller (2007, PlanetUSA) and Travis Richards (2004, PlanetUSA).
Home Cooking: With a 4-3 shootout win over Lake Erie on Saturday, the Griffins extended their franchise-record home winning streak to 13 games. Grand Rapids’ current stretch is the fifth-longest home winning streak in the AHL since 1998-99 and the Griffins have outscored their visitors by a 56-24 tally during the run. In addition, Jared Coreau has collected 11 straight wins between the pipes on home ice (Dec. 9-Jan. 9), setting a new record for a goaltender’s longest home winning streak in franchise history (previous high: 9; Daniel Larsson, March 21-Dec. 9, 2009; Jimmy Howard, March 1-April 14, 2006; Mathieu Chouinard, Oct. 6, 2000-Feb. 11, 2001).
Longest Home Winning Streaks in Griffins History:
| Games | Dates | Coach |
| 13 | Nov. 11-Jan. 9, 2015 | Todd Nelson |
| 10 | Jan. 23-Feb. 27, 2004 | Danton Cole |
| Dec. 22, 2000-Jan. 26, 2001 | Bruce Cassidy | |
| 9 | March 1-April 14, 2006 | Greg Ireland |
| 8 | Oct. 30-Dec. 7, 2013 | Jeff Blashill |
| Oct. 23-Nov. 13, 2009 | Curt Fraser |
Longest AHL Home Winning Streaks since 1998-99:
| Games | Team | Year |
| 24 | Hershey | Nov. 29, 2009-March 19, 2010 |
| 17 | Rochester | Dec. 17, 2004-March 4, 2005 |
| 15 | Norfolk | Feb. 10-April 7, 2012 |
| 14 | Norfolk | Dec. 20, 2006-Feb. 7, 2007 |
| 13 | Grand Rapids | Nov. 11, 2015-Jan. 9, 2016 |
| 12 | Hershey | Dec. 28, 2013-Feb. 15, 2014 |
| 12 | Texas | Nov. 23, 2013-Jan. 24, 2014 |
| 12 | Providence | Dec. 27, 1998-Feb. 14, 1999 |
| 12 | Philadelphia | Oct. 22, 2004-Dec. 1, 2005 |
Busy, Busy: January will be the most frenetic month of the season on the ice for the Griffins as they are set to play 14 games in the 31-day month. The January schedule includes four sets of back-to-back games (Jan. 8-9, 12-13, 22-23, 29-30). Including Tuesday’s game at Charlotte, the Griffins will play four games in six days.
Short Rest: The Griffins post a 6-4 (0.600) record on the second night of a back-to-back this season, including wins in six of the last seven. Grand Rapids has outscored its opponents, 28-27, during the 10 games on short rest.
Goaltender of the Month: Jared Coreau was selected as the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month for December, as announced by the AHL on Jan. 4. In 11 December starts, Coreau posted a 9-2-0 record along with a 1.92 goals against average and a 0.938 save percentage. He becomes the fifth Griffins goaltender to earn monthly league (AHL/IHL) accolades and the first since Jimmy Howard in December 2007. Coreau recorded his second shutout of the season and the fifth of his three-year professional career in Dec. 31’s 3-0 win over Milwaukee. Both of Coreau’s shutouts this year have come against the first-place Admirals (Nov. 27, Dec. 31).
Whoa, Nellie: Named the franchise’s 10th head coach on June 19, 2015, Todd Nelson has already attached his name to several records in Griffins lore. In the first few months under Nelson’s watch, Grand Rapids has set franchise records for overall win streak (15, Nov. 18-Dec. 26) and home win streak (13, Nov. 11-current). Additionally, the Griffins’ 0.833 winning percentage (10-2-0-0) in the month of December marked the most successful December ever in the franchise’s 20 seasons.
Against the Best: The Griffins own a 17-10-0-1 (0.625) record against teams with a winning record this season, including a 7-4-0-0 (0.636) mark against teams with a winning percentage greater than 0.600 as of Jan. 11. Grand Rapids has also posted an 18-6-0-1 (0.740) record against its Central Division rivals. Thus far, the division has shown to be one of the toughest in the AHL as four Central teams rank in the top 10 of the overall league standings.
On the Plus Side: Among the 20 Griffins who have appeared in 10 or more games this season, 16 find themselves with a positive plus/minus rating and two have a rating of 0. Rookie Robbie Russo leads the team at +22, which also places him second in the league.
Goal Scoring: Partly attributable to the Griffins’ current sixth-place standing in the AHL is the fact they rank in the top five for both goals for (3.12, fifth) and goals against (2.39, fifth) per game.
Griffins Leaders: Eric Tangradi (16-12—28) and Andy Miele (7-18—25) continue to pace Grand Rapids in scoring, just ahead of Anthony Mantha (9-14—23), Martin Frk (11-8—19), Mark Zengerle (5-14—19), Robbie Russo (2-15—17) and Andreas Athanasiou (8-8—16).
Making the Grade: Eric Tangradi has accumulated points in 15 of the last 18 outings (13-10—23), including seven multi-point contests. His eight-game point streak from Nov. 27-Dec. 26 set a Griffins’ best this season, and also included a three-game goal streak from Dec. 5-12. Tangradi’s team-leading 16 goals are buoyed by his fourth career hat trick recorded Dec. 5 against Lake Erie, one of three Griffins to net three goals in a game this season (Colin Campbell, Dec. 26 at LE; Tomas Jurco, Nov. 20 vs. San Diego). League wide, Tangradi is tied for third in goals (16) and tied for 20th in points (28).
Magic Numbers: The Griffins are a perfect 20-0-0-0 when scoring three or more goals and 15-2-0-0 when allowing two goals or fewer…Grand Rapids is 11-0-0-0 when leading after one period, 15-1-0-0 when leading after two and 16-1-0-0 when striking first.
Fantastic Frk: Martin Frk has found a groove lately, accumulating points in 10 of the last 13 contests (8-8—16), including a stretch of consecutive three-point games (Dec. 19 vs. Texas and Dec. 26 at Lake Erie). Frk is the second Griffin this season to deliver back-to-back three-point efforts (Andy Miele, Nov. 25 vs. Iowa and Nov. 27 at Milwaukee). His eight goals scored over the last 13 games (Dec. 9-Jan. 9) are tied for second-most in the AHL during that span. To top it off, his four-game goal streak lasting Dec. 18-27 set a Griffins’ long this year.
Stone Wall: Goaltender Jared Coreau has been nothing short of magnificent during the team’s recent 19 wins in 22 games stretch as he is responsible for 15 of those victories. Among Coreau’s accomplishments during the run, lasting Nov. 18-Jan. 9, include: matching a career high (Dec. 31, 2014 vs. RFD) by recording 47 saves in a 3-2 victory over Lake Erie on Dec. 16, shutting out Milwaukee in a 6-0 win on Nov. 27 by executing 22 saves, and tallying his second bagel of the season behind 23 saves in a 3-0 blanking of Milwaukee on Dec. 31. Coreau is responsible for both of the team’s shutouts thus far and both have come against the Admirals. In a 3-2 loss at Lake Erie on Dec. 27, Coreau had his career best 11-game winning streak snapped, leaving him just one shy of tying Jimmy Howard’s record for a Grand Rapids goalie. Over the last 18 games, he has stopped 516 of 551 shots (0.930) and recorded a 1.95 GAA. Overall for the season, Coreau’s 17 wins place him just one off the league lead and he also ranks inside the top five for save percentage (0.931, second) and GAA (2.14, third).
Another Day, Another Start: Jared Coreau has now started 14 straight games in goal for the Griffins (Dec. 9-Jan. 9). To add some perspective, the Griffins record for consecutive games started by a goaltender is held by Joey MacDonald, who started 24 in a row from Feb. 25-April 9, 2005. The mark for most consecutive games played in a season by a netminder is 31, also owned by MacDonald (Feb. 4-April 9, 2005).
Road Redemption: After dropping their first five away games, the Griffins have won seven of their last 10 on the road, including a six-game winning streak that lasted from Nov. 21-Dec. 26. Grand Rapids has put together streaks of five consecutive wins or more on foreign ice in each of the last four seasons (2014-15: 7; 2013-14: 5; 2012-13: 6). On the road this season, the Griffins recorded their largest margin of victory in a 6-0 victory at Milwaukee on Nov. 27, mounted their biggest comeback in a 4-3 overtime win at Iowa on Dec. 13 after dipping into an early 3-0 deficit, and matched a season high for goals scored during a 7-3 win at Lake Erie on Dec. 26.
Russo’s Rookie Relevance: Rookie defenseman Robbie Russo registered just one assist and a single point through his first seven professional games this season. However, his eighth career game, Nov. 18 against Rockford, proved to be his coming out party as Russo exploded for a three-point night including scoring – in game-winning fashion – his first professional goal. Since Nov. 18, Russo leads the team with 14 assists in 22 games. Russo’s seven-game assist streak (Dec. 5-19) set a Griffins’ best this season and his plus-22 rating is second in the league.
No. 152: Center Tomas Nosek became the 152nd Griffin to play in the NHL after he debuted with the Red Wings during Detroit’s 3-2 win over Nashville on Dec. 26. Nosek played in six games for Detroit and did not record a point. The Red Wings assigned him back to the Griffins on Jan. 5. Nosek has collected two points (1-1—2) in his first two games back in Grand Rapids.
Mantha Mania: Ranking third on the team in points (9-14—23), Anthony Mantha has picked up points in three of the last five, including a pair of multi-point outings.
Zengerle Pitches In: Mark Zengerle has displayed a consistent output over the season’s first 33 games and is tied for fourth on the team in points (5-14—19). The former Wisconsin Badgers standout has points in eight of the last 12 games (3-7—10), including a season-best two goals on Jan. 3 at Manitoba.
Andy Assister: Leading the team with 18 assists overall and second with 25 points (7-18—25), Andy Miele is responsible for seven points (3-4—7) the last 10 games. His three assists at Iowa on Nov. 25 tied a Griffins season-high as Mark Zengerle also contributed three assists in the same game.
0 to 100: Accounting for 95 points in 104 regular season games as a Griffin, Andy Miele is on pace to attain the 100-point career plateau reached by 32 players previously. Should he record five points in the next 17 games, he will rank among the 10 fastest Griffins to ever hit the century mark:
| Games | Player | Date |
| 81 | Michel Picard | April 12, 1997 |
| 87 | Kip Miller | Jan. 27, 2005 |
| 97 | Jeff Nelson | Dec. 21, 2003 |
| 98 | Donald MacLean | March 25, 2006 |
| 102 | Gustav Nyquist | Jan. 17, 2013 |
| 103 | Derek King | Feb. 14, 2001 |
| 107 | Slava Butsayev | Jan. 19, 2001 |
| 108 | Teemu Pulkkinen | Jan. 23, 2015 |
| 117 | Jiri Hudler | Oct. 28, 2005 |
| 121 | Glen Metropolit | Feb. 6, 1999 |
Camping Out: Aided by his first career hat trick on Dec. 26 at Lake Erie, Colin Campbell has recorded seven points in the last 10 outings (4-3—7).
Out of Action: Goaltender Tom McCollum has been unavailable the last 14 games due to injury…Mitch Callahan missed the last 10 games and is expected to be out an extended amount of time with a broken jaw...The Griffins have combined to miss 72 games due to injury this season.
Welcome Back: Forward Triston Grant made his 2015-16 debut on Dec. 27 at Lake Erie after missing the first 26 games while recovering from a neck injury. Grant, a member of Grand Rapids’ 2013 Calder Cup champion squad, has played in 130 career games as a Griffin spanning three seasons (2012-13, 2013-14, 2015-16), registering 26 points (10-16—26) and 299 PIM. Grant has not recorded a point in four games with the Griffins this season.
Climbing the Charts: Matching a season-best with 41 saves against Lake Erie on Dec. 5, Tom McCollum earned his 92nd win as a Griffin, which ranks second in franchise history behind only Joey MacDonald (109). McCollum, who needs four more appearances to equal MacDonald’s mark of 210, has broken the 5,000-save barrier this season and, with 5,113 stops, stands behind only MacDonald (5,362) in club archives.
Making Moves: On Sunday, the Griffins signed forward A.J. Jenks to a professional tryout.
Walleye World: A recent 7-3-0-0 stretch has the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye atop the North Division standings with a 20-10-1-3 record (44 points). The Walleye lead second-place Wheeling (15-16-2-2) by 10 points. Former Griffin Shane Berschbach (10-17—27) paces the offense. Alden Hirschfeld and A.J. Jenks rank among the team’s offensive leaders but are both with Grand Rapids. Rookie netminder Jake Paterson, Detroit’s second pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft who is currently with the Griffins, shows a 5-6-1-1 record with a 2.46 GAA and 0.921 save percentage as an understudy to former Michigan State Spartan Jeff Lerg (15-4-0-2, 1.92 GAA, 0.934%).
Record Setters: The Griffins posted a franchise-record 15-game winning streak from Nov. 18-Dec. 26 before Lake Erie halted the historic run on Dec. 27 by defeating Grand Rapids 3-2. Grand Rapids’ 15-game run marked the longest streak in the AHL since Norfolk set the standard by rattling off 28 in a row on its way to winning the Calder Cup in the 2011-12 season.
Elite Status: The Griffins’ 15-game streak allowed them to join some rare company among professional hockey in North America. Consider that the Griffins’ 15-game run tied for the third longest in the AHL since 1992 and that just three teams in the 98-year history of the NHL have recorded winning streaks of 15 or longer (17, 1992-93 Pittsburgh; 15, 1981-82 New York Islanders and 2012-13 Pittsburgh).
Only on the West Side: Grand Rapids has twice put together winning streaks of at least 11 games in the last 11 seasons, while its parent club in Detroit has never won more than nine consecutive games in its 90 seasons of play (seven times, most recently Oct. 18-Nov. 9, 2007).
November and December to Remember: The Griffins posted a 10-2-0-0 record in the final month of the calendar year after starting December with an 8-8-0-1 mark and closing at 18-10-0-1. In fact, Grand Rapids’ 0.833 winning percentage in December marked the most prosperous December in the franchise’s 20-year history, just edging out the 2000-01 team (12-3-0-0, 0.800%). The strong December record comes on the heels of a fruitful November, where the Griffins’ 7-2-0-1 tally marked their second-most successful November over the last 10 years. The Griffins’ November winning percentage of 0.750 under Todd Nelson was eclipsed in the last decade by only Jeff Blashill’s 0.8333 mark (10-2-0-0) during his second month at Grand Rapids’ helm in 2012.
Longest Winning Streaks in Griffins History:
| Games | Dates | Coach |
| 15 | Nov. 18-Dec. 26, 2015 | Todd Nelson |
| 11 | March 5-31, 2006 | Greg Ireland |
| 9 | Feb. 14-March 4, 2015 | Jeff Blashill |
| Oct. 23-Nov. 13, 2009 | Curt Fraser | |
| Dec. 22, 2000-Jan. 12, 2001 | Bruce Cassidy | |
| 8 | Nov. 3-24, 2012 | Jeff Blashill |
Longest AHL Winning Streaks Since 1992:
| Year | Team | Length | Season Record | Division Finish | Postseason Result |
| 2011-12 | Norfolk | 28 | 55-18-1-2 | 1st East | Calder Cup Champions |
| 2004-05 | Philadelphia | 17 | 48-25-3-4 | 2nd East | Calder Cup Champions |
| 2007-08 | Syracuse | 15 | 46-26-2-6 | 2nd North | L, Division Finals |
| 1995-96 | Albany | 15 | 54-19-7-0 | 1st Central | L, Division Finals |
| 2015-16 | Grand Rapids | 15 | ? | ? | ? |
| 2004-05 | Manchester | 13 | 51-21-4-4 | 1st Atlantic | L, Division Finals |
Scouting Report
Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Charlotte Checkers (21-11-1-1) – Bojangles’ Coliseum – 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 13 at Charlotte Checkers – Bojangles’ Coliseum – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. each night Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 10-11-0-1 Overall, 5-4-0-1 Road. Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 0-0-0-0 Road. Third and fourth of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at Bojangles’ Coliseum. NHL Affiliation: Carolina Hurricanes. Head Coach: Mark Morris (1st season). Notes: The Charlotte Checkers are third in the Central Division, fourth in the Western Conference and seventh overall with a 21-11-1-1 (0.647) record…Charlotte is on a 12-game point streak and has not lost in regulation since Dec. 6…The Checkers are 7-6-1-0 at home compared to 14-5-0-1 on the road…Charlotte ranks fourth in the power play (21.8%) and 14th in the penalty kill (83.6%)…Derek Ryan ranks sixth in the league in point production (12-20—32)…Former Michigan State Spartan Jake Chelios, and son of former Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios, has 17 points (5-12—17) in 31 games…Drew MacIntyre has seen the majority of minutes in the crease, posting a 9-9-1-0 record to go along with a 3.07 GAA and a 0.893 save percentage…In the teams’ last meeting, Oct. 23, 2015 at Van Andel Arena, Charlotte came away with a 3-1 victory…Andy Miele leads the team with three points (1-2—3) in two games against the Checkers.
Friday, Jan. 15 vs. Lake Erie Monsters (18-12-2-3) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 21-10-1-1 Home, 36-22-3-7 Overall. Season Series: 3-0-0-0 Home, 5-2-0-1 Overall. Ninth of 12 meetings overall, fourth of six at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets. Head Coach: Jared Bednar (1st season). Notes: The Lake Erie Monsters are fifth in the Central Division, seventh in the Western Conference and 11th in the AHL with an 18-12-2-3 record (0.586)…Monsters head coach Jared Bednar played for the Griffins during their 1998-99 IHL campaign, racking up 21 points (3-18—21) and a team-high 220 PIM in 74 games…Lake Erie is 3-5-1-1 in its last 10…The Monsters are 7-9-2-1 on the road… T.J. Tynan leads the Monsters with 24 points (3-21—23)…The Monsters rank ninth in goals against per game (2.71) but are 22nd in goals for (2.66)…Lake Erie ranks fourth in shots for per game (32.74) and fourth in shots against (27.03)…The Monsters are responsible for snapping the Griffins’ franchise record 15-game winning streak on Dec. 27…In the Dec. 27 game, which ended in a 3-2 Monsters victory, the two teams combined for an AHL season-high 158 PIM (GR 84, LE 74)…The Griffins have won five of the last six against the Monsters this season after dropping the first two…Andy Miele’s goal in the second round of the shootout helped the Griffins to a 4-3 shootout win in the teams’ last meeting on Jan. 9…Eric Tangradi (6-1—7) and Anthony Mantha (4-3—7) lead the Griffins in point production against the Monsters.
Sunday, Jan. 17 vs. Chicago Wolves (16-15-1-2) – Van Andel Arena – 4 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 3:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 33-21-2-3-2 Home, 67-48-2-5-2 Overall. Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Home, 2-0-0-0 Overall. Third of eight meetings overall, second of four at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues. Head Coach: John Anderson (14th season). Notes: The Chicago Wolves rank sixth in the Central Division, 12th in the Western Conference and 20th overall with a 16-15-1-2 record (0.515)…Chicago is 5-5-0-0 over its last 10 games and have lost the last two…Griffins head coach Todd Nelson served as an assistant coach with the Wolves for two seasons (2006-08) and won the 2008 Calder Cup in his final season with Chicago…Griffins assistant coach Ben Simon spent three seasons playing for the Wolves (2001-03, 2004-05) and helped Chicago capture the Calder Cup in 2002…Center Pat Cannone, who ranked second in scoring on the Wolves last season, is tied for the team’s scoring leaders with 23 points (8-15—23) and a plus-11 rating in 15…With 23 points (3-20), Andre Benoit ranks sixth among AHL defensemen in point production… In the teams’ last meeting, Dec. 4 at Van Andel Arena, the Griffins came away with a 3-1 victory behind goals from Mark Zengerle, Tomas Nosek and Andreas Athanasiou and 31 saves from Jared Coreau…Athanasiou (3-0—3) and Eric Tangradi (0-3—3) lead Grand Rapids in point production against Chicago.
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