This Week’s Games
GRIFFINS at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins // Fri., Jan. 4 // 7:05 p.m. // Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: First of two meetings overall, first and last at Mohegan Sun Arena
All-Time Series: 2-2-0-0 Road, 4-3-0-1 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Pittsburgh Penguins
Noteworthy: Entering this season, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in 16 consecutive campaigns, which is the longest active streak in the AHL. The Griffins have advanced to the postseason in six straight seasons.

GRIFFINS at Hershey Bears // Sat., Jan. 5 // 7 p.m. // Giant Center
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLTV
Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Road, 1-0-0-0 Overall. Second of two meetings overall, first and last at the Giant Center
All-Time Series: 4-0-0-0 Road, 8-1-0-0 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Washington Capitals
Noteworthy: In this season’s home opener on Oct. 12, the Griffins defeated the Bears 6-3 and received two goals from Filip Zadina.

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Dec. 28 GRIFFINS 2 at Cleveland Monsters 3 OT 17-11-3-2 (39 points, T2nd Central Division)
Sat., Dec. 29 Cleveland Monsters 3 at GRIFFINS 4 SO 18-11-3-2 (41 points, T2nd Central)
Mon., Dec. 31 Rockford IceHogs 1 at GRIFFINS 2 19-11-3-2 (43 points, T2nd Central)

Status Update: After earning five out of a possible six points in their three most recent outings, the Grand Rapids Griffins have extended their point streak to five games (4-0-1-0) and place third in the Central Division with a 19-11-3-2 overall record (43 points). Grand Rapids has points in 22 of its last 28 games (17-6-3-2). The Griffins begin 2019 by heading to Pennsylvania this weekend for games against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Friday and the Hershey Bears on Saturday. Grand Rapids is opening the new year on the road for the third time in the last four seasons. The Griffins also have points in three straight away contests (2-0-1-0).

Follow the Leader(s):
Points: Chris Terry (38)
Goals: Terry (21)
Assists: Carter Camper (18)
Plus-Minus: Turner Elson (+15)
PIM: Dominik Shine (36)
Wins: Harri Sateri (11)
GAA: Patrik Rybar (2.41)
Save %: Rybar (0.909)

Last Week’s Notes:
Friday at Cleveland – Cleveland scored three unanswered goals to take the win...Defenseman Libor Sulak netted his first AHL goal at 4:20 in the first period...Former Monster Carter Camper recorded his sixth goal of the season at 8:50 of the second and has points in three straight...Turner Elson made his return to the lineup after missing four games due to injury...Grand Rapids tallied one shot in the third period, which tied a franchise record for fewest shots in a road period that was set twice previously (4/7/18 at Tucson third period and 3/29/00 at Orlando third period)...The Griffins have given up a season-high 36 shots on two occasions and both have been against Cleveland. Recap | Highlights
Saturday vs. Cleveland – Grand Rapids has points in 11 of the last 13 meetings (8-2-1-2) against Cleveland...The Griffins finished the four-game season series with a 2-1-1-0 mark...Chris Terry notched a game-high three points (1-2—3) and was the only scorer in the three-round shootout…Terry and Axel Holmstrom scored goals 36 seconds apart in the opening period...Carter Camper extended his point streak to four behind a goal and an assist…Patrik Rybar turned aside a season-high 33 shots and stopped all three in the shootout...Dominik Shine skated in his 100th career AHL game...Grand Rapids has given up a season-high 36 shots on three occasions and all have come against the Monsters. Recap | Highlights
Monday vs. Rockford – Joe Hicketts scored the game-winning goal with 4:44 remaining in regulation…Harri Sateri notched 31 saves and earned first-star honors…Grand Rapids concluded the 2018 calendar year with a 47-21-4-5 record (0.669)…The Griffins are 11-9-1-1 when playing on New Year’s Eve, including 3-0-0-1 against Rockford…The capacity crowd of 10,834 marked the team’s sixth consecutive New Year’s Eve sellout…Grand Rapids snapped a three-game winless streak against Rockford (0-1-2-0)…At Van Andel Arena, the Griffins have points in seven straight against Rockford (6-0-1-0) and in 11 of the last 12 (10-1-1-0). Recap | Highlights

High-Five x 3: The Griffins are on a five-game point streak (4-0-1-0), marking the third time in the season’s opening 35 games the team has embarked on at least a five-game run (4-0-0-1 from Oct. 27-Nov. 8 and 7-0-1-1 from Nov. 17-Dec. 7). During its current streak, Grand Rapids has allowed one goal on three occasions and is averaging 1.8 goals against per game.

Hicks Mix: With Filip Hronek on recall with the Red Wings, third-year pro Joe Hicketts is the team’s top defenseman in terms of point production with 10 (2-8—10) in 26 games. Hicketts’ two goals this season have come in timely fashion, as he scored the game-tying goal with 1:17 remaining in regulation during a 5-4 shootout win Dec. 15 vs. Milwaukee and netted the game-winner on Monday with 4:44 to play.

Friendly Confines: The Griffins have points in 15 of their first 18 games at Van Andel Arena (12-3-1-2) and in 10 of their last 11 (8-1-1-1). The Griffins’ 27 points at home ties for the most in the AHL. Grand Rapids is a +12 in goal differential at home while averaging 3.44 goals, compared to –9 and 2.65 on enemy ice.

A Few 2018 Highlights: The Griffins collected a 47-21-4-5 regular season record (0.669) during the calendar year...Grand Rapids qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs for a franchise-record sixth consecutive season...The Griffins fell in a decisive Game 5 of the Central Division Semifinals to snap their streak of five straight seasons advancing to at least the second round of the playoffs...Grand Rapids saw eight players either return to or debut in the NHL including Dominic Turgeon (debuted Jan. 14 DET at CHI), Joe Hicketts (debuted Jan. 22 DET at NJ), Dennis Cholowski (debuted Oct. 4 DET vs. CBJ), Libor Sulak (debuted Oct. 4 DET vs. CBJ), Filip Hronek (debuted Oct. 4 DET vs. CBJ), Wade Megan (returned Nov. 1 DET vs. NJ), Christoffer Ehn (returned Nov. 6 DET vs. VAN) and Eddie Pasquale (debuted Dec. 4 TBL at DET).

2018 AHL Leaders:

Most AHL Points, Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2018

Most AHL Goals, Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2018

What You Doin’ Terr: The AHL’s leading scorer from a season ago, Chris Terry is atop the league’s goal leaderboard with 21. He has accumulated nine points (3-6—9) during his five-game point streak and places third on the circuit with 38 points. The 10th-year pro has reached the 20-goal plateau for the sixth time in his AHL career. He is also one of three active AHL players with 200 or more career goals. In the last 18 contests, he has accumulated 22 points (10-12—22). Terry’s nine goals in the month of December paced the AHL while his 18 points tied for second.

AHL's Active Goal Leaders:
1) Chris Bourque (BRI) - 242
2) Chris Mueller (TOR) - 205
3) Chris Terry - 204

A Harri Situation: Harri Sateri has points in nine of his last 10 starts (7-1-2) and shows a 2.55 GAA and a 0.910 save percentage in that span. He has allowed one goal in two of his last three games and his 11 victories on the season tie for seventh in the league.

Rybar Supports: In his last five outings between the pipes, Patrik Rybar has notched a 2.19 GAA and a 0.924 save percentage to go along with a 2-2-1 record. Skating in his first season in North America, Rybar ranks fifth in the AHL with a 2.41 overall GAA.

Page Turner: Sixth-year pro and second-year Griffin Turner Elson is responsible for 11 points (5-6—11) in his last 12 games and 19 (8-11—19) in his last 19. With 25 points, he has already surpassed his output from 2017-18 (9-12—21 in 57 GP) and is just five shy of matching his career high of 30, which he has attained twice previously (2014-15 with Adirondack and 2015-16 with Stockton). Elson has all three of the Griffins’ shorthanded goals this season, which also ties for the most in the AHL. Three shorties is the most by a Griffin in a single season since Landon Ferraro and Tomas Nosek both collected three in 2014-15.

Happy Camper: During his season-high five-game point streak, first-year Griffin Carter Camper has totaled six points (3-3—6). He is also on a three-game goal streak, which matches a career-high (Nov. 12-18, 2011) and equals Chris Terry (Nov. 4-10) for the longest by a Griffin this season. Camper paces the club with 18 assists and ties for second with 26 points.

Puemped Up: Matt Puempel has five points in his last five outings (1-4—5) and 10 in the last 10 (3-7—10). He places second on the club in goals (13) and ties for second in points (26).

Zadina Represents Czech Republic at WJC: The Czech Republic has been eliminated from the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship following a 3-1 quarterfinal loss against the United States yesterday. Rookie forward Filip Zadina finished with one assist and a minus-three rating in five games. Selected sixth overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by Detroit and the highest Red Wings draft pick to ever play for the Griffins, Zadina has accounted for 17 points (8-9—17) and 10 PIM in 27 GP during his first full pro season with the Griffins. The last player to leave the Griffins mid-season to compete in the World Junior Championship was Tomas Tatar in 2009-10. He tallied five points (3-2—5) in six games for Slovakia.

‘Tis the Season: Grand Rapids has suffered just three regulation losses at home in December since Dec. 10, 2014, going 20-3-3-3 (0.793) in its last 29 games on home ice during the last month on the calendar. The Griffins finished this December with a 7-4-3-0 record, marking the ninth consecutive season in which they showed a winning record in the final month.

Milestones Within Reach:
Carter Camper – needs five goals to reach 100 in the AHL, needs four goals to reach 100 as a pro
Jake Chelios – needs one point to reach 100 in the AHL
Derek Hulak – needs five points to reach 100 in the AHL
Matt Puempel – needs four goals to reach 100 in the AHL, needs two assists to reach 100 in the AHL

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Notes: Current record 17-14-4-1, 39 points, 4th Atlantic Division…Wilkes-Barre/Scranton makes the return trip to West Michigan on Feb. 9…After claiming the first four all-time meetings that occurred in the 2001-02 and 2006-07 seasons, the Griffins are winless in the last four matchups (0-3-0-1), finishing 0-1-0-1 in 2008-09 and 0-2 last season…Grand Rapids and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton are facing off in consecutive seasons for the first time ever…The Griffins have not won at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton since Jan. 5, 2007 (6-5 W)…The long drought is attributable to the fact that Friday is only Grand Rapids’ third trip to the Penguins since Jan. 5, 2007…Entering this season, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs in 16 consecutive campaigns, which is the longest active streak in the AHL…The Griffins have advanced to the postseason in six straight seasons…The lone postseason meeting between the Griffins and Penguins came in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals, a series Grand Rapids won 3-1…The Penguins are celebrating their 20th season as a franchise.

Atlantic Coasting: The Griffins hold a 39-27-1-2 all-time record (0.587) against current teams in the Atlantic Division including 20-13-0-1 (0.603) on the road. Thirty-six of the 69 games have come against the Charlotte Checkers, who were members of the Central Division from 2015-17. Among Atlantic teams, the Griffins have yet to face off against Bridgeport, Springfield or Providence.

Hershey Notes: Current record 14-18-0-2, 30 points, 8th Atlantic Division…Now in its 81st season, Hershey began play in the AHL in 1938-39 and is the oldest franchise on the circuit…The Bears have made 23 appearances in the Calder Cup Finals, including their most recent in 2016 against champion Lake Erie, and have won 11 Calder Cups… In this season’s home opener on Oct. 12, the Griffins defeated the Bears 6-3 and received two goals from Filip Zadina…The Griffins and Bears are matching up in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2001-02 and 2002-03 campaigns…Hershey earned its first-ever victory against the Griffins on Oct. 21, 2017, in what was the Bears’ first visit to West Michigan since Dec. 22, 2005…In their last trip to Hershey on March 11, 2018, Tom McCollum recorded 21 saves and the Griffins shut out the Bears, 3-0…Grand Rapids has not allowed Hershey to score a goal at home since the 13:31 mark of the third period on Feb. 26, 2006 – of course this can be attributed to the fact that last season’s meeting was the Griffins’ first visit to Chocolate Town since that 2005-06 campaign.

Chocolate Town Connections: Captain Matthew Ford played part of the 2011-12 season with Hershey, scoring 28 points (10-18—28) in 39 games…First-year Griffin Carter Camper compiled 34 points (9-25—34) in 64 regular season games with the Bears in 2015-16, before leading the club with 17 points (6-11—17) in 21 postseason contests and helping Hershey reach the Calder Cup Finals…2017 AHL Hall of Fame inductee and former Griffin Bryan Helmer serves as Hershey’s vice president of hockey operations…Helmer played in every game during his two-year stay in Grand Rapids from 2004-06, compiling 81 points (19-62—81) in 160 games…He was named the Griffins’ Man of the Year and an AHL Second Team All-Star in 2005-06 while helping the Griffins capture that season’s regular season championship...Former Griffin Ryan Sproul (2012-16; 17-18) has four points (1-3—4) in 11 games with Hershey this season…In 220 career regular season games with Grand Rapids, Sproul produced 95 points (29-66—95) and 101 PIM while showing 14 points (4-10—14) in 24 Calder Cup Playoff appearances…During his time in Grand Rapids, he twice led team defensemen in goals (11 in 2013-14 and 12 in 2015-16)…He became the 145th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he debuted with Detroit on April 13, 2014 at St. Louis, and appeared in 28 career games with the Red Wings over parts of two seasons (2013-14; 16-17)…Derek Hulak, who last week signed a standard player’s contract with the Griffins for the remainder of the 2018-19 season, started the year in Hershey and contributed three points in eight appearances.

Win Some, Lose Some: Compare the statistics between the Griffins’ 19 wins and 16 (including OT and SO) losses:

Back to Backs: This weekend will mark the 12th of 26 times total this season the Griffins will play on consecutive nights. Grand Rapids has won eight of its last nine on the second night including three in a row.

Photo at top by Sam Iannamico/Griffins