Griffins Game #54 * Home Game #30 * AHL Game #833

Season Series: 3-0-1-0 Home Series: 0-0-1-0 Road Series: 3-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 64-34-6-10 All-Time Home Series: 35-17-2-2 All-Time Road Series: 29-17-4-8

Griffins vs. Monsters
Fifth of eight meetings overall, second of four at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids is 10-3-1-0 against Cleveland in the past two seasons...In the past five years, the Griffins are 26-10-3-3 against Cleveland and have outscored them 138-113. On home ice during that span, Grand Rapids is 13-5-1-1 against the Monsters with a +14 scoring margin (64-50)...After finishing in second in the AHL a year ago with a 26.9% power play rating, Cleveland currently ranks 27th in the league with a conversion rate of 16.3%. The Monsters’ penalty kill places 26th with a kill percentage of 77.1%...Cleveland comes into the outing with a 6-2-1-1 record in its last 10 contests and a 12-9-3-3 ledger on the road...The Monsters are the fourth most frequent opponent of the Griffins, as this game marks the 115th meeting between the two franchises...Defenseman Wyatt Newpower skated for Cleveland a season ago, logging 10 points (3-7—10) and 14 penalty minutes in 24 games...Netminder Calvin Pickard began his pro career with Cleveland and was with the team from 2012-15, posting a 60-54-21 record and a 2.64 goals against average...Griffins head coach Ben Simon is a native of the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights.

Last Time Out
The Chicago Wolves defeated the Grand Rapids Griffins 4-2 on Wednesday at Van Andel Arena. Grand Rapids has now lost nine consecutive matchups against the Wolves (0-8-1-0), dating back to the last meeting of the 2020-21 season. Turner Elson recorded his 14^th tally on the year, tying him for the team-high in goals with Jonatan Berggren and Taro Hirose. Elson joined Dominik Shine with two points in the contest. The Griffins dropped to 2-11-1-2 (0.219) against the Central-Division leading Wolves and the second-place Manitoba Moose. However, Grand Rapids is 21-12-4-0 (0.622) against the rest of the AHL. Tyler Spezia lit the lamp for the 10th time this season. Grand Rapids went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, including a 5-on-3 for 1:45. Dennis Yan skated in his 200th game as a pro.

Roster Shake Up

- March 2, 2022—F Riley Barber reassigned by Detroit
- March 4, 2022—F Alexis D’Aoust signed to a PTO
- March 11, 2022—F Jan Drogz reassigned from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by Pittsburgh; D Butrus Ghafari signed to a PTO

This Date in Griffins History
2020: A 4-1 home win over Iowa proves to be the Griffins’ final game of the 2019-20 campaign, as the COVID-19 pandemic forces the suspension and eventual cancelation of the remainder of the AHL’s season.

Huffin’ and Puffin’
So far this season, the Griffins are 2-11-1-2 (0.219) against the Central Division-leading Chicago Wolves and the second-place Manitoba Moose. However, Grand Rapids is 21-12-4-0 (0.622) against the rest of the AHL.

Welcome Back, March
The Griffins have had a remarkable stretch of success during the month of March throughout their 25 seasons. Grand Rapids has earned a winning record in March for 13 straight years, in large part by going 0.500 or better on the road during each of those months and despite playing 62% of its games on the road. All time, the Griffins have only had a losing March record three times in 25 years. The last time Grand Rapids suffered a losing record in March was back in 2008. Things that were also happening in March of 2008: Jimmy Howard was playing his third of four full seasons in Grand Rapids; Ben Simon was an alternate captain for the Springfield Falcons, 2.5 years from starting his coaching career; Donovan Sebrango was six years old; President George W. Bush was serving his final year in the White House; and the Red Wings were three months from winning their most recent Stanley Cup.

Home, Sweet Home
The Griffins will have a lot of action in West Michigan during the first three weeks of March. Six of Grand Rapids’ first eight games of the month will be played at Van Andel Arena before closing out March with a season-long five-game road trip. The Griffins went 4-2-1-1 during an identical stretch of games in January. The Griffins will play half of their remaining 12 homes contests in the first three weeks of March. Grand Rapids is 12-12-4-1 on home ice this season while it is 11-11-1-1 on the road.

Victory for Victor
Rookie goaltender Victor Brattstrom captured his first AHL shutout of his career on March 5 against Iowa. The Goteborg, Sweden, native recorded 35 saves en route to a 3-0 victory. After beginning the season with a 2-6-1-1 mark, Brattstrom has came away with wins in three of his last five starts. In his last five outings, the 24-year-old has a 0.917 save percentage and a 2.81 goals against average.

Jonny Apple Seed
Rookie Jonatan Berggren registered a career-high four assists on Jan. 18 at Cleveland, which set a new single-game high for any Griffin this season. Berggren’s four helpers were one shy of tying the Griffins’ rookie single-game record of five assists set by Chris Bala (1/10/02). Berggren’s 37 points (14-23—37) are tied for eighth among first-year players on the circuit and rank second on the Griffins’ roster. His 23 assists rank ninth among league rookies while his 14 goals are tied for 11th. Berggren is also tied for fifth in the league with five game-winning goals, which also places second among rookies. Berggren is on pace for 53 points, which would place fourth in franchise-rookie history. The Uppsala, Sweden, native is also on pace for 20 goals, which would place him in a tie for eighth place all-time among Griffins’ rookies.

High-Flying Hirose
After leading the Griffins in assists a year ago with 23, Taro Hirose has picked off right where he left off as he has bagged 31 helpers in the opening 52 games, which is a team high and tied for 10th in the league. Fourteen assists have come on the power play, which is tied for 13th in the AHL. Hirose logged his second three-point night (2-1—3) of the season on Jan. 1 against Milwaukee, which tied a career-high for the forward. In that same game, he also tied a career-best two goals. The former Michigan State Spartan enjoyed a four-game point streak (3-3—6) from Jan. 1-8. Hirose’s 45 points (14-31—45) this season pace the Griffins and are tied for 18th in the league. He was recalled by Detroit on Dec. 15 and made his NHL season debut on Dec. 18 against the Devils.

Calvin’s University
Goaltender Calvin Pickard has had a stellar season thus far, as he ranks near the top in multiple categories in the AHL. The 10-year-pro currently ranks 13th in the AHL with a 2.47 goals against average while his 0.923 save percentage places fourth in the league. Pickard also ranks second with 2261:46 minutes played and is tied for fifth with 18 wins. Pickard has got it done on the offensive end as well with four assists on the season, which is two more than his previous career high. The netminder has been a work horse for the Griffins this season, appearing in 38 of the 53 games.

Rarified Air
Brian Lashoff’s 557 games played for the Griffins ranks first among active AHL players who have spent their entire AHL career with the same club and fifth in league history among one-team players. Of the players ahead of him on that list, the most recent – and, coincidentally, the record-holder – last played during the 1970-71 season (Bill Needham of the Cleveland Barons, 981 games played). Lashoff overtook Pete Backor (Pittsburgh Hornets 1945-54) for the No. 5 spot on Jan. 14 against Manitoba and is now 13 games behind No. 4 Paul Larivee (Providence Reds 1952-62). Lashoff is still 98 games away from breaking the Griffins’ all-time games played record, held by Travis Richards with 655 games (1995-2006).

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Jonatan Berggren—37 points (14-23—37) are tied for eighth among first-year players, 23 assists ranks ninth among rookies and 14 goals are tied for 11th among rookies, five game-winning goals are tied for fifth in the league and place second among rookies
Taro Hirose—31 assists are tied for 10th, 14 power play assists are tied for 13th, 45 points (14-31—45) are tied for 18th
Ryan Murphy—10 goals are tied for first among blueliners
Calvin Pickard—2.47 goals against average ranks 13th, 0.923 save percentage places fourth, 18 wins are tied for fifth, 2261:46 minutes played places second
Dominik Shine—102 penalty minutes rank fourth

Milestones
Dennis Yan competed in his 200th game as a pro on March 9 against Chicago. Ben Simon completed his 350th game as a pro head coach on March 6 at Milwaukee while Taro Hirose bagged his 100th point (24-76—100) as a Griffin and in the AHL. Other upcoming milestones include:
Jonatan Berggren—Three points from 100 as a pro, two games from 150 as a pro
Kyle Criscuolo—One assist from 100 as a pro and 50 as a Griffin, two assists from 100 in the AHL, one game from 150 as a Griffin
Turner Elson—Two games from 450 in the AHL
Brett McKenzie—Two goals from 50 as a pro

Photo by Cleveland Monsters