Griffins Game #15 * Road Game #9 * AHL Game #210

Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Home Series: 1-1-0-0 Road Series: 0-0-0-0
All-Time Series: 5-3-0-0 All-Time Home Series: 3-2-0-0 All-Time Road Series: 2-1-0-0

Griffins at Gulls
Third of four meetings overall, first of two at Pechanga Arena...Tonight’s contest is the first meeting between the two franchises in San Diego since Dec. 17, 2020…Grand Rapids holds a 29-13-2-0-0 all-time record (0.704) against Anaheim’s AHL affiliates, including 22-10-2-0-0 against the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, 2-0-0-0 against the Iowa Chops and 5-3-0-0 against San Diego…The Gulls are 1-4-0-0 at home while the Griffins are 3-5-0-0 on the road...San Diego averages 2.71 goals a game and concedes 3.14 tallies...The Griffins’ eight goals on Oct. 15 against San Diego tied for the fifth-highest scoring home game in franchise history...Through two games of the season series, the Griffins and Gulls have scored a combined 21 goals, or 10.5 goals per game...The Griffins are 15-18-2-3 (0.461) all-time against current Pacific-Division foes in the regular season, including 6-8-2-1 (0.441) on the road...Grand Rapids is 13-15-2-3 (0.470) against current California teams...Grand Rapids will play two more games against the Pacific this season, all against the Gulls...San Diego’s 4-2 win on Oct. 10, 2015 against Grand Rapids came during its AHL debut.

Last Time Out
In the 21st annual School Day Game, the Griffins suffered a 5-1 defeat to the Rockford IceHogs at Van Andel Arena on Wednesday. Joel L’Esperance recorded the lone tally for Grand Rapids, making him second in goals scored for the Griffins. Taro Hirose recorded a helper, placing him sixth in the AHL for assists with 11. Alternate captain Kyle Criscuolo notched his third apple of the season and his second in three games. The Griffins conceded seven penalties in the contest and have now been shorthanded 72 times this season, the most in the AHL. Rockford has held the Griffins to just one goal in both meetings this year.

Roster Shake Up
- Nov. 5—F Austin Czarnik recalled by Detroit
- Nov. 7—D Seth Barton reassigned from Toledo by Detroit; F Austin Czarnik and F Matt Luff reassigned by Detroit
- Nov. 8—F Austin Czarnik and F Matt Luff recalled by Detroit
- Nov. 10—F Jonatan Berggren and F Givani Smith recalled by Detroit
- Nov. 11—F Givani Smith reassigned by Detroit; G John Lethemon assigned to Toledo by Grand Rapids
- Nov. 12—F Trenton Bliss reassigned to Toledo by Grand Rapids
- Nov. 13—F Trenton Bliss recalled by Grand Rapids
- Nov. 18—F Austin Czarnik reassigned by Detroit

This Date in Griffins History
1997: Griffins set new franchise record with seventh straight victory in a 6-2 win over Manitoba. The streak spans from Nov. 1-18, and includes six wins at home.

Grab the Confetti
The Griffins competed in its 1000th regular-season home contest (557-331-15-37-60) on Wednesday versus the Rockford IceHogs, falling 5-1. The franchise appeared in its 2000th regular-season game (1049-736-27-71-119) last Wednesday, Nov. 9 at Cleveland. The Griffins are also eight road wins away from 500 as a franchise (492-406-12-34-59).

Criss Cross Applesauce
Rookie Cross Hanas had himself quite the weekend from Nov. 11-12, compiling four points (2-2—4) in two games. Hanas played the role of hero on Nov. 11 against Toronto with an overtime winner to cap off his season-high three-point night (1-2—3). He returned the following day and tallied the game-tying goal with 10 seconds remaining to garner a point for the Griffins in a 3-2 overtime defeat. Hanas leads the team with seven goals, which also ranks second among rookies in the AHL, and his 11 points (7-4—11) are tied for sixth on the circuit among first-year players.

Pontus Pilate
After a slow start that saw him tally one point (0-1—1) in the first seven games, Pontus Andreasson has gotten things going on the offensive side of the ice. Andreasson has driven the Griffins’ offense as of late with a three-game point streak (2-3—5) from Nov. 9-12 and has seven points in the last six outings (2-5—7). The Munkedal, Sweden, native bagged his first goal in North America on Nov. 11 against Toronto to conclude a three-point contest (2-1—3). In 2021-22 in the Swedish Hockey League, Andreasson finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting when he totaled 38 points (18-20—38) in 52 games. The 24-year-old signed a one-year contract with Detroit this past offseason.

Take the Over
The Griffins averaged just 2.75 goals a game during the 2021-22 season while giving up 3.16. However, this campaign has been much different, as Grand Rapids is averaging 3.14 goals while conceding 4.14. Nine of their 14 games so far have had seven or more total goals scored, with five of those contests having eight or more tallies. The Griffins have not had a game that has seen fewer than five goals.

Hot Starts
It seems as though every franchise in the American Hockey League has had a promising start to the season. In fact, 25 of the 32 teams in the AHL are 0.500 or above entering the weekend. In the Central Division, every team is above 0.500 except for the Griffins (0.464) and the reigning Calder Cup champions, the Chicago Wolves (0.409). Every team in the Atlantic and eight of the 10 teams in the Pacific are above the 0.500 mark. The odd division out is the North, where three of the seven teams are below 0.500.

Can We Skip the Second?
The Griffins have struggled in second periods during the month of November. Through seven games in November, Grand Rapids has been outscored 17-3 during the middle frame and have yet to win a second period this month. The last time the Griffins won a second period was on Oct. 30 when they came away with a 2-1 edge over the Texas Stars in period two. Despite outshooting its opponents 140-124 in the second period this season, Grand Rapids has been outscored 24-17.

Jumping for Joel
Joel L’Esperance saw his team-high five-game point streak (2-4—6) come to an end on Nov. 9 at Cleveland. However, L’Esperance still has eight points (4-4—8) in his last nine appearances. The Brighton, Mich., native is tied for second on the roster with 11 points (6-5—11) in the first 14 games to begin his career in Grand Rapids and his three power-play goals are tied for 10th in the AHL. L’Esperance signed a two-year contract with the Griffins this past offseason.

Inching Closer to No. 200
Jonatan Berggren made his NHL debut with Detroit on Thursday, Nov. 10, becoming the 196th Griffins alumnus to compete in the NHL. On Sunday, Nov. 6, forward Austin Czarnik became the 195th Griffin to appear in the NHL when he made his Red Wings debut. Previously, Matt Luff became the 194th Griffin in the NHL when he made his season debut with Detroit on Thursday, Oct. 27 at the Boston Bruins.

Young Guns
Rookies Simon Edvinsson and Cross Hanas have made their presences known to begin their AHL careers. Edvinsson, the sixth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, is tied for fourth among first-year players with seven assists. With seven goals in 14 games, Hanas is second among rookies in the AHL and tied for ninth among all skaters on the circuit.

Bobbing for Apples
Taro Hirose has been known for his passing abilities throughout four seasons with the Griffins. In fact, the former Michigan State Spartan has had at least 22 assists in each AHL campaign in his career. This season has been no different, as Hirose has totaled a team-leading 11 helpers in 14 games, which is tied for sixth in the league and his eight power-play assists are tied for first in the AHL. Hirose saw his five-game point streak (1-5—6) come to an end on Nov. 5 but has points in 10 of the 14 contests this season.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Austin Czarnik—Three power-play goals are tied for 10th
Simon Edvinsson—Seven assists are tied for fourth among rookies
Cross Hanas—Seven goals are second among rookies and tied for ninth among all skaters, 11 points (7-4—11) are tied for sixth among first-year players
Taro Hirose—11 assists are tied sixth, eight power-play assists are tied for first
Joel L’Esperance—Three power-play goals are tied for 10th
Donovan Sebrango—Three goals are tied for sixth among defensemen

Milestones
Givani Smith bagged his 50th point in the AHL and as a Griffin with a goal on Nov. 12 versus Toronto. Dominik Shine skated in his 300th game as a Griffin, in the AHL and as a pro on Nov. 11 against Toronto and Eemil Viro joined Shine with his 150th contest as a pro.
Austin Czarnik—One assist from 150 in the AHL
Joel L’Esperance—Three points from 150 in the AHL

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins