Griffins Game #59 * Road Game #28 * AHL Game #937

Season Series: 2-3-0-1 Home Series: 2-1-0-1 Road Series: 0-2-0-0
All-Time Series: 70-37-6-11 All-Time Home Series: 40-18-2-3 All-Time Road Series: 30-19-4-8

Griffins at Monsters
Seventh of eight meetings overall, third of four at Van Andel Arena…Grand Rapids is 16-6-1-1 (0.708) against Cleveland in the past two seasons and has points in 12 out of the last 15 games overall (10-3-1-1, 0.733)...Since the 2017-18 season, the Griffins are 26-10-2-2 (0.700) against Cleveland and have outscored them 137-105. On foreign ice during that span, Grand Rapids is 12-5-1-1 (0.684) against the Monsters with a +13 scoring margin (68-55)...The Griffins have points in seven of the last 11 games in Cleveland (7-3-0-0), but have dropped two straight...Cleveland’s power play ranks third in the AHL at 23.0% but its penalty kill places 29th at 76.7%...Cleveland is 4-5-1-0 in its last 10 outings and is on a two-game win streak against Grand Rapids...The Monsters are 13-12-3-0 at home and the Griffins are 13-13-0-1 on the road...The Monsters are the third-most frequent opponent of the Griffins, as this game marks the 125th meeting between the two franchises (Milwaukee 209, Chicago 191)...Griffins head coach Ben Simon is a native of the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights...Defenseman Wyatt Newpower played for Cleveland during the 2020-21 season.

Last Time Out
The Griffins ended the three-game weekend in style with a 3-1 win over the Wolves at Allstate Arena on Sunday. The Griffins finished the weekend with five of six possible points in three matchups. Matt Luff, Danny O’Regan and Taro Hirose each extended their point streaks, with Luff pushing his run to five games (2-4–6) and Hirose (1-3–4) and O’Regan (1-3–4) recording a point or more in each game this weekend. In his last eight appearances, Hirose has 10 points (2-8-10) and is currently tied for 13th in assists in the AHL with 35. Alex Nedeljkovic secured his 100th victory in the AHL with 28 saves on 29 shots as well as an assist on Dominik Shine’s empty-netter to seal the win.

Roster Shake Up
- March 9—F Kirill Tyutyayev recalled by Grand Rapids from Toledo (ECHL); D Steven Kampfer traded by Detroit to Arizona for future considerations
- March 10—F Austin Czarnik recalled by Detroit
- March 11—F Drew Worrad recalled by Grand Rapids from Toledo (ECHL); F Lukas Craggs released from PTO by Grand Rapids
- March 12—G John Lethemon reassigned to Grand Rapids by Detroit from Toledo (ECHL)
- March 13—F Matt Luff recalled by Detroit
- March 15—F Austin Czarnik and F Matt Luff reassigned by Detroit; G Jan Bednar signed to a two-year contract by Grand Rapids and assigned to Toledo (ECHL)

This Date in Griffins History
2018: Adorned in West Michigan Whitecaps-inspired uniforms, the Griffins defeat Rockford 4-3 in overtime. Todd Nelson earns his 300th AHL victory, making him just the 20th head coach in the league’s 82-year history to reach that milestone.

Win Some, Lose Some
After enduring a season-high four-game winless streak from March 1-7, the Griffins battled back and are now on a three-game point streak (2-0-0-1) and have points in four of their last five games (2-1-1-1). Grand Rapids is now tied for sixth in the Central Division and is 10 points out of a playoff spot with 14 games remaining. Grand Rapids has points in 16 of its last 25 contests (11-9-3-2, 0.540). Since the new year, the Griffins have lost in regulation just 10 times through 29 games (13-10-3-3, 0.552).

Power Surge
The Griffins have had an up-and-down season when it comes to their special teams. Currently, Grand Rapids is enjoying a five-game streak of scoring on the power play, which is tied for the season high. During the run, the Griffins are 7-for-23 (30.4%) on the man-advantage. The penalty kill has been improved as well, going 17-for-20 (85.0%) in its last six contests. The Griffins are tied for 21st in the AHL with a power-play rate of 18.0%, while their penalty kill places 26th at 77.5%.

Matty Ice
Matt Luff has been a welcomed addition to the roster since returning from injury on Jan. 28. Since his return, Luff has 15 points in 20 games (4-11—15) and is currently on a five-game point streak (2-4—6), which is one game shy of tying his career high. Through 25 games with the Griffins, the Windsor, Ontario, native has 23 points (7-16—23) and six penalty minutes. Luff also appeared in seven games with Detroit this season, scoring one goal.

Rewrite the Record Book
Taro Hirose has been known for his passing abilities throughout four seasons with the Griffins. The former Michigan State Spartan has continued to climb the Griffins’ all-time assist leaderboard, and with 118 assists he now ranks seventh in franchise history, passing Jiri Hudler (114). Hirose is now four assists from tying Nathan Paetsch for sixth all time. Hirose is as consistent as they come, as he has had at least 22 assists in each AHL campaign in his career. The Calgary, Alberta, native has totaled a team-leading 35 helpers in 58 games this year. In addition, his 18 power-play assists this season are tied for seventh in the AHL. Hirose also leads the roster with 49 points (14-35—49) in 58 appearances.

Danny Boy
Danny O’Regan is starting to find a rhythm with the Griffins after joining the team on Dec. 19. After exploding for three points (2-1—3) in his Griffins debut, O’Regan had just three points in his next 12 games from Dec. 28-Feb. 15. However, the German-born forward enjoyed a five-game point streak (2-5—7) from Feb. 24-March 4 and now has four points (1-3—4) in his last three outings. O’Regan also has 14 points in his last 12 games (5-9—14).

Just Keep it Close
The Griffins have had their ups and downs this season, but they have excelled at winning close games. In fact, Grand Rapids is 13-1-4-3 (0.786) in games decided by one goal and 5-0-4-0 in overtime contests. In comparison, the Griffins are just 11-26-0-0 (0.297) in games decided by two or more tallies. In the 2021-22 season, the Griffins finished with a 13-7-6-2 (0.607) mark in games decided by one goal.

AHL Leaderboard Tracker
Austin Czarnik—Five game-winning goals are tied for seventh, three short-handed goals are tied for first
Simon Edvinsson—22 assists rank fifth among rookie defensemen, 27 points are tied for fifth among rookie defensemen, five goals are tied for seventh among rookie defensemen
Taro Hirose—18 power-play assists are tied for seventh, 35 assists are tied for 14th
Albert Johansson—Five goals are tied for seventh among rookie defensemen
Joel L’Esperance—12 power-play goals are tied for third, 191 shots rank fourth
Alex Nedeljkovic—0.913 save percentage is tied for ninth

Milestones
Alex Nedeljkovic collected his 100th AHL victory in a 3-1 win at Chicago on March 12. Wyatt Newpower appeared in his 100th game as a Griffin on March 12 and Donovan Sebrango suited up in his 150th pro game.
Austin Czarnik—Two assists from 200 as a pro
Simon Edvinsson—One assist from 50 as a pro
Albert Johansson—One game from 200 as a pro
Matt Luff—Three assists from 100 as a pro
Danny O’Regan—One point from 300 as a pro
Chase Pearson—Two assists from 50 as a pro, in the AHL and as a Griffin
Dominik Shine—One goal from 50 as a pro, as a Griffin and in the AHL, one point from 100 as a pro, in the AHL and as a Griffin
Elmer Soderblom—Two games from 150 as a pro

Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins