Get Acquainted

This Week’s Game
GRIFFINS at Rockford IceHogs (1-6-1-0) // Wed., March 3 // 7 p.m. // BMO Harris Bank Center
Watch: AHLTV
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM
Season Series: 1-0-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 Road. Second of eight meetings overall, second of four in Rockford
All-Time Series: 49-35-7-10 Overall,17-24-4-6 Road
NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks
Noteworthy: The 13 shots surrendered by the Griffins in their 3-1 win at Rockford on Feb. 18 were one more than Grand Rapids' franchise record for fewest allowed.

Last Week’s Results

Fri., Feb. 26 // Chicago Wolves 1 at GRIFFINS 4 // 4-2-0-0 (8 pts., 2nd Central Division) Recap | Highlights
Sun., Feb. 28 // GRIFFINS 4 at Chicago Wolves 8 // 4-3-0-0 (8 pts., T2nd) Recap | Highlights

Get Acquainted

Wednesday's matchup in Rockford will be the only game for the Griffins in a span of 10 days, tiding them over until a return trip to the BMO Harris Bank Center next Thursday, March 11. In fact, Grand Rapids will play each of its next four games against the IceHogs -- including a pair at Van Andel Arena on March 13 and 16 -- marking just the third time in the Griffins' history that they'll play four consecutive regular season games against the same opponent. The Manitoba Moose were the foe on both prior occasions, in November 2006 and November 1997.

A Tale of Two Cities

Last Friday, the Wolves — at that point the AHL’s last undefeated team at 7-0 — were dealt their first loss of the season by the Griffins at Van Andel Arena, as Grand Rapids jumped out to leads of 1-0 in the first four minutes and 3-0 before the game was 23 minutes old en route to claiming a 4-1 win, their fourth straight...When Riley Barber banked a backhand off Antoine Bibeau’s leg from below the goal line at 3:59 of the first, it gave Chicago its first deficit in a span of 334:49, dating to the second period of the Wolves’ second game on Feb. 6...Barber’s second goal of the game, 2:02 into the second, put the Wolves in a three-goal deficit for the first time this season...Chicago returned the favor with an 8-4 win on its home ice on Sunday, snapping Grand Rapids' run...The Griffins, who had surrendered a total of four goals during their four-game streak, a combined eight goals in their previous five games, and only 11 goals over their first six games, allowed their most goals against in more than 10 years, dating to a wild 10-8 win at Chicago on Nov. 27, 2010...It marked only the eighth time in 25 seasons that Grand Rapids yielded eight or more goals to the opposition.

Stingy D

Sunday's loss at Chicago marked only the second time this season -- and the first since opening night -- that the Griffins were out-shot, and the first time that they allowed more than 30 shots, a total that they have reached on five occasions. Grand Rapids ranks third in the AHL in shots allowed per game (25.57) and is tied for seventh in goals allowed (2.71).

Late Bloomers

Nine of Grand Rapids’ 19 goals this season have been scored after the second period, including eight during the third period and Dennis Cholowski’s overtime tally on Feb. 20 versus Cleveland…The Griffins’ first three wins of the season each came after the game was tied through 40 minutes of play...Friday’s win over Chicago marked the first time in six games that Grand Rapids held a lead at either the end of the first period or the end of the second period.

Taking Advantage

The Griffins' power play has connected in six of seven games thus far, including a season-best 3-for-4 on Sunday in Chicago. Grand Rapids has climbed to fourth in the AHL rankings at 29.0% (9 for 31)...The Griffins had killed off 12 consecutive opponent power plays over a span of three games before yielding a goal to the Wolves in their first opportunity on Sunday. Chicago went 2-for-4 during the game.

High-Flying Griffins

Riley Barber notched the first two-goal game by a Griffin this season in Friday’s 4-1 win over Chicago. Then in Sunday's road rematch, he notched a goal and an assist to push his team-leading point total to 10 (5-5--10, tied for second in the league) and his team-high scoring streak to seven games...Barber and Kyle Criscuolo are tied for the AHL lead with six power play points apiece...Three other Griffins extended scoring streaks on Sunday, including recently recalled Red Wing Michael Rasmussen (five games, 2-3—5), Dennis Cholowski (four games, 2-5—7) and Taro Hirose (four games, 1-7—8)...Hirose’s three-point night (1-2—3) marked a season-high for a Griffin, and Cholowski moved into a tie for fourth among AHL defensemen in points (3-5--8).

We Miss You, Bob!

On Feb. 8, the beloved 21-year Voice of the Griffins, Bob Kaser, underwent successful heart surgery at the Meijer Heart Center in Grand Rapids to repair several blocked arteries. Released from the hospital on Feb. 14 and now recuperating at home, he is expected to miss the better part of this 30-game shortened season. Everyone in Griffins Nation, the Griffins organization, the AHL, and the Michigan hockey community wishes Bob all the best in his recovery and a quick return to health. We can’t wait until he is back in the booth.

Fruitful Februarys

February was once again kind to the Griffins, as they posted a winning record for the month (4-3-0-0) for the 11th straight year, going a combined 72-35-5-6 (0.657) since 2011.

Milestones Achieved and Within Reach

Dylan McIlrath reached 400 AHL games on Friday against Chicago. Other milestones on the horizon include:

Griffins – Two wins for 1,000 regular season victories in franchise history
Kyle Criscuolo – One goal from 50 for his AHL/pro career
Turner Elson — Four games played for 200 as a Griffin
Brian Lashoff – Four assists for 100 as a pro
Gustav Lindstrom - Four points for 50 as a pro
Dylan McIlrath – Three games played for 200 as a Griffin
Dominik Shine – Five points from 50 for his Griffins/AHL/pro career, five games played for 200 as a Griffin
Dominic Turgeon – Four points from 100 for his Griffins/AHL/pro career

Photo by Todd Reicher/IceHogs