Home Stretch
This Week’s Games
GRIFFINS vs. Rockford IceHogs // Fri., April 14 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: 96.1 The Game at 7 p.m.
Season Series: 3-4-0-0 Overall, 2-1-0-0 Home. Eighth of eight meetings overall, fourth of four at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 61-42-9-11 Overall, 38-13-5-5 Home
NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks
Noteworthy: The IceHogs are one point above the Chicago Wolves for the final playoff spot in the Central Division. Rockford enters the final week of play with a magic number of eight with four games remaining while Chicago has a magic number of nine.
Promotion: Fan Appreciation Night presented by Huntington Bank
GRIFFINS at Chicago Wolves // Sat., April 15 // 8 p.m. EDT // Allstate Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 7:45 p.m. EDT
Watch: AHLTV and NHL Network
Season Series: 5-2-1-1 Overall, 3-1-0-0 Road. Tenth of 10 meetings overall, fifth of five at Allstate Arena
All-Time Series: 96-83-2-8-4 Overall, 50-45-0-2-1 Road
NHL Affiliation: Carolina Hurricanes
Noteworthy: With a 5-2-1-1 record against the Wolves, the Griffins will be above the 0.500 mark against Chicago for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign. Last season, Grand Rapids was just 1-10-1-0 against the Calder-Cup winning Wolves.
Last Week’s Results
Thu., April 6 // GRIFFINS 5 at Manitoba 2 // 28-32-4-4 (64 pts., 0.471, 7th Central)
Fri., April 7 // GRIFFINS 1 at Manitoba 3 // 28-33-4-4 (64 pts., 0.464, 7th Central)
Mon., April 10 // GRIFFINS 1 at Cleveland 2 // 28-34-4-4 (64 pts., 0.457, 7th Central)
Last Week’s Notes
Thursday at Manitoba (5-2 W) - After a sluggish opening period with only one shot on goal, the Griffins regrouped to win 5-2 over the Manitoba Moose at the Canada Life Centre. The Griffins posted 31 shots and five goals in the final 40 minutes of play after being outpaced 10-1 in shots during the initial period. Carter Mazur recorded the first two goals of his professional career in the third frame, as well as adding an assist to Danny O’Regan’s goal. In four outings with Grand Rapids this season Mazur has four points (2-2–4). With a tally and an assist tonight, O’Regan has 24 points through his last 22 appearances (11-13-24). Captain Brian Lashoff notched his 100th assist as a Griffin. Recap | Highlights
Friday at Manitoba (1-3 L) - The Griffins suffered a 3-1 loss to the Manitoba Moose in their final matchup of the season at the Canada Life Centre. With the loss, the Griffins were officially eliminated from playoff contention. Carter Mazur continued the hot start to his professional career, scoring his first power-play goal. Through five outings, the winger has as many points (3-2–5). Jared McIsaac assisted on Mazur’s tally, his third straight game with a helper. Recap | Highlights
Monday at Cleveland (1-2 L) - The Griffins ended their season series against the Cleveland Monsters with a 2-1 loss at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Wyatt Newpower scored his second goal of the season against his former team early in the first period. Carter Mazur provided a slick assist on the tally, extending his point streak to three games (3-2—5). In his last five outings, the Jackson, Mich., native has six points (3-3–6). Jeremie Biakabutuka also made his professional debut, adding two shots to the scoresheet. Ryan Bednard garnered 32 saves and now has a 0.940 save percentage and a 1.97 goals against average through three games with Grand Rapids. Recap | Highlights
Win Some, Lose Some: The Griffins have had an up-and-down season this year and have won just three out of their last 11 games (3-7-0-1). With a loss against the Manitoba Moose last Friday, the Griffins were officially eliminated from the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs. Grand Rapids has points in nine of its last 17 games (6-8-1-2) and rank seventh in the Central Division with two games remaining. Grand Rapids has points in 21 of its last 37 contests (15-16-3-3, 0.486). Since the new year, the Griffins have lost in regulation just 17 times through 41 games (17-17-3-4, 0.500).
I Can See the Future: Carter Mazur’s professional career is off to a fast start, as the 21-year-old has totaled six points (3-3—6) in as many games. Mazur made his pro debut with the Griffins on March 29 against the Chicago Wolves and later collected his first pro point with an assist on March 31 against the Milwaukee Admirals. The Jackson, Mich., native exploded for three points (2-1—3) on April 6 at Manitoba and is now on a three-game point streak (3-2—5). Mazur was selected with the 70th overall pick by the Detroit Red Wings in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.
Thank You, Fans: The Griffins have sold out Van Andel Arena on four occasions this year. Grand Rapids ranks sixth in the AHL with an average attendance of 7,518. The Griffins will play one last home game this season on Friday against the Rockford IceHogs. With an average of over 7,000 fans per game, the 2022-23 campaign marks the 14th consecutive season (excluding 2020-21) that the Griffins have averaged 7,000-plus fans.
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 124 assists he now ranks sixth in franchise history, passing Nathan Paetsch. He is now six helpers away from tying Derek King for fifth in franchise annals. 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 career-high 41 helpers in 69 games this year, which is tied for 10th on the circuit. In addition, his 22 power-play assists this season are tied for fifth in the AHL. Hirose also leads the roster with 56 points (15-41—56) in 69 appearances. On Monday, he was recalled by the Red Wings under emergency conditions.
Griffin Tenders: On March 31, Dylan St. Cyr became the seventh goaltender to man the Griffins’ pipes this season, breaking the franchise record for most goalies used that was set in 2005-06. That season, Jimmy Howard made his pro debut and was a stalwart for Grand Rapids, appearing in 38 games for the AHL’s regular season champions and earning a spot on the league’s All-Rookie Team. Joey MacDonald (32), Drew MacIntyre (13) and Logan Koopmans (1) saw action along with Chris Osgood (3) and Manny Legace (1), who both came to the Griffins on conditioning stints from Detroit. On April 2, Ryan Bednard made his Griffins debut and became the eighth netminder to compete for Grand Rapids this campaign. Through three games with the Griffins, Bednard has a 0.940 save percentage and a 1.97 goals against average.
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 four-game point streak (3-2—5) from March 29-April 6 and now has 14 points (7-7—14) in his last 15 outings. O’Regan also has 24 points in his last 24 games (11-13—24). On Tuesday, he was recalled by the Red Wings under emergency conditions.
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 15-3-4-4 (0.731) in games decided by one goal and 6-0-4-0 in overtime contests. In comparison, the Griffins are just 13-31-0-0 (0.295) 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 ninth, three short-handed goals are tied for third
Simon Edvinsson—22 assists rank sixth among rookie defensemen, 27 points are tied for eighth among rookie defensemen
Taro Hirose—22 power-play assists are tied for fifth, 41 assists are tied for 10th
Joel L’Esperance—13 power-play goals are tied for third, 240 shots are tied for second
Milestones:
Taro Hirose collected an assist during his 250th pro game on April 7.
Brian Lashoff notched his 100th assist as a Griffin and in the AHL on April 6 at Manitoba.
Simon Edvinsson—One assist from 50 as a pro
Brian Lashoff—Two points from 150 as a pro
John Lethemon—One win from 50 as a pro
Jared McIsaac—Two points from 50 as a pro, as a Griffin and in the AHL
Chase Pearson—One assist from 50 as a pro, in the AHL and as a Griffin
Tyler Spezia—Two goals from 50 as a pro
Photo by Nicolas Carrillo/Griffins