ADMIRALS AND ICEHOGS ON DECK

This Week’s Games
Milwaukee Admirals at GRIFFINS // Wed., Jan. 17 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
GRIFFINS at Milwaukee Admirals // Fri., Jan. 19 // 8 p.m. EST // UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. on Wednesday and 7:35 p.m. on Friday
Watch: AHLLive.com
Season Series: 2-0-1-0 Home, 2-0-0-0 Road, 4-0-1-0 Overall. Sixth and seventh of 10 meetings overall, fourth of five at Van Andel Arena, third of five at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
All-Time Series: 50-27-2-2-2 Home, 39-32-5-5-5 Road, 89-59-7-7-7 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Nashville Predators
Noteworthy: The Griffins have points in six straight regular season matchups (5-0-1-0).

Rockford IceHogs at GRIFFINS // Sat., Jan. 20 // 7 p.m. // Van Andel Arena
Listen: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m.
Watch: AHLLive.com
Season Series: 1-1-0-0 Home, 1-3-0-3 Overall. Eighth of 10 meetings overall, third of five at Van Andel Arena
All-Time Series: 24-10-1-2 Home, 37-29-3-8 Overall
NHL Affiliation: Chicago Blackhawks
Noteworthy: The Griffins have won five of the last six meetings on home ice.

Last Week’s Results
Mon., Jan. 8 GRIFFINS 3 at Manitoba Moose 2 OT 17-16-1-4 (39 points, 6th Central Division)
Wed., Jan. 10 GRIFFINS 5 at Manitoba Moose 1 18-16-1-4 (41 points, 6th)
Fri., Jan. 12 Cleveland Monsters 2 at GRIFFINS 4 19-16-1-4 (43 points, 6th)
Sat., Jan. 13 Cleveland Monsters 2 at GRIFFINS 1 19-17-1-4 (43 points, 6th)

Opening Faceoff: The Griffins had their three-game winning streak snapped in last Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to Cleveland. Grand Rapids still has won eight of its last 10 and has points in 10 of its last 12 (9-2-0-1). Despite the Griffins’ current hot streak, they have stayed put at sixth in the Central Division standings as 0.055 percentage points is all that separates the second- and sixth-place teams. Grand Rapids does battle with the second-place Milwaukee Admirals in a home-and-home set Wednesday and Friday before hosting third-place Rockford on Saturday.

Follow the Leaders:
Points: Matt Puempel (14-18—32)
Goals: Matthew Ford (15)
Assists: Ben Street (22)
PIM: Dylan McIlrath (73)
Plus-Minus: Filip Hronek (+11)
Goaltender Wins: Jared Coreau (14)
Goals Against Average: Coreau (2.68)
Save Percentage: Coreau (0.909)

Last Week’s Notes:
Monday at Manitoba: Manitoba scored at 17:23 and 17:59 of the third period to erase a two-goal deficit and force overtime...Matthew Ford scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season 1:59 into the game...Eric Tangradi scored at the 15:00 mark of the first period, his second goal in the last three games...Rookie defenseman Filip Hronek scored the game-winner 3:21 into overtime...Tom McCollum recorded 33 saves to earn his 108th career victory as a Griffin, one shy of tying Joey MacDonald’s franchise record...Matt Puempel played in his 200th career AHL game.
Wednesday at Manitoba: Including Monday’s 3-2 overtime victory, the Griffins swept the two-game set at Manitoba...The Griffins have won three straight at Manitoba...Grand Rapids is responsible for two of Manitoba’s seven regulation losses this season...Five goals is the most the Moose have allowed at Bell MTS Place this season...Turner Elson made his return to the lineup after missing 16 consecutive games due to illness...Robbie Russo tallied his second multi-assist game of the season...Axel Holmstrom scored an AHL career-high three points (2-1—3) and earned first star honors...Corey Elkins recorded his 100th career pro goal...With a goal and an assist, Winnipeg native Dylan McIlrath produced his first multi-point game of the season.
Friday vs. Cleveland: The Griffins moved to three games above 0.500 with the victory...Ben Street scored his sixth goal of the season to open the game’s scoring...Street has points in each of the last four home games, amassing eight points (3-5—8) in that span...Robbie Russo collected an assist, giving him three in the last two games…Rookie defenseman Filip Hronek scored on the power play, his second goal in the last three games...Dominic Turgeon potted the game-winning tally, his third goal in as many games against Cleveland this season...Eric Tangradi closed Grand Rapids’ scoring with an empty-netter at 18:33 of the third period...Including Friday’s 2-for-2 performance on the penalty kill, Grand Rapids has fended off its last 16 penalties...Cleveland recorded 20 shots, tying a season low for a Griffins opponent (Nov. 1 at Milwaukee).
Saturday vs. Cleveland: Sent down by Columbus for conditioning, Joonas Korpisalo recorded 35 saves for the Monsters…Matt Puempel scored with 20 seconds remaining in regulation…Captain Matthew Ford skated in his 600th game as a pro while Ben Street appeared in his 100th contest as a Griffin… The Griffins had their five-game point and four-game winning streak on home ice snapped.

Turgeon Debuts: Recalled by Detroit on Saturday, second-year center Dominic Turgeon became the 167th Griffins alumnus to play in the NHL when he made his debut with the Red Wings during their 4-0 win at Chicago the next day. Turgeon blocked three shots in 9:01 of ice time.

First Things First: Skating in his 17th career NHL game, Tyler Bertuzzi potted his first goal in Detroit’s 4-0 victory at Chicago on Sunday. Former Griffins Nick Jensen and Martin Frk picked up the assists.

Esposito and Nastasiuk Return to Grand Rapids: The Detroit Red Wings yesterday reassigned forward Zach Nastasiuk to the Grand Rapids Griffins from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye while the Griffins recalled rookie forward Luke Esposito from the Walleye.

This Week’s Promotions: Wednesday against Milwaukee will be a Winning Wednesday presented by Farm Bureau Insurance. Every time the Griffins win at home on Wednesday, each fan in attendance will receive a free ticket to the next Wednesday game. All fans who were in attendance for the Griffins’ win against the Iowa Wild on Dec. 13 can redeem their ticket stub for a free ticket to this game. Saturday versus Rockford is Social Media Night presented by Comerica Bank. Additionally, the first 2,500 fans on Saturday will receive a mini replica Calder Cup, courtesy of Comerica Bank.

Great Skate Winterfest: Griffins fans can enjoy a day full of winter-inspired events and family activities starting at noon on Saturday as part of the 2018 Great Skate Winterfest, which will run for 34 consecutive hours from Saturday to Sunday at Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids. The ninth annual Winterfest will begin at noon on Saturday, leading into the Griffins’ game versus the Rockford IceHogs at 7 p.m. Following the contest, Griffins players will make their way to Rosa Parks Circle for the 15th annual Great Skate, which features at least one player skating with fans for 24 consecutive hours – 10 p.m. on Saturday to 10 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, a schedule of events, or to make a donation to the Griffins Youth Foundation in support of a Griffins player’s participation, visit griffinshockey.com/greatskate.

Lorito and Puempel Named 2018 AHL All-Stars: The AHL announced on Jan. 4 that the Griffins’ two leading scorers, forwards Matt Lorito and Matt Puempel, have been selected to play for the Central Division All-Star Team at the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino, to be held Jan. 28-29 in Utica, N.Y. Lorito, in his third year as a professional, has earned his second All-Star bid in as many seasons in Grand Rapids, joining Gustav Nyquist (2012-2013) as the only Griffins forwards to earn back-to-back AHL selections. Puempel, who has 15 points (10-5—15) in 79 career NHL games between Ottawa and the New York Rangers, will be making his first AHL All-Star appearance.

Griffins in the Olympics: Former Griffin and 2011 Stanley Cup champion Chris Kelly was named to Team Canada’s 2018 Olympic roster last Thursday. Kelly skated in 31 games with the Griffins during the 2001-02 season, totaling six points (3-3—6) and 20 PIM. Former Griffin and 2013 Calder Cup champion Chad Billins was named to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team on Jan. 1. Billins played in 76 games with the Griffins as a rookie in 2012-13 – his lone season in Grand Rapids – and established a franchise record for most points by a first-year defenseman with 37 (10-27—37). Blueliner Robbie Russo broke Billins’ mark in 2015-16 with 39 points. Jim Paek, who served as an assistant coach with the Griffins from 2005-14 and helped Grand Rapids win the 2013 Calder Cup, is the head coach of South Korea’s team.

Heating Up: In his last nine appearances between the pipes, Jared Coreau sports a 7-1-1 record along with a 1.97 GAA and a 0.931 save percentage (243-of-261). Tom McCollum has won two of his last three starts and shows a 2.32 GAA and a 0.926 save percentage in that span.

Special Teams: The Griffins are one of six teams to rank in the top 10 for both power play and penalty kill. Grand Rapids’ power play ties for fourth at 20.6% and has scored a goal in two of the last three games. The penalty kill ranks 10th at 84.6% and has gone 17-for-18 since the second period against Rockford on Jan. 5.

Wins Leader: Already Grand Rapids’ all-time leader in goaltender games played, minutes and saves, Tom McCollum is one win shy of tying Joey MacDonald’s franchise record.

Lashing Out: Ninth-year Griffin and two-time Calder Cup champion (2013, 2017) Brian Lashoff played in his 366th career game as a Griffin last Friday to surpass fellow two-time Cup champion Mitch Callahan for sole possession of second on the franchise’s all-time games played list.

Repeat Opponents: The Griffins are in the midst of playing 28 straight games against Central Division foes, a stretch that began Dec. 2 at Chicago and will conclude Feb. 7 at Manitoba. Twenty games into the spell, Grand Rapids is 11-7-1-1. Under third-year head coach Todd Nelson, the Griffins are 92-49-3-7 (0.642) against the Central and hold a +97 scoring margin in those 151 games.

Model Year: Captain Matthew Ford scored his team-leading 15th goal of the season (and 199th as a pro) in last Monday’s overtime win and has eight goals in his last 14 outings. Ford has 15 goals in 38 games, surpassing his 14-goal output in 51 contests from last season. Ford ties for third in the league with eight power play goals while his 15 overall tallies tie for 17th.

Holm Run: Axel Holmstrom accumulated four points (2-2—4) in the four games last week, including an AHL career-high three points (2-1—3) in last Wednesday’s win at Manitoba.

Filip Hero-nek: Rookie defenseman Filip Hronek potted the game-winner 3:21 into overtime in last Monday’s victory at Manitoba. Two of Hronek’s four goals this season have been game-winners. Detroit’s third choice, 53rd overall, in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, Hronek ranks among the league’s leaders for first-year blueliners with a plus-11 rating (3rd), 16 points (T6th), 12 assists (T6th) and four goals (T6th).

Milwaukee Notes: With a rivalry dating back to the International Hockey League days, the Griffins have faced the Admirals more than any other opponent in team history as the two clubs will meet up for the 170th and 171st times this week…The Griffins have points in six straight regular season matchups (5-0-1-0)…Grand Rapids has outshot Milwaukee in all five games this season, averaging 38.00 shots per game compared to 28.2 for the Admirals…Second-year pro Evgeny Svechnikov has three career multi-goal games and all three have come against Milwaukee…Matt Puempel has a team-high six points (3-3—6) in the season series…Admirals winger Bobby Butler was named to the 2018 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team on Jan. 1…Since the 2013-14 season, Grand Rapids posts a 30-13-2-0 (0.689) regular season mark against Milwaukee, including a 17-5-1-0 record in 23 games in West Michigan…That comes on the heels of an 18-24-4-4 (0.440) record the Griffins tallied against the Admirals from the 2006-07 season to 2012-13...Grand Rapids has scored a power play goal in four of five meetings this season, including three times scoring two or more PPGs…The Griffins’ special teams are 29.6% (8/27) on the power play and 91.3% (21/23) on the penalty kill in the season series.

Milwaukee Connections: Grand Rapids assistant coaches Ben Simon (18 GP in 2003-04) and Bruce Ramsay (3 GP in 1995-96) had cups of coffee on the other side of Lake Michigan during their playing days…Milwaukee claimed Mark Zengerle off waivers on Nov. 9…Zengerle played in 144 regular season games with the Griffins from 2014-16 and totaled 84 points (24-60—84), a plus-19 rating and 42 PIM while adding 15 points (2-13—15) in 24 Calder Cup Playoff contests…Tyler Moy and Luke Esposito were teammates at Harvard from 2013-17 and helped the Crimson reach the 2017 Frozen Four…Goaltender Jake Paterson, Detroit’s second choice (80th overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, appeared in two games with the Griffins during the 2015-16 season, showing a 0-2-0 record, a 3.11 GAA and a 0.928 save percentage.

Rockford Notes: Grand Rapids snapped a seven-game losing streak (0-4-0-3) to Rockford with a 5-3 victory at Van Andel Arena on Jan. 5…The Griffins have won five of the last six meetings on home ice…Rockford is 6-1 against Grand Rapids this season, facing the rest of the league the IceHogs are 15-14-2-2…Eric Tangradi has a team-high eight points (4-4—8) in the season series…In 22 games against the IceHogs as a member of the Griffins, Tangradi has 23 points (9-14—23) and a plus-12 rating…Ben Street has 15 points (7-8—15) in 16 games facing Rockford in a Grand Rapids uniform while Matt Lorito has 12 points (5-7—12) in 12 games…Since the start of the 2012-13 season, the Griffins are 18-4-1-1 (0.792) against the IceHogs at the Van…Rockford is last in the league in power play at 11.8% (21-for-178), but is 7-for-35 (20.0%) against Grand Rapids.

Rockford Connections: Former Griffins Derek King and Sheldon Brookbank serve as assistant coaches on Jeremy Colliton’s staff...King, who played in Grand Rapids from 1999-01 and 2002-04, is the franchise’s all-time leading playoff scorer (16-25—41) and ranks fifth in regular season points (73-130—203)...Brookbank skated in 75 games with the Griffins from 2001-03, scoring 14 points (2-12—14) and adding 160 PIM.

Up and Down: With a 19-17-1-4 record through 41 games, take a look at how the statistics compare between the Griffins’ 19 wins and 22 (including overtime and shootout) losses.

Back-to-Backs: The Griffins will play back-to-back games a total of 24 times this season. Compare the statistics for when Grand Rapids has played on consecutive nights:

Championship Effects: Since 2001-02, the year Grand Rapids joined the AHL, nine Calder Cup champions have gone on to qualify for the postseason in the following season, including the Griffins, who reached the conference semifinals in 2014 after winning the franchise’s first championship in 2013. Only one team in this 16-year span repeated as champions (Hershey in 2009 and 2010).

Walleye Report: Under second-year head coach Dan Watson, the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye have won four straight games and continue to lead the Central Division with a 24-10-2-1 (51 points) record. Erik Bradford (10-19—29) and Christian Hilbrich (15-13—28) lead the team in scoring, while Griffins-contracted Mike Borkowski (12-15—27) places third. Griffins-contracted Pat Nagle represented Toledo at the 2018 ECHL All-Star Game in Indianapolis yesterday, his first all-star selection. Nagle leads the league with 18 victories (18-3-2) while placing 12th with a 2.49 GAA and tying for 11th with a 0.913 save percentage. Red Wings-contracted Matej Machovsky ties for second with a 2.17 GAA and ranks sixth with a 0.923 save percentage while showing a 6-6-1 record.