GRIFFINS HOST CHECKERS FOR WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY SET

This Week’s Games
Wed., Oct. 21 GRIFFINS vs. Charlotte Checkers 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Oct. 23 GRIFFINS vs. Charlotte Checkers 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Oct. 16 San Antonio Rampage 3 at GRIFFINS 2 0-3-0-0, 0 pts. (T7th, Central Division)
Sat., Oct. 17 San Antonio Rampage 4 at GRIFFINS 0 0-4-0-0, 0 pts. (T7th)

Still Searching: Grand Rapids remains winless on the season through four games, including losses to the San Antonio Rampage last Friday (3-2) and Saturday (4-0). After the Griffins achieved their first lead of the season in Friday’s game, courtesy of goals from defensemen Ryan Sproul and Xavier Ouellet, the Rampage rallied for two third-period goals to overcome their deficit and deliver a crushing blow to the home team. With three seconds left in a two-man advantage to begin the third, San Antonio’s Andrew Agozzino tipped in a Ben Street one-timer to even the score at two goals apiece, before Zach Redmond banked a shot off of goaltender Tom McCollum for the final 3-2 margin. On Saturday, an early offensive explosion from the visitors was enough to put the Griffins out of the contest for the remainder of the game after San Antonio solved McCollum three times in a span of 1:46 during the first period. With McCollum pulled in favor of netminder Jared Coreau, Grand Rapids peppered Calvin Pickard with a total of 35 shots before the game was over, but was still unable to solve the opposing team. Coreau was perfect in relief with 22 saves.

Budweiser Clydesdales: Prior to Wednesday’s game, the Budweiser Clydesdales will make an appearance outside of Van Andel Arena. Wednesday is also the first Winning Wednesday of the season, 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. To redeem a Winning Wednesday ticket, please visit the box office following the Winning Wednesday game, The Zone during normal business hours, or the Van Andel Arena box office prior to the next Wednesday game beginning at 5:30 PM.

Debut of New Jerseys: On Wednesday, the Griffins will premiere their new home jerseys, featuring the Reebok-designed Griff fiercely protecting the skyline of Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids’ CCM home jerseys are predominantly white, accentuated by black shoulders, striping and numbers, along with silver and red trim and a reverse-color nameplate (white on black).

Scoring Drought: Grand Rapids has thrown a total of 141 shots on goal during its four losses, with just three power play goals and one even-strength tally to show for it. Two of Grand Rapids’ four goals have been scored by defensemen, with both Ryan Sproul and Xavier Ouellet lighting the lamp in last Friday’s 3-2 loss to the San Antonio Rampage. Two of the four games that the Griffins have played have resulted in shutouts against them; first a 1-0 loss to the Bakersfield Condors on Oct. 9, and then Saturday’s 4-0 loss to the San Antonio Rampage at Van Andel Arena. Last season, the Griffins averaged a league-leading 3.28 goals per game, and they’ve returned 18 skaters from last year’s roster.

Lark-Ness Monster: Former Griffin and current Detroit Red Wing Dylan Larkin, 19, is the first rookie to ever record a point in each of Detroit’s first five games of the season. The Waterford, Mich., native has recorded six points (2-4—6) and a plus-seven rating through his first five NHL games under the charge of former Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill.

Silver Lining: Goaltender Jared Coreau ranks seventh among AHL goaltenders with a 1.64 goals against average. Coreau enjoyed a breakthrough season during 2014-15, posting a 16-8-1 record in 25 games with the Griffins, along with a 2.20 goals against average, a 0.927 save percentage and three shutouts.

Age Is Just A Number: Jeff Hoggan (2/1/78) and Daniel Cleary (12/18/78) are the two oldest players in the AHL. Only two other players currently in the league were born in the ‘70s: Iowa’s Ruslan Fedotenko (1/18/79) and Wilkes-Barre’s Tom Kostopoulos (1/24/79).

In Good Company: Four of the last five Griffins head coaches have lost their home debut at Van Andel Arena, including Jeff Blashill. Overall, seven of the 10 Grand Rapids bench bosses have dropped their home debut, with the only coaches securing victories being Guy Charron, Bruce Cassidy and Curt Fraser.

Reporting for Duty: Along with Jeff Hoggan returning as captain and Nathan Paetsch as assistant captain, Andy Miele is serving as an assistant captain this season. While on the road, Eric Tangradi and Brian Lashoff serve in the assistant roles.

Off To The Pond: The Detroit Red Wings on Monday reassigned left wing Marek Tvrdon from the Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. Detroit’s fifth choice (115th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Tvrdon split his 2014-15 campaign between the Walleye and Griffins, picking up 24 points (6-18—24) in 24 games with Toledo and 29 points (10-19—29) and a plus-17 rating in 51 games with Grand Rapids. The Nitra, Slovakia, native went on to make his professional postseason debut during the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs, tallying two goals and four assists in 13 games with the Griffins. Tvrdon, 22, made his AHL season debut with Grand Rapids in Friday’s 3-2 loss to the San Antonio Rampage at Van Andel Arena.

Tip-A-Griffin Returns: The Griffins usually look for tips near the net, but on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 6-8 p.m., they’ll exchange their jerseys for aprons in an evening of serving appetizers, entrees and beverages to patrons at Uccello’s Ristorante, in the return of the team’s popular Tip-A-Griffin fundraiser. Griffins players, coaches and hockey staff will visit all five Uccello’s locations in West Michigan to serve and wait tables, with donations and raffle proceeds benefiting the Griffins Youth Foundation. In its previous eight editions, Tip-A-Griffin raised nearly $77,000 for various local charities. Each of the five locations will include raffle items and a visit from the team’s mascot, Griff. Raffle items include Griffins memorabilia, ticket packages, various gifts from sponsors, and specially-designed aprons that Griffins personnel will be wearing for the night, which will be signed and auctioned off at the end of the event. A full list of players and locations is available here (lineups subject to change).

Walleye World: The Toledo Walleye, the Griffins’ ECHL affiliate, dropped both of their games last weekend, including their season opener against the Indy Fuel on Friday (3-2 SOL) and a road game the following night in Cincinnati (5-1 L). Shane Berschbach and Kyle Bonis, two Toledo standouts and former Griffins-contracted skaters, were both unable to connect in Friday’s shootout, while Indy capitalized on two of its three attempts to seal the deal. Saturday saw Detroit goaltender Jake Paterson make his season debut with the Walleye, making 26 saves on 30 shots. Alden Hirschfeld potted the lone goal for Toledo in the loss. Oddly enough, the Walleye won’t open the home portion of their schedule until Nov. 7 against the Adirondack Thunder at The Huntington Center.

Scouting Report

Wed., Oct. 21 vs. Charlotte Checkers (3-1-0-0) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 23 vs. Charlotte Checkers – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. (Wed. and Fri.). Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 9-10-0-1 Overall, 4-6-0-0 Home. Season Series: First and second of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at home. NHL Affiliation: Carolina Hurricanes. Head Coach: Mark Morris (1st season). Notes: The Checkers are off to a solid start to the season with a 3-1-0-0 record, ranking first in the Central Division with a 0.750 points percentage…While Grand Rapids has lacked in scoring prowess with only four goals scored and 12 goals against, Charlotte has the opposite problem. The Checkers have notched 21 goals in four games but have also allowed 16 goals…All four of Charlotte’s games so far have been on the road. The team is in the midst of a 10-game road trip and won’t open at home until Nov. 7 versus Manitoba…The Checkers had their three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday in a 9-5 loss to the Chicago Wolves…Defenseman Trevor Carrick tops the Checkers’ scoring list with six points (3-3—6), while it’s a three-way tie between left wing Phil Di Giuseppe (2-3—5), right wing Sergey Tolchinsky (1-4—5) and defenseman Jaccob Slavin (0-5—5) for second…Former Griffins goaltender Drew MacIntyre is in his second season with the Checkers and posts a 3.87 GAA through four games…Jake Chelios, son of former Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios, plays for Charlotte and has a goal and three assists in two games.

This Week’s Games
Wed., Oct. 21 GRIFFINS vs. Charlotte Checkers 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Oct. 23 GRIFFINS vs. Charlotte Checkers 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Oct. 16 San Antonio Rampage 3 at GRIFFINS 2 0-3-0-0, 0 pts. (T7th, Central Division)
Sat., Oct. 17 San Antonio Rampage 4 at GRIFFINS 0 0-4-0-0, 0 pts. (T7th)

Still Searching: Grand Rapids remains winless on the season through four games, including losses to the San Antonio Rampage last Friday (3-2) and Saturday (4-0). After the Griffins achieved their first lead of the season in Friday’s game, courtesy of goals from defensemen Ryan Sproul and Xavier Ouellet, the Rampage rallied for two third-period goals to overcome their deficit and deliver a crushing blow to the home team. With three seconds left in a two-man advantage to begin the third, San Antonio’s Andrew Agozzino tipped in a Ben Street one-timer to even the score at two goals apiece, before Zach Redmond banked a shot off of goaltender Tom McCollum for the final 3-2 margin. On Saturday, an early offensive explosion from the visitors was enough to put the Griffins out of the contest for the remainder of the game after San Antonio solved McCollum three times in a span of 1:46 during the first period. With McCollum pulled in favor of netminder Jared Coreau, Grand Rapids peppered Calvin Pickard with a total of 35 shots before the game was over, but was still unable to solve the opposing team. Coreau was perfect in relief with 22 saves.

Budweiser Clydesdales: Prior to Wednesday’s game, the Budweiser Clydesdales will make an appearance outside of Van Andel Arena. Wednesday is also the first Winning Wednesday of the season, 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. To redeem a Winning Wednesday ticket, please visit the box office following the Winning Wednesday game, The Zone during normal business hours, or the Van Andel Arena box office prior to the next Wednesday game beginning at 5:30 PM.

Debut of New Jerseys: On Wednesday, the Griffins will premiere their new home jerseys, featuring the Reebok-designed Griff fiercely protecting the skyline of Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids’ CCM home jerseys are predominantly white, accentuated by black shoulders, striping and numbers, along with silver and red trim and a reverse-color nameplate (white on black).

Scoring Drought: Grand Rapids has thrown a total of 141 shots on goal during its four losses, with just three power play goals and one even-strength tally to show for it. Two of Grand Rapids’ four goals have been scored by defensemen, with both Ryan Sproul and Xavier Ouellet lighting the lamp in last Friday’s 3-2 loss to the San Antonio Rampage. Two of the four games that the Griffins have played have resulted in shutouts against them; first a 1-0 loss to the Bakersfield Condors on Oct. 9, and then Saturday’s 4-0 loss to the San Antonio Rampage at Van Andel Arena. Last season, the Griffins averaged a league-leading 3.28 goals per game, and they’ve returned 18 skaters from last year’s roster.

Lark-Ness Monster: Former Griffin and current Detroit Red Wing Dylan Larkin, 19, is the first rookie to ever record a point in each of Detroit’s first five games of the season. The Waterford, Mich., native has recorded six points (2-4—6) and a plus-seven rating through his first five NHL games under the charge of former Griffins head coach Jeff Blashill.

Silver Lining: Goaltender Jared Coreau ranks seventh among AHL goaltenders with a 1.64 goals against average. Coreau enjoyed a breakthrough season during 2014-15, posting a 16-8-1 record in 25 games with the Griffins, along with a 2.20 goals against average, a 0.927 save percentage and three shutouts.

Age Is Just A Number: Jeff Hoggan (2/1/78) and Daniel Cleary (12/18/78) are the two oldest players in the AHL. Only two other players currently in the league were born in the ‘70s: Iowa’s Ruslan Fedotenko (1/18/79) and Wilkes-Barre’s Tom Kostopoulos (1/24/79).

In Good Company: Four of the last five Griffins head coaches have lost their home debut at Van Andel Arena, including Jeff Blashill. Overall, seven of the 10 Grand Rapids bench bosses have dropped their home debut, with the only coaches securing victories being Guy Charron, Bruce Cassidy and Curt Fraser.

Reporting for Duty: Along with Jeff Hoggan returning as captain and Nathan Paetsch as assistant captain, Andy Miele is serving as an assistant captain this season. While on the road, Eric Tangradi and Brian Lashoff serve in the assistant roles.

Off To The Pond: The Detroit Red Wings on Monday reassigned left wing Marek Tvrdon from the Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. Detroit’s fifth choice (115th overall) in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Tvrdon split his 2014-15 campaign between the Walleye and Griffins, picking up 24 points (6-18—24) in 24 games with Toledo and 29 points (10-19—29) and a plus-17 rating in 51 games with Grand Rapids. The Nitra, Slovakia, native went on to make his professional postseason debut during the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs, tallying two goals and four assists in 13 games with the Griffins. Tvrdon, 22, made his AHL season debut with Grand Rapids in Friday’s 3-2 loss to the San Antonio Rampage at Van Andel Arena.

Tip-A-Griffin Returns: The Griffins usually look for tips near the net, but on Tuesday, Oct. 27 from 6-8 p.m., they’ll exchange their jerseys for aprons in an evening of serving appetizers, entrees and beverages to patrons at Uccello’s Ristorante, in the return of the team’s popular Tip-A-Griffin fundraiser. Griffins players, coaches and hockey staff will visit all five Uccello’s locations in West Michigan to serve and wait tables, with donations and raffle proceeds benefiting the Griffins Youth Foundation. In its previous eight editions, Tip-A-Griffin raised nearly $77,000 for various local charities. Each of the five locations will include raffle items and a visit from the team’s mascot, Griff. Raffle items include Griffins memorabilia, ticket packages, various gifts from sponsors, and specially-designed aprons that Griffins personnel will be wearing for the night, which will be signed and auctioned off at the end of the event. A full list of players and locations is available here (lineups subject to change).

Walleye World: The Toledo Walleye, the Griffins’ ECHL affiliate, dropped both of their games last weekend, including their season opener against the Indy Fuel on Friday (3-2 SOL) and a road game the following night in Cincinnati (5-1 L). Shane Berschbach and Kyle Bonis, two Toledo standouts and former Griffins-contracted skaters, were both unable to connect in Friday’s shootout, while Indy capitalized on two of its three attempts to seal the deal. Saturday saw Detroit goaltender Jake Paterson make his season debut with the Walleye, making 26 saves on 30 shots. Alden Hirschfeld potted the lone goal for Toledo in the loss. Oddly enough, the Walleye won’t open the home portion of their schedule until Nov. 7 against the Adirondack Thunder at The Huntington Center.

Scouting Report

Wed., Oct. 21 vs. Charlotte Checkers (3-1-0-0) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 23 vs. Charlotte Checkers – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. (Wed. and Fri.). Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 9-10-0-1 Overall, 4-6-0-0 Home. Season Series: First and second of eight meetings overall, first and second of four at home. NHL Affiliation: Carolina Hurricanes. Head Coach: Mark Morris (1st season). Notes: The Checkers are off to a solid start to the season with a 3-1-0-0 record, ranking first in the Central Division with a 0.750 points percentage…While Grand Rapids has lacked in scoring prowess with only four goals scored and 12 goals against, Charlotte has the opposite problem. The Checkers have notched 21 goals in four games but have also allowed 16 goals…All four of Charlotte’s games so far have been on the road. The team is in the midst of a 10-game road trip and won’t open at home until Nov. 7 versus Manitoba…The Checkers had their three-game winning streak snapped on Saturday in a 9-5 loss to the Chicago Wolves…Defenseman Trevor Carrick tops the Checkers’ scoring list with six points (3-3—6), while it’s a three-way tie between left wing Phil Di Giuseppe (2-3—5), right wing Sergey Tolchinsky (1-4—5) and defenseman Jaccob Slavin (0-5—5) for second…Former Griffins goaltender Drew MacIntyre is in his second season with the Checkers and posts a 3.87 GAA through four games…Jake Chelios, son of former Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios, plays for Charlotte and has a goal and three assists in two games.