GRIFFINS TAKE ON AMERKS, FLAMES IN WEEK AWAY FROM HOME

This Week’s Games
Wed., Nov. 26 GRIFFINS at Rochester Americans 7:05 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Nov. 28 GRIFFINS at Rochester Americans 7:05 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sat., Nov. 29 GRIFFINS at Adirondack Flames 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Nov. 21 GRIFFINS 4 at Lake Erie Monsters 5 6-7-1-0, 13 pts. (T4th, Midwest Division)
Sat., Nov. 22 Lake Erie Monsters 2 at GRIFFINS 5 7-7-1-0, 15 pts. (4th)

The Split Continues: Last week, the Griffins split wins with the Lake Erie Monsters, dropping a 5-4 decision on Friday at Quicken Loans Arena but earning a 5-2 victory in Saturday’s rematch at Van Andel Arena. On Friday, Grand Rapids held a 3-1 lead over the Monsters after the first frame, but a Monsters goaltender switch and a goal with 0.1 second remaining in the second period sparked a rally for Lake Erie. In the third period, Kenny Ryan scored at 7:33 to cut Lake Erie’s deficit to one before Borna Rendulic evened the score at 17:02. Just 57 seconds later, Ryan posted the game-winner to complete Lake Erie’s comeback. Stephen Weiss and Nick Jensen earned their first goals as Griffins in the contest, while Teemu Pulkkinen posted the team’s other two tallies. In Saturday’s rematch, four penalties in the opening six minutes of the game culminated in a Griffins power play during which both teams lit the lamp. Lake Erie struck first at the 6:19 mark when Paul Carey redirected Stefan Elliott’s centering feed past Tom McCollum from the doorstep. Grand Rapids answered just 13 seconds later, with Weiss taking a pass from Mitch Callahan in the slot and snapping a shot behind Sami Aittokallio for his second goal in as many nights against the Monsters. Anthony Mantha, Louis-Marc Aubry and Mark Zengerle all went on to score for the Griffins, and Callahan secured the empty-netter with three minutes remaining to put a stamp on the 5-2 victory. On the season, Grand Rapids now holds a 3-3-0-0 record against Lake Erie.

Have Hockey, Will Travel: The Griffins will begin a four-game road stretch this week, with games against the Rochester Americans on Wednesday and Friday and a tilt against the Adirondack Flames on Saturday. Next week will see the team travel to Ricoh Coliseum for a game against the Toronto Marlies on Tuesday before a brief stop at Van Andel Arena. This road trip ties for the Griffins’ longest of the season, and their next four consecutive road games will be from March 6-12.

Flip-Flop: Grand Rapids extended its home winning streak to four games with Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Monsters. The home ice streak has come on the heels of its season-opening five-game skid (0-4-1-0) at Van Andel Arena. Conversely, the Griffins started the campaign with three consecutive road wins but have since lost three straight in hostile territory.

Jensen’s First: Griffins defenseman Nick Jensen scored his first goal as both a Griffin and a professional in Friday’s 5-4 road loss to the Lake Erie Monsters. It was Jensen’s 61st pro contest (58 AHL games, 3 ECHL games). Detroit’s fifth choice, 150th overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Jensen picked up nine assists in 45 games during his rookie season with Grand Rapids last season but has already picked up five points (1-4—5) in 14 games this season.

Scoring Machine: Last week, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen extended his point streak to five games, amassing four goals and five assists during that span (Nov. 12-22). Pulkkinen ties for 11th overall in scoring in the league but has played the fewest games of any of the top 18 scorers. He also leads the Griffins in scoring.

Unusual Suspects: Four Griffins scored their first goals of the 2014-15 campaign between Friday and Saturday. Stephen Weiss and Nick Jensen both lit the lamp on Friday, while Louis-Marc Aubry and Mark Zengerle earned their first tallies on Saturday. Jensen’s and Zengerle’s were their first as pros.

All the Weisser: Detroit Red Wings center Stephen Weiss spent a two-game conditioning stint with Grand Rapids last weekend and put away a goal against Lake Erie on both Friday and Saturday. The 31-year-old forward was recalled on Sunday and continued his hot streak into his second game with the Wings this season, when he scored two of the team’s four goals, including the game-winner, in Monday’s 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Joe Louis Arena. Prior to Monday’s game, Weiss had not scored an NHL goal since Oct. 14, 2013 when the Wings played the Boston Bruins on the road. Weiss’ last two-goal performance was on April 15 during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he squared off against the New Jersey Devils as a member of the Florida Panthers.

Griffins Leaders: Vantaa, Finland, native Teemu Pulkkinen continues his reign atop the Griffins’ scoring leaders with 17 points (8-9—17) in 15 games. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound right wing is currently on a five-game point streak and has tallied four goals and five assists within that span. Center Andy Miele has scored the second-most points on the team with 11 (5-6—11) in 12 games and left wing Mitch Callahan (6-4—10) ranks third. While Pulkkinen and Callahan have appeared in all 15 of the Griffins’ games this season, Miele has appeared in just 12. He missed the first three of the campaign recovering from off-season surgery.

Gone Streakin’: A handful of Griffins are currently on point streaks, including Nick Jensen (two games, 1-1—2), Alexey Marchenko (two games, 0-2—2), Andy Miele (four games, 1-3—4), Nathan Paetsch (two games, 0-2—2), Kevin Porter (four games, 1-3—4) and Teemu Pulkkinen (five games, 4-5—9).

Shoot ‘Em Up: The Griffins have outshot their opponents in 10 of 15 games this season. The team ranks 11th in shots per game (30.73) and fourth in shots against per game (26.13).

The Midwest: The Rockford IceHogs (14-4-0-1, 29 pts.) continue to lead the Midwest Division, winning their last four games and posting an 8-2-0-0 record in their last 10 contests. In second rank the Chicago Wolves (11-5-3-0, 25 pts.), who have accumulated the most penalty minutes in the division (300). The Milwaukee Admirals (11-4-0-1, 23 pts.) rank third, the Griffins (7-7-1-0, 15 pts.) rank fourth and the Lake Erie Monsters (5-8-1-2, 13 pts.) rank fifth. In terms of the league, Grand Rapids has played the fewest amount of games of any team in the AHL.

Arena Tour: When the Griffins face off against the Adirondack Flames for the first time ever at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Saturday, it will mark the 52nd arena and 44th city in which they’ve played since their 1996 inception (including Grand Rapids and Van Andel Arena).

Walleye World: The ECHL’s Toledo Walleye walked away with two of three victories last week, improving their record to 10-3-0-1 this season. On Wednesday, goaltender Jeff Lerg, who has served backup duty for the Griffins on two occasions, turned away 35 of 38 shots to earn a 6-3 win over the Fort Wayne Komets. Friday saw the Walleye drop a 6-3 decision to the Greenville Road Warriors. Martin Frk, who was assigned to the Walleye last Tuesday by Detroit, opened the scoring for the Walleye in the first period, but consistent scoring from Greenville proved to be too much for the Griffins’ affiliate to overcome. Toledo bounced back from its loss with a 6-2 victory on Saturday against the Evansville Icemen at the Huntington Center, with Marek Tvrdon posting the game-winning goal and Kyle Bonis earning two goals himself. This week, the Walleye will host the Orlando Solarbears on Friday before paying a visit to the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday.

Double Duty: The Griffins on Sunday recalled forward Kyle Bonis from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. In addition, the Detroit Red Wings on Monday reassigned defenseman Richard Nedomlel from the Griffins to the Walleye. A native of Lindsay, Ontario, Bonis is the Walleye’s leading goal scorer and has gathered 14 points (10-4—14) in 14 games with the club. Last season, the 25-year-old picked up 45 points (25-20—45) in 65 games with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades and ranked among team leaders in scoring (4th), goals (2nd) and assists (8th). The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward also went scoreless in three AHL appearances with the Charlotte Checkers during his 2013-14 campaign and tallied two points (1-1—2) in six games with the Norfolk Admirals late in 2012-13. Nedomlel, 21, has picked up two points (1-1—2) in three appearances with Toledo this season. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound defenseman appeared in three contests with the Griffins last season, registering two penalty minutes and one shot on goal, and also skated in 60 games with the Walleye, racking up 18 points (8-10—18) and 150 PIM.

Scouting Report

Wed., Nov. 26 at Rochester Americans (8-9-1-0) – Blue Cross Arena – 7:05 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 28 at Rochester Americans – Blue Cross Arena – 7:05 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: 37-22-1-1-3 Overall, 15-15-0-1-1 Road. Season Series: First and second of four meetings overall, first and second of two at Blue Cross Arena. NHL Affiliation: Buffalo Sabres. Head Coach: Chadd Cassidy (2nd season). Notes: The Amerks rank fourth in the North Division…Rochester has played 11 of its 18 games at home and posts a 6-5-0-0 record at Blue Cross Arena…The club has turned out a 2-7-1-0 record in its last 10 games…Center Phil Varone leads the team in scoring with 18 points (5-13—18) in 18 games, while left wing Luke Adam (7-10—17) ranks second. It’s a three-way knot for third place between right wing Joel Armia (6-9—15), center Tim Schaller (6-9—15) and left wing Johan Larsson (5-10—15)…Former Griffins captain Matt Ellis (2003-07) returns to Rochester’s lineup this season and owns eight points (4-4—8) in 18 games…The Griffins and Amerks will not face off again until back-to-back games at Van Andel Arena on Feb. 6-7…The Griffins won both meetings in Rochester last season and went 4-0 overall versus the Amerks.

Sat., Nov. 29 at Adirondack Flames (11-6-1-0) – Glens Falls Civic Center – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. (Sat.) Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time/Season Series: First of two meetings overall, first and only meeting at Glen Falls Civic Center. NHL Affiliation: Calgary Flames. Head Coach: Ryan Huska (1st season). Notes: The Flames have been hot as of late after a rough start to the season, having won their past eight games in a row and posting a 9-1-0-0 record in their last 10 games… Although Saturday’s matchup is the first meeting between Adirondack and Grand Rapids, the Griffins knocked the Flames’ predecessors, the Abbotsford Heat, out of the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs by a count of 4-2…Joni Ortio plays the leading role between the pipes for the Flames. Despite a 3.35 goals against average and allowing 41 goals in 13 games, he owns an 8-3-1-1 record…Right wing Ben Hanowski (7-3—10) leads the team in scoring.

This Week’s Games
Wed., Nov. 26 GRIFFINS at Rochester Americans 7:05 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Nov. 28 GRIFFINS at Rochester Americans 7:05 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sat., Nov. 29 GRIFFINS at Adirondack Flames 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Fri., Nov. 21 GRIFFINS 4 at Lake Erie Monsters 5 6-7-1-0, 13 pts. (T4th, Midwest Division)
Sat., Nov. 22 Lake Erie Monsters 2 at GRIFFINS 5 7-7-1-0, 15 pts. (4th)

The Split Continues: Last week, the Griffins split wins with the Lake Erie Monsters, dropping a 5-4 decision on Friday at Quicken Loans Arena but earning a 5-2 victory in Saturday’s rematch at Van Andel Arena. On Friday, Grand Rapids held a 3-1 lead over the Monsters after the first frame, but a Monsters goaltender switch and a goal with 0.1 second remaining in the second period sparked a rally for Lake Erie. In the third period, Kenny Ryan scored at 7:33 to cut Lake Erie’s deficit to one before Borna Rendulic evened the score at 17:02. Just 57 seconds later, Ryan posted the game-winner to complete Lake Erie’s comeback. Stephen Weiss and Nick Jensen earned their first goals as Griffins in the contest, while Teemu Pulkkinen posted the team’s other two tallies. In Saturday’s rematch, four penalties in the opening six minutes of the game culminated in a Griffins power play during which both teams lit the lamp. Lake Erie struck first at the 6:19 mark when Paul Carey redirected Stefan Elliott’s centering feed past Tom McCollum from the doorstep. Grand Rapids answered just 13 seconds later, with Weiss taking a pass from Mitch Callahan in the slot and snapping a shot behind Sami Aittokallio for his second goal in as many nights against the Monsters. Anthony Mantha, Louis-Marc Aubry and Mark Zengerle all went on to score for the Griffins, and Callahan secured the empty-netter with three minutes remaining to put a stamp on the 5-2 victory. On the season, Grand Rapids now holds a 3-3-0-0 record against Lake Erie.

Have Hockey, Will Travel: The Griffins will begin a four-game road stretch this week, with games against the Rochester Americans on Wednesday and Friday and a tilt against the Adirondack Flames on Saturday. Next week will see the team travel to Ricoh Coliseum for a game against the Toronto Marlies on Tuesday before a brief stop at Van Andel Arena. This road trip ties for the Griffins’ longest of the season, and their next four consecutive road games will be from March 6-12.

Flip-Flop: Grand Rapids extended its home winning streak to four games with Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Monsters. The home ice streak has come on the heels of its season-opening five-game skid (0-4-1-0) at Van Andel Arena. Conversely, the Griffins started the campaign with three consecutive road wins but have since lost three straight in hostile territory.

Jensen’s First: Griffins defenseman Nick Jensen scored his first goal as both a Griffin and a professional in Friday’s 5-4 road loss to the Lake Erie Monsters. It was Jensen’s 61st pro contest (58 AHL games, 3 ECHL games). Detroit’s fifth choice, 150th overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Jensen picked up nine assists in 45 games during his rookie season with Grand Rapids last season but has already picked up five points (1-4—5) in 14 games this season.

Scoring Machine: Last week, right wing Teemu Pulkkinen extended his point streak to five games, amassing four goals and five assists during that span (Nov. 12-22). Pulkkinen ties for 11th overall in scoring in the league but has played the fewest games of any of the top 18 scorers. He also leads the Griffins in scoring.

Unusual Suspects: Four Griffins scored their first goals of the 2014-15 campaign between Friday and Saturday. Stephen Weiss and Nick Jensen both lit the lamp on Friday, while Louis-Marc Aubry and Mark Zengerle earned their first tallies on Saturday. Jensen’s and Zengerle’s were their first as pros.

All the Weisser: Detroit Red Wings center Stephen Weiss spent a two-game conditioning stint with Grand Rapids last weekend and put away a goal against Lake Erie on both Friday and Saturday. The 31-year-old forward was recalled on Sunday and continued his hot streak into his second game with the Wings this season, when he scored two of the team’s four goals, including the game-winner, in Monday’s 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Joe Louis Arena. Prior to Monday’s game, Weiss had not scored an NHL goal since Oct. 14, 2013 when the Wings played the Boston Bruins on the road. Weiss’ last two-goal performance was on April 15 during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he squared off against the New Jersey Devils as a member of the Florida Panthers.

Griffins Leaders: Vantaa, Finland, native Teemu Pulkkinen continues his reign atop the Griffins’ scoring leaders with 17 points (8-9—17) in 15 games. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound right wing is currently on a five-game point streak and has tallied four goals and five assists within that span. Center Andy Miele has scored the second-most points on the team with 11 (5-6—11) in 12 games and left wing Mitch Callahan (6-4—10) ranks third. While Pulkkinen and Callahan have appeared in all 15 of the Griffins’ games this season, Miele has appeared in just 12. He missed the first three of the campaign recovering from off-season surgery.

Gone Streakin’: A handful of Griffins are currently on point streaks, including Nick Jensen (two games, 1-1—2), Alexey Marchenko (two games, 0-2—2), Andy Miele (four games, 1-3—4), Nathan Paetsch (two games, 0-2—2), Kevin Porter (four games, 1-3—4) and Teemu Pulkkinen (five games, 4-5—9).

Shoot ‘Em Up: The Griffins have outshot their opponents in 10 of 15 games this season. The team ranks 11th in shots per game (30.73) and fourth in shots against per game (26.13).

The Midwest: The Rockford IceHogs (14-4-0-1, 29 pts.) continue to lead the Midwest Division, winning their last four games and posting an 8-2-0-0 record in their last 10 contests. In second rank the Chicago Wolves (11-5-3-0, 25 pts.), who have accumulated the most penalty minutes in the division (300). The Milwaukee Admirals (11-4-0-1, 23 pts.) rank third, the Griffins (7-7-1-0, 15 pts.) rank fourth and the Lake Erie Monsters (5-8-1-2, 13 pts.) rank fifth. In terms of the league, Grand Rapids has played the fewest amount of games of any team in the AHL.

Arena Tour: When the Griffins face off against the Adirondack Flames for the first time ever at the Glens Falls Civic Center on Saturday, it will mark the 52nd arena and 44th city in which they’ve played since their 1996 inception (including Grand Rapids and Van Andel Arena).

Walleye World: The ECHL’s Toledo Walleye walked away with two of three victories last week, improving their record to 10-3-0-1 this season. On Wednesday, goaltender Jeff Lerg, who has served backup duty for the Griffins on two occasions, turned away 35 of 38 shots to earn a 6-3 win over the Fort Wayne Komets. Friday saw the Walleye drop a 6-3 decision to the Greenville Road Warriors. Martin Frk, who was assigned to the Walleye last Tuesday by Detroit, opened the scoring for the Walleye in the first period, but consistent scoring from Greenville proved to be too much for the Griffins’ affiliate to overcome. Toledo bounced back from its loss with a 6-2 victory on Saturday against the Evansville Icemen at the Huntington Center, with Marek Tvrdon posting the game-winning goal and Kyle Bonis earning two goals himself. This week, the Walleye will host the Orlando Solarbears on Friday before paying a visit to the Kalamazoo Wings on Saturday.

Double Duty: The Griffins on Sunday recalled forward Kyle Bonis from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye. In addition, the Detroit Red Wings on Monday reassigned defenseman Richard Nedomlel from the Griffins to the Walleye. A native of Lindsay, Ontario, Bonis is the Walleye’s leading goal scorer and has gathered 14 points (10-4—14) in 14 games with the club. Last season, the 25-year-old picked up 45 points (25-20—45) in 65 games with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades and ranked among team leaders in scoring (4th), goals (2nd) and assists (8th). The 5-foot-11, 185-pound forward also went scoreless in three AHL appearances with the Charlotte Checkers during his 2013-14 campaign and tallied two points (1-1—2) in six games with the Norfolk Admirals late in 2012-13. Nedomlel, 21, has picked up two points (1-1—2) in three appearances with Toledo this season. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound defenseman appeared in three contests with the Griffins last season, registering two penalty minutes and one shot on goal, and also skated in 60 games with the Walleye, racking up 18 points (8-10—18) and 150 PIM.

Scouting Report

Wed., Nov. 26 at Rochester Americans (8-9-1-0) – Blue Cross Arena – 7:05 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 28 at Rochester Americans – Blue Cross Arena – 7:05 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: 37-22-1-1-3 Overall, 15-15-0-1-1 Road. Season Series: First and second of four meetings overall, first and second of two at Blue Cross Arena. NHL Affiliation: Buffalo Sabres. Head Coach: Chadd Cassidy (2nd season). Notes: The Amerks rank fourth in the North Division…Rochester has played 11 of its 18 games at home and posts a 6-5-0-0 record at Blue Cross Arena…The club has turned out a 2-7-1-0 record in its last 10 games…Center Phil Varone leads the team in scoring with 18 points (5-13—18) in 18 games, while left wing Luke Adam (7-10—17) ranks second. It’s a three-way knot for third place between right wing Joel Armia (6-9—15), center Tim Schaller (6-9—15) and left wing Johan Larsson (5-10—15)…Former Griffins captain Matt Ellis (2003-07) returns to Rochester’s lineup this season and owns eight points (4-4—8) in 18 games…The Griffins and Amerks will not face off again until back-to-back games at Van Andel Arena on Feb. 6-7…The Griffins won both meetings in Rochester last season and went 4-0 overall versus the Amerks.

Sat., Nov. 29 at Adirondack Flames (11-6-1-0) – Glens Falls Civic Center – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. (Sat.) Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time/Season Series: First of two meetings overall, first and only meeting at Glen Falls Civic Center. NHL Affiliation: Calgary Flames. Head Coach: Ryan Huska (1st season). Notes: The Flames have been hot as of late after a rough start to the season, having won their past eight games in a row and posting a 9-1-0-0 record in their last 10 games… Although Saturday’s matchup is the first meeting between Adirondack and Grand Rapids, the Griffins knocked the Flames’ predecessors, the Abbotsford Heat, out of the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs by a count of 4-2…Joni Ortio plays the leading role between the pipes for the Flames. Despite a 3.35 goals against average and allowing 41 goals in 13 games, he owns an 8-3-1-1 record…Right wing Ben Hanowski (7-3—10) leads the team in scoring.