HELLO FROM THE WINNING SIDE

This Week’s Games
Wed., Dec. 16 GRIFFINS at Lake Erie Monsters 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Dec. 18 Texas Stars at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sat., Dec. 19 Texas Stars at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Wed., Dec. 9 Milwaukee Admirals 1 at GRIFFINS 4 11-8-0-1, 23 points (5th, Central Division)
Sat., Dec. 12 GRIFFINS 4 at Rockford IceHogs 1 12-8-0-1, 25 points (4th)
Sun., Dec. 13 GRIFFINS 4 at Iowa Wild 3 OT 13-8-0-1, 27 points (4th)

Record Chasers: The Griffins held on to the title of being the AHL’s hottest team thanks to a dramatic, come-from-behind overtime victory against Iowa (4-19-1-3) on Sunday to extend their winning streak to 11 games, tying a franchise record. Grand Rapids’ 11-game run is tied with the 2005-06 team that set the mark from March 5-31, 2006, and the Griffins can establish a new precedent when they travel to Cleveland on Wednesday to take on Lake Erie. Should the Griffins defeat the Monsters on Wednesday and extend their win streak to a franchise-high 12 games, it would mark the longest streak in the AHL since Norfolk set the standard by rattling off 28 in a row on their way to winning the Calder Cup in the 2011-12 season. The 2015-16 campaign also marks the third consecutive season in which a league team has won exactly 11 straight, beginning with the Calder Cup Champion Texas Stars during the 2013-14 season (2014-15: Springfield; 2015-16: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Grand Rapids).

Weekend Promotions: For Friday’s contest against Texas, fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m. while supplies last. On Saturday, the Griffins host their second annual LEGO Night that will feature themed videos, music and on-ice entertainment. Additionally on Saturday, the first 2,500 children (12 and under) will receive an Anthony Mantha OYO blockhead, courtesy of Flagstar Bank.

Longest Winning Streaks in Griffins History:

Line Change: A look at the changes in numbers and rankings during the Griffins' 11-game winning streak:

Tangradi Suspended: The AHL on Tuesday announced Eric Tangradi has been suspended for three games as a consequence of an illegal check to the head of an opponent in Sunday’s game at Iowa. Tangradi was suspended under the provisions of AHL Rule 28.1 (supplementary discipline). He will miss Grand Rapids’ games Wednesday (Dec. 16) at Lake Erie and Friday (Dec. 18) and Saturday (Dec. 19) vs. Texas. Tangradi leads the Griffins in both goals (12) and points (21), and his nine goals in the last 11 games pace the league.

Reaching New Heights: During their professional careers in North America, only two Griffins players have ever previously played for a team posting a winning streak of 10 games or more: Eric Tangradi with the 2011-12 Pittsburgh Penguins had an 11-game winning streak (Feb. 21-March 17) and Nathan Paetsch with the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres recorded a 10-game streak (Oct. 4-26).

Only on the West Side: Grand Rapids has tallied a pair of 11-game winning streaks in the last 11 seasons, while its parent club in Detroit has never won more than nine consecutive games in its 90 seasons of play (seven times, most recently Oct. 18-Nov. 9, 2007).

Against the Best: Grand Rapids’ 11-game run has come at the expense of top Western Conference opponents, as nine of those wins have come against teams with winning records. The Griffins’ 11-game winning streak includes an 8-0 mark against the four teams, other than Grand Rapids, in the top five of the Central Division standings: 2-0 against first-place Rockford (7-3 scoring margin), second-place Lake Erie (7-3), third-place Milwaukee (10-1), and fifth-place Chicago (5-2). Additionally, the six unique teams Grand Rapids has beaten during its streak have combined for a current overall record of 138-106-12-19 (0.629). During their recent stretch, the Griffins have also shown to be streak busters, defeating Rockford (9-3-1-1) on Nov. 18 to halt the IceHogs’ 10-game point streak and on Dec. 12 to stop their five-game winning streak and blanking Central-leading Milwaukee (12-4-1-0) 6-0 on Nov. 27 to end the Admirals’ 11-game point run and franchise-record 10-game winning streak.

Inside the Streak: Over the past 11 games, 15 different Griffins have scored a goal and 17 have accumulated a point, while Eric Tangradi leads in both categories with nine and 16, respectively…Mitch Callahan is second with seven goals while Andreas Athanasiou is third with six over the last 11 games…Robbie Russo and Anthony Mantha are tied for the team lead with nine assists a piece during the streak, Andy Miele has distributed eight, Tangradi seven, and Mark Zengerle, Xavier Ouellet and Athanasiou are responsible for six helpers…In win number two of the streak, Grand Rapids enjoyed its biggest offensive performance of the season in a 7-4 win over San Diego (9-4-0-1) on Nov. 20, setting a season-best for goals scored…The Griffins recorded their first shutout of the season in win number five, beating Central-leading Milwaukee (12-4-1-0) 6-0 on Nov. 27...Grand Rapids is outscoring its opponents 45-17 during the streak…The Griffins have posted at least four goals in each of their last four games for the first time since last season when Grand Rapids outscored its opponents 22-3 during a four-game streak lasting Feb. 24-March 4, 2015.

Home Cooking: In addition to the 11-game overall win streak, Grand Rapids has racked up eight straight victories inside Van Andel Arena’s friendly confines, two games shy of matching the franchise record set twice before, most recently in 2003-04. The Griffins have posted the second-longest home streak in the league this season (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 10 games, Oct. 17-Nov. 28) while outscoring their visitors by a 34-14 tally during their run.

Road Redemption: After dropping its first five road contests of the season, including one in a shootout at Lake Erie on Nov. 13, Grand Rapids has now strung together four straight on foreign ice. On the road this season, the Griffins have recorded their largest margin of victory (6-0 at Milwaukee on Nov. 27) and also mounted their biggest comeback of the season in a 4-3 overtime win at Iowa on Dec. 13 after dipping into a 3-0 deficit early.

All We Do is Win, Win, Win: Between its NHL, AHL and ECHL teams, the Detroit Red Wings organization has proven winning is contagious. Consider the Red Wings, Griffins and Toledo Walleye have combined for a 26-3-5-0 record (Red Wings: 8-1-4, Griffins: 11-0-0-0, Walleye: 7-2-1-0) recently. The Walleye dropped two of the regulation losses, falling 3-2 to Evansville on Dec. 9 and 6-2 to Wheeling on Saturday, while the Red Wings dropped Monday’s contest against Buffalo.

Russo’s Rookie Relevance: Rookie defenseman Robbie Russo registered just one assist and a single point through his first seven professional games this season. However, his eighth career game, Nov. 18 against Rockford, proved to be his coming out party as Russo exploded for a three-point night including scoring – in game-winning fashion – his first professional goal. Since Nov. 18, Russo is tied for the team lead in assists with nine over the last 11 games. The former Notre Dame standout has accumulated points in eight of the last 11 contests (1-9—10), including the last four in a row (0-4—4). Russo is also tied with Eric Tangradi for tops on the team with a +12 rating.

Power-less Play: The only stat line appearing to not go the Griffins’ way during the 11-game winning streak is the power play. Grand Rapids is 0-for-its-last-19 on the man advantage and has not scored a power play goal since Nov. 28 when Eric Tangradi converted against Lake Erie. Conversely, the Griffins’ penalty kill has been strong, fending off 85.1 percent of opponents’ chances. In fact, prior to Iowa scoring a PP goal on Dec. 13, the Griffins had forced adversaries into a 0-for-18 stretch, dating back to Nov. 28 against Lake Erie.

Stone Wall: Goaltenders Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum have been stout during the team’s run, as Coreau is responsible for seven victories and McCollum four. Coreau recorded a season-best 38 saves in a 4-1 win over Rockford on Saturday and also logged the team’s first shutout of the season, executing 22 saves in a 6-0 win over Milwaukee on Nov. 27. The third-year Griffin has stopped 207 of 219 shots (0.945) faced over his last seven games, posting a 1.71 goals against average. Coreau ranks fourth among league netminders with a 0.931 save percentage and eighth with a 2.17 GAA. McCollum stopped a team season-high 41 shots in back-to-back appearances (Nov. 28 vs. Lake Erie, Dec. 5 vs. Lake Erie) and has turned away 137 of 142 shots (0.965) with a 1.24 GAA during his last four games.

Movin’ On Up: When Nov. 18 dawned, Grand Rapids stood in 15th place and last in the Western Conference with a 0.227 winning percentage. Since that date, which marked the beginning of the Griffins’ current 11-game winning streak, Grand Rapids (0.614) has vaulted all the way up to the No. 5 spot in the conference and No. 9 overall.

Griffins Leaders: Eric Tangradi (12-9—21) and Andy Miele (4-14—18) continue to pace Grand Rapids in scoring, just ahead of Andreas Athanasiou (7-7—14), Anthony Mantha (3-10—13) and Mitch Callahan (8-4—12).

Making the Grade: Eric Tangradi has accumulated points in 10 of the last 11 outings (9-7—16). His current seven-game point streak from Nov. 27-Dec. 13 sets a Griffins best this season, while his three-game goal streak from Dec. 5-Dec. 12 tied for tops on the team (Mitch Callahan, Nov. 25-28). Tangradi’s team-leading 12 goals are buoyed by his fourth career hat trick recorded Dec. 5 against Lake Erie, the second posted by a Griffin this season (Tomas Jurco, Nov. 20 vs. San Diego).

Doubling Up: Andreas Athanasiou, known as “Double A,” has been on a tear since the Red Wings reassigned him to the Griffins on Nov. 19. He has registered points in eight of nine games in his return (6-6—12). After having totaled just one goal and one assist in his first eight games with Grand Rapids this season, he eclipsed his previous point total in one night with Nov. 20’s three-point outburst (1-2—3) against San Diego, before accounting for both of the Griffins’ goals in their 2-1 win at Chicago on Nov. 21. Athanasiou is on a four-game point streak, scoring against Chicago (Dec. 4) and Lake Erie (Dec. 5), dishing out two helpers against Milwaukee on Dec. 9 and tallying his seventh goal of the season against Rockford on Saturday.

Trending Upwards: Anthony Mantha has tallied eight assists in his last six games (1-8—9), including recording two assists in three of the last five… Andy Miele and Mark Zengerle both recorded three assists against the Wild on Nov. 25, setting a Griffins season high…Miele has points in six of the last eight (2-8—10) while Zengerle has registered points in five of the last eight games (3-5—8)…Xavier Ouellet is responsible for five points the last five games (1-4—4), including the game-winning goal in overtime against Iowa on Sunday...Robbie Russo has recorded one assist in each of the last four games (0-4—4).

Magic Numbers: The Griffins are a perfect 12-0-0-0 when scoring three or more goals and 10-1-0-0 when allowing two goals or fewer…Grand Rapids is 5-0-0-0 when leading after one period, 9-1-0-0 when leading after two and 9-1-0-0 when striking first.

Making Moves: The Detroit Red Wings reassigned right wing Zach Nastasiuk from the Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye on Sunday. The first-year professional has appeared in three games with the Griffins this season and is yet to record a point.

No Soup for You: By allowing three goals against Iowa on Sunday – the most the Griffins had given up since four against San Diego on Nov. 20 – the Griffins had their run of eight straight games allowing no more than two goals snapped (8 GA from Nov. 21-Dec. 12), which was their longest since a franchise-best nine-game streak from Jan. 17-Feb. 6, 2004 (11 GA).

Climbing the Charts: Matching a season-best with 41 saves against Lake Erie on Dec. 5, Tom McCollum earned his 92nd win as a Griffin, which ranks second in franchise history behind only Joey MacDonald (109). McCollum, who needs four more appearances to equal MacDonald’s mark of 210, has broken the 5,000-save barrier this season and, with 5,113 stops, stands behind only MacDonald (5,362) in club archives.

Holiday Months to Remember: After a slow start to this year’s campaign that saw the Griffins finish 1-6-0-0 in October, Grand Rapids has bounced back with a combined November and December record of 12-2-0-1. In fact, the Griffins’ 7-2-0-1 tally in November marked their second-most successful November over the last 10 years. The Griffins’ November winning percentage of 0.750 under Todd Nelson was eclipsed in the last decade by only Jeff Blashill’s 0.833 mark (10-2-0-0) during his second month at Grand Rapids’ helm in 2012.

Walleye World: A recent 7-2-1-0 stretch has the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye in a close second place in the North Division standings with a 12-7-1-3 record (28 points). The Walleye trail first-place Wheeling (13-9-1-2) by just a single point. Grand Rapids-contracted Alden Hirschfeld (10-10—20), Red Wings prospect Marek Tvrdon (8-11—19), and former Griffin Shane Berschbach (5-13—18) continue to do the heavy lifting on offense. Rookie netminder Jake Paterson, Detroit’s second pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft who is currently with the Griffins, shows a 5-4-1-1 record with a 2.53 GAA and 0.921 save percentage as an understudy to former Michigan State Spartan Jeff Lerg (7-3-0-2, 2.20 GAA, 0.922%).

Scouting Reports

Wednesday, Dec. 16 at Lake Erie Monsters (15-6-1-2) – Quicken Loans Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 13-11-2-6 Road, 33-21-3-7 Overall. Season Series: 0-1-0-1 Road, 2-1-0-1 Overall. Fifth of 12 meetings overall, third of six at Quicken Loans Arena. NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets. Head Coach: Jared Bednar (1st season). Notes: The Lake Erie Monsters are second in the Central Division, third in the Western Conference and sixth in the AHL with a 15-6-1-2 record (0.688)…Monsters head coach Jared Bednar played for the Griffins during their 1998-99 IHL campaign, racking up 21 points (3-18—21) and a team-high 220 PIM in 74 games…The Monsters are 9-1-0-2 at home this season including winning the last three…Rookie goaltender Joonas Korpisalo is seventh among league backstops with a 2.12 goals against average but he was added to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ roster on emergency recall on Dec. 9…T.J. Tynan leads the Monsters with 16 points (0-16—16) while Kerby Rychel (5-7—12) and Alex Broadhurst (2-10—12) are tied for second…The Monsters rank 10th in the power play (17.9%) and third in the penalty kill (88.5%)…Lake Erie ranks fourth in shots for per game (33.04) and sixth in shots against (27.46)…The Monsters are the last team to defeat the Griffins, winning 5-1 on Nov. 14 in Cleveland…Grand Rapids won the most recent matchup with Lake Erie on Dec. 5, beating the Monsters 4-1 behind Eric Tangradi’s hat trick…In four games against their division rivals, Tangradi leads the team with four points (4-0—4), while Anthony Mantha (1-2) and Daniel Cleary (0-3) each have three…Of Cleary’s four points this season, three have come against Lake Erie.

Friday, Dec. 18 vs. Texas Stars (14-10-2-1) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 19 vs. Texas Stars – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. each night Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 9-3-0-2 Home, 17-8-1-2 Overall. Season Series: First and second meetings of four overall, first and second of two at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Dallas Stars. Head Coach: Derek Laxdal (2nd season) Notes: The Texas Stars rank second in the Pacific Division, sixth in the Western Conference and 12th overall with a 14-10-2-1 record (0.574)…Grand Rapids is 1-4-0-0 against Pacific Division opponents this season…The Stars post a better record on the road (8-5-0-1) than at home (6-5-2-0)…Rookie Devin Shore is tied for the league lead in goals with 15 and ranks third in points (15-11—26)…Rookie Esa Lindell ranks eighth among AHL defensemen in point production (6-12—18)…Julius Honka is on a three-game goal streak and is tied for ninth on the team in scoring (5-10—15)…The Griffins swept the season series against the Stars during the 2014-15 season, 4-0-0-0, and are a combined 7-1-0-0 against their Texas counterparts the last two years…Grand Rapids has won the last five meetings against Texas at Van Andel Arena, dating back to the 2012-13 season.

This Week’s Games
Wed., Dec. 16 GRIFFINS at Lake Erie Monsters 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Fri., Dec. 18 Texas Stars at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sat., Dec. 19 Texas Stars at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Wed., Dec. 9 Milwaukee Admirals 1 at GRIFFINS 4 11-8-0-1, 23 points (5th, Central Division)
Sat., Dec. 12 GRIFFINS 4 at Rockford IceHogs 1 12-8-0-1, 25 points (4th)
Sun., Dec. 13 GRIFFINS 4 at Iowa Wild 3 OT 13-8-0-1, 27 points (4th)

Record Chasers: The Griffins held on to the title of being the AHL’s hottest team thanks to a dramatic, come-from-behind overtime victory against Iowa (4-19-1-3) on Sunday to extend their winning streak to 11 games, tying a franchise record. Grand Rapids’ 11-game run is tied with the 2005-06 team that set the mark from March 5-31, 2006, and the Griffins can establish a new precedent when they travel to Cleveland on Wednesday to take on Lake Erie. Should the Griffins defeat the Monsters on Wednesday and extend their win streak to a franchise-high 12 games, it would mark the longest streak in the AHL since Norfolk set the standard by rattling off 28 in a row on their way to winning the Calder Cup in the 2011-12 season. The 2015-16 campaign also marks the third consecutive season in which a league team has won exactly 11 straight, beginning with the Calder Cup Champion Texas Stars during the 2013-14 season (2014-15: Springfield; 2015-16: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Grand Rapids).

Weekend Promotions: For Friday’s contest against Texas, fans can enjoy $2 hot dogs and $2 domestic drafts from 6-8 p.m. while supplies last. On Saturday, the Griffins host their second annual LEGO Night that will feature themed videos, music and on-ice entertainment. Additionally on Saturday, the first 2,500 children (12 and under) will receive an Anthony Mantha OYO blockhead, courtesy of Flagstar Bank.

Longest Winning Streaks in Griffins History:

Line Change: A look at the changes in numbers and rankings during the Griffins' 11-game winning streak:

Tangradi Suspended: The AHL on Tuesday announced Eric Tangradi has been suspended for three games as a consequence of an illegal check to the head of an opponent in Sunday’s game at Iowa. Tangradi was suspended under the provisions of AHL Rule 28.1 (supplementary discipline). He will miss Grand Rapids’ games Wednesday (Dec. 16) at Lake Erie and Friday (Dec. 18) and Saturday (Dec. 19) vs. Texas. Tangradi leads the Griffins in both goals (12) and points (21), and his nine goals in the last 11 games pace the league.

Reaching New Heights: During their professional careers in North America, only two Griffins players have ever previously played for a team posting a winning streak of 10 games or more: Eric Tangradi with the 2011-12 Pittsburgh Penguins had an 11-game winning streak (Feb. 21-March 17) and Nathan Paetsch with the 2006-07 Buffalo Sabres recorded a 10-game streak (Oct. 4-26).

Only on the West Side: Grand Rapids has tallied a pair of 11-game winning streaks in the last 11 seasons, while its parent club in Detroit has never won more than nine consecutive games in its 90 seasons of play (seven times, most recently Oct. 18-Nov. 9, 2007).

Against the Best: Grand Rapids’ 11-game run has come at the expense of top Western Conference opponents, as nine of those wins have come against teams with winning records. The Griffins’ 11-game winning streak includes an 8-0 mark against the four teams, other than Grand Rapids, in the top five of the Central Division standings: 2-0 against first-place Rockford (7-3 scoring margin), second-place Lake Erie (7-3), third-place Milwaukee (10-1), and fifth-place Chicago (5-2). Additionally, the six unique teams Grand Rapids has beaten during its streak have combined for a current overall record of 138-106-12-19 (0.629). During their recent stretch, the Griffins have also shown to be streak busters, defeating Rockford (9-3-1-1) on Nov. 18 to halt the IceHogs’ 10-game point streak and on Dec. 12 to stop their five-game winning streak and blanking Central-leading Milwaukee (12-4-1-0) 6-0 on Nov. 27 to end the Admirals’ 11-game point run and franchise-record 10-game winning streak.

Inside the Streak: Over the past 11 games, 15 different Griffins have scored a goal and 17 have accumulated a point, while Eric Tangradi leads in both categories with nine and 16, respectively…Mitch Callahan is second with seven goals while Andreas Athanasiou is third with six over the last 11 games…Robbie Russo and Anthony Mantha are tied for the team lead with nine assists a piece during the streak, Andy Miele has distributed eight, Tangradi seven, and Mark Zengerle, Xavier Ouellet and Athanasiou are responsible for six helpers…In win number two of the streak, Grand Rapids enjoyed its biggest offensive performance of the season in a 7-4 win over San Diego (9-4-0-1) on Nov. 20, setting a season-best for goals scored…The Griffins recorded their first shutout of the season in win number five, beating Central-leading Milwaukee (12-4-1-0) 6-0 on Nov. 27...Grand Rapids is outscoring its opponents 45-17 during the streak…The Griffins have posted at least four goals in each of their last four games for the first time since last season when Grand Rapids outscored its opponents 22-3 during a four-game streak lasting Feb. 24-March 4, 2015.

Home Cooking: In addition to the 11-game overall win streak, Grand Rapids has racked up eight straight victories inside Van Andel Arena’s friendly confines, two games shy of matching the franchise record set twice before, most recently in 2003-04. The Griffins have posted the second-longest home streak in the league this season (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 10 games, Oct. 17-Nov. 28) while outscoring their visitors by a 34-14 tally during their run.

Road Redemption: After dropping its first five road contests of the season, including one in a shootout at Lake Erie on Nov. 13, Grand Rapids has now strung together four straight on foreign ice. On the road this season, the Griffins have recorded their largest margin of victory (6-0 at Milwaukee on Nov. 27) and also mounted their biggest comeback of the season in a 4-3 overtime win at Iowa on Dec. 13 after dipping into a 3-0 deficit early.

All We Do is Win, Win, Win: Between its NHL, AHL and ECHL teams, the Detroit Red Wings organization has proven winning is contagious. Consider the Red Wings, Griffins and Toledo Walleye have combined for a 26-3-5-0 record (Red Wings: 8-1-4, Griffins: 11-0-0-0, Walleye: 7-2-1-0) recently. The Walleye dropped two of the regulation losses, falling 3-2 to Evansville on Dec. 9 and 6-2 to Wheeling on Saturday, while the Red Wings dropped Monday’s contest against Buffalo.

Russo’s Rookie Relevance: Rookie defenseman Robbie Russo registered just one assist and a single point through his first seven professional games this season. However, his eighth career game, Nov. 18 against Rockford, proved to be his coming out party as Russo exploded for a three-point night including scoring – in game-winning fashion – his first professional goal. Since Nov. 18, Russo is tied for the team lead in assists with nine over the last 11 games. The former Notre Dame standout has accumulated points in eight of the last 11 contests (1-9—10), including the last four in a row (0-4—4). Russo is also tied with Eric Tangradi for tops on the team with a +12 rating.

Power-less Play: The only stat line appearing to not go the Griffins’ way during the 11-game winning streak is the power play. Grand Rapids is 0-for-its-last-19 on the man advantage and has not scored a power play goal since Nov. 28 when Eric Tangradi converted against Lake Erie. Conversely, the Griffins’ penalty kill has been strong, fending off 85.1 percent of opponents’ chances. In fact, prior to Iowa scoring a PP goal on Dec. 13, the Griffins had forced adversaries into a 0-for-18 stretch, dating back to Nov. 28 against Lake Erie.

Stone Wall: Goaltenders Jared Coreau and Tom McCollum have been stout during the team’s run, as Coreau is responsible for seven victories and McCollum four. Coreau recorded a season-best 38 saves in a 4-1 win over Rockford on Saturday and also logged the team’s first shutout of the season, executing 22 saves in a 6-0 win over Milwaukee on Nov. 27. The third-year Griffin has stopped 207 of 219 shots (0.945) faced over his last seven games, posting a 1.71 goals against average. Coreau ranks fourth among league netminders with a 0.931 save percentage and eighth with a 2.17 GAA. McCollum stopped a team season-high 41 shots in back-to-back appearances (Nov. 28 vs. Lake Erie, Dec. 5 vs. Lake Erie) and has turned away 137 of 142 shots (0.965) with a 1.24 GAA during his last four games.

Movin’ On Up: When Nov. 18 dawned, Grand Rapids stood in 15th place and last in the Western Conference with a 0.227 winning percentage. Since that date, which marked the beginning of the Griffins’ current 11-game winning streak, Grand Rapids (0.614) has vaulted all the way up to the No. 5 spot in the conference and No. 9 overall.

Griffins Leaders: Eric Tangradi (12-9—21) and Andy Miele (4-14—18) continue to pace Grand Rapids in scoring, just ahead of Andreas Athanasiou (7-7—14), Anthony Mantha (3-10—13) and Mitch Callahan (8-4—12).

Making the Grade: Eric Tangradi has accumulated points in 10 of the last 11 outings (9-7—16). His current seven-game point streak from Nov. 27-Dec. 13 sets a Griffins best this season, while his three-game goal streak from Dec. 5-Dec. 12 tied for tops on the team (Mitch Callahan, Nov. 25-28). Tangradi’s team-leading 12 goals are buoyed by his fourth career hat trick recorded Dec. 5 against Lake Erie, the second posted by a Griffin this season (Tomas Jurco, Nov. 20 vs. San Diego).

Doubling Up: Andreas Athanasiou, known as “Double A,” has been on a tear since the Red Wings reassigned him to the Griffins on Nov. 19. He has registered points in eight of nine games in his return (6-6—12). After having totaled just one goal and one assist in his first eight games with Grand Rapids this season, he eclipsed his previous point total in one night with Nov. 20’s three-point outburst (1-2—3) against San Diego, before accounting for both of the Griffins’ goals in their 2-1 win at Chicago on Nov. 21. Athanasiou is on a four-game point streak, scoring against Chicago (Dec. 4) and Lake Erie (Dec. 5), dishing out two helpers against Milwaukee on Dec. 9 and tallying his seventh goal of the season against Rockford on Saturday.

Trending Upwards: Anthony Mantha has tallied eight assists in his last six games (1-8—9), including recording two assists in three of the last five… Andy Miele and Mark Zengerle both recorded three assists against the Wild on Nov. 25, setting a Griffins season high…Miele has points in six of the last eight (2-8—10) while Zengerle has registered points in five of the last eight games (3-5—8)…Xavier Ouellet is responsible for five points the last five games (1-4—4), including the game-winning goal in overtime against Iowa on Sunday...Robbie Russo has recorded one assist in each of the last four games (0-4—4).

Magic Numbers: The Griffins are a perfect 12-0-0-0 when scoring three or more goals and 10-1-0-0 when allowing two goals or fewer…Grand Rapids is 5-0-0-0 when leading after one period, 9-1-0-0 when leading after two and 9-1-0-0 when striking first.

Making Moves: The Detroit Red Wings reassigned right wing Zach Nastasiuk from the Griffins to the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye on Sunday. The first-year professional has appeared in three games with the Griffins this season and is yet to record a point.

No Soup for You: By allowing three goals against Iowa on Sunday – the most the Griffins had given up since four against San Diego on Nov. 20 – the Griffins had their run of eight straight games allowing no more than two goals snapped (8 GA from Nov. 21-Dec. 12), which was their longest since a franchise-best nine-game streak from Jan. 17-Feb. 6, 2004 (11 GA).

Climbing the Charts: Matching a season-best with 41 saves against Lake Erie on Dec. 5, Tom McCollum earned his 92nd win as a Griffin, which ranks second in franchise history behind only Joey MacDonald (109). McCollum, who needs four more appearances to equal MacDonald’s mark of 210, has broken the 5,000-save barrier this season and, with 5,113 stops, stands behind only MacDonald (5,362) in club archives.

Holiday Months to Remember: After a slow start to this year’s campaign that saw the Griffins finish 1-6-0-0 in October, Grand Rapids has bounced back with a combined November and December record of 12-2-0-1. In fact, the Griffins’ 7-2-0-1 tally in November marked their second-most successful November over the last 10 years. The Griffins’ November winning percentage of 0.750 under Todd Nelson was eclipsed in the last decade by only Jeff Blashill’s 0.833 mark (10-2-0-0) during his second month at Grand Rapids’ helm in 2012.

Walleye World: A recent 7-2-1-0 stretch has the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye in a close second place in the North Division standings with a 12-7-1-3 record (28 points). The Walleye trail first-place Wheeling (13-9-1-2) by just a single point. Grand Rapids-contracted Alden Hirschfeld (10-10—20), Red Wings prospect Marek Tvrdon (8-11—19), and former Griffin Shane Berschbach (5-13—18) continue to do the heavy lifting on offense. Rookie netminder Jake Paterson, Detroit’s second pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft who is currently with the Griffins, shows a 5-4-1-1 record with a 2.53 GAA and 0.921 save percentage as an understudy to former Michigan State Spartan Jeff Lerg (7-3-0-2, 2.20 GAA, 0.922%).

Scouting Reports

Wednesday, Dec. 16 at Lake Erie Monsters (15-6-1-2) – Quicken Loans Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 13-11-2-6 Road, 33-21-3-7 Overall. Season Series: 0-1-0-1 Road, 2-1-0-1 Overall. Fifth of 12 meetings overall, third of six at Quicken Loans Arena. NHL Affiliation: Columbus Blue Jackets. Head Coach: Jared Bednar (1st season). Notes: The Lake Erie Monsters are second in the Central Division, third in the Western Conference and sixth in the AHL with a 15-6-1-2 record (0.688)…Monsters head coach Jared Bednar played for the Griffins during their 1998-99 IHL campaign, racking up 21 points (3-18—21) and a team-high 220 PIM in 74 games…The Monsters are 9-1-0-2 at home this season including winning the last three…Rookie goaltender Joonas Korpisalo is seventh among league backstops with a 2.12 goals against average but he was added to the Columbus Blue Jackets’ roster on emergency recall on Dec. 9…T.J. Tynan leads the Monsters with 16 points (0-16—16) while Kerby Rychel (5-7—12) and Alex Broadhurst (2-10—12) are tied for second…The Monsters rank 10th in the power play (17.9%) and third in the penalty kill (88.5%)…Lake Erie ranks fourth in shots for per game (33.04) and sixth in shots against (27.46)…The Monsters are the last team to defeat the Griffins, winning 5-1 on Nov. 14 in Cleveland…Grand Rapids won the most recent matchup with Lake Erie on Dec. 5, beating the Monsters 4-1 behind Eric Tangradi’s hat trick…In four games against their division rivals, Tangradi leads the team with four points (4-0—4), while Anthony Mantha (1-2) and Daniel Cleary (0-3) each have three…Of Cleary’s four points this season, three have come against Lake Erie.

Friday, Dec. 18 vs. Texas Stars (14-10-2-1) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 19 vs. Texas Stars – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 6:35 p.m. each night Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 9-3-0-2 Home, 17-8-1-2 Overall. Season Series: First and second meetings of four overall, first and second of two at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Dallas Stars. Head Coach: Derek Laxdal (2nd season) Notes: The Texas Stars rank second in the Pacific Division, sixth in the Western Conference and 12th overall with a 14-10-2-1 record (0.574)…Grand Rapids is 1-4-0-0 against Pacific Division opponents this season…The Stars post a better record on the road (8-5-0-1) than at home (6-5-2-0)…Rookie Devin Shore is tied for the league lead in goals with 15 and ranks third in points (15-11—26)…Rookie Esa Lindell ranks eighth among AHL defensemen in point production (6-12—18)…Julius Honka is on a three-game goal streak and is tied for ninth on the team in scoring (5-10—15)…The Griffins swept the season series against the Stars during the 2014-15 season, 4-0-0-0, and are a combined 7-1-0-0 against their Texas counterparts the last two years…Grand Rapids has won the last five meetings against Texas at Van Andel Arena, dating back to the 2012-13 season.