MARCHING ON

This Week’s Games
Fri., March 11 Manitoba Moose at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sat., March 12 Manitoba Moose at GRIFFINS 7 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com
Sun., March 13 GRIFFINS at Chicago Wolves 4 p.m. WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM / AHLLive.com

Last Week’s Results
Wed., March 2 Rockford IceHogs 1 at GRIFFINS 2 OT 34-20-1-1 (70 points, 3rd Central Division)
Fri., March 4 GRIFFINS 4 at Charlotte Checkers 0 35-20-1-1 (72 points, 3rd)
Sat., March 5 GRIFFINS 2 at Charlotte Checkers 1 36-20-1-1 (74 points, 3rd)


Opening Faceoff: The Griffins extended their winning streak to eight games, thanks to last weekend's road sweep of the Charlotte Checkers. Locked in an über-competitive Central Division race, Grand Rapids is tied for second in the league in wins with 36 and places third in the division with a 0.638 winning percentage. The top four teams in the division all boast winning percentages above 0.600 and are separated by just three points. In addition to third in the division, Grand Rapids is fourth in the Western Conference and seventh in the league with a 36-20-1-1 record (0.638). Eighteen games remain in the regular season for the Griffins – six at home and 12 on the road. After a pair of home games against Manitoba on Friday and Saturday, Grand Rapids heads to Chicago on Sunday to kick off a season-long five-game road trip.

Last Time Out: A pair of first-period shorthanded goals from Louis-Marc Aubry and Colin Campbell gave the Griffins the early advantage on Saturday at Charlotte and then 36 saves from Tom McCollum helped them hold on and win their eighth consecutive game and sweep the weekend set against the Checkers.

This Week’s Promotions: Saturday against Manitoba will be Star Wars Night at Van Andel Arena, thanks to DTE Energy.

Scoring Streaks: The Griffins are outscoring opponents 29-8 during their eight-game winning streak…Goaltenders Tom McCollum and Jared Coreau have each contributed four wins apiece to the eight-game streak…Coreau shows a 0.99 goals against average, a 0.965 save percentage and two shutouts in his last four starts while McCollum is good for a 1.00 GAA, a 0.966 save percentage and one shutout over his last four…Rookie Robbie Russo continues to dazzle, registering 10 points (2-8—10) in the last seven games…Russo leads the league in plus/minus at +42 and has recorded a positive tally in the last 10 games… The team leader in assists with 32, Mark Zengerle has helpers in six of the last eight (1-7—8)...Since being assigned by Detroit on Feb. 24, Xavier Ouellet has four points (1-3—4) in six games back…Andy Miele has points in four of the last five (1-3—4).

Moose Crossing: Friday’s contest against Manitoba will mark the Moose’s first visit to Van Andel Arena since Nov. 5, 2010, which resulted in a 6-5 Moose victory. Manitoba returned to the AHL this season following a four-year absence. With a rivalry dating back to the 1996-97 IHL season, the Griffins own a 45-25-1-1-7 all-time record against the Moose, including a 23-10-1-1-5 mark at home. Grand Rapids and Manitoba split a pair of games in Winnipeg in January.

Home Ice Advantage: Averaging 8,196 fans per home game this season, the Griffins need to average only 7,476 over the final six home games to achieve an average attendance increase at Van Andel Arena for the sixth straight season and the ninth time in 10 years. Grand Rapids has responded to the positive fan support, leading the league with 22 home victories. In fact, the Griffins have won seven of the last eight home games and secured points in 22 of the last 27 games at Van Andel Arena (21-5-1-0). Against Central Division opponents at home, the Griffins are 19-3-1-0 (0.848).

Road Warriors: The Griffins are set to play 12 of their final 18 games on the road. Grand Rapids recorded a six-game road winning streak from Nov. 21-Dec. 26, but since then have posted an 8-7 mark, including three straight wins, in the last 15 away contests.

Consistent Coreau: Jared Coreau has anchored a consistent presence between the pipes for the Griffins this season as he is categorized in the AHL’s top five for wins (27, tied for second), shutouts (five, tied for third), goals against average (2.21, third) and save percentage (0.929, third). Coreau’s 27 wins place him in rare Griffins company as only six other goalies have reached the 25-victory plateau in the franchise’s 20-year history. The third-year professional executed his fifth shutout of the campaign on March 4 at Charlotte, one off the record for bagels in a season. Coreau’s eight career shutouts place him alone in fifth place on the club’s all-time charts.

McCollum Climbing Charts: Tom McCollum is about 85 minutes from qualifying for the AHL’s goaltending leaders. If he had enough minutes, he would currently place fourth in save percentage (0.927), immediately behind teammate Jared Coreau’s 0.929 mark, and tie for 11th in GAA (2.38). Grand Rapids’ all-time leader in appearances (215) and saves (5,368), McCollum used 36 saves on March 5 at Charlotte to earn his 97th win as a Griffin. He ranks second in wins, trailing only Joey MacDonald (109). Behind his seventh shutout as a Griffin on Feb. 27 versus Iowa, he is tied with current Detroit Red Wing Petr Mrazek for sixth on the franchise’s all-time list.

On the Plus Side: Among the 18 Griffins skaters who have appeared in 20 or more games this season, 15 find themselves with a positive plus/minus rating including eight who are in double digits. Rookie Robbie Russo paces the league at +42 and currently is the leader on the Griffins single-season list (previous best: Ivan Ciernik, +41, 2000-01). Russo has been on the ice 23 times when the opponent scores, and that includes three power play goals and two empty netters.

You Again: Dating back to Jan. 30’s matchup at Milwaukee, the Griffins are near the tail end of playing 18 consecutive games against divisional foes. Grand Rapids travels to Chicago on March 13 before a trek to Texas on March 16 halts the streak of Central Division collisions.

Griffins Leaders: Andy Miele (12-30—42), Eric Tangradi (19-20—39) and Anthony Mantha (18-21—39) continue to pace the offense, ahead of Mark Zengerle (6-32—38), Martin Frk (22-13—35), and Robbie Russo (4-26—30).

Against the Best: The Griffins own a 25-16-0-1 (0.607) record against teams with a winning record this season, including a 19-9-0-1 (0.672) mark against teams with a winning percentage greater than 0.600 as of March 8. Grand Rapids has also posted a 33-11-1-1 (0.739) record against its Central Division rivals, going 10-4-0-0 (0.714) versus the top two teams (Rockford, Milwaukee).

Goal Scoring: One of four teams to rank inside the top 10 in both goals for and goals against per game, the Griffins are the only ones to place in the top four in each category (goals for, 3.14, fourth; goals against, 2.45, third).

Win Some and Lose Some: The Griffins own a 36-20-1-1 (0.638) record through 58 games. Take a look at how Grand Rapids’ numbers stack up between its 36 wins and 22 (including overtime and shootout) losses:

Back-to-Back-to-Backs: Take a look at how the statistics compare for Grand Rapids when it plays on consecutive nights:

World Cup Rosters: Six Griffins alumni were named on March 2 to preliminary rosters for the World Cup of Hockey 2016, which will be staged Sept. 17-Oct. 1 in Toronto. The list includes: Petr Mrazek (Czech Republic), Tomas Tatar (Europe), Valtteri Filppula (Finland), Dylan Larkin (North America), Niklas Kronwall (Sweden) and Justin Abdelkader (USA).

Free Hockey: In their 10 games that have gone to either overtime or a shootout, the Griffins post a 0.800 winning percentage – second-highest in the league (7-1 in OT, 1-1 in SO).

Magic Numbers: The Griffins are 32-3-1-0 when scoring three or more goals and 26-3-0-0 when allowing two or fewer…Grand Rapids is 20-4-0-0 when leading after one period, 23-2-0-0 when leading after two and 27-7-1-0 when striking first.

Fantastic Frk: Martin Frk paces the team and ties for sixth in the league with 22 goals (22-13—35). Grand Rapids is a perfect 5-0 when Frk charts two or more goals in a game.

Clear Influence: A veteran of over 1,100 professional games including 938 in the NHL, 37-year-old Daniel Cleary has made his presence felt on the ice during his first season as a Griffin. Despite Cleary registering only 11 points (1-10—11) on the season, in the 29 games the 19th year pro is in the lineup the Griffins post a staggering 23-5-1-0 (0.810) record.

The Central Conversation: Despite a 2-8-0-1 record and a last-place 0.227 winning percentage to begin the season, the Griffins have rebounded with a 34-12-1-0 mark to climb into contention in the Central Division. Overall, the Griffins place third in the division, fourth in the Western Conference and seventh in the AHL.

Whoa, Nellie: Named the franchise’s 10th head coach on June 19, 2015, Todd Nelson has already attached his name to several records in Griffins lore. In the first season under Nelson’s watch, Grand Rapids has set franchise records for overall win streak (15, Nov. 18-Dec. 26) and home win streak (14, Nov. 11-Jan. 15). Now in his sixth season as an AHL head coach, including five spent in Oklahoma City with the Barons, Nelson claimed his 200th career AHL win (212-131-13-35) in Grand Rapids’ 3-2 overtime win against Lake Erie on Jan. 20.

Walleye World: Recording an 8-2-0-0 mark over the last 10 games, the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye sit atop the North Division standings with a 37-15-2-3 record (79 points). The Walleye lead second-place Wheeling (28-23-2-3) by 18 points. Former Griffins Shane Berschbach (23-35—58) and A.J. Jenks (22-23—45) pace the offense. Rookie netminder Jake Paterson, Detroit’s second pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, shows a 13-8-1-1 record with a 2.19 GAA and 0.925 save percentage as an understudy to former Michigan State Spartan Jeff Lerg (23-7-1-2, 2.15 GAA, 0.926%). While spending 15 games with the Griffins earlier this season, Paterson made his first career AHL start on Jan. 13 at Charlotte and recorded 38 saves in a 4-3 loss. Former Walleye Joel Chouinard was signed by the Griffins to a standard player’s contract on March 4.

Scouting Report

Friday, March 11 vs. Manitoba Moose (18-32-4-5) – Van Andel Arena – 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 12 vs. Manitoba Moose – 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: 23-10-1-1-5 Home, 45-25-1-1-7 Overall. Season Series: 0-0-0-0 Home, 1-1-0-0 Overall. Third and fourth of four meetings overall, first and second of two at Van Andel Arena. NHL Affiliation: Winnipeg Jets. Head Coach: Keith McCambridge (1st season). Notes: The Manitoba Moose are eighth in the Central Division, 15th in the Western Conference and 30th in the AHL with an 18-32-4-5 record (0.381)…The Moose have dropped two in a row and five of their last seven after enjoying a season-long four-game winning streak (Feb. 14-20)…Manitoba is 7-19-2-2 on the road with a -47 goal differential…Despite their sub-0.500 record, the Moose hold a winning record against the top two teams in the division: 4-1-0-1 against Milwaukee and 2-0 against division-leading Rockford…Rookie Eric Comrie leads the league in saves with 1,150 as Manitoba ranks last in shots against (34.02)…The Moose are led in scoring by a pair of rookies, as Chase De Leo has 32 points (15-17—32) and Nic Petan has 31 (8-23—31).


Sunday, March 13 at Chicago Wolves (25-26-5-2) – Allstate Arena – 4 p.m.
Radio: WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM at 3:35 p.m. Web Casts: Video web cast at AHLLive.com, free audio available through woodradio.com. All-Time Series: 35-27-0-2-0 Road, 69-48-2-6-2 Overall. Season Series: 2-0-0-0 Road, 4-0-1-0 Overall. Sixth of eight meetings overall, third of four at Allstate Arena. NHL Affiliation: St. Louis Blues. Head Coach: John Anderson (14th season). Notes: The Chicago Wolves rank sixth in the Central Division, 12th in the Western Conference and 25th overall with a 25-26-5-2 record (0.491)…Chicago has just four wins in its last 15 contests (4-7-4-0)…Griffins head coach Todd Nelson served as an assistant coach with the Wolves for two seasons (2006-08) and won the 2008 Calder Cup in his final season with Chicago…Griffins assistant coach Ben Simon spent three seasons playing for the Wolves (2001-03, 2004-05) and helped Chicago capture the Calder Cup in 2002…Chicago is tied for the league low in first goals with 23 and have been outscored in the opening 20 minutes, 61-43…Center Pat Cannone is tied for 18th in the league in points with 44 (20-24—44)…Prior to joining the Griffins, defenseman Joel Chouinard played in one game with the Wolves and contributed to Chicago’s 4-3 overtime win against Grand Rapids on Jan. 17… Former Griffin Richard Nedomlel has skated in 13 games for Chicago, tallying a pair of assists…In the last meeting at Allstate Arena on Feb. 23, Grand Rapids scored three first-period goals in a span of 1:08 and Jared Coreau stopped all 28 shots as the Griffins won 5-0… Grand Rapids has won the last five at Allstate Arena dating back to Dec. 30, 2014…In the last overall meeting between the clubs, Feb. 28 at Van Andel Arena, Andy Miele scored the game-winner in overtime to give Grand Rapids the 4-3 victory.