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Post by Stripe on Oct 17, 2015 22:20:02 GMT -5
Rampage Rout Griffins 4-0 Coreau shines in loss... By Jason Kasiorek www.griffinscentral.comOctober 17th, 2015 The Griffins dropped their fourth straight game, losing at home to the visiting San Antonio Rampage 4-0. Even more disturbing then the 0-4 start is the complete lack of offense, as the team has only scored 4 goals so far this season. The Rampage made short work of starter Thomas McCollum scoring 3 goals in a minute and 46 second span of the first period. Jared Coreau came on in relief and stopped all 22 shots he faced. Early in the first, Martinsen took down Bertuzzi, delayed penalty upcoming, McCollum to the bench for an extra skater. At the whistle Tangradi dropped the gloves with Geertson and pummeled him pretty good for a few minutes. Nastasiuk with speed broke in on net but couldn't get the puck around a sliding defenseman. Nice short handed chance by Nosek. The Rampage got a lucky bounce in front just after the five minute mark and Everberg scored a power play goal. Cliche blazed in on net and left a drop pass for Redmond who fired it over McCollum for a quick 2-0 lead. Agozzino scored to run it up to 3-0 and that was all she wrote for McCollum as Coreau came in. McCollum heads to the showers having given up 3 goals on 8 shots in about 7 minutes. Callahan tipped a Jensen point shot that Pickard just got a piece of. Hogan with a drive and Nastasiuk just fired the rebound wide. Scrambly play as GR having trouble getting into the zone with numbers without going offside. Ouellet turnover right in front, Griffins having a hard time even clearing their zone. Callahan tried to sneak a shot in shortside through traffic but Pickard kicked it out. Tangradi took out Noreau behind the play with a big bump. Shots on goal: GR 11 - San 15. Martinsen boarded Mantha early in the 2nd , setting up a Griffins power play. Callahan sprung on a breakaway but fired it wide. Callahan with another break on Pickard but was hooked down for another power play. The Griffins had a dangerous looking three on one, but Miele passed to Zengerle and they didn't end up with a shot. Shots on goal: GR 12 - San 11. Coreau to the bench for an extra skater at around the ten minute mark of the period. Siemens went off for high sticking giving the Griffins a powerplay, so Coreau came back to the net. Coreau went behind the net to play the puck and fell down leading to a scramble until the Griffins were able to clear. Miele at his agitating best with a thundering check in the corner. Coreau back to the bench for the extra attacker. Griffins pressuring the Rampage cage but the puck squirts free and Everberg bangs home the empty netter with a minute left to make it 4-0. Aubry and Maggio squared off at center ice in a one sided bout that saw the Griffins center take the worst of it. Shots on goal: GR 12 - San 6. For the game: GR 35 - San 32. Lines: Athanasiou - Nosek - Mantha Callahan - Miele - Zengerle Tangradi/Callahan - Aubry -Bertuzzi Hoggan - #37 Nastasiuk - Campbell Tangradi - Miele - Mantha Pairings: Paetsch - Jensen Lashoff - Marchenko Ouellet - Sproul Starter: McCollum Backup: Coreau Scratches: #13 Tvrdon #5 Russo #27 Frk #23 Grant - Injured #44 Rechlicz PP: Tangradi - Miele - Zengerle Paetsch - Jensen Callahan - Athanasiou/Miele - Mantha Sproul - Ouellet PK: Nosek - Callahan Paetsch - Ouellet Athanasiou - Campbell Lashoff - Marchenko Observations: Rough game for the Griffins who had systemic problems all night. They were outplayed for large stretches of the game and had problems clearing their own end. Whether due to systems changes or because of the strong play of San Antonio, the Griffins spent a lot of time going east to west with puck instead of using their speed to move it north - south. This allowed San Antonio to break up plays with ease. It wasn't until the third period that Athanasiou started to move the puck up and gain the zone with some speed. The D are jumping way up into the play and pinching in on offense which is leaving some holes on the blueline, sometime a forward rotates back and sometimes they don't. Several players were then guilty of trying to do too much on their own which led to mistakes. Ouellet specifically was one of those players as he both tried to do too much on his won, and also coughed the puck up a couple of times by trying to be to cute, dipsy-doodling and trying to spin around a defender. Jared Coreau was named one of the games three stars, and he had a great night between the pipes. Eric Tangradi was also effective and noticeable most of the evening. He played hard and physical and drove to the net. Nastasiuk also had a very strong season debut, generating some offensive chances and bringing some intensity and tempo. Official Game Sheet
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Post by Stripe on Oct 16, 2015 22:32:13 GMT -5
Rampage Spoil Griffins Home Opener 3-2 Nelson 0-3 to start the season... By Jason Kasiorek www.griffinscentral.comOctober 16th, 2015 The San Antonio power play played the role of spoiler, as the Griffins dropped their first home opener under new head coach Todd Nelson by a 3-2 score. Grand Rapids surrendered a 2-1 lead, giving up a pair of powerplay tallies in the final stanza to remain winless on the season. Ryan Sproul (1) and Xavier Ouellet (1) provided the offense for the home team while netminder Thomas McCollum made 26 saves in absorbing the loss. The visiting team got on the board early, scoring just past the two minute mark of the first period. San Antonio took advantage of a defensive miscue to get the puck to Agozzino all alone to the side of the net for a back door slam and a 1-0 lead. The Griffins answered back on the power play when Sproul jumped up into the play, picked up the rebound of a Tangradi shot and buried it for his 1st of the season. Nathan Paetsch have almost made it 2-0 when his long dump in just tricked wide. Tvrdon and Bertuzzi with great chances at the loose puck in front. The Griffins had four straight power plays, but could only solve Pickard once. Shots on goal: GR 16 - San 6. Ouellet gave the Griffins the lead early in the second when he came late on the play and roofed it over Pickard. Later in the period Miele sort of got dragged into Pickard touching off a big scrum in front and leading to a Griffins penalty. Aubry smoke a Rampage player through the goalpost after McCollum made the stop and ended up in the box as GR starting to get in penalty trouble. Ouellet to the box on a bogus call setting up a San Antonio 5-3 that carried over into the third period. Shots on goal: GR 12 - San 14. After a great block by Marchenko in the slot, Street wired a shot through traffic that Agozzino tipped past Mccollum for his second of the night, knotting the score at two. Bertuzzi got the puck out of the zone and deep into the Neutral zone but paid the price when he got the Malachi crunch and was smoked by two players in front of the boxes. Nice rush with Athanasiou and Mantha getting a great chance on Pickard. The Griffins with several back to back chances on Pickard, but he stood his ground and kept the puck out. McCollum made a huge diving save and then several Rampage players piled on, trying to force him or the puck into the net. Late in third Tangradi went to the box on a weak interference call. Nosek with a dangerous shorthanded break, but couldn't get the shot off. Redmond fired a bad angle shot past McCollum, high glove-side behind his shoulder to give the rampage a late lead. Tangradi had a great chance in front, but rang the puck off Pickard's foot. McCollum to the bench for the extra skater and the Griffins put pressure on the Rampage net. Sproul teed up a rocket that deflected off a Rampage players' cup. Another Tangradi point blank chance leads to a scrum down to the side of the net. Shots on goal: GR 13 - San 9 . For the game: GR 41 - San 29. Lines: #15 Callahan - #21 Miele - #9 Zengerle #26 Tangradi - #11 Athanasiou - #8 Mantha #13 Tvrdon - #19 Nosek - #39 Bertuzzi #10 Hoggan - #22 Aubry - #45 Campbell Pairings: #18 Lashoff - #3 Marchenko #4 Paetsch - #14 Jensen #16 Ouellet - #7 Sproul Starter: #30 McCollum Backup: #31 Coreau Scratches: #2 Czarnowczan #37 Nastasiuk #5 Russo #27 Frk #23 Grant - Injured #44 Rechlicz - Suspended PP: Callahan - Miele - Zengerle Paetsch - Jensen Tangradi - Athanasiou - Mantha Sproul - Ouellet PK: Nosek - Callahan Paetsch - Ouellet Athanasiou - Campbell Lashoff - Marchenko Observations: The Griffins carried play for large amounts of the game, but still looked like a team trying to gel and learn coach Nelson's system. Give the Rampage credit for shutting them down, but I was surprised the Griffins did not do a great job of utilizing their speed much in the second half of the game. Ryan Sproul played one of the best games I have ever seen him play. He was involved with the puck, generating a team high 6 shots on goal and especially on the powerplay looked like a different player. I believe that coach Nelson, a former defenseman is having a positive effect on his game. Alexey Marchenko continues to improve in leaps and bounds. He looked like he was above all the other players at times with his patience, poise and confidence. I can't believe how much he has improved even since last year. On the other side of the coin, several players are off to a slow start, and while he is returning from major surgery last year, Callahan was nearly invisible tonight. Official Game Sheet
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Post by Stripe on Aug 11, 2015 6:09:54 GMT -5
GRIFFINS SIGN SPINELL TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT
<image002.jpg>GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Griffins on Tuesday signed defenseman Steve Spinell to a one-year contract.
Spinell, 24, picked up five points (1-4—5) and 59 penalty minutes in 52 regular season games with the Hartford Wolf Pack last season and notched one goal in three games with the club during the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs. The Vernon Hills, Ill., native also logged six games with the ECHL’s Greenville Road Warriors during the 2014-15 campaign, tallying two points (1-1—2) and 13 PIM.
As a rookie in 2013-14, Spinell enjoyed a seven-game stint with the Providence Bruins but spent a majority of his campaign with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, where he recorded nine points (1-8—9) and 108 PIM in 58 games. In all, the 6-foot-2, 216-pound defenseman has compiled 16 points (3-13—16), 182 PIM and a plus-four rating in 123 games between the AHL and ECHL in his two seasons as a pro.
Prior to joining the professional ranks, Spinell spent four seasons at Miami University from 2009-13, collecting 36 points (4-32—36) and 234 PIM in 149 collegiate games. During his senior year, he captained the RedHawks to the CCHA regular season championship and was named to the NCAA Lowes Senior Class All-Americans First Team. Throughout parts of his four-year career at Miami, Spinell was a teammate of current Griffins Andy Miele (2009-11) and Alden Hirschfeld (2009-12).
Group tickets for six guaranteed home dates at Van Andel Arena are now on sale, along with 2015-16 season ticket packages. Single-game tickets will go on sale to the public in September. Fans can secure their full-season, select-season or group ticket packages by calling (616) 774-4585 ext. 2 or visit griffinshockey.com for more information.
STEVE SPINELL * Defense
Height: 6’2" Weight: 216 Shoots: Right Born: 9/9/90 in Vernon Hills, Ill.
Regular Season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A PTS PIM GP G A PTS PIM 2007-08 Ohio USHL 59 5 12 17 24 -- -- -- -- -- 2008-09 Fargo USHL 58 2 6 8 139 10 1 2 3 14 2009-10 Miami CCHA 31 1 3 4 61 -- -- -- -- -- 2010-11 Miami CCHA 37 1 6 7 54 -- -- -- -- -- 2011-12 Miami CCHA 41 1 11 12 59 -- -- -- -- -- 2012-13 Miami CCHA 40 1 12 13 60 -- -- -- -- -- 2013-14 South Carolina ECHL 58 1 8 9 108 4 0 0 0 16 Providence AHL 7 0 0 0 2 -- -- -- -- -- 2014-15 Hartford AHL 52 1 4 5 59 3 1 0 1 2 Greenville ECHL 6 1 1 2 13 -- -- -- -- -- AHL TOTALS 59 1 4 5 61 3 1 0 1 2 PRO TOTALS 123 3 13 16 182 7 1 0 1 18
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Post by Stripe on Jul 1, 2015 12:06:02 GMT -5
No details yet as to term or amount. Also Hoggan, Paetsch and Evans all negotiating with agar to return...
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Post by Stripe on Jul 1, 2015 10:52:33 GMT -5
1 year 1 way contract for $575,000.00. Great signing!
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Post by Stripe on Jun 30, 2015 18:46:45 GMT -5
RAMSAY AND SIMON JOIN GRIFFINS' COACHING STAFF
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Detroit Red Wings on Monday announced the hiring of Bruce Ramsay and Ben Simon as assistant coaches for the Grand Rapids Griffins. In addition, assistant coach Mike Knuble, goaltending coach Jeff Salajko and video coach Bill LeRoy will reprise their coaching roles with Grand Rapids.
Ramsay, 46, has been the head coach of the Tulsa Oilers in the ECHL and Central Hockey League for the past six seasons, compiling a 185-180-35 record in 400 regular season games from 2009-15. Most recently, Ramsay’s Oilers earned a 37-29-3-3 record in their first ECHL season and qualified for the 2015 Kelly Cup Playoffs, where they fell to the eventual champion Allen Americans in five games during the first round.
A native of Dryden, Ontario, Ramsay previously served as an assistant under Griffins head coach Todd Nelson from 2004-06, when the duo led the UHL’s Muskegon Fury to the Colonial Cup during their first season together and a 51-18-7 regular season record in their subsequent campaign. After Nelson departed for an assistant coaching position with the Chicago Wolves, Ramsay succeeded his colleague as the head coach of the Fury and produced an 84-56-12 regular season record in two seasons (2006-08) behind the bench. In all, Ramsay’s head coaching career spans 12 seasons between stints with the ACHL’s St. Pete/Winstom-Salem Parrots (2002-03), the UHL’s Port Huron Beacons (2002-04), the Fury, the IHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks (2008-09) and the Oilers.
Ramsay and Nelson were both members of the Griffins during the team’s inaugural season in 1996-97, and Ramsay collected nine goals and 14 assists in 175 games over three seasons (1996-99) with the team. Ramsay’s 781 penalty minutes as a Griffin rank second all-time in franchise history, and he’s one of just three Grand Rapids players to ever twice eclipse 300 PIM, producing 306 PIM in 1996-97 and leading the team with 310 PIM in 1997-98. In 12 seasons as a professional player (1991-02, 2004-05), Ramsay amassed 245 points (74-171—245) and 3,432 PIM in 677 games.
Simon, 37, recently concluded the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach with the Toronto Marlies and helped lead the team to a 40-27-9-0 regular season record. During the quarterfinals of the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs, the Griffins defeated the Marlies to become the 11th team in AHL history to win a best-of-five series after trailing 0-2.
Simon’s coaching career began in 2010-11 as the head coach of the EIHL’s Sheffield Steelers. He earned a 43-10-0-1 record (0.806) and led the team to the EIHL regular season championship, before spending the following two seasons as an assistant coach with the Rockford IceHogs. The Shaker Heights, Ohio, native then posted a 41-23-4-4 record as the head coach of the Cincinnati Cyclones during 2013-14, leading his team to the Kelly Cup Finals and falling to the Alaska Aces in six games.
Including Knuble, Nelson and Ramsay, all four of Grand Rapids’ coaches are former Griffins, as Simon notched nine points (4-5—9) in 21 games with the team in 2006-07. Originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fifth round (110th overall) of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, Simon logged 81 NHL games with Atlanta and Columbus during his 11-year playing career.
Ramsay's Coaching Record Regular Season Playoffs Season Team League Position GP W L T OTL SOL PCT GP W L PCT 1996-97 Thunder Bay CoHL Player-Assistant 74 43 23 -- 8 -- 0.649 11 5 6 0.455 1999-00 Fort Wayne UHL Player-Assistant 74 40 27 -- 7 -- 0.588 13 7 6 0.538 2001-02 Muskegon UHL Player-Assistant 74 48 22 -- 4 -- 0.676 17 11 6 0.647 2002-03 St. Pete/Winston-Salem ACHL Head Coach 37 18 12 7 -- -- 0.581 -- -- -- -- Port Huron UHL Head Coach 23 14 6 -- 3 -- 0.674 3 0 3 0.000 2003-04 Port Huron UHL Head Coach 76 38 31 -- 7 -- 0.546 9 5 4 0.556 2004-05 Muskegon UHL Assistant 80 51 20 -- 9 -- 0.694 17 12 5 0.706 2005-06 Muskegon UHL Assistant 76 51 18 -- 7 -- 0.717 12 6 6 0.500 2006-07 Muskegon UHL Head Coach 76 49 21 -- 6 -- 0.684 11 7 4 0.636 2007-08 Muskegon IHL Head Coach 76 35 35 -- 6 -- 0.500 6 2 4 0.333 2008-09 Muskegon IHL Head Coach 76 43 26 -- 7 -- 0.612 11 5 6 0.455 2009-10 Tulsa CHL Head Coach 64 28 29 -- 7 -- 0.492 -- -- -- -- 2010-11 Tulsa CHL Head Coach 66 35 25 -- 6 -- 0.576 10 5 5 0.500 2011-12 Tulsa CHL Head Coach 66 29 29 -- 8 -- 0.500 -- -- -- -- 2012-13 Tulsa CHL Head Coach 66 22 39 -- 5 -- 0.371 -- -- -- -- 2013-14 Tulsa CHL Head Coach 66 34 29 -- 3 -- 0.538 6 2 4 0.333 2014-15 Tulsa ECHL Head Coach 72 37 29 -- 3 3 0.556 5 1 4 0.200
Ramsay's Playing Record
Regular Season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A PTS PIM GP G A PTS PIM 1989-90 Vernon BCJHL 53 11 11 22 225 -- -- -- -- -- 1990-91 Thunder Bay Senior 44 13 20 33 353 -- -- -- -- -- 1991-92 Thunder Bay CoHL 54 7 16 23 313 12 1 2 3 55 1992-93 Thunder Bay CoHL 52 3 16 19 234 -- -- -- -- -- 1993-94 Thunder Bay CoHL 63 9 22 31 313 8 1 2 3 45 1994-95 Thunder Bay CoHL 62 14 29 43 462 11 0 3 3 83 Prince Edward Island AHL 2 0 1 1 10 1 0 0 0 2 1995-96 Thunder Bay CoHL 56 6 15 21 400 18 2 3 5 142 Milwaukee IHL 3 0 0 0 5 -- -- -- -- -- 1996-97 Grand Rapids IHL 66 3 5 8 306 4 0 0 0 2 Thunder Bay CoHL 9 6 4 10 71 -- -- -- -- -- 1997-98 Grand Rapids IHL 62 5 6 11 310 -- -- -- -- -- 1998-99 Grand Rapids IHL 47 1 3 4 165 -- -- -- -- -- 1999-00 Fort Wayne UHL 65 6 21 27 241 13 1 3 4 67 Michigan IHL 3 0 0 0 7 -- -- -- -- -- 2000-01 Wichita CHL 60 11 24 35 364 -- -- -- -- -- 2001-02 Muskegon UHL 69 2 9 11 214 17 1 0 1 31 2004-05 Muskegon UHL 4 1 0 1 17 -- -- -- -- -- GRIFFINS TOTALS 175 9 14 23 781 4 0 0 0 2 PRO TOTALS 677 74 171 245 3,432 84 6 13 19 427
Simon's Coaching Record Regular Season Playoffs Season Team League Position GP W L T OTL SOL PCT GP W L PCT 2010-11 Sheffield EIHL Head Coach 54 43 10 -- 0 1 0.806 3 1 2 0.333 2011-12 Rockford AHL Assistant Coach 76 35 32 -- 2 7 0.520 -- -- -- -- 2012-13 Rockford AHL Assistant Coach 76 42 31 -- 2 1 0.572 -- -- -- -- 2013-14 Cincinnati ECHL Head Coach 72 41 23 -- 4 4 0.625 24 14 10 0.583 2014-15 Toronto AHL Assistant Coach 76 40 27 -- 9 0 0.586 5 2 3 0.400
Simon's Playing Record
Regular Season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A PTS PIM GP G A PTS PIM 1995-96 Cleveland NAHL 45 38 33 71 134 -- -- -- -- -- 1996-97 Notre Dame CCHA 30 4 15 19 79 -- -- -- -- -- 1997-98 Notre Dame CCHA 37 9 28 37 91 -- -- -- -- -- 1998-99 Notre Dame CCHA 37 18 24 42 65 -- -- -- -- -- 1999-00 Notre Dame CCHA 40 13 19 32 53 -- -- -- -- -- 2000-01 Orlando IHL 77 8 12 20 47 16 6 5 11 20 2001-02 Chicago AHL 74 11 23 34 56 25 2 3 5 24 Atlanta NHL 6 0 0 0 6 -- -- -- -- -- 2002-03 Chicago AHL 69 15 17 32 78 9 0 0 0 6 Atlanta NHL 10 0 1 1 9 -- -- -- -- -- 2003-04 Atlanta NHL 52 3 0 3 28 -- -- -- -- -- Milwaukee AHL 18 1 3 4 6 -- -- -- -- -- 2004-05 Chicago AHL 53 11 10 21 58 18 1 5 6 44 2005-06 Syracuse AHL 66 13 24 37 93 3 0 1 1 2 Columbus NHL 13 0 0 0 4 -- -- -- -- -- 2006-07 Syracuse AHL 56 9 12 21 77 -- -- -- -- -- Grand Rapids AHL 21 4 5 9 28 7 0 0 0 9 2007-08 Springfield AHL 80 12 10 22 88 -- -- -- -- -- 2008-09 Iserlohn Germany 51 5 10 15 64 -- -- -- -- -- 2009-10 Toronto AHL 44 2 6 8 51 -- -- -- -- -- Kalamazoo ECHL 18 4 9 13 16 3 3 0 3 14 2010-11 Sheffield EIHL 54 21 36 57 62 3 2 0 2 12 NHL TOTALS 81 3 1 4 47 -- -- -- -- -- GRIFFINS TOTALS 21 4 5 9 28 7 0 0 0 9 PRO TOTALS 762 119 178 297 771 84 14 14 28 131
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Post by Stripe on Jun 24, 2015 6:03:48 GMT -5
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Post by Stripe on Jun 19, 2015 12:59:35 GMT -5
Griffins Get Their Man (Again)… The Grand Rapids Griffins announced today that Todd Nelson would become the 10th coach in franchise history, taking over the reins from Jeff Blashill who was recently promoted to the parent Detroit Red Wings. Nelson has the distinction of being the first player signed by Grand Rapids prior to the team’s 1996 debut season. The Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native had most recently been with the Edmonton Oilers as a mid-season replacement for Dallas Eakins. He was asked to stay on with the club as an assistant after the hiring of former wings assistant Todd McLellan as the new head coach earlier this summer, but he chose to return to his roots. Upon being introduced his first remark was to say it was “good to be back home”. The Wings set their sights on him when Mike Babcock’s departure created an organizational opening, but were denied permission by the Oilers to speak to him. Persistence paid off however as they circled back a second time a few weeks later and were given the green light. Detroit assistant General Manager Ryan Martin said that great coaches have certain qualities, key among them are the ability to understand and teach the game, the ability to relate to today’s players, and that they know how to win. Martin also shared that Nelson had “elite technical skill” when it comes to hockey. When the Griffins won the Calder cup, Blashill was asked who the hardest coach he went up against was and he said no question it was Nelson. During the interview process it became apparent one of Nelson’s key strengths was developing relationships with players. They want to play for him and win with him. Winning is something that Nelson has had his share of in his career. As a player he won the 1994 Calder cup as a member of the Portland Pirates. He added a second as an assistant coach with the Chicago Wolves in 2008. As the head coach of the Muskegon Fury (UHL) he won 2 Colonial Cup Championships (2004, and 2005) while compiling a 149-58-25 regular season record. Nelson also served as head coach of the Oklahoma City Barons from 2010-2015 with a 176-11-46 record and a pair of Conference Final appearances. As a player, the smooth-skating defenseman play three full seasons and part of a fourth with the Griffins before retiring in 2002 and joining the coaching staff under Danton Cole as an assistant. In 236 games in a Griffins uniform, Nelson posted 11 goals, 56 assists, 67 points and a +53 rating. In his playing career Nelson logged over 900 pro games in the AHL, IHL, NHL, UHL and Europe, scoring nearly 400 points.
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Post by Stripe on Jun 17, 2015 7:53:42 GMT -5
Former Griffin Todd Nelson is expected to be announced as the next Griffins Head Coach later this week. Congrats to Nellie who should be a super replacement for Bladhill!
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Post by Stripe on Apr 25, 2015 16:32:34 GMT -5
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Post by Stripe on Feb 19, 2015 17:23:07 GMT -5
Better Late Than Never As Miele Leads Late Rally Over Admirals Veteran center notches three points in 4-3 OT win... By Jason Kasiorek www.griffinscentral.comFebruary 18th, 2015 The Griffins had plenty of excuses to drop a home contest to the division leading Milwaukee Admirals on Wednesday night. With several key players out of the lineup including the AHL's leading scorer, Teemu Pulkkinen (NHL Recall), the teams' third leading scorer, Mitch Callahan (knee surgery), and second line center Tomas Nosek (Concussion), the team was in need of someone to step up. Enter savvy veteran Andy Miele who notched the game tying goal with .4 seconds left in the contest and then the overtime game-winner to give the home team a 4-3 win. This kept the Griffins streak alive with a record of 5-0-2-0 in their last seven. Netminder Jared Coreau kept up his hot hand making 25 saves for his 13th win of the campaign. Newly recalled Martin Frk opened the scoring early when he took a feed from Mark Zengerle and ripped a rocket from the circle over the shoulder of Hellberg, stick-side. Quite a celebration followed his second AHL goal of the season. Frk very tenacious around the net, taking a beating to create chances before finally drawing a penalty and setting up a Griffins powerplay. Veteran defender Brennan Evans is missing from the Griffins bench since very early in the period leaving the team with five blueliners. Big stop by Coreau, flashing the glove to take a dangerous looking low shot from close in. Milwaukee finally got on the board late in the period on a great second effort by Clune who picked up his own rebound and chipped in it over Coreau who was still down from the original stop. Shots on goal: GR 13 - Mil 10. The Admirals took their first lead of the game about five minutes into the second when Sissons tipped a point shot by Noonan through Coreau. Zengerle boarded Grant in front of the Griffins players bench which drew a crowd. As the players pushed and shoved, Bruton reached out form the bench and started an altercation with Grant leading to an extra GR penalty. Milwaukee in control for most of the period as the Griffins are really back on their heals. Later in the period Nathan Paetsch went D to D and slid a pass across the line to Kindl who fired a low shot past Hellberg, stick-side for his first AHL goal of the season. Milwaukee got it right back when Kindl lost his man by the net and he fired a bad angle shot between Coreau and the post for a 3-2 lead. Shots on goal: GR 6 - Mil 13. Ouellet had a couple of hard, heavy point shots that hit Admirals players and bounced right back to him. Lashoff circled the net and centered for Tvrdon for a great chance back door. Beautiful pass by Kindl between a defenders feet and onto the tape of a rushing Ferraro in the slot for a great chance. Aubry with speed up the middle had a drive but Hellberg stopped it. Great play by Athanasiou on the backcheck to steal the puck off a Milwaukee forwards stick. Mantha showed a glimmer of his potential when he picked the puck up on the blade of his stick and bounced it over the defender at the line, blew by him, and gloved it to his stick for a great scoring chance. Coreau went to the Griffins bench for the extra skater with a minute and change left in the game. Hoggan broke in up the middle and was taken down, setting up a Griffins 6-on-4 with 28.6 seconds left on the clock. Mad scramble in front in the dying seconds and Porter got the puck to Miele at the edge of the circle. Miele buried it with .4 seconds left in the period to send the game to overtime. Shots on goal: GR 15 - Mil 3. Overtime: Tvrdon cut in on net and dished to Kindl, but the veteran defenseman blew it over the net. Athanasiou turned on the burners, flew in from the circle and lifted a bad-angle shot over the net. Miele gave the puck to Ouellet who carried it in along the boards and then center to Miele who batted the puck out of midair and past Hellberg for the gamewinner. Shots on Goal: GR 2 - Mil 2. For the Game: GR 36 - Mil 28. Lines: Frk/Tvrdon - Miele - Zengerle Hoggan/Frk - Athanasiou - Mantha Tvrdon/Hoggan - Porter - Ferraro Bruton - Aubry - Campbell Pairings: Lashoff - Jensen Evans - #5 Kindl Paetsch - Ouellet Starter: Coreau Backup: Mrazek Scratches: Callahan - ACL - Out for season Nosek - Concussion McCollum Sproul Czarnowczan Bonis PP: Hoggan - Miele - Frk Paetsch - Zengerle Mantha - Porter - Ferraro Tvrdon - Kindl PK: Porter - Ferraro Paetsch - Kindl Zengerle - Miele Lashoff - Ouellet Observations: Martin Frk took advantage of some time on the top line and the first powerplay unit, and really played a strong game. He was very energized and seemed to be everywhere at once. Much improved in the skating department and kept his feet moving. Later in the game he saw some time with Athanasiou and Mantha, and the "kid" line skated circles around the Admirals, really causing havoc. Jared Coreau turned in another strong performance. He made some big stops and looked confident in net. It is going to be a tough choice for the team to decide who plays, but McCollum may find himself on the outside looking in. Evans left the game two minutes i with a "lower-body injury", and no word on the severity. Official Game Sheet
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Post by Stripe on Feb 6, 2015 9:50:33 GMT -5
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Post by Stripe on Feb 2, 2015 13:26:34 GMT -5
COREAU NAMED CCM/AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
<image013.jpg>GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The American Hockey League on Monday announced that Grand Rapids Griffins goaltender Jared Coreau has been selected as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending Feb. 1.
Last week, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Coreau became just the seventh goaltender in Griffins history to record a shutout in consecutive games, last accomplished by Daniel Larsson in 2008-09. On Thursday, Coreau turned aside all 38 shots he faced in a 6-0 blanking of the Iowa Wild at Wells Fargo Arena, before earning a 3-0 victory on Friday with 28 saves against the Milwaukee Admirals at BMO Harris Bradley Center, marking his third shutout of the season. Coreau’s current shutout streak of 140:32 is just 13:26 shy of the franchise record held by Marc Lamothe, the only other netminder in Griffins history to post consecutive road shutouts.
This season, Coreau owns a 9-6-1 record, ranks eighth among league goaltenders with a 2.07 goals against average and ranks sixth with a 0.930 save percentage. The 23-year-old’s 2014-15 campaign is a complete turnaround from his rookie season in 2013-14, when he registered a 4.03 GAA and a 1-12-6 record in 20 games with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye and a 4.39 GAA and a 0-4-0 record in five games with the Griffins.
Coreau joins a list of 15 other Griffins who have been named AHL Player of the Week, and he becomes just the fifth goaltender in franchise history to earn the honor: Petr Mrazek (Feb. 3, 2013), Jimmy Howard (Jan. 25, 2009 and March 20, 2006), Joey MacDonald (Feb. 16, 2004) and Lamothe (Nov. 18, 2002).
In recognition of his achievement, Coreau will be presented with an etched crystal award prior to an upcoming Griffins home game.
The Griffins will travel to Toronto for a rare matinee game against the Marlies on Wednesday at 11 a.m. before returning to Van Andel Arena on Friday and Saturday for games against the Rochester Americans. Both home games will begin at 7 p.m. and tickets are available at griffinshockey.com.
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Post by Stripe on Jan 29, 2015 16:40:25 GMT -5
media_release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 29, 2015
AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE APPROVES FORMATION OF PACIFIC DIVISION FOR 2015-16 SEASON
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews announced today that the league’s Board of Governors has formally and unanimously approved the steps necessary to create a Pacific Division within the AHL beginning with the 2015-16 season.
The Board has approved the following:
• The Anaheim Ducks will purchase the Norfolk Admirals AHL franchise and will relocate it from Norfolk, Va., to San Diego, Calif.
• The AHL franchise owned by the Calgary Flames will relocate from Glens Falls, N.Y., to Stockton, Calif.
• The AHL franchise owned by the Edmonton Oilers will relocate from Oklahoma City, Okla., to Bakersfield, Calif.
• The AHL franchise owned by the Los Angeles Kings will relocate from Manchester, N.H., to Ontario, Calif.
• The AHL franchise owned by the San Jose Sharks will relocate from Worcester, Mass., to San Jose, Calif.
Full division alignments and schedule formats for the 2015-16 season will be determined by the Board of Governors at a later date.
“Relocating five teams is a complex process, and we are very excited to have brought this initiative to a successful outcome,” said Andrews. “The Western-based NHL clubs have been in dialogue with our league for almost three years, and today’s announcement launches a new era for the American Hockey League and for professional hockey in California.”
“This is a wonderful growth opportunity for the game of hockey in the Western region and it will have a tremendous impact for years to come,” said Luc Robitaille, President of Business Operations for the Los Angeles Kings. “I want to commend each of the participating clubs, along with Dave Andrews, Bill Daly and Gary Bettman, for their commitment, patience and willingness to work through a very challenging but worthwhile process in order to get to this day.”
“The immense growth of the game of hockey in the state of California shows that hockey fans here love the game and they support it,” said San Jose Sharks Chief Operating Officer John Tortora. “Having our top prospects playing on the same coast as our National Hockey League team will greatly enhance our ability to monitor and enhance their development. The creation of this Pacific Division of the American Hockey League has been a long time in the making and is the result of an immense amount of hard work by the AHL, the NHL and the five Pacific Division teams. We are extremely excited to have this division become a reality and we can’t wait for October 2015.”
Formed in 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the top development league for players in all 30 National Hockey League organizations, as well as coaches, officials, executives, trainers and broadcasters throughout the NHL. More than 88 percent of today’s NHL players are graduates of the American Hockey League, and through the years the AHL has been home to more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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Contact: Jason Chaimovitch, Vice President of Communications Kinsey Janke, Coordinator of Digital Media and Communications (413) 781-2030 | @ahlpr TheAHL.com Find Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter
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Post by Stripe on Jan 24, 2015 11:01:56 GMT -5
Nagle's First AHL Win Backstops Griffins Over Comets 5-1 Former Ferris State netminder stops 29 shots... By Jason Kasiorek www.griffinscentral.comJanuary 23rd, 2015 Pat Nagle was an unlikely hero on Friday night at Van Andel arena, but the former Ferris State Bulldog capped off a cinderella story by making 29 saves to post his first career AHL victory, a 5-1 waxing of the visiting Utica Comets. With the Griffins regular duo of Petr Mrazek and Thomas McCollum both up with the parent Detroit Red Wings, Jared Coreau has gotten a lot of work between the pipes. The Griffins played three games in four nights, and Coreau was due a rest. Enter emergency backup Nagle, a 4th year pro, toiling in the ECHL with the Fort Wayne Komets for a first star of the game performance. The griffins got goals from Zengerle (5), Callahan (13), Tvrdon (2) and a pair of empty netters by Nosek in the win. Zengerle had a nice chance to the side of the net early, and then on the next rush, Mantha had a great pop from the circle. Utica took advantage of a Griffins miscue for a shorthanded break on Nagle, but fired the puck wide. Ferraro with a point blank stuff at the edge of the crease, but somehow Eriksson kept it out. Zengerle got sprung right up the middle by Marchenko and wristed a shot that was going over the net until it hit the outstretched glove of Eriksson, changed direction, and went into the net for a 1-0 lead. The Griffins penalty killers did a stellar job of killing off a late Comets powerplay, really frustrating Utica. This boiled over into a series of borderline hits as the Comets took some runs at Griffins players in the corner. Shots on goal: GR 9 - Utica 11. Hoggan nearly made it 2-0 early the first when his heavy shot from the slot got through everyone but hit Aubry's foot as he went through the crease setting a screen. Utica scored a hotly contested goal midway through the second. It looked to have been directed in with a high stick and then a body part , but was somehow allowed to stand. O'Reilly put a bad angle shot on net that laid in the crease for several agonizing seconds before being swept away. Great play by Miele 4-on-4 to circle back, pick up speed, and carry the puck up the middle, setting up the trailer Pulkkinen with a sweet drop pass, that was just stopped. A little later on the same shift, Pulkkinen put a shot on net and Callahan followed it up, showing great second effort to keep putting it on net until he got it behind the Comets netminder for his 13th at the buzzer. There was a quick confab between the officials at the end of the period to make sure that it did indeed beat the buzzer, but it was allowed to stand. Shots on goal: GR 16 - Utica 7. Aubry and Friesen came to blows to the side of the Utica bench, but neither really landed much. Grand Rapids got an early powerplay with Shinkaruk in the box for cross-checking, but were very ineffective, generating no real chances. Nagle was forced to make a big stop in traffic, flashing the pad, and then had to hold the post as the Comets tried to push him and the puck over the line. Pulkkinen got loose in front and picked a corner, but Eriksson just got a glove on it. Later on the powerplay, Tvrdon in front picked a rebound off of Eriksson's chest in midair and batted it home for 3-1 lead. Callahan on the rush missed a wide open net and took some ribbing from Miele after the whistle. Miele carried the mail all the way up ice again and set up another glorious scoring chance in front. The Griffins took a penalty with five minutes remaining, setting up a Utica powerplay. The Comets called a timeout, and then kept Ericksson on the bench for a 6-on-4. Callahan cleared the length of the ice and just missed the empty net. On the next shift, Nosek from the GR blueline hit the empty net for a short handed goal, his 4th of the season. Utica kept the goalie on the bench for the extra skater after the goal. Big glove save by Nagle to take a great scoring chance. With just over a minute left, Hoggan missed the empty net and the play was blown dead for icing, Grand Rapids took their timeout. Nosek added another empty net tally to set the final score of 5-1, and then was smoked by a Utica player after the shot. Shots on Goal: GR 12 - Utica 12. For the Game: GR 37 - Utica 30. Lines: Hoggan - Aubry - Campbell Tvrdon/Hoggan - Nosek - Ferraro Callahan - Miele - Pulkkinen Mantha - Porter - Zengerle Pairings: Evans - Sproul Czarnowczan - Marchenko Paetsch - Jensen Starter: #35 Nagle Backup: Coreau Scratches: Bruton Athanasiou - Broken Jaw Hirschfeld Chouinard PP: Callahan - Porter/Miele - Miele/Hoggan Paetsch - Pulkkinen Mantha - Nosek - Ferraro/Tvrdon Tvrdon/Czarnowczan - Sproul PK: Porter - Callahan Czarnowczan/Paetsch - Jensen Nosek - Ferraro Evans - Marchenko Observations: Nagle was not tested much early, but made some major league stops in the latter stages of the game. He earned the win and looked good doing it. The Comets game plan obviously was to take away any space for Pulkkinen to get a shot off, they double teamed him and every time he got the puck on his stick, someone was standing in front of him. The good news is that opened up more room for Miele and Callahan, and Pulkkinen still managed 7 shots on goal. Tvrdon started the game as the point on the 2nd powerplay unit, but got moved up to the wing for a shift, using his big body in front of the net and scored a goal. He definitely seemed more effective in close, showing off quick hands. Aubry was on tonight and showed a good compete level. The hulking center had several quality scoring chances, set up a couple of others, was difficult to play against, and even dropped the gloves. The key is getting him to play like this every game. Mantha had a couple of chances early, but was pretty quiet for a guy with his skillset. The adjustment process continues... I was a bit surprised with how much ice time Scott Czarnowczan got in all situations. He seems to get better every game, and moves the puck very well. he has definitely softened the blow of losing Backman and Ouellet by giving GR another solid option on the backend. Official Game Sheet
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