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RWC Archives - January 1 Griffins Monthlye
Griffins fall to earth with six-game losing streak...
By Jason Kasiorek
www.griffinscentral.com
January 1, 2005
Things started well for the Grand Rapids Griffins in December, but it didn't last.
The Griffins won five of their first seven games, putting them in first place in the West Division midway through the month. But a six-game losing streak saw them plummet down the leader board to 18-12-1-1, third in the division.
The following is the Griffins' monthly report for December (note, this report excludes the New Year's Eve game against Hamilton).
OFFENSE
' Grand Rapids has fallen on hard times.
Eric Manlow
(eight goals, two assists) and newcomer Todd Robinson (three goals, eight assists) have been hot, while
Darryl Bootland
and
Eric Himelfarb
have four goals each. The addition of Kip Miller should help spark the attack, but the supporting cast needs to step up.
DEFENSE
' Lapses in concentration plague the Griffins, as does a lack of physical play in the defensive end. The defensive unit has been guilty of not taking the man, and rookie
Derek Meech
(a team-worst minus-9) has struggled at times. The team is stocked with quality offensive defensemen, but needs to get back to defensive basics.
GOALTENDING
' The fact that
Joey MacDonald
's goals against average is under two ' despite being routinely out-shot ' attests to his fine play. He had a rough month (3-6-1), though, and might be showing fatigue in his first season as a No. 1. Backup
Drew MacIntyre
has struggled at times and needs to win his teammates' confidence.
POWER PLAY
' The Griffins boast the league's second-best power-play unit on the road (20.5 percent), but at home (11.4 percent) it's another story. The team often tries to make the perfect play, rather than sticking to the basics: creating traffic in front and getting the puck through.
Eric Manlow
leads the team with six power-play goals.
PENALTY KILL
' The team's strongest area is here, with a league-best 87.5 percent kill-rate on the road and fifth-best home kill of 89.3 percent. The No. 1 tandem of
Matt Ellis
and Bootland is usually backed by Blake Sloan and Himelfarb or Manlow and Kory Karlander.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
' Todd Robinson, narrowly edging Manlow thanks to a nine-game scoring streak. Although he began the year in the United League, he had 11 points in 13 games in December plus three shootout goals. The 5-foot-9, 155-pound former junior scoring sensation is versatile and adds creativity up front.
LINE OF THE MONTH
' The unit of Todd Robinson, Himelfarb and Sloan was assembled after
Tomas Kopecky
went down with an injury. The dependable two-way trio is successful because of Himelfarb's speed, Robinson's deft passing, and Sloan's grinding game in the corners and in front of the net.
DEFENSE PAIRING OF THE MONTH
'
Niklas Kronwall
and
Bryan Helmer
don't usually play together other than on special teams, but when they're paired, they're formidable. Helmer scored some big goals with his cannon point shot, while Kronwall led the team's defensemen in December with eight points.
ROOKIE WATCH
' Himelfarb was the lone bright spot among rookies, playing a regular shift in all situations. He's a staple on the power play and tallied four goals and an assist in December ...
Brett Lebda
and
Todd Jackson
(who splits a spot with
Paul Ballantyne
) have had little impact straight out of the U.S. college ranks ...
INJURIES
' Kopecky, broken finger, one week ...
Jiri Hudler
, ankle, six weeks ... Kory Karlander, broken foot, three to four weeks ...
MOVEMENT
' Hudler left team indefinitely to return to Czech Republic ... Ernie Hartlieb signed to PTO from Florida (ECHL) ... Kip Miller signed ...
KEY STATS
' The Griffins are fourth in league in goals against and 15th in goals scored ... Kronwall leads league's defensemen in goals and points ... Himelfarb is ninth in rookie scoring ... MacDonald is sixth in the league with a 1.94 goals-against average ... Ellis leads the Griffins with 86 shots ...
UP NEXT
' The Griffins will spend most of the month on the road, with just four home games in the next 11 contests. They start in Hamilton and will play two-game sets on the road against Cleveland and Edmonton. They'll also face archrival Milwaukee two times in December, and end the month on Jan. 31 at Manitoba.
Jason Kasiorek contributes monthly Grand Rapids Griffins reports. They appear on RedWingsCentral.com on the first of each month.
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