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RWC Archives - November 1 Griffins Monthlye
Griffins open season with five-straight wins...
By Jason Kasiorek
www.griffinscentral.com
November 1, 2004
The Grand Rapids Griffins got off to a franchise-record five-game season-opening winning streak, despite plenty of turnover from last season.
Using their new strengths ' team speed and offense from the blue line ' the team handily outscored its opponents 19-7 in that stretch. Although they dropped their most recent two games by one-goal margins, the Griffins are tied for second in the American Hockey League's West Division with the Milwaukee Admirals.
OFFENSE
'
Jiri Hudler
's start has him among the league scoring leaders, while the rest of the team uses its abundance of speed to send wave after wave at the opposition. The line of Hudler,
Matt Ellis
and
Darryl Bootland
has combined for 18 points, while the second unit of Blake Sloan,
Eric Himelfarb
and
Tomas Kopecky
has 13.
Nathan Robinson
,
Pete Vandermeer
and
Todd Jackson
have had slow starts.
DEFENSE
' They say the best defense is a good offense, and the entire unit moves the puck well.
Niklas Kronwall
, with 10 points, and
Danny Groulx
, with five points, lead the way, while veterans Travis Richards and
Bryan Helmer
are exceptional shot blockers.
Derek Meech
was on the ice for five of seven goals scored against, while
Paul Ballantyne
did a good job physically in limited duty.
GOALTENDING
'
Joey MacDonald
has been fabulous in the early going, and looks unbeatable at times despite facing high shot counts. The 24-year-old always appears to be in the right position for shots and doesn't flop around much, looking poised and confident.
Drew MacIntyre
has yet to make an appearance, although he missed time with an ankle injury.
POWER PLAY
' Long considered a weak point for the Griffins, there is plenty of room for optimism. Already 9-for-46 ' a 19.6 percent success rate ' the power play has been an effective weapon. Hudler and Sloan have scored three goals apiece and have been particularly dangerous up front, while the increased mobility of the blueliners has opened up a great deal of space.
PENALTY KILL
' Down a man, the Griffins have been solid, killing off 43 of 46 penalties for a 93.5 percent efficiency rate. They've also chipped in with two shorthanded tallies. The team usually rotates three sets of penalty killers, with Ellis, Sloan, Himelfarb and Kory Karlander being the aces of the group. Helmer has done some of his best defensive work while the team is a man down.
PLAYER OF THE MONTH
' No one has been better than Kronwall. The 5-foot-11, 174-pound defenseman is an incredible talent, and the Griffins have benefited from his presence during the lockout. He is solid in all facets and playing with great confidence. Kronwall routinely handles more than 20 minutes a game and has three goals, seven assists and a plus-4 rating in seven games.
LINE OF THE MONTH
' The trio of Hudler, Ellis and Bootland got off to a great start, particularly on special teams, where Hudler scored three power-play goals and Ellis notched a shorthanded marker. Hudler is the team's scoring leader while Ellis has more speed and strength than last year. As a result, he's been flying around the ice and knocking pucks loose to his waiting linemates
DEFENSE PAIRING OF THE MONTH
' Despite a tough weekend, the pairing of Kronwall and Groulx gets the nod. Not only is the duo getting the job done offensively, they've also played airtight defense and weren't scored on in the opening five games. They have both logged a ton of ice time in all situations, and have been catalysts for the Griffins' early success.
ROOKIE WATCH
' Himelfarb picked up where he left off during last season's brief audition, anchoring the second line and scoring in the Griffins' second game ... Jackson has a point and three shots in seven games and has been slow to adjust ... Meech scored his first pro goal on Tuesday and appears to be rebounding after a slow start ...
CURRENT INJURIES
' None.
TRANSACTIONS
' Vandermeer suspended for two games by AHL ... Ryan Barnes signed to tryout contract from Kalamazoo (UHL) ...
KEY STATS
' Kronwall leads all AHL defenseman with 10 points ... Hudler's 10 points have him tied for 10th in league scoring ... Groulx has been on the ice for 13 of the team's 22 goals-for and only four of their 13 goals-against ... MacDonald has stopped 182 of 195 shots in the first seven games ... Vandermeer's 26 penalty minutes Tuesday night tied for the league-high this season ... Robinson is goalless ...
UP NEXT
' The Griffins will play its next six games at home against division-rivals Chicago, San Antonio, Houston and Cincinnati. They will have to keep up the intensity level to avoid settling down after a hot start.
Jason Kasiorek contributes monthly Grand Rapids Griffins reports. They appear on RedWingsCentral.com on the first of each month.
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