ROSEMONT, Ill. – Beneath the shadow of the threatening snowstorm coming through the heart of the Midwest, there was still a hockey game to be played on Thursday night. The Chicago Wolves played host to the Grand Rapids Griffins – two teams representing the basement of the Central Division and both in desperate need of points.

In the middle of a three-games-in-three-days set, the Wolves turned to Cale Morris in net. Starting for the Griffins was 2021 first-round selection Sebastian Cossa, fresh off his callup from the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye earlier this week.

The goal light flashed early and often, and just when everyone expected to close the book on a Wolves’ victory, the Griffins stormed back with a flurry of offensive firepower to secure an 8-7 win in overtime that left fans, players, coaches, and everyone observing asking the same question: what just happened?

First Period

It took just over two minutes of game action to get the first goal of the game, and on the first shot to boot: a sign of things to come. The pressure from the Wolves’ forecheck created a turnover to Griffin Mendel, who wired a wrist shot past Cossa late to react to the chance.

The Wolves were far from done – with Griffins captain Brian Lashoff sitting for a cross-check, the power play had a chance to shine. After moving the puck around the outside, William Lagesson put a shot on Cossa, who got a lot of the shot but not enough for Noel Gunler to tap it home from behind the netminder and extend the Wolves’ lead to 2-0.

A Swede connection! @GunlerNoel @Williamlagesson @maltestromwall pic.twitter.com/DHT1OAnkhn

— Chicago Wolves (@Chicago_Wolves) December 23, 2022

The Griffins, unable to get and keep the puck on their stick throughout the first, took another penalty to remain hemmed in their own zone. Their first real chance of the period came on an odd-man rush going the other way featuring Austin Czarnik and Alex Chiasson, who finished the pass from Czarnik past Morris to cut the Wolves’ lead in half.

Momentum for the Griffins, right?

Wrong. Thirty seconds later a miscommunication with Cossa and his defender turned into a turnover finished off by Joseph LaBate into the back of the net and a 3-1 Wolves advantage. A minute later and consecutive penalties from Tyler Spezia and Albert Johansson really put the Griffins behind the eight ball, and it was Gunler on the doorstep for his second of the night and a 4-1 Wolves’ lead.

I know it looks bad, Griffins fans.

But it’s about to get worse.

It only took another minute for the Wolves to pile on. Vasili Ponomarev cut through the Griffins’ defenders with shades of Mario Lemieux to feed Tuukka Tieksola unmarked in the slot for another power play marker and a 5-1 Chicago score. By this point, Allstate Arena had run out of fireworks to set off after a goal scored – at 14:54 of the first period. Not even fifteen minutes of game action and the lowest scoring team in the Central Division was pouring it on.

Sweet dish from Ponomarev to set up Tuukka pic.twitter.com/dDVXdMtgFU

— Chicago Wolves (@Chicago_Wolves) December 23, 2022

A minor penalty to Mendel put the Griffins on the man advantage, putting a Griffins unit with plenty of firepower in a position to strike. Czarnik from the top of the key set up Danny O’Regan – playing his first game with Grand Rapids following a trade earlier this week – who clapped a shot from the high slot that beat Morris and drew the Griffins into a 5-2 score.

Before it could start to look any better for Grand Rapids, thirty seconds later the Wolves struck again with Zack Hayes taking a feed from Gunler and firing a wrist shot from the top of the circle that Cossa assuredly would like to have back.

Both teams managed to skate through the last 2:30 of the period without another goal, and the Wolves went into intermission feeling probably the best about their game as they had all season with a commanding 6-2 lead.

Wolves fans should probably stop reading from here.

Second Period

The Griffins began the period with a change in net: Jussi Olkinuora stepped in relief of Cossa, who made seven saves on thirteen shots in his first period since being called up from the Walleye. Immediately, you could see a difference in the Griffins’ game to start out the period, and the hard work forced a Max Lajoie penalty just a minute into the middle frame.

Chiasson, already establishing himself as a force on the Griffins power play just a handful of games into his season debut, took the feed from Czarnik at the side of the net and deflected it past Morris to bring them within three. The momentum was starting to creep as the Griffins began to pepper Morris and the Wolves really looked disinterested to play a game more than 20 minutes long.

That disinterest would bite them again – at the 8:44 mark, Eemil Viro put a puck towards the net that took a bounce right to Spezia at the side of the net unmarked, who had a wide open net to make this game 6-4. Suddenly, things got interesting in Allstate Arena.

Tyler Spezia @tylersp7 >> 1st of the Year #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/p3p1gDJqXZ

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) December 23, 2022

The Griffins, with a shot advantage of 11-2 in the second period, had life heading into intermission in a game that, for all intents and purposes, should have been wrapped up a period ago.

The momentum would snowball into the third.

Third Period

Just over a minute in and the Wolves looked to have reclaimed that momentum on the back of a Lajoie chance from the point that got past Olkinuora for a 7-4 lead.

The good vibes wouldn’t last long for the Wolves – a sloppy turnover at their own blue line gave a lane for Spezia to find O’Regan for a one timer that beat Morris and brought the Griffins back within striking distance at 7-5.

The Griffins’ forecheck continued to create havoc in the Wolves’ zone as they had done since the opening of the second period. The legs got rolling and this time it was O’Regan returning the favor to Spezia – not even ten minutes into the period and the Griffins were within one at 7-6.

Despite Grand Rapids’ pressure, the Wolves continued to hold on by the skin of their teeth and looked to maybe escape with a win. However, a late hooking call against Malte Stromwall put the Wolves on the powerplay, leaving the Wolves’ bench furious with the officials. The Griffins, deadly on the power play all night, struck when Steven Kampfer’s chance wasn’t collected by Morris allowing Joel L’Esperance to bury the rebound and miraculously tie this game at 7-7.

The Wolves were stunned. Snake bitten. Whatever metaphor there can be found, it wasn’t enough to adequately explain the body language of the team as they sulked their way back to the benches for overtime.

Overtime

Luckily for the Wolves, their misery wouldn’t last long. 16 seconds into the extra frame, Czarnik took a lead pass from Kampfer on a two-on-one on Morris. The Wolves’ goaltender stopped the first shot, but Czarnik would put away the rebound to finish up the unbelievable comeback and an 8-7 victory for the visitors.

CZARNIK CALLED GAME pic.twitter.com/Xycvee64sC

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) December 23, 2022

Three Stars:

1. Austin Czarnik – OT Goal, 3 assists
2. Noel Gunler – 2 goals, 1 assist
3. Danny O’Regan – 2 goals, 2 assists

Takeaways:

• What was that? This game had it all that leaves both of these teams in the bottom of the standings: sloppy play in the defensive zone, penalty kills leaking out to easy tap-in goals, and leaky goaltending abound. It was ugly to begin and ugly to finish, despite the dramatics that came with it.
• Along with the bad, there are positives to look on with both sides. For Chicago, Noel Gunler has 5 goals in his last 3 games and is starting to find his rhythm. There is growth in the young players’ games, and with it will be growing pains. These kinds of games can’t happen for the Wolves’ though.
• Only three teams have given up more goals than the Griffins this year. They have the offensive talent to produce consistently even with all the gaps in their roster, and this hasn’t even been their first dramatic comeback win this year. They are a team that never counts themselves out until the final buzzer. There are several mental gaps to clean up, and if they can even get league-average goaltending out of any of the three goaltenders on the roster they have the potential to be dangerous. There are still more questions than answers as they remain on the outside looking in heading into the holiday.

Looking Ahead:

The Wolves host the Rockford IceHogs on Friday night at Allstate Arena at 7 PM CST, while the Griffins have an early start to their holiday due to the inclement weather rolling through the area that had their game against the Cleveland Monsters postponed until next month

ROSEMONT,Ill – The Grand Rapid Griffins visited the All State Arena to face off against the Chicago Wolves on Thursday.

The Wolves fall to the Griffins in overtime 8-7.

Check out the photo gallery from Field Pass Hockey’s Donald Carlson who was there to capture the action.

ROCKFORD, Ill- On Wednesday Night the Grand Rapids Griffins visited The BMO Center to take on the Rockford IceHogs.

The IceHogs defeated the Griffins 4-1.

Check out the photo gallery from Field Pass Hockey’s Donald Carlson who was there to capture the action.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Less than 24 hours after Friday’s 4-0 loss in Milwaukee, the Grand Rapids Griffins were riding the bus to host the Admirals at Van Andel Arena. Following the poor showing in Friday’s loss, perhaps the quick turnaround would help the Griffins leave the past in the past and focus on the now.

“I think anytime you have less time to think about things, it’s sometimes a good thing but other times when you have more of a gap you have more time to work on things.” Head Coach Ben Simon said. “I thought tonight, regardless of the score, I thought our compete level was way more consistent and where it needs to be.”

Going into Saturday’s contest, both teams would be switching up the creases: Jussi Olkinuora would get the start for the Griffins across from Devin Cooley in the Milwaukee net.

The Griffins responded with a better effort, but it wasn’t enough as the Admirals took Saturday’s contest by a final of 4-2 to send Grand Rapids into the 2023 calendar year on a three-game losing streak.

First Period

Early on, both teams tried to establish their physicality to set the tone in this game. Forwards were met by defenders at the net with gloves and sticks going up from the first few whistles. Just over ten minutes in, Wyatt Newpower laid a heavy, open-ice hit on Jordan Gross that was followed by a challenge by Jachym Kondelik. Both players dropped their gloves, with Newpower laying most of the blows for a well-earned five minutes for both players.

Milwaukee responded to the physical play with offense. Winning a battle along the boards, John Leonard skated into the middle and let a shot rip that beat Olkinuora over the glove and broke the ice in this one.

Grand Rapids countered just a minute later – a feed from Joel L’Esperance found Pontus Andreasson in the slot, and his wrist shot went off the iron and in to tie the game at 1-1.

Pontus Andreasson gets us on the board with the Deposit of the Game! @betPARX @PlayGunLake | #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/wiUx8h2EnM

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) January 1, 2023

The physical play continued even from unlikely sources – on the next shift, Tommy Apap mixed it up in front of the Griffins’ bench with Jakub Vrana, playing his third game of his conditioning stint with the Griffins.

“It’s fine. I’ve got hit before.” Vrana said about adjusting to the physical game.

As the period wound down, Vrana was set up by Taro Hirose for a blistering one-timer, but Cooley stretched over and robbed Vrana for his biggest save of the night.

STOP SCROLLING
Ya’ll gotta watch this save from Cools. pic.twitter.com/dXJiqcuPDE

— Milwaukee Admirals (@mkeadmirals) January 1, 2023

That play would stand out even more considerably as Phil Tomasino would get behind the Griffins defense and beat Olkinuora with just two seconds on the clock to give the Admirals a 2-1 lead heading into intermission.

For your intermission entertainment we present to you, Phil’s 1st period goal. pic.twitter.com/eeZkSQuF8Z

— Milwaukee Admirals (@mkeadmirals) January 1, 2023

Second Period

The physicality carried over into the middle frame, where Newpower made his presence felt again. Throwing another heavy hit on a vulnerable Admirals player, Jimmy Huntington responded with immediate gloves dropped and punches being thrown once again. Newpower would receive seven minutes for the fight and a check to the head, while Huntington was hit with an instigator and a ten minute misconduct for starting the altercation.

The Griffins had their chances but couldn’t find a way to beat Cooley. Opportunities from Tyler Spezia on the rush and Kyle Criscuolo on the follow up were turned away, but their continued effectiveness saw Coach Simon lean on their line along with Dominik Shine to set the tone.

“Shine and Spezia, when they’re on their game they are really solid two-way players in the American League.” Simon explained of his energy line. “Shiner’s physical, Spezia’s fast, Crisco’s responsible. Each one of those three brings a different element. Crisco did extremely well in the faceoff dot, he had a good night there.”

This period would see another last minute goal courtesy of Griffins captain Brian Lashoff – he let a long range wrist shot go from just inside the blue line that found its way through traffic and past Cooley for the 2-2 score with just 20 seconds left on the clock. The Griffins – outshooting Milwaukee 28-18 through two periods – were hopefully grabbing some momentum for the final frame.

Third Period

The Griffins again found themselves with chances to beat Cooley but either not converting or fumbling pucks to prevent a better look at the net. The best look came from Danny O’Regan on a backdoor feed from Simon Edvinsson that just wasn’t handled cleanly and as a result Cooley was able to get across and make the save.

The missed chances would eventually come back to bite Grand Rapids. With Criscuolo – one of the better penalty killers on the team – in the box, Luke Evangelista batted home a bouncing puck past Olkinuora to once again put the Admirals ahead at 3-2.

This time, the Griffins couldn’t find a response. Even with Olkinuora to the bench for the extra attacker, the Griffins couldn’t set up and get a quality look in on Cooley. Leonard would eventually deposit his second of the night into the empty net for the 4-2 final in favor of the visiting Admirals. Grand Rapids heads into 2023 on the heels of a three-game losing skid.

Three Stars:

1. Phil Tomasino – 1 goal, 1 assist
2. Pontus Andreasson – 1 goal, 1 assist
3. John Leonard – 2 goals

Takeaways:

• Compared to Friday night, the effort was much, much better. Consistency has been a big issues for this Griffins team. Game by game, period by period, you never know what team you’re going to get. Sometimes you get a high powered offensive team that has the ability to outwork and outhustle their opponent, and sometimes you get a team that just isn’t prepared and gets pummeled.
• Jakub Vrana has the talent. He can make the little plays look easy, but it’s clear that he’s still getting into his rhythm before he’s ready to return to the Red Wing lineup.

“We lost three games.” Vrana said of his time. “I didn’t play well. That’s the reality and I’m going to face it. I got to get better. Whatever I need to do, I will do.”

Looking Ahead:

The Griffins kick off 2023 hosting the Cleveland Monsters on Wednesday, January 4th – the game originally scheduled for December 23rd.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – There has been a marked shift in the conversation of mental health awareness since March of 2020 coinciding with a worldwide shutdown as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. With most of the world stuck in their homes, the stresses and anxiety of an uncertain future took a toll on everyone’s mental health, and with it came a surge of awareness and action.

For Vonnie Woodrick, the fight began twenty years ago.

Woodrick’s husband died of depression in 2003. If that sounds like an unfamiliar or strange sentence, it’s because we’re used to hearing the phrase “committed suicide” in our everyday conversations. Woodrick, along with her non-profit organization i understand, aim to change the way we think and converse on these issues, and the Grand Rapids Griffins will help by hosting their second annual Mental Health Awareness night for Saturday’s game against the Texas Stars.

Understanding and Healing

Facing the tragedy of losing a husband and father, the Woodrick family responded with all that they could give: love.

“Eight years ago, we as a family decided to print t-shirts that said ‘I understand love heals’ and we gave them away.” Woodrick said. “Within six months I had Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital chief of pediatrics reach out to me.”

From simply giving t-shirts away to those in need, i understand grew to be able to fund the first in-the-country nurse specializing in mental health in a traditional setting at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Their work wasn’t done there – their biggest need was a sensory room for children who are at risk of harming themselves or others.

i understand was able to fund one of the first sensory rooms in the country in a hospital for those children.

Saturday’s game at Van Andel Arena will not only offer sensory rooms but will have staff from the DeVos Children’s Hospital on-site with information sheets on how to deal with sensory issues.

“I’m so excited that the Griffins have acknowledged the need for mental health and sensory awareness. Whether you’re a child or an adult, noise sensitives can really impact your ability to go to the game. Having a sensory room at the game is kind of a big deal to me.”

This Saturday, Jan. 7th is our 2nd annual Mental Health Awareness Night with the help of i understand. The game will be sensory-friendly, with decreased auditory and visual stimulations in consideration of those with sensory sensitivities.

Details > https://t.co/9xXza1GCot pic.twitter.com/xT1rCjTslk

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) January 5, 2023

Changing the Conversation

Saturday’s big night will offer a number of different ways that the Griffins are raising awareness. A sticker on their helmet will show support for people struggling with mental health issues, while the team encourages fans to share their thoughts and experiences on social media to open up the lane to a conversation on said issues.

Woodrick wants to change the conversations that we have, starting with how we define it. i understand’s Definition Petition helps by breaking the stigma of suicide and mental health by redefining it.

“Trying to talk about suicide without having it so dark and so scary. We talk about it for what it really is. Rather than saying ‘my husband committed suicide’ I talk about the illness rather than the act. I say that my husband died of depression and we can have such a different conversation. We can talk about the signs and the symptoms rather than the act.”

Talking about depression for what it is – illness – starts to shift the way that we perceive and talk about the pain. It also shifts the way we approach how to heal.

For Woodrick, that’s the one thing she wants fans with to walk away with on Saturday night.

“For us, it is raising awareness and normalizing the conversation. One of my biggest passions is bringing the conversation to everyday places. Stigma is the #1 reason why people don’t reach out. A game like this is meaningful and impactful to change the conversation.”

Leading by Example

On the ice, hockey is as much a mental game as it is a physical game. Getting a locker room on the same page with the ups and downs of the season is never easy to manage. Griffins captain Brian Lashoff knows how important it is to take care of his teammates off the ice as well as on it.

“I think being cognizant of what your teammates are going through, it can be an emotional roller coaster through the season.” Lashoff explained. “The ability to have a room that is able to recognize how to pick each other up whether young or old is important.”

Lashoff also recognizes the importance of having a night where mental health is at the forefront of everyone’s minds from players to coaches and especially fans. He credits the Grand Rapids organization for being involved in the community to get everyone involved in the discussion.

“I think our front office is the best in the league at getting players out into the community and having a presence in the city. Speaking to kids at hospitals and at schools, its huge for us. They can talk to us and see us without our pads. It encompasses the relationship we have with the community.”

With that leadership role on the ice, in the locker room, and around West Michigan, Lashoff understands how crucial it is just to have someone to talk to when dealing with issues of our mental health. The path to healing begins with understanding, and the path to understanding begins just with being there.

“People in general, no matter what you do for a living, being someone that other people feel comfortable talking to about anything opens the door to have them to turn to. In my position, being able to be someone that any player of any age can come talk to me about anything is a starting point for making sure everyone is in a good place mentally. When it comes to a team, you have all different types of personalities and having as many people in the room as possible that know that you’re there for them – and vice versa – is the best way to go about things.”

Having a night where that is a premium is one that Woodrick is looking forward to.

“It’s going to be a fun but also meaningful night.”

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Coming into the weekend series at home, the Grand Rapids Griffins looked to be running right into a buzz saw. The Texas Stars were the hottest team in the American Hockey League coming into Friday’s series opener, skating into Van Andel Arena with a 10-0-2 record in their previous 12 games.

The Griffins rode the wave of pure hard work and determination to get out to a four-goal lead on Friday that led to the Stars’ first regulation defeat in over a month in a 4-2 final. Austin Czarnik led the way with two goals, including a shorthanded blast in the third period that electrified Van Andel Arena to put the Griffins up three goals. Alex Nedeljkovic, making his second start in his conditioning stint, came up huge with 33 saves in the winning effort.

Czarnik's second goal of the game #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/2aS5ScfxkW

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) January 7, 2023

Turning around quickly to Saturday’s game, Nedeljkovic felt confident enough in his game to come out for a second start in as many nights.

“We discussed it before we made a decision.” Nedejlkovic said about the back-to-back. “I haven’t played a lot lately obviously, so any chance I could get in the net, I was going to take it. Felt good after last night’s game, so why not? I’ve done it before and obviously I had plenty of rest.

Nedeljkovic also had the confidence of the coaching staff, as head coach Ben Simon gave him the green light for Saturday’s game.

“I think he’s handled himself tremendously. Where he came from, where he’s worked to get to and to agree to the conditioning assignment. He came and he wanted to play. After the game last night we talked and he wanted to play again tonight and he deserved it. As long as he’s ready to go I think he’s earned the opportunity.”

Texas came out with a purpose from puck drop on Saturday night, pressuring the Griffins’ defense with intensity, speed, and traffic in front of Nedeljkovic. That effort led to a 2-0 lead heading into the third period, but the Griffins’ never-say-die mantra this season kept their wheels moving, and goals from Drew Worrad and Taro Hirose nearly brought the roof off and forced extra time.

The Griffins have been laying the pressure on thick in the closing minutes of regulation. Hirose was able to convert the tieing goal at 18:07 of the 3rd.

They might want to check the roof here at Van Andel.

We now move to OT.

2-2 | 20:00 3rd | #TEXvsGRG https://t.co/W0OP3U1GNw pic.twitter.com/WQXWCkYLeX

— Deana Weinheimer (@FPHAHL) January 8, 2023

“We talk about consistent simplicity all the time” Simon said of the tying goals. “And if we do that we tend to have success.”

The series finale would end up being decided in a shootout, where Antonio Stranges would beat Nedeljkovic in the seventh round to send Texas home with the extra point. For the Griffins, taking three of a possible four points against a scorching hot Texas squad that had previously given them fits over the course of the season has to be encouraging going forward.

Antonio Stranges ends 7 rounds of shootout attempts and gives the @TexasStars a win on the road. pic.twitter.com/UUTxKknn63

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) January 8, 2023

Nothing but Ned

After three weeks off, Nedeljkovic picked up three starts in four days. He’s stopped 95 of 100 shots for a .950 save percentage and a 2-0-1 record over those three games. Most importantly, he’s stood tall and poised in his net – a welcome relief for the Red Wing organization after a troubling start to the season in Detroit.

Nedeljkovic’s confidence was especially on display on Friday’s game, where he attempted a shot towards Texas’ empty net in the waning minutes of the game. While the shot went wide, the simple display of a goaltender going out and having fun while playing well can be a sign of things to come in his game going forward.

From his assignment on January 4th, Nedeljkovic’s conditioning stint can last up to two weeks. The Griffins play four more games in that span: three more at home against the Iowa Wild and Chicago Wolves and another on the road at Iowa. After sitting out for most of December, Nedeljkovic can be expected to see at least three of those starts. What happens next is up to the Detroit staff to decide what to do with three goaltenders on the roster. If Nedeljkovic keeps up his play and returns to the Red Wings with renewed confidence, it could potentially change the look of the roster in the second half of the season.

Swedish Chefs Cooking

It’s never an easy adjustment – especially for young defenders – to come over from European ice and adapt to the North American surface and style of play. That’s what makes Albert Johansson and Simon Edvinsson‘s strong play of late so impressive.

Johansson has impressed the coaching staff with his competitiveness and strength in his own zone, effectively closing the gaps on attacking forwards and getting the pucks to forwards for quick zone exits. He’s quickly earned the trust of Simon’s staff and has been rewarded with more playing time on the Griffins’ second defensive pairing and in a penalty killing role.

Edvinsson’s confidence with the puck continues to grow as the smooth skating defender carries the puck out of the zone. His long reach and size in the corners has disrupted plays left and right, and as the season goes on he too has become a key fixture in defensive zone faceoffs that lead to transitions heading the other way.

Both defenders are young, growing into their professional games, and will make mistakes through the second half of the season. Their progress in the maturity of those games – a key factor in the 3 points this weekend – has to be a positive for the Griffins going forward.

Turning A Corner?

Consistency has been a major issue for the Griffins. Following up the energy of Friday’s game with the dud of Saturday’s first period was a microcosm of what got Grand Rapids in trouble at the bottom of the standings to begin with.

“I just thought we got off to a slow start. Puck management wasn’t great to begin with. I don’t think we did a great job staying above guys and then the urgency to collapse and help out in the D zone.”

The beginning of the month has seen the team grab five out of six points. It’s a good little streak to get on, but the upcoming homestand is incalculably huge. Two games against Iowa and one against Chicago represent the bottom three of the Central Division, with Iowa holding a six point lead over the Griffins and Wolves each with 28 points.

The name of the game remains the same: can the Griffins continue with a consistent effort that leads to points on the board? They finally have consistent goaltending – and will only have it for a short time. The lineup needs to take advantage of that and climb back up the standings and into the thick of the playoff race.

“I think it speaks to hopefully the corner that we’ve turning here. The determination of the group where, if we get down by two we’re not going to panic so much. We have a belief in each other.”

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Every player in the American Hockey League dreams of that call. You know the one – the parent club calls and says “you’re the guy” and soon enough the dream comes true beneath the lights and cameras of the National stage.

Matt Luff is no stranger to the call. With 87 NHL games in his back pocket for two different franchises, the experience he brought made him a primary target for Detroit GM Steve Yzerman to inject a reliable forward at both the NHL and AHL level into his depth chart. After starting the season with seven points in five games for the Grand Rapids Griffins, Luff got the call to Detroit following a slew of injuries to the Red Wings.

“It’s a huge honor anytime you get to play for an NHL team, especially one with so much history like Detroit has.” Luff said of his call up. “Getting that call was huge. Going there, I just wanted to make a good impression. I know I was a under ten [minutes] a night guy, I just wanted to get pucks to the net and be a fourth-line energy buzz saw.”

Unfortunately, Luff’s stint in Detroit would be one of the unluckier ones of the Oakville, Ontario native’s career. In just his second game with the Red Wings, Luff took a puck to the mouth that resulted in sixteen stitches and some missing teeth. A week later, a hit from behind by Juraj Slafkovsky would put Luff on the mend long-term. The hit cost Slafkovsky two games, but Luff would miss nearly 12 weeks of game action to recover.

Slafkovsky with a terrible hit from behind on Luff, who is hurt & bloodied. 5 minute major + game misconduct to Slafkovsky.

Luff JUST had 16 stitches and lost teeth after taking a puck to the face. Brutal. #LGRW pic.twitter.com/0Vg0FHdAP2

— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) November 9, 2022

“It’s tough. I’ve never been out that long. It’s basically an offseason, three months. Physically it sucks – mentally it’s tough. The process was so hard. It was a grind, and then there are highs and lows for the team. You want to be out there helping them out.”

So began the road back. It was an every day battle for Luff to rehab and recover. The process can be not only physically draining but mentally as well. Luff tried to take his recovery in stride, and being around his teammates and the staff in Grand Rapids helped motivate him to get back on the ice.

“Being around the guys is great and the staff in Grand Rapids is awesome. I just try to catch a good vibe from those guys. It’s no fun for them having me in there seven days a week for the last three months. They got no days off and I got the same guy working on the same part of my body. It sucks going through it – overall being around the guys is nice, but it’s also tough. I want to be out there and I want to play.”

Week by week, Luff continued that process of getting back into game shape. Over the course of several months, it was that step-by-step approach to his rehab that would get Luff closer to returning to the lineup. Still, there would be setbacks, and by no means would it be easy on him.

“The process.” Luff would say was the hardest part of his recovery. “I can skate with no stick, no puck. Then I can skate with a stick. Then I can skate with a puck a month and a half later. Knowing you’re going on the ice, basically bag skating yourself so your legs are where they’re at. Each week, there’s a different kind of process. If it wasn’t going well or something hurts, you had to figure out what made it hurt and restart that and delay it another day or week. Near the end, I think it was a little more mentally tougher. Each week, you’re trying to improve and if there was a setback you don’t be pouty about it.”

Luff stuck to the grind, and on January 24th the Griffins officially activated him to the roster after nearly three months of work.

He back

The Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday reassigned right wing Matt Luff to the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Through his first five games with the Griffins from Oct. 14-23, Luff amassed seven points (3-4—7) and a plus-three rating. pic.twitter.com/ArRO9HuTn2

— Andrew Rinaldi (@FPHGriffins) January 24, 2023

With a couple practices in the books and a full weekend of games on the road, Luff is ready to get back to business with the boys.

“It’s always nice being back out there with those guys and back in the swing of things. Here we go, it’s game time. I’m back to my routine and it’s more exciting. I feel like a young kid again. It will be exciting, I’ll try not to gas myself in my first few shifts.”

Luff brings a huge piece back to the Griffins. For a team dead last in goals for in the Central Division, suddenly they add a forward that’s been nearly a point-per-game player in the AHL over the last five seasons. Starting off the season on a tear, Luff will look to reclaim that scoring touch that has made him a successful player at this level. It all begins with a confidence in himself.

“You got to compete. You’re going to get hit and you can’t really shy away. I got to have full confidence that my injury isn’t going to affect me. I wouldn’t come back if I didn’t have full confidence, but it’s a different mentality getting in the game. Just get back, find my game and once you get going – keep it going. I just got to show up and produce like I do.”

#SDvsGR Matt Luff's first as a Griffin brings the home team within one pic.twitter.com/ka6tEACqXW

— Andrew Rinaldi (@FPHGriffins) October 15, 2022

The Griffins are on the road in Milwaukee on Saturday night at 6 PM CST, and quickly turn around to visit the Chicago Wolves on Sunday afternoon at 3 PM CST. They’ll visit Milwaukee again and Texas before heading into the All-Star break.

ROSEMONT, Ill. – Sunday afternoon at Allstate Arena featured two teams that could be mildly described as desperate for points. Both the Chicago Wolves and Grand Rapids Griffins found themselves on the outside looking into the playoff picture of the Central Division for a majority of the 22/23 season. Both clubs trailed the final playoff spot by double-digit point totals, and a run had to start somewhere – what better place than the home of the 2022 Calder Cup Champions?

Chicago would see a number of changes in their lineup that would see them dressed down to 17 skaters: Malte Stromwall and Cavan Fitzgerald were scratched after Saturday night’s game, while Zack Hayes drew into the lineup to try and fill up the gaps.

“It’s been our whole year, let’s be honest.” Head Coach Brock Sheahan said of his shorthanded lineup. “That’s this league to a certain degree. Lot of guys in and out of the lineup, but I think our guys are getting better. Hopefully we can continue to push and add consistency.”

Zachary Sawchenko (9-13-1-1 / 3.27 / .896%) would get the start for the Wolves across from Victor Brattstrom (2-6-2 / 3.68 / .887%) for the Griffins. You don’t need to look long at the numbers to see the struggles for both goaltenders and the need for a fresh start.

The Wolves got out to a fast start, but four quick second-period goals from the Griffins would power the visitors to a 5-3 win over Chicago to cap off their last homestand before the All-Star break.

First Period

For the second game in a row – the Wolves came out with a hot start. Unlike Saturday, they learned to finish off some of those chances. Just a few minutes into the game, an offensive zone faceoff win from Vasily Ponomarev drew the puck to Ronan Seeley, who blasted a shot past Brattstrom for the early 1-0 lead.

Ronan Seeley nets his first and second professional goals in back-to-back games. @Chicago_Wolves | #GRvsCHI pic.twitter.com/wWpGuE8RKs

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) January 29, 2023

Following a couple of Griffins chances stopped by Sawchenko, the Wolves quickly went the other way. On a two-on-one rush, Noel Gunler‘s shot grazed Brattstrom’s glove, but Ryan Suzuki was able to follow up the fluttering puck and knock it home. With a 2-0 lead just 6:19 in and the puck on their stick for the majority of the period, the Wolves were in prime position to run away with this one.

“I feel like we’re playing better hockey, which is a good sign.”  Sheahan said of his team’s starts. “We just have to be more consistent with it.”

But as this season has shown – time and time again – Chicago can’t take their foot off the gas or it bites them. Just following the expiration of a minor penalty on Griffin Mendel, the Griffins executed a tic-tac-toe passing play that left Elmer Soderblom unmarked at the side of Sawchenko’s net. Soderblom buried the puck into the open cage to bring the Griffins in to a 2-1 deficit.

Heading into the second period, all the Wolves had to do was to keep playing their game and avoid the mental mistakes.

Second Period

The Wolves had their chances early on in the middle frame – most notably from the stick of Jack Drury on the doorstep denied by Brattstrom not once but twice. One the Wolves would like to have, but wasn’t back breaking.

Then the floodgates opened. Taro Hirose cut through the middle of the Wolves’ ice, drawing all the attention towards him as he left a pass right on the tape for Simon Edvinsson. The #6 overall pick in 2021 blasted home the one-time chance to tie the game at 2-2.

Hold that thought – 22 seconds later and a turnover from Hayes at the Griffins blue line led to an odd-man rush the other way, and a pretty feed from Austin Czarnik to Soderblom for the tap in gave the Griffins their first lead of the game at 3-2.

But wait! There’s more! A minute and twenty seconds later, Edvinsson poked a puck loose to Jakub Vrana, who wired a wrist shot low blocker to beat Sawchenko and in the blink of an eye the Griffins had a 4-2 lead. Three goals in 1:42 led to the boo birds coming out at Allstate Arena, and Coach Sheahan called his timeout to calm his team down.

“We were just trying to get back to the way we were playing for the vast majority of the game before that. I thought we were carrying the play, playing how we wanted to play. We had four major breakdowns in a five minute stretch that really cost us the game.”

Despite the regrouping, the leaks in the wall continued to pour. Five minutes after Vrana’s goal, Joel L’Esperance cut to the net from the boards and shoveled a backhand that beat Sawchenko to the far post to give Grand Rapids a three-goal lead. Despite a period and change to play, the fourth goal of the second for the Griffins felt like the back breaker to a Wolves team that just couldn’t cut down on the breakdowns.

The second period mercifully ended for the Wolves without another goal against, but the damage had been done as they trailed 5-2 heading into the third.

Third Period

It would be in the final frame where the Wolves get their first taste of the man advantage after killing off four of their own penalties in the first two periods. The Wolves would cash in when Suzuki feathered a pass through sticks and bodies to Seeley on the far side, who blasted home another heavy shot that would beat Brattstrom and cut the deficit to 5-3. Coming into the weekend without a goal yet in his first professional season, Seeley walked out of the weekend with three markers – a testament to his developing game growing stronger as the season went on.

Unfortunately, it was too little, too late for the Wolves. Despite pulling Sawchenko with plenty of time to work, the Griffins clamped down and reduced any Wolves threats in on Brattstrom. Grand Rapids would put in the hard work to shut down the Wolves’ attack and skate out of Allstate with a 5-3 win over Chicago.

Three Stars:

1. Elmer Soderblom – 2 goals, 1 assist
2. Jakub Vrana – 1 goal, 1 assist
3. Ronan Seeley – 2 goals

Takeaways:

• The Wolves have been coming out of the gate hot lately, save for the Tucson series. They are getting the jump on teams and getting in front of them early. Consistency is going to take some time for young teams, but hopefully the good play out of the opening puck drop can be sustained later on in the games.
• Can the Griffins make this Central Division race interesting? Matt Luff returned this weekend, along with Vrana finding his groove and Soderblom’s continued development brings a ton of offensive firepower to this team. Talent has never been the issue for Grand Rapids – consistency throughout the lineup and discipline is going to be what determines this team going on a run to catch a Rockford team suddenly dropping like a rock and watching the playoffs from the couch.

Looking Ahead:

Grand Rapids heads back up north to take on the Milwaukee Admirals on Tuesday night, while Chicago heads to Cleveland for a weekend series on Friday and Saturday before the All-Star break featuring both team captains – Brian Lashoff and Max Lajoie – representing their teams in Laval.

“He’s a true pro.” Sheahan said of Lajoie. “He’s been unbelievable for our group. He’s been our best player all year consistently. He does it the right way, he deserves it, and I’m excited for him.”

ROSEMONT, Ill – Sunday afternoon at the Allstate Arena, the Chicago Wolves finished a weekend homestead against the Grand Rapids Griffins, wearing their Mental Health Awareness Jerseys.

The visiting Grand Rapids Griffins defeated the Wolves 5-3.

Check out the photo gallery from Field Pass Hockey’s Donald Carlson who was there to capture the action.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – On Saturday night, the Grand Rapids Griffins played host to the Cleveland Monsters in a pivotal game for both squads looking to climb up their divisional races and back into playoff spots. There was certainly a playoff feel heading into Saturday’s contest, but there was an entirely different vibe both on the ice and in the crowd.

Saturday was Hispanic Heritage Night for the Griffins, a special theme celebrating players and fans of Hispanic backgrounds. Leading into the night, the Griffins revealed a unique jersey that the home team would wear for the evening.

Griffins forward Dominik Shine was excited about the opportunity to wear it.

“I think it’s really cool.” Shine said of the jersey. “Nick, our photographer, designed it and it meant a lot to him. It was really cool to see how excited he was about it and that made me happy and proud to be a part of it.”

The energy in the building on Saturday was something altogether unique in hockey circles. The concourse at Van Andel Arena was adorned in art by Arturo Morales Romero – a local muralist. During intermissions, performances from Ballet Folklorico de GR performed traditional Mexican folk dances for the crowds. Throughout the evening, DJ Money Mike – another local artist – spun the tunes with a Hispanic flair (while mixing in some crowd favorites – “Baby Shark” never leaving the arena playlist).

While the Griffins went on to win 6-2 in the crucial game, the night meant even more for some of the others in the building, including Nicolas Carrillo – the designer of the “Los Griffins” jersey and the digital media manager for the team.

A Piece of Home

Most people working in the sport of hockey come from lands of frozen lakes and have been born, bred, and raised in the sport. It’s a common trope that’s seen from the front office to the box office.

Carrillo has a different story.

“I moved to the United States [from Ecuador] in 2018 and I started working for the Griffins in 2019 as a digital media intern, then when Covid hit all sports events were shut down as we know.” Carrillo explained. “Then when things started to get back to normal, I was offered a full-time position with the Griffins which for me has been a blessing. Hockey in Ecuador is not a very common sport, so in the past years I’ve been exposed to this sport where every game, every season is different from another, which makes hockey such a fast and interesting game to watch.”

Working full-time with the team as their digital media manager now, Carrillo produces the graphics on Griffins game day and creates the media shared out by the team. With his background, Carrillo was asked to design the Griffins’ jerseys for this special event. The task was a daunting one – expressing a variety of cultures altogether on one jersey. It was a task that took Carrillo time to work with.

“It took me a while to think about the best way to approach the task knowing that not only did I want the jersey to be a faithful representation of my own roots as an Ecuadorian but make sure at the same time people from other Latin countries could also relate to it. I did a lot of research around other Latin American countries trying to represent the large population of Latinos in the States.”

When the finished product came out, the buzz was immediate even before the Griffins hit the ice with the design. Carrillo’s careful touches to represent those cultures were felt on the front and backs of the pieces, and each of those unique pieces added more character to the sweater.

The front-face of Carrillo’s jersey design. Photo courtesy – Nicolas Carrillo

“The first thing I was sure of is that I wanted to put something from my country, Ecuador, on the jersey.” Carrillo explained of the process. “I couldnʼt pass up the chance to immortalize my Ecuadorian roots in a hockey jersey. Because of that, I chose to base the jersey on “la Escuela Quiteña de Arte” that in English would translate to the Quito School of Art (Quito is the capital of Ecuador). What I remember most is that our churches are beautiful. I can clearly remember the churches all covered in gold, otherwise called “pan de oro”, or gold leaf. Because of this I already knew what color the jersey was going to be, gold of course. For the details of the jersey I added local plants on the sleeves and bottom part of the jersey, similar to the baroque art used in facades and retables in Latin America art. The upper part of the jersey close to the shoulder and elbow I added a colorful wrist band to represent the different ethnicities around Latin America. The back of the jersey close to the neck thereʼs a mountain that represents the Andes mountains in South America and the sun god Inti, ancestors of the Incas.”

“For the main Griffins logo I thought that it would be a good idea to use an approach similar to some of the other teams, changing their main logo to a Día de los Muertos skull as a representation of Mexican culture. I know a large majority of people in the US have close ties to Mexican culture, so that’s what you see as the main logo, the Griffins eagle with bones as a skull.”

On a night like this, Carrillo saw himself as part of that effort not just to celebrate his heritage or that of thousands of fans and countless others in the community, but to celebrate even more than that. A community that opened up to him, and one that he wants to give back to through the jersey.

“It means everything to me.” Carrillo said of Saturday night. “It has allowed me to grow professionally, it has given me the freedom to try new ways to do my job. Hockey has welcomed me with open arms no matter where I came from or what language I speak. For me this game is about the fans; giving the fans good quality content and knowing if they are coming to a Griffins game they are going to have a great time and build memories that for them will last forever. For some of our fans it could be their first or last hockey game, and as part of the griffins staff and hockey lover it is my responsibility and duty to make that fan or fans have the best time of their lives.”

Shine on You Crazy Diamond

Saturday night was also a terrific night for the Griffins on the ice. Falling behind 2-1 to the Cleveland Monsters after one period of play, the Griffins rode on the play of their heart-and-soul leader in Shine. Following a great defensive play in the neutral zone, Shine went in all alone and beat Monsters goaltender Pavel Cajan for the tying goal.

Jeez Shine, what a ROCKET! @DomShine15 @betparx @PlayGunLake | #GoGRG pic.twitter.com/MmDaeGmJfX

— Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) February 26, 2023

Just a few minutes later, he buried another on an odd-man rush to put the Griffins ahead – a lead that they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the game en route to a big 6-2 win. With three goals in the two games of the weekend, Shine was officially en fuego.

“Our line played really well tonight.” Shine said of his success. “The new guy, [Riley] Sawchuk, he’s got good wheels and obviously [Tyler] Spezia can skate. I think we were just playing fast, they got in late last night so I think they were tired and we just took advantage of it.”

“He wears his heart on his sleeve.” Head Coach Ben Simon said of Shine. “He’ll do anything for this team and this organization. To see him have a good night, all the guys in that room are extremely happy for him.”

It was a big night for the Griffins on and off the ice. The players loved wearing the jerseys, and the fans loved the interactions with a base that doesn’t get a lot of representation in the sport. Carrillo hopes to see that change after a night like this one.

“I really hope that the Hispanic community feels welcomed into the sport.” Carrillo said. “I truly believe that hockey is a sport that welcomes everybody with open arms. I really believe that making a night just to celebrate Hispanic heritage is a big deal, for me it is a way of showing respect for the Latino communities and their growing influence in our community.”