Grand Rapids Griffins

Photo: Pascal Rheaume (Flint Generals, C)

 The Flint Generals won back-to-back games for the first time all year when they pulled themselves out of a three goal hole to beat the Muskegon Lumberjacks, 4-3, at the Perani Arena last Sunday. 

 Pascal Rheaume netted the game winner in the shoot-out and the Generals were officially on a winning streak. 

 The Bloomington Prairie Thunder came to town as they met up with the Generals on Friday night. 

 The Generals wouldn't waste any time scoring the first goal.

 Two minor penalities on Bloomington set the Gens up for a 5 on 3 advantage in the early goings of the first period. 

 John Mori netted his eighth goal of the season on the first Flint Generals power play, putting the G-Men up 1-0.That goal marked the fifth consecutive contest in which Mori netted a puck, which happens to be a team-high scoring streak.  

 Former Michigan State Spartan Tony Tuzzolino found the back of the twine twice (4,5) in the second frame, once on the power play, his second goal came by way of a Jamie Schaafsma assist.  

 The Generals' solid showing defensively, accompanied with their two successful power plays gave them a three goal edge going into the first intermission.

 John Ronan's (Rheaume) short-handed goal, his fourth of the season, gave the Generals a three goal cushion once again early in the third period as they continued to cruise.

 The third period became chippy as Flint's Steve Silver and John Mori were both served with five-minute majors for fighting. Mori would also be assessed a game misconduct, ending his his night with less than six minutes to play.

 Flint's young defenseman Brandon Gentile made several visits to the sin-bin during the extremely physical third frame.

Brandon was called for multiple minors, but his tough play helped set the tone for Generals: they weren't going to be pushed around by Bloomington.

 Jamie Schaafsma gave the G-Men their fifth goal of the night and tallied his ninth overall on the year. 

 The Generals were only able to muster two shots on the net in the final 20 minutes, but they made them count -both were goals.

 Flint's 5-2 routing of Bloomington gave them their third consecutive win of the season, improving their record to 6-12-0-2. Rookie goaltender Rob Nolan impressed with his second straight win as a starter, he stopped 34 of the 36 shots fired at him.

 Something happened at the Perani Arena on Friday night. Not only did the Gens put together three solid periods of hockey, won their third straight, but there is a certain feeling that they emit. It's visible on the bench, in the locker room, and all the guys' faces.

 Both Tony Tuzzolino and Rob Nolan feel the same way when it comes to their team.

 "We have a long way to go", said Rob Nolan, "we're beginning to trust each other more and more. We win as a team, lose as a team."

 "Three wins in a row feels better than losing seven (consecutive games)," explained the veteran Tony Tuzzolino.

 Generals fans can now be optimistic for the future of the 2009 season as they see a "new" Flint Generals squad develop.

 Stars of the game, Nolan, Mori, and Tuzzolino.

Photo: Head Coach, Jason Muzzatti, Italian Pro League.

The winning streak has now reached two games for the Flint Generals. The Generals currently sit in the 6th position in the IHL, and have not won consecutive games in the 2009-10 campaign until now.

It's not just a matter of stringing wins together, it's become an issue of putting together three solid periods of hockey, something that the Flint Generals have struggled to do all season.

If there's a silver lining to this otherwise dark cloud, the Lumberjacks are a team that the G-Men have defeated this year. (Dayton, Quad City, and Muskegon).

The league-leading Muskegon Lumberjacks paid the Flint Generals a visit on Sunday, riding a healthy nine game winning streak, with the intent of stretching the win-streak to an unprecedented 10 games.

Sunday's match-up would feature one of the IHL's better power play units (Muskegon, 17.7%, 4th) against one of the worst penalty killing platoons, (Flint, 79.5%, 6th). There's no question that the lack of special teams production have hindered the Generals thus far, their penalty killing has made matters worse. The Generals have lost seven of 14 contests by one goal. If this doesn't stress the importance of penalty killing/power play success, I don't what does.

Muskegon's Right Winger Robin Bouchard put the 'Jacks on the board first, netting a power play goal early in the first frame. Bouchard lit the lamp twice in the opening set, leading to his league best 14th and 15th goals.

The Lumberjacks would quickly show the Generals why they're the IHL's top scoring unit, Muskegon was able to able to net three pucks on just six shots in the first period. Flint's Head Coach Jason Muzzatti was forced to pull J.F. Labbe, opting for rookie net-minder Rob Nolan to defend the net instead.  

Flint's John Mori continued to enjoy his three game scoring streak, his goal helped to bring the Generals within two against the Lumberjacks Sunday night. Mori has now scored in four consecutive games, a team high in that regard.

Rick Smith got his first goal as a Gen, cutting the Lumberjack lead to just one, sparking the offense and giving fans something to cheer about.

Generals net-minder Rob Nolan looked more like a third baseman than a goaltender in the second period. Nolan was flashing the leather like the Detroit Tigers' Brandon Inge, snagging every puck within glove's reach.

The second stanza was one of the better periods of hockey that the G-Men have played all year. They were able to out-shoot the Lumberjacks, which in-turn resulted in more opportunities to score goals, and they were able to do just that. The Gens played a faster-paced-physical-style of hockey, which has often worked to their advantage.

The General power play came to life in the third period, Brandon Gentile rocketed the puck past Muskegon's Matt Lundin to knot it up at three a piece with just under two minutes remaining.

Flint out-played Muskegon for the nearly the entirety of the game, with the exception of 3:14 in the first period, the span in which the 'Jacks were able to put three shots past Generals net-minder J.F. Labbe.

The Generals' valiant fight through 60 minutes to overcome a three goal deficit earned them an overtime frame, a chance for the home-towners to right the ship. Three hundred seconds of bonus hockey wasn't enough to decide the Muskegon/Flint matchup, this one would come down to the fan favorite shoot-out.

Pascal Rheaume would net the game winning goal via shoot-out, giving the Generals their 5th win of the year.

After the game, I spoke with rookie goaltender Rob Nolan. I asked him how it felt for the team to win two consecutive games for the first time in the young season, "It feels good. It's only two out of seventy-something games, it's an up-hill climb, that's for sure."

Now that the Generals have gotten the back-to-back win monkey off their back, they can now focus on just playing solid hockey from here on out. The G-Men will take on Bloomington's Prairie Thunder at home, Friday December 4th, at 7:30 p.m. Be sure to come out to the Perani Arena and support your Generals, the grittiest guys in the business!

Here's the brightside, Generals fans: Flint now extends their advantage on the season against Muskegon, winning two of three match-ups, while winning back-to-back games for the first time all season.  

Stars of the Game: Rob Nolan, Flint, Goaltender. Robin Bouchard, Muskegon, LW. Pascal Rheaume, Flint, C.

The Flint Generals (3-9-0-2) hosted the Dayton Gems (5-5-0-3) at Perani Arena Friday night, as the Generals hoped to end their four game slide and win one at home for their beloved fans.

The Generals have had considerable trouble on their power play, and have been lacking any type of offensive muscle/passion in this young IHL season.

The G-Men have found themselves in a hole, they've only earned eight out of a possible 30 points, and must make drastic strides if they hope to be in playoff contention come spring.

There is a reason for fans to question the adherence and effort of their team lately. The Generals' roster boasts some of the best talent in the leauge, but that's on paper of course. Within the line up lies a Stanley Cup Winner, two grizzled NHL veterans, NCAA Frozen Four Champions, and Team USA talent. What seems to be the problem? Why can't the Generals string together wins, and more importantly, why can't they regain the competitive spirit that team had in years past.

Jamie Schaafsma scored the lone Generals goal in the first period, cutting their deficit to just one goal. Schaafsma leads the team in goals with four on the season, and is a talented player offensively. The Generals will need more production from number 26 in the future to add any type of potency to the line-up.

The Dayton Gem offense managed to give Flint goaltender J.F. Labbe fits in the early goings, and Coach Jason Muzzatti was forced to pull him, opting for the highly touted rookie net-minder Rob Nolan (Michigan Tech). Labbe gave up three goals in the first period on just 15 shots faced.

John Snowden and Joe VanCulin got the Gems started in the first frame, both lighting the lamp for Dayton in the first 20 minutes. VanCulin's goal came on the power play and Sam Bloom was awarded a penalty shot on which he successfully used J.F. Labbe to his advantage, giving the Gems a two goal cushion going into the second set.

The Generals managed to keep pace when it came to shots on goal, they were just about equal with Dayton, 37-36, advantage Gems, they just couldn't find the back of the net.

Flint's dismal power play has been their weakness, going 0 for 5 on the night, finding it hard to manufacture any type of scoring chances when they have the man advantage. Dayton was able to capitalize on one of their power plays, ending the night 1 for 4.

There are some poignant questions being raised by fans, and why shouldn't there be? Fans are questioning the coaching and direction that the franchise is taking, and need answers promptly. 

The Generals have lost five straight games and are falling further behind the pack with every loss. There needs to be some major changes soon if the Generals have designs on the playoffs.

I took the time to ask IHL scorer Doug Bailey his thoughts on the turmoil within the organization, he simply stated "That's something that I can't answer", later adding "that's your guys' (the media) job".

Flint ended up on the wrong of the ledger as Dayton skated past the Generals 4-1.

The Generals will travel to Dayton on Sunday in an attempt to gain ground on the rest of the league and vindicate the four losses that the Gems have handed them in the last few weeks. Muskegon will visit the Perani Arena on Wednesday, which brings up the question, "Can they win one for the fans?"

Ken Holland and the rest of the Detroit Red Wings management team are experts at finding hidden gems in the late rounds of the NHL draft.

But, in 2005, they may have found a first-round gem—Jakub Kindl.

The Czech Republic's Jakub Kindl is set to become a star on the blueline for the 11-time Stanley Cup champions.

"Down the road, I would think he's going to be a top-four guy," says Red Wings Director of Amateur Scouting Joe McDonnell back in October of 2006.

In the 2006 season, Kindl, a defenseman, posted 55 points in 54 games with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League and also had 11 points in nine playoff games.

He is now playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League and has posted respectable numbers (six goals, 27 assists, and 33 points) with the Red Wings' top minor league affiliate.

Kindl sports many tools that will help him succeed as a NHL player.

In the beginning, Kindl struggled to adjust to the North American style of play, but during his time in the OHL, he has made a relatively smooth transition.

While he has excellent size, he isn't extremely physical but can drop the gloves when needed.

Kindl's style of play fits the Detroit system. Still, he needs to stop giving the puck away when heading into the neutral zone.

Moreover, his decision-making ability must improve, but when around a good supporting cast, he steps up his level of play.

He possesses remarkable skating and offensive skills, and he carries the puck effortlessly. Kindl's shot is very accurate from the point, which will make him a valuable asset to the Red Wings' power-play unit.

The Griffins' general manager, Bob McNamara, said that Kindl improved all facets of his game in Grand Rapids.

Kindl is projected to be a top-two defenseman for the Red Wings, but don't expect to see him with the Wings this season.

A consistent year in Grand Rapids would give the 21-year-old a good shot at making the roster in the 2010-11 season.

With another successful season in the books, the Wings once again had a low draft pick (30th overall because of the cup win!).

With that pick, the Wings selected a kid who may be there potential number one in 3-4 years. His name is Thomas McCollum.

With this article I will be ranking the top 15 prospects in the Wings system and giving them a grade based on their potential.

1. Jakub Kindl D: The Wings have high hopes for Jakub Kindl. The Czech Republic native played for the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) this past season. He is a big player and his skating/puck poise are incredible. He isn't afraid of being hit and has been known to drop the gloves every once in a while.

Potential: First pairing defense men (9/10)

2. Jonathan Ericsson D: Ericsson has shot up the depth chart this season. Mike Babcock even went as far as saying that it was amazing that they could keep this guy off the ice during the play-offs. Ericsson is another bug defense men and he has great mobility. A cannon from the point makes him a valuable player on the Power play.

Potential: First pairing defensemen (9/10)

3. Jimmy Howard G: Once seen as a franchise goaltender for the Wings but from what was seen recently the Wings only see him as a gap-stop solution until McCollum is ready. He should be given the chance to split games with Osgood next year. Utilizes the butterfly technique, very good at positioning himself to make the first save. He needs to work on his rebound control.

Potential: Number one goaltender (8/10)

4. Jan Mursak LW: Very small forward but he can skate like the wind. Soft hands and excellent hockey-sense make him a dangerous threat whenever he is on the ice. He hustles all the time but can be thrown around because of his small stature.

Potential: Second Line Scorer (7.8/10)

5. Darren Helm C: Helm made a size able contribution to this years cup run. His play on the fourth line was great and he may have earned himself a permanent spot on the team next year. His speed and grit makes him a great two way player and helped him score a few timely goals in this years play-offs.

Potential: Two way third liner( 7.5/10)

6. Justin Abdelkader C: Justin is an excellent skater. He has a great release, good shot and is very good around the offensive net. He’s a good two-way forward who plays well at both ends of the ice. He is also physical. Could be ready to play in the NHL next year but the big question is, will their be room?

Potential: Two way third liner (7.5/10)

7. Brendan Smith D: Could be a great defense man. He posses great speed and his stride is effortless. His vision is great and his soft hands allow him to make great breakout passes.

Potential: Second pairing defense men (7.5/10)

8. Johan Ryno RW: Ryno has tremendous size for a winger and is a solid skater. He also possesses above average puck skills. He has a good attitude and works hard. Ryno isn´t afraid of using his size to his advantage. He has a good scoring touch and is dangerous around the net. He possesses above average hockey sense and uses his line mates to his advantage.

Potential: Third Liner (7.0/10)

9. Cory Emmerton C: Great play maker who uses his line mates to his advantage. He isn't afraid to drive hard to the net and he is good on his skates. To become a successful NHler he may need to improve on the defensive side of the game.

Potential: Second/Third Line Play maker (7.0/10)

10. Daniel Larsson G: He uses his excellent positioning and reflexes to stop most shots, but he is not very big. Quick glove hand but he has problems with rebound control and shot recovery.

Potential: Back-up/rotating number one: (6.8/10)

11. Kyle Quincey D: Quincey has decent size and mobility. He uses his quick feet and aggressive style of play to his advantage in playing a great defensive game. He is strong and can clear the zone very well.

Potential: third pairing shut down defense man (6.5/10)

12. Dick Axelsson LW: His best asset is his hockey sense and he also have good speed and fore checking ability. He doesn't shy away from the physical part of the game. One thing he needs to improve on is his play in the defensive zone.

Potential: Third/Fourth Liner (6.0/10)

13. Logan Pyett D: May not make it to the NHL if he cannot improve defensively. He has a good shot and decent speed. His vision is a huge plus and he can make great first passes out of the zone.

Potential: Fifth or Sixth defense man (5.8/10)

14. Mattias Ritola C: Ritolla is a great penalty killer who excels in the defensive zone. He has great hockey sense to help him know where to position himself. However, he needs to work on his scoring touch.

Potential: Fourth Line Center (5.5/10)

15. Joakim Andersson C: Another defensively skilled player, Andersson is slow on his feet and he must work on his acceleration. He isn't very physical but his hockey sense is great.

Potential: Fourth Line Center (5.5/10)

After spending 11 seasons as a member of the infamous Grind Line in Detroit, it's only fitting that Darren McCarty gets his name on the Stanley Cup, a trophy that exemplifies hard work and grit, a fourth time.  Through the first 3 of his Stanley Cup victories, McCarty played at 100% every night, and while he was not a huge point-getter, he was definitely a huge part of the team. 

Following the 2004-05 lockout, when his contract was bought out by the Red Wings, McCarty seemed to have lost an edge.  Playing in Calgary, he failed to score a point in the 2006-2007 season.  He had made no secret of the fact that he was a recovering alcoholic while he was still playing in Detroit, but it was in Calgary that his problems really seemed to multiply.  He filed for bankruptcy in 2006, with over $6 million in liabilities and less than $2 million in assets.  He had a gambling problem.  A drug addiction.  He was estranged from his children.  His life was literally falling apart.  After being a Stanley Cup winner in 2002, it must have looked to McCarty like he would never get out of the hole he was in. 

A lunch with friend and former teammate Kris Draper got McCarty back on track in terms of his fitness.  A meeting with Ken Holland, Detroit's GM, got him back on track in terms of playing hockey again.  But though he had people on his side, he still had to do the work himself.  He trained hard at Draper’s gym, began skating with the Flint Generals in the IHL and slowly regained some of what he had lost.  After signing with Grand Rapids in the AHL, McCarty was called up to the big show in March of 2008, over a year after he had played his last NHL game.  While only playing in 3 regular season games, due to a rib injury, McCarty managed to make enough of an impact that Coach Mike Babcock dressed him for 17 of the 21 Red Wings playoff games this year. 

Because of his physical transformation, McCarty regained one aspect of his former life.  He’s now living with his first wife and their children again trying to become the father he’s always wanted to be, while still attempting to fix the problems he created in his second marriage.

In McCarty’s own words, his family life is “the best it has ever been.”  He’s now been sober since July 20, and is not looking back.  He even knows that he’s still got something in the tank left to play, a huge difference from the guy who “didn’t like hockey anymore and wasn’t the father, son, teammate or friend [he] wanted to be.”

McCarty is not the most skilled player in the league.  He’s not the best skater.  He’s not a great shooter.  He isn’t necessarily a fantastic playmaker.  But what Darren McCarty does have is a fantastic outlook on life, a great network of support around him, and the knowledge that he did hit bottom and made it back to the top. 

When Darren McCarty hoisted the Stanley Cup last night, it brought a tear to the eye of many fans.  In his interview with CBC’s Scott Oake, McCarty revealed that he’s well aware his resurrection is nothing short of a miracle.  Detroit GM Ken Holland perhaps said it best: “This is an unbelievable story no matter what happens.  He’s an unbelievable human being, [and is] back with his kids and appears to have his eyes back on the wheel in life.”

Congratulations.

With only two games left and a secured spot on the local golf courses, it's time for the Griffins organization to start looking toward next season.

Once again, attendance this year was pretty disappointing, with just a couple of exceptions. The reason for low attendance in the past few years: high prices.

In the Griffins' first season, 39 of the 41 home games were sold out. Since then, ticket sales have declined while prices for tickets and concessions have gone up. These past few years, good attendance numbers on a weeknight mean there is a four-digit number for attendance.

This past season there were a few exceptions, though, when there were a good number of fans at the games. These exceptions were caused by three things: cheap tickets, cheap concessions, and Darren McCarty.

McCarty won't be coming back to play a full season in Grand Rapids, meaning that the organization needs to focus on those other two ways to increase ticket sales.

In March, Wednesday night tickets were sold for $10 lower bowl and $5 upper bowl. Attendance at these games was much higher than at any other weeknight games.

Another major draw was dollar dog and dollar beer night. For a couple of hours on select nights, beer and hot dogs were much cheaper than usual, and this was enough to persuade some people to come to the games.

The organization should learn that if they want more fans, they need to lower ticket and concession prices.

Currently, tickets are fairly high-priced and concessions prices are ridiculous. On a normal night, a beer costs around $6 and a hot dog around $4.

With these prices, it's amazing they sell anything.

I used to buy a medium pop and a cup of French fries with a $5 bill and get change back. Now I wait for a cheap ticket night and don't buy anything. I can't afford anything more than that.

I'm not saying I have the definite answer to this problem, but here are my suggestions.

First, ticket prices need to be lowered. $15 for the first three rows, $10 for the rest of the lower bowl, $5 for the upper bowl, and $2 for the top three rows all the way around the arena.

These tickets would be very affordable, driving more people to come to the games.

Second, lower concession prices. Just cut every price in half. I can guarantee that with more people coming to the arena (because of lower ticket prices) and lower concession prices, people will buy more food and drinks. This would more than make up for the lower prices.

It seems obvious that a mediocre team with high-priced tickets and concessions should lower prices for better results, but it hasn't happened yet. Hopefully for the sake of the fans and the team, some action is taken soon.

I bet that if nothing else, the players would appreciate having more fans in the seats.

Update (11:19 PM): You can read the Grand Rapids Press recap of the game here. - Matt

Darren McCarty's first game in front of a packed-out Van Andel was a big one. The former Red Wings bruiser scored a hat trick and added a late assist on his way to being named the arena's first star. He was a huge hit with the crowd, which took every opportunity to cheer him.

His first goal was an easy redirect of a Darren Helm pass on the Griffins' second shot.  His second came on the power play in the second period was he stuffed it between the feet of the Lake Erie goalie from the side of the net. He finished the trick with a blast from the right circle that beat the goalie blocker side, just inside the left post. In addition to the goals, Mac dealt out a few big hits and provided just the spark the Griffins needed to overcome two Lake Erie leads.

I was definitely impressed with him. He's obviously still not in tip-top shape, but he looked good. I was only disappointed he didn't get a natural hat trick. It's too much to expect him to contribute three goals every night, but I think his presence in the lineup had the Griffins playing closer to their potential. They certainly looked better than they had in any of the other games I've been to and heard about this season. That's the value he brings to the Griffins and if he can draw crowds like he did tonight, the franchise will do better as a whole.

Because the Monsters are the primary affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, it was interesting to see how chippy the game got as it went on. There were two all-out fights involving Jamie Tardiff and plenty of post-play scrums that got pretty nasty.

I went into the game with the aim of focusing on Jonathan Ericsson as well as McCarty. I was impressed with the big young Swede was well. He's got great size and has a booming shot to go with a good defensive sense. His goal was a perfectly-placed snapper, just below the crossbar. He looked steady out there and definitely earned the second star. I look forward to seeing him in the Winged Wheel.

Jakub Kindl, on the other hand, was a disappointment. He definitely needs more experience before he'll be NHL-ready.

I do not regret passing up the Wings' embarrassing loss to Columbus in favor of Darren McCarty's home debut and three-goal night. It was a great game and I'm glad I got to see it.

The Lake Erie Monsters took on the Grand Rapids Griffins at Quicken Loans Arena for the second time in as many days. They were coming off a 4-1 loss just twenty-four hours earlier, but tonight they had additional support on their side. 

In the promotion of the year, the Monsters brought in the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. A crowd of 11,000-plus fans was on hand to witness “Beauty and the Beast,” the beast of course, being the Monsters.

Lake Erie didn’t waste any time, scoring a power play goal just 1:48 into the contest.  After a horrible special teams performance the prior evening, this was exactly what the Monsters needed to break out of their funk. Lundmark scored the goal with assists by Vernace and Boychuk. Vernace, the league leader in saves, would add another later in the contest, upping his team leading assist total to 20 on the season. 

The Griffins evened the scoring at 1-1 midway through the second on a goal from McGrath, and assists to Ritola and Hartigan. 

Lake Erie went back up by one prior to the second period ending on a rebound cleaned up by Healey. Vernace and Lundmark were credited with the assists on this particular tally.

Grand Rapids lived up to their hometown name as early in the third they picked up a quick goal, knotting the score at 2-2 on a goal and assist for Cullen and Helm respectively. Cullen has really been a thorn in the Monsters' side all season.

The Monsters were not going to let this one slip away, however. 

The previous evening, Grand Rapids was all over Lake Erie, registering short-handed chance after chance. Tonight, the Monsters got a bit of revenge as Smith netted a great short-handed scoring chance with less than five minutes left in the game to give the Monsters a 3-2 lead. 

Mike Wall came up huge save in the third for the Monsters. A backdoor pass across the slot looked to be a certain goal, but Wall slid all the way across the net and gloved the shot. The crowd’s groans changed to cheers immediately on the best save of the night. His evening consisted of blocking shot after shot in this forty-save evening.

The Monsters take on the Hershey Bears Thursday evening in the Bears only visit to Quicken Loans Arena this year. 

Hershey is second in the standings in their respective division and it only seems appropriate that a team sponsored by the company that makes kisses will show up on Valentine’s Day. 

The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders put on a great show during both intermissions, but the best part of the evening was seeing them overshadowed by the Monsters and Griffins playing some great hockey in the coolest game on earth.