Game thread #15: Quad City Flames @ Grand Rapids Griffins(11 AM CST!)

[Drunk Skunk]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/downstroy/griffins150.jpg Vs. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v117/downstroy/flames150.jpg





On The Air: Listen Live for Free (http://208.67.186.169/QuadCity) or Watch the game live, via b2 PPV (https://www.b2livetv.com/liveevents/Hockey/AHL/Pro/QuadCity/billnow.asp). Cost is $6, click the link 5 minutes before the 11AM CST start time.

This is the 15th game of the year for the Flames, and the 13th game of the year for the Griffins. It is the second meeting between the two teams, and AHL game #195 on the season. Quad City won the first meeting 3-2 in regulation. The Flames enter the game looking for their third consecutive win, which would be a season high. Grand Rapids is the AHL affiliate of the Detroit Red Wings.

Scouting Quad City:
Record: 4-7-1-2, tied for 7th in the Western divison
Leading Scorers: Points - Grant Stevenson: 4-6-10. PIM - Brandon Prust - 45.
Last time out: Quad City won their first shootout of the season, and in their history, against the Lake Erie Monsters. The win was the second straight, the first time the Flames have tied wins together.
Around the corner: The Flames go back to Cleveland for a rematch against those same Monsters on Thursday night, then travel to Iowa on Saturday to take on the Stars for the first time in the regular season.
Notable roster news: Eric Nystrom and Matt Keetley remain on call-up with Calgary. Goaltender Brent Krahn was sent down from Calgary yesterday, but will not play today.

Scouting Grand Rapids:
Record: 5-6-0-1, sixth place in the Northern division
Leading Scorers: Points - Mark Cullen: 4-8-12. PIM - Adam Keefe - 54.
Last time out: Despite a late come back, Grand Rapids was smoked by the Toronto Marlies(I've been waiting to use that pun) 5-4 last Saturday.
Next matchup: The Flames and Griffins don't match up again this year, this calander year anyway. The next meeting will take place in Quad City on January 9th.
Notable roster news: The only recent roster move of note is that goaltender Jimmy Howard was sent down from, and recalled to, Detroit in the same day.

Random fact(s) associated with this morning's game: The top Griffins' top four leading scorers have a combined age of 114 years, compared to the 96 years of the Flames' four leading scorers. The Griffins' scorers have played a combined 1333 professional games, while the Flames scorers' weigh in at just 800 pro games. Second random note - Flames forward Brandon Prust and Griffins forward Adam Keefe have fought seven times throughout juniors and minors, with the card reading six wins for Prust, and one draw.

[Drunk Skunk]

Score is 0-0 after one. Kind of a boring and listless first period ... kind of what you would expect from an 11am start time. The Griffins are outshooting the Flames 14-7. Two power plays for Grand Rapids and one for the Flames.

[Hoody]

3-1 QC as of 18:11 of the 3rd. VdG scored from the circle at the start of the 3rd.

Hoody

[Drunk Skunk]

3-1 is the final as well. McElhinney made 37 saves officially and was named the number one star. Maki had an excellent game, he was all over the ice. If it wasn't for two fantastic saves by the Griffins' goalie, he could have had a hat trick.

Unfortunately, no video highlights from this game. My recorder messed up and it didn't get recorded.

[Bobblehead]

Why was this game on at a weird time?

[Drunk Skunk]

It's a tradition in Grand Rapids, it's a school day game, a field trip for the kids. There were 5,200 kids and teachers there.

[Bobblehead]

It's a tradition in Grand Rapids, it's a school day game, a field trip for the kids. There were 5,200 kids and teachers there.


That's pretty neat. Great way to get the younger set involved.

[tonyrock1983]

It's a tradition in Grand Rapids, it's a school day game, a field trip for the kids. There were 5,200 kids and teachers there.

I would like to see quad city start a tradition like this. Its a good way to get more people to come see a game ofr a cheap price. If you can get the kids hooked, then they might be able to talk their parents into going back later in the season. This could help attendence figures huge down hte road.

[pioneer98]

I think its an excellent idea for an early-season weekday game. It may get the kids bugging mom and dad to go to another game later in the season.

The Swing baseball team did that here last year. In fact if memory serves, Opening Day and most of their early season Wednesday games were at Noon.

I checked it out, and the Swing did have a "school kids" game on May 2nd (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l118&t=g_box&gid=2007_05_02_swmafx_qcsafx_1), and the attendance was 3,904. Opening Day (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l118&t=g_box&gid=2007_04_09_cedafx_qcsafx_1) only drew 1,549, but considering it was on a Monday at Noon and was 43 degrees and windy out, that isn't too bad.

[QuadCityImages]

Opening Day (http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?sid=l118&t=g_box&gid=2007_04_09_cedafx_qcsafx_1) only drew 1,549, but considering it was on a Monday at Noon and was 43 degrees and windy out, that isn't too bad.

Don't forget that it snowed (http://quadcityimages.blogspot.com/2007/04/opening-day-07.html) at that game also...

The only question on the kids day thing is if the QC Flames were willing to give out the tickets whether schools would be willing to do it. The number of kids at the baseball kids' game says they probably would. Maybe something like a before-Christmas break treat.

[pioneer98]

Yeah, I do remember the snow. I forgot if it was Opening Day where it snowed, or if it was that game vs Peoria later that week that it snowed (Ryne Sandberg's first visit as coach). It was even colder that day.