‘Poise and patience’: Steady Griffith tops Condors’ leaderboard again
Whether it’s a 270-degree spin before putting a cross-ice pass on the tape of a player for a goal, making a deft pass to spring a breakaway or tickling the twine with a goal off his own stick, Seth Griffith is no doubt one of the most electrifying players on the Bakersfield Condors.
And, for the third straight season, Griffith is atop the leaderboard.
Heading into the final three games of the regular season (starting tonight at home against Ontario), Griffith had 62 points — 15 goals, 47 assists — in 65 games. Last year he led the team with 60 points and two seasons ago he topped the charts with 30 goals and 80 points.
“I’ve always been kind of a pass-first player,” said Griffith. “I’d like to shoot the puck a bit more but we have some really good shooters on this team. If I’m handling the puck and they get open I’m going to try to make a play to them. We have a lot of guys who can score goals. It’s easy to make plays when they’re out there.”
Well, it’s easy for Griff, who has dished out 381 assists (to go with 190 goals) over his 11-year career. His 30 goals in a season and 230 points over four seasons with the Condors is the most in the Bakersfield AHL era.
There have been two especially memorable nights on home ice over the past seven weeks — first on Feb. 28 when he had the primary assist on all three of Raphael Lavoie’s goals (and Lavoie had the primary assist on a Griffith goal as both players had four-point nights), and then on April 6 when he feed Dylan Holloway on all three of his goals, the first pro hat trick for Holloway.
“When I’m playing with (Lavoie), he has an unbelievable shot, a great one-timer,” Griffith said. “When he gets it off quick there’s a really good chance it’s going into the back of the net. With (Holloway) it’s about his speed. When he uses that speed he creates chances off it. I just try to put it in areas where he can skate onto it or 2-on-1 plays. Two different players, two different assets that make them really valuable players.”
“Griff has unbelievable vision with the puck,” said Holloway, who is back in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers. “He’s like a little old waterbug out there. He’s so quick and has such good hands and is always looking to make a nice play. He’s really fun to play with.”
Condors coach Colin Chaulk had high praise for his 31-yearold right winger who shows no sign of slowing down.
“This year we’d like to see him shoot more but he’s seeing the ice really, really well,” Chaulk said, “This is the best I’ve seen him see the ice, see open men and the best I’ve seen him with so much poise and patience. I think he’s playing a hard game. He’s harder on pucks, he’s staying on pucks more, he’s battling for pucks more. I think that also allows him to find open men as well.”
Then Chaulk went where probably no hockey coach has gone before — to a NASCAR-related analogy.
“To cut back and create, to play in traffic. To take a breath and — these guys are too young and haven’t seen Days of Thunder — but it’s like the crash has happened: Just allow the dust to settle and you have to pick a lane and go through.
“Griff, when it looks like there’s all kinds of chaos, waits, takes a breath. The cars move out of the way and he finds an open hole. Whereas some guys will right away hammer on the brakes or throw the puck away.”
As is becoming a usual
“This is the best I’ve seen him see the ice, see open men and the best I’ve seen him with so much poise and patience. I think he’s playing a hard game.” — Colin Chaulk, Condors coach on Seth Griffith’s season
scenario with the Condors, they are heading into the final week of regular season play knowing they are in the playoffs, but with multiple possibilities of who they will play.
Home ice in the brief best-of-three series remains an outside chance as they would need to win all three remaining games and have
help with other teams losing.
“We’re looking to get three straight wins and put ourselves in a position to potentially get home ice,” Griffith said. “But I think the biggest thing is getting our minds right for playoff hockey. We know we’re in the playoffs. (Tonight) is a potential playoff matchup so we have to be ready for that one. Just start moving in the right direction.”