Griffins to host matinee game tomorrow

More than 6,000 high school, middle school and elementary students from 60 schools across West Michigan will be in attendance Tuesday when the Grand Rapids Griffins host the Milwaukee Admirals in their sixth annual matinee game, presented by Lake Michigan Credit Union.

Faceoff is set for noon.

The unprecedented student attendance will comprise the majority of a record matinee crowd that is expected to approach 9,000 fans, including downtown workers and business people.

Since 2001, when the Griffins became the first team in AHL history to host a non-holiday weekday matinee, the largest crowd for the event was 7,344 in 2002, with an average of 6,552 over the first five installments at Van Andel Arena. Students from as far away as Vestaburg, Lake Odessa and South Haven will participate in pre-game presentations and forums centered around the theme of "Building Your Future."

Starting at 10 a.m., middle and high school students will take part in a career forum in the arena banquet rooms with representatives from LMCU and Pioneer Construction. While focusing on its money matters program for high school students, LMCU will also have a licensed mortgage broker and home retailer on hand to explain the process of buying and selling a home and talk about their career fields. Representatives from Pioneer Construction will conclude the forum by discussing construction careers and giving insight into what is fueling downtown Grand Rapids’ latest building boom.

Meanwhile, elementary students will be on the arena concourse rotating among tables staffed by experts from the construction industry, each of whom will give five-minute presentations on a given topic. Presenters include The Home Depot (using everyday math in building projects), LMCU (What is a mortgage?), Lakeshore Habitat for Humanity (building a playhouse), Home Repair Services (fixing a leaky faucet), I.B.E.W. Local 275 (electricity), Grapids Irrigation (water conservation), Kent Career Technical Center, JW Marriott, ITT Technical Institute (CAD programs), and Wolverine Building Group (safety).