Breaking The ice

by Grace Heidinger

Griffen Molino

Meet Griffen Molino  

Growing up in a hockey family, Griffen Molino was destined to end up on skates. On top of being fans, Molino’s dad and two brothers played hockey, so they made sure to have skates on Molino at a young age. 

“By the time I was five, I was pretty fluent on the ice and kind of got into a little bit of competition around five or six,” Molino said. “From there on out, it was all kind of the way of the road. I started playing AAA when I was eight and played a bunch of years for Little Caesars in Detroit before I made the move on to juniors.” 

Molino, a Michigan native, is excited to return home this weekend for 3ICE’s Grand Rapids tour stop, which isn’t far from Western Michigan University where he played college hockey. Different cities throughout Michigan are special to Molino’s hockey career and this weekend, he looks to add another to that list with 3ICE. 

“For me specifically, some family and friends are only a couple hours away and a short drive, so I'm excited for them to come to watch me play and really just to watch the whole event,” Molino said. “I’m really excited to get back home.” 

Off the ice, Molino’s two-year-old daughter, Montgomery, keeps him busy. When he’s not spending time with his family or traveling with 3ICE, he spends his summer traveling or on the golf course. 

“I try to take a bunch of different trips to have these life experiences with my family,” Molino said. “When I'm not doing that, I suppose I'm golfing. I’m a big fan of playing golf in the summer, trying to get out on different courses, and spending time with some buddies outside.” 

Molino’s wife, Karli, and Montgomery will be in the stands cheering him on this weekend in Grand Rapids just like they did in Las Vegas and Denver. While they are excited to cheer on Team Murphy for the third weekend in a row, Molino is just as excited to have them be a part of this journey with him.