GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Andreas Athanasiou's goal 5:05 into overtime on Friday put the icing on a third-period comeback and gave the Grand Rapids Griffins a 3-2 victory over the Utica Comets, tying the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals at two games apiece.
A throng of 8,967 - by far the largest crowd to ever attend a conference finals game at Van Andel Arena - witnessed a tale of two Jensens in the final moments. As Comets forward Nicklas Jensen tangled with Tom McCollum in the crease after a Utica scoring chance, drawing the attention of most in the building, Griffins defenseman Nick Jensen was chipping the puck out of the zone to a streaking Athanasiou, who got a stride on the last Utica defender before deking to his backhand and stuffing the puck past the toe of Jacob Markstrom and inside the left post.