ROCKFORD, Ill. - Tyler Bertuzzi scored his second goal of the night 13 seconds into overtime on Thursday to give the Grand Rapids Griffins a 2-1 win over the Rockford IceHogs and a commanding 3-1 lead in their Western Conference Semifinal.
After Tom McCollum denied a half-ice try by Ryan Hartman off the overtime faceoff, a Grand Rapids rush the other way ended with Bertuzzi popping home a rebound of a long Andy Miele shot for the fastest overtime goal in Griffins playoff history.
The Griffins, who've won all five previous best-of-seven series in which they held a 3-1 lead, will have an opportunity to close out the IceHogs and advance to the conference finals when they stage Game 5 at the BMO Harris Bank Center on Sunday at 5 p.