GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.– For the first time since 2012, the Grand Rapids Griffins will not participate in the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
After forcing Game 5 with a victory last Thursday, the defending champions fell 5-1 to the Manitoba Moose on Monday at Van Andel Arena in the deciding contest of the Central Division Semifinals.
The third-seeded Moose move on to the division finals to take on the fourth-seeded Rockford IceHogs, who dispatched the division champion Chicago Wolves in a three-game sweep of their first-round series.
Missing four regulars from their forward ranks due to a suspension to Eric Tangradi and injuries to Matt Lorito, Dominic Turgeon and Axel Holmstrom, the Griffins still managed to generate 35 shots on goal, but Moose goaltender Eric Comrie stopped all but one to end the Griffins’ reign and their remarkable run of playoff success that stretched back to 2013.