CALDER CUP FINALS PREVIEW

Series Schedule:

2017 Calder Cup Finals - Best of Seven

* If necessary. All times are Eastern and subject to change. All games on ESPN 96.1 FM and AHLLive.com.

Calder Cup Finals on AHL Live: As a thanks to the AHL’s loyal and dedicated fans, the American Hockey League and NeuLion, Inc., are making video streaming of all seven games of the 2017 Calder Cup Finals available for viewing at no charge from AHL Live via desktop, laptop, mobile device or tablet. To watch free on AHL Live, simply visit ahllive.com from any desktop computer, log in with your AHL Live account (or create a new one), select the Finals All-Access Pass and enter the promo code FINALS17 to access all of the action of the AHL’s championship series featuring the calls of the Griffins’ Bob Kaser and the Crunch’s Dan D’Uva. Fans can watch on your desktop or laptop through ahllive.com, or download the official AHL Live app from iTunes or Google Play to watch on your mobile device or tablet.

Setting the Stage: In the postseason for the 15th time in the franchise’s 21-year history, the Griffins claimed the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as Western Conference playoff champions for the second time in the last five seasons to advance to the Calder Cup Finals. Grand Rapids will face the Syracuse Crunch, winners of the Richard F. Canning Trophy as Eastern Conference titlists, in the best-of-seven championship round. The Crunch, who entered the postseason as a No. 1 seed after winning the North Division’s regular season title, mark the third consecutive one seed Grand Rapids has faced. Grand Rapids is in a league championship for the third time in its history, as the Griffins lost the 2000 IHL Turner Cup Finals to Chicago, four games to two. The Griffins and Crunch, AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning, will meet up in the postseason for the second time. Grand Rapids dispatched Syracuse four games to two to win the 2013 Calder Cup. Grand Rapids is 11-3 in playoff series over the last five years while Syracuse’s series victory over St. John’s in this season’s North Division Semifinals marked its first series win since the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals.

How We Got Here: Entering the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs as the second seed in the Central Division, Grand Rapids swept Milwaukee in the division semifinals. The Griffins earned overtime victories in Games 1 and 3 to complete their second first-round sweep of the Admirals in as many years. Of the eight AHL division semifinal matchups, Grand Rapids was the only team to sweep. Taking on longtime rival and regular season Central Division champion Chicago in the division finals, the Griffins won three straight games to close out the round four games to one and earn their second-ever series win against the Wolves in five tries. Squaring off against the Western Conference’s regular season champion San Jose, which included the AHL’s Coach, Rookie and Goaltender of the Year, in the conference finals, Grand Rapids took away the Barracuda’s home-ice advantage with a split in the first two games in Silicon Valley before winning three straight at Van Andel Arena. Syracuse, which was the top seed in the North Division with a 38-24-7-7 record (90 pts., 0.592), dropped its first game of the postseason to St. John’s but rallied to win the next three in a row, including two in overtime, to move on. In the division finals, the Crunch held 2-0 and 3-2 series leads over the Toronto Marlies before eventually winning in seven games. Similar to Grand Rapids in the conference finals, Syracuse earned a split in Rhode Island against Providence before returning to War Memorial Arena to win three straight and advance.

Playoff Facts and Figures: Grand Rapids has won 19 of its 32 total playoff series and owns a combined 90-74 record during those games, going 45-38 on home ice and 45-36 on the road. The Griffins have advanced to at least the second round of the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year, a run matched or surpassed only by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (2005-09 and 2011-16) since the AHL’s current 16-team playoff format was adopted in 2005. In fact, Grand Rapids has also become just the second team to advance to at least the second round of the playoffs in each of the four seasons that followed a Calder Cup championship. The only other team to accomplish the feat was the Cleveland Barons, who reached the second round for five straight years after winning the cup in 1941. Despite the Griffins getting eliminated short of the Calder Cup Finals in each of the last three seasons, all three teams they lost to went on to either win the Cup (Texas in 2014 and Lake Erie in 2016) or appear in the finals (Utica in 2015).

Home-Ice Advantage: The Griffins are 7-0 at Van Andel Arena in the 2017 postseason, setting a record for consecutive home playoff victories and tying the 2013 Calder Cup championship team for most home wins overall in a single postseason. Grand Rapids has outscored visitors 33-16 on home ice during the playoffs. The Griffins averaged 7,864 fans over their three conference finals games, the team’s largest in seven all-time conference finals. Syracuse, meanwhile, is a perfect 9-0 at War Memorial Arena through the first three rounds and is outscoring opponents 42-20.

How Things Have Changed: Since the two clubs met in the 2013 Calder Cup Finals, Syracuse has gone 142-110-32-20 (0.553) over the last four regular seasons, qualifying for the postseason twice (2015, 2017) and surpassing the 90-point mark in both of those playoff campaigns. The Crunch were swept in the conference quarterfinals in 2015, as this season’s division semifinal win against St. John’s in four games was their first series win since the 2013 conference finals. The Griffins, meanwhile, have gone 183-98-10-13 (0.640) in each of the last four regular seasons since winning the Cup and reached the postseason every year. Grand Rapids has logged 90 or more points twice and reached the century mark in the other two seasons. Syracuse was led in 2012-13 by head coach Jon Cooper for 65 games before he was elevated to being Tampa Bay’s bench boss midseason. Rob Zettler took over the reins from Cooper and guided the Crunch for the next three full seasons. Benoit Groulx is in his first season as coach of the Crunch and third as an AHL head coach. Groulx, along with Todd Nelson, coached in this season’s All-Star Classic in Allentown, Pa., with Groulx leading the North Division, while Nelson guided the Central squad to the all-star game title. Nelson took over from Jeff Blashill, who won the Calder Cup in his first season in Grand Rapids, following the 2014-15 campaign as Blashill was named the 27th head coach in Detroit Red Wings history. The Crunch have just one holdover from their 2013 finalist team in defenseman Matt Taormina, who played in all six Calder Cup games and logged three assists, while the Griffins have three returnees from their title squad: Mitch Callahan, Brian Lashoff and Nathan Paetsch.

Rematch: This marks the first rematch of a previous Calder Cup Finals since 2007, when the Hamilton Bulldogs avenged their 1997 loss to the Hershey Bears.

Multiple Titles: Grand Rapids is bidding to become the 14th city in the AHL’s 81-year history to win two or more Calder Cups.

Championship Experience: Eleven Griffins players and two coaches have won a league championship at the pro, junior or NCAA level: head coach Todd Nelson (1994 Calder Cup as a player with Portland, 2008 Calder Cup as an assistant coach with Chicago, 2002 United Hockey League Colonial Cup with Muskegon as a player/assistant coach, 2004 and 2005 Colonial Cups with Muskegon as head coach), assistant coach Ben Simon (2002 Calder Cup as a player with Chicago, 2001 IHL Turner Cup as a player with Orlando), Nathan Paetsch (2013 Calder Cup with Grand Rapids), Brian Lashoff (2013 Calder Cup with Grand Rapids), Mitch Callahan (2013 Calder Cup with Grand Rapids, 2009 Western Hockey League championship with Kelowna), Ben Street (2006 NCAA Championship with Wisconsin), Matthew Ford (2006 NCAA Championship with Wisconsin), Tomas Nosek (2011-12 Czech ExtraLiga title with HC Pardubice), Dominic Turgeon (2013 Western Hockey League championship with Portland), Martin Frk (2013 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League President Cup and Canadian Hockey League Memorial Cup with Halifax), Tyler Bertuzzi (2014 Ontario Hockey League J. Ross Robertson Cup with Guelph), Conor Allen (2009 North American Hockey League Robertson Cup with St. Louis) and Daniel Cleary (2008 Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings).

Against Top Seeds: The Griffins own a 3-6 series record when facing off against a No. 1 seed in the postseason, with all three wins coming in the last two playoffs. Grand Rapids earned its first win versus a top seed in the 2016 Central Division Semifinals with a sweep of the division-champion Admirals and accomplished the feat twice this postseason with a 4-1 series win against the division champion Chicago Wolves in the Central Division Finals and a 4-1 victory against the Western Conference regular season champion San Jose Barracuda in the conference finals.

Lower Seed: Syracuse, which was 12th in the overall AHL standings in 2016-17, is just the seventh team ever to make the Finals without finishing the regular season among the league’s top 10 (see list). Grand Rapids finished sixth in the overall standings this season, which makes for a bit of reversal since the 2013 matchup when Syracuse tied for third in the league and the Griffins tied for seventh.
2011 – Binghamton Senators (12) defeated Houston (6), 4-2
2007 – Hamilton Bulldogs (11) defeated Hershey (1), 4-1
2004 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (14) lost to Milwaukee (1), 4-0
2002 – Chicago Wolves (16) defeated Bridgeport (1), 4-1
1997 – Hamilton Bulldogs (15) lost to Hershey (2), 4-1
1996 – Portland Pirates (13) lost to Rochester (9), 4-3

NHL Experience: Twelve Crunch who have logged at least one game in the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs also played in at least one game for the NHL’s Lightning this season. The Griffins, on the other hand, have 10 players who fit both categories.

Tale of the Tape: Here’s how the two teams stacked up in key categories during the regular and post season:

Lightning in a Bottle: The Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning, NHL affiliates of the Griffins and Crunch, have met twice in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tampa Bay knocked out Detroit in the first round in back-to-back postseasons, winning four games to three in 2015 and four games to one in 2016. Steve Yzerman, general manager of the Lightning, captained the Red Wings for 19 seasons (1986-2006) and won three Stanley Cups. Stacy Roest, who played 70 games with the Griffins in 2002-03 and logged 72 points, is Tampa Bay’s director of player development.

Special Teams Breakdown: In both the regular and post season, Grand Rapids holds a statistical edge over Syracuse when it comes to special teams. The Griffins, who led the league while establishing a franchise record for power play efficiency in the regular season at 24.4%, again pace the AHL in the postseason, converting on 14 of 58 chances (24.1%). Grand Rapids’ penalty kill, which placed 11th during the regular season at 82.8%, is up to 86.2% in the postseason to rank seventh overall among playoff teams and second among teams that made it to at least the second round. Syracuse placed 22nd in the league in the regular season in power play at 16.4% and shows a 16.9% in the postseason. The Crunch’s penalty kill operates at a 79.7% clip in the postseason, compared to tying for seventh in the regular season at 83.7%. The Griffins produced 31.9% (80-251) of their goals from the power play, a league high, while Syracuse relied on the power play for 25.0% of its tallies.

Between the Pipes: Jared Coreau has played every minute in goal for the Griffins this postseason, starting all 13 games and recording a 2.41 goals against average while stopping 376 of 408 shots (0.922). Since entering in relief in Game 4 of the 2016 Central Division Finals versus Lake Erie and earning the win, Coreau has started each of the last 15 postseason contests. In his career, he shows a 13-4 record, a 2.37 GAA and a 0.925 save percentage. One of only two Griffins goalies (Drew MacIntyre, 3-1) to earn twice as many playoff wins than losses, Coreau’s 13 victories are second most in team history. Mike McKenna, who was acquired by the Tampa Bay Lightning organization on March 1, has started all 16 Crunch playoff games and played all but 37:50, showing a 2.51 GAA and a 0.912 save percentage. A pro since 2005-06, McKenna has appeared in 39 career Calder Cup playoff games since 2008 between Portland, Lowell and Springfield and tallied an 18-19 record, a 2.90 GAA and a 0.903 save percentage.

New York Connections: The Griffins have a host of connections to Syracuse, upstate New York and the Empire State as a whole, starting with defenseman and alternate captain Brian Lashoff, who was born in Albany. Nathan Paetsch played 34 games for Syracuse during the 2010-11 campaign and logged 17 points (8-9—17). Paetsch also spent eight seasons (2003-11) in the Buffalo Sabres organization, appearing in 157 games with the Sabres and 215 with their AHL affiliate in Rochester. Assistant coach Ben Simon appeared in 122 games over parts of two seasons (2005-06, 2006-07) with Syracuse and amassed 58 points (22-36—58). Rookie Mike Borkowski played his college hockey at Colgate University, located 40 miles southeast of Syracuse, and the extensive list of players and coaches who have played in the state also includes head coach Todd Nelson (26 points in 74 GP with Rochester in 2000-01), Conor Allen (7 GP with the New York Rangers from 2013-15 and five points in 17 GP with Binghamton in 2015-16), Matthew Ford (44 points in 66 GP with Adirondack from 2011-13), Cal Heeter (28-41-5 record in 76 GP with Adirondack from 2012-14), Matt Lorito (66 points in 82 GP with Albany from 2014-16) and Dylan McIlrath (four points in 38 GP with the New York Rangers from 2013-17). Three Crunch were born in the Mitten State, including Matt Taormina (Warren), Erik Condra (Trenton) and Kevin Lynch (Grosse Pointe).

Against the East: All time against Syracuse in the regular season, the Griffins are 14-6-0-2, with all 22 meetings coming between the 2002-03 and 2008-09 campaigns. The Griffins have not faced a team from the Eastern Conference in the regular season since playing Rochester and Toronto both four times during the 2015-16 year.

Goals on Goals on Goals: Grand Rapids (4.08) and Syracuse (3.75) rank one-two, respectively, in goals for during the postseason. The Griffins have notched four or more goals in nine of 13 postseason games while the Crunch have done so seven times in their 16 contests.

Spreading the Wealth: Seven Grand Rapids players have recorded double-digit point totals during the playoffs. That continues a trend from the regular season when the Griffins had eight skaters log 40 or more points, the most since the 2005-06 team had 10. Ben Street (4-11—15) and Eric Tangradi (2-13—15) pace the team while tying for sixth in the AHL in points. Three players (Tomas Nosek, Matt Lorito and Matthew Ford) tie for team leadership with seven goals.

Full Blast Bertuzzi: Tyler Bertuzzi ranks fourth on the team with 13 points (6-7—13) in 13 games this postseason. With a goal in the second period during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, the second-year pro notched his 20th career postseason tally and is second on the Griffins’ all-time playoff list. He trails Teemu Pulkkinen by two. In the regular season, Bertuzzi averages ones goal every 4.8 games (25 in 121 games), but in the postseason, he lights the lamp once every 1.8 games (20 in 36 games). The second-year pro has upped his career playoff point total to 33 (20-13—33) and places third all time in the team’s record book. Detroit’s 3rd choice, 58th overall, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Bertuzzi joined the Griffins at the end of the 2014-15 year after his OHL season in Guelph came to an end. In his first postseason action, Bertuzzi notched seven goals and 12 points in 14 games and followed that up with seven goals and eight points in nine games last season.

Long Runs: Over the last five postseasons, no other AHL team has played as many games (72) or series (14) or won as many games (45) or series (11) as the Griffins. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is second in each category.

2013 vs. 2017: Compare and contrast the statistics (through the conference finals) of Grand Rapids’ two teams that have advanced to the Calder Cup Finals. Both squads relied on one goaltender through the first three rounds. Petr Mrazek appeared in every minute of the first three rounds, going 11-7 with a 2.18 goals against average and a 0.921 save percentage, while Jared Coreau has assumed duties during this year’s run, showing an 11-2 mark bolstered by a 2.41 GAA and a 0.922 save percentage. Eleven Griffins from the 2013 championship team played in the NHL this season.

Whoa, Nelly: With a 16-6 postseason record in Grand Rapids, head coach Todd Nelson has the second-most playoff wins in franchise history and trails only Jeff Blashill (29). The only coach in club history to author two series sweeps, Nelson also posts the Griffins’ highest playoff winning percentage (0.727). The 10th head coach in Griffins franchise history, Nelson has guided the Griffins to at least the second round of the playoffs in both of his seasons behind the bench. Nelson is in his seventh season as an AHL head coach, leading the Oklahoma City Barons from 2010-14 before serving as interim head coach of the Edmonton Oilers for majority of the 2014-15 campaign. Following in the footsteps of Danton Cole (2002-05), whom he served under as an assistant coach, Nelson is the second former Griffins player to be employed as Grand Rapids’ head coach. Consistency was the name of the game during Nelson’s second year in West Michigan, a season after the Griffins set a franchise record with a 15– and 13-game winning streak. The Griffins’ longest winning streak was five and losing streak was four this year, as Grand Rapids posted a 15-6-0-2 (0.696) record in games following a regulation loss. Grand Rapids’ 2017 Calder Cup Playoff berth marks the sixth time in as many full seasons as an AHL head coach that Nelson has led his team to the postseason.

Special Teams: Grand Rapids has recorded a power play goal in 11 consecutive playoff games, extending a franchise postseason record and nearly doubling the previous mark of six. The Griffins have converted on the man advantage in 12 of 13 postseason games. Including this year’s regular season, Grand Rapids has logged power play goal streaks of 13 (tied franchise record) and 11 (twice).

Aye, Aye Captain: Fifth-year Griffin and captain Nathan Paetsch appeared in his 70th Calder Cup Playoff game as a Griffin in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, extending his franchise postseason record. Paetsch has played in every Grand Rapids postseason game (72) since helping the team win the Calder Cup in 2013 and is tied with Derek King atop the franchise’s all-time postseason assist chart with 25. The 14-year pro needs three more postseason appearances to become the 18th player in AHL history to play in 100 or more Calder Cup Playoff games.

Tangradi Lends a Hand: Eric Tangradi paces the AHL with 13 assists in the postseason. The eighth-year pro has six multi-point games, including five of those being with two or more assists. His 13 helpers tie for second most in a single playoff in franchise history.

Ford Lights the Lamp: Ninth-year pro and first-year Griffin Matthew Ford ties for the team lead with seven tallies. The Griffins are 14 for 58 (24.1%) on the power play, as Ford has a league-leading five goals on the man advantage. Ford’s five PPGs currently tie with Kevin Miller (2000) for third most in a single postseason in franchise history.

Closing the Door: Closing out the Western Conference Finals in Game 5, Grand Rapids has won seven straight games in which its opponent faced playoff elimination. The Griffins have won four consecutive such games at home and six straight on the road since the beginning of their Calder Cup run in 2013. All time, Grand Rapids is 19-16 when its opponent faces elimination.

Affiliation Comparison: During the Red Wings’ remarkable 25-year playoff run from 1991-2016, Detroit had one stretch of getting out of the first round for five straight years (2007-11) and another in which they did it six straight years (1995-2000). While Grand Rapids has only three holdovers from the 2013 squad that started the Griffins’ streak, Detroit had eight players who played in the playoffs in both 1995 and 2000, and 10 players who played both in 2007 and 2011.

Playoff Roster: The following 31 players are eligible to suit up for the Griffins in the postseason: goaltenders Jared Coreau, Cal Heeter and Eddie Pasquale; defensemen Conor Allen, Dennis Cholowski, Joe Hicketts, Filip Hronek, Brian Lashoff, Dylan McIlrath, Nathan Paetsch, Dan Renouf, Robbie Russo and Vili Saarijarvi; and forwards Mike Borkowski, Tyler Bertuzzi, Mitch Callahan, Colin Campbell, Daniel Cleary, Kyle Criscuolo, Matthew Ford, Martin Frk, Axel Holmstrom, Matt Lorito, Tomas Nosek, Dylan Sadowy, Dominik Shine, Givani Smith, Ben Street, Evgeny Svechnikov, Eric Tangradi and Dominic Turgeon.

Back for More: Three members of the Griffins’ 2013 Calder Cup championship team are still members of the active roster: forward Mitch Callahan and defensemen Brian Lashoff and Nathan Paetsch. Grand Rapids returns 12 players from last year’s playoff roster that advanced to the Central Division Finals before losing to eventual Calder Cup champion Lake Erie.

Experience Counts: Eighteen players on the Griffins’ roster had AHL postseason experience entering the playoffs — Conor Allen (1-1—2 in 12 GP), Tyler Bertuzzi (14-6—20 in 23 GP), Mitch Callahan (7-11—18 in 41 GP), Colin Campbell (1-2—3 in 19 GP), Daniel Cleary (2-3—5 in 17 GP), goaltender Jared Coreau (2-2 record, 2.21 GAA in 4 GP), Matthew Ford (5-8—13 in 21 GP), Martin Frk (1-5—6 in 10 GP), Brian Lashoff (3-9—12 in 51 GP), Matt Lorito (3-4—7 in 11 GP), Dylan McIlrath (0-2—2 in 20 GP), Tomas Nosek (3-5—8 in 21 GP), Nathan Paetsch (3-24—27 in 84 GP), goaltender Eddie Pasquale (7-8 record, 2.42 GAA in 15 GP), Robbie Russo (1-4—5 in 9 GP), Ben Street (1-4—5 in 24 GP), Evgeny Svechnikov (0-1—1 in 2 GP) and Eric Tangradi (7-9—16 in 21 GP). Five skaters also have experience at the NHL level: Cleary (24-28—52 in 121 GP, Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008), Lashoff (0-0—0 in 8 GP), McIlrath (0-0—0 in 1 GP), Paetsch (0-0—0 in 1 GP) and Tangradi (0-1—1 in 3 GP).

Playoff Debuts: Seven Griffins have made their Calder Cup Playoff debuts this postseason: rookies Mike Borkowski, Kyle Criscuolo, Joe Hicketts, Filip Hronek, Dan Renouf and Dominic Turgeon and third-year pro Axel Holmstrom.

Western Conference Finals Notes: The SAP Center at San Jose became the second NHL arena to host a Griffins playoff game (Toronto’s Air Canada Centre in 2006)...The Griffins improved their series record to 3-6 all time when facing a No. 1 seed in the postseason...Grand Rapids’ 1,947 mile trek to San Jose marked the farthest distance the Griffins traveled for a playoff series...The Griffins and Barracuda met in the postseason for the first time ever...Grand Rapids played in its first ever playoff series against a team from California...The Griffins allowed just three San Jose shots in the second period of Game 1, tying a franchise record for fewest shots against in a road period...Grand Rapids won Game 1 of a conference final for only the second time in its history (2013 vs. Oklahoma City)...San Jose registered 20 shots in the first period of Game 2, a Griffins postseason record for most shots against in a period...Jared Coreau logged 18 saves in that opening frame to tie a team playoff record for most saves in a period…Brian Lashoff played in his 60th Calder Cup Playoff game with the Griffins in Game 3 to join Nathan Paetsch as the only players in franchise history to play in 60 or more postseason contests...The Griffins’ four goals in the middle frame of Game 4 were the most in a playoff period since the second period on May 4, 2013 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals versus Houston (7-0 W)…San Jose’s penalty shot in the first period of Game 4 marked only the third opponent penalty shot in Griffins playoff history and first since April 28, 2006 in Game 5 of the North Division Semifinals (Toronto’s John Pohl vs. Drew MacIntyre)...Colin Blackwell converting on the penalty shot marked the first time an opponent has been successful on a penalty shot in Griffins playoff history...Grand Rapids’ eight power play opportunities in Game 4 were the most since May 13, 2015 at Rockford (Western Conference Semifinals Game 3)...The Griffins’ 47 penalty minutes in Game 4 were the most since recording 48 on May 11, 2006 at Manitoba (North Division Finals Game 4)...San Jose’s 61 PIM in Game 4 were the most by a Grand Rapids opponent since May 8, 2015 (Western Conference Semifinals Game 2)...The Barracuda lost three straight games in regulation for the first time all season...Ben Street (2-5—7) and Eric Tangradi (1-6—7) led the team with seven points apiece in the series.

Central Division Finals Notes: The Griffins improved to 12-10 all time in best-of-seven series...Grand Rapids toppled a No. 1 seed in the playoffs for the second time ever…Including the regular season, the Griffins finished the year 12-3 against Chicago, the Central Division Champions in the regular season...Mitch Callahan recorded the ninth hat trick in Griffins playoff history in Game 4’s victory...Eric Tangradi logged an assist on all three of Callahan’s tallies and Evgeny Svechnikov also had a trio of helpers, marking the first time in Grand Rapids’ playoff history that the Griffins had one player record a hat trick and two others each tally three assists in the same game…Four players led the Griffins with six points apiece in the five-game series: Tyler Bertuzzi (3-3—6), Mitch Callahan (3-3—6), Tomas Nosek (2-4—6) and Eric Tangradi (0-6—6).

Central Division Semifinals Notes: The Griffins improved to 6-3 all time in best-of-five series...Grand Rapids has won nine straight first-round games dating back to the 2015 Western Quarterfinals against Toronto...Grand Rapids swept Milwaukee for the second consecutive season...The Griffins earned a series sweep for the fourth time ever (2016 Central Division Semifinals vs. Milwaukee, 2003 Western Conference Semifinals vs. Chicago and 2001 IHL Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. Cleveland)...With the win in Game 3, Grand Rapids won its fifth straight game in which its opponent faced playoff elimination and improved to 4-0 in such games on the road since the beginning of its Calder Cup run in 2013…Since being swept in four games by Milwaukee in 2006, the Griffins have won their last six playoff games against the Admirals...Eric Tangradi’s goal at 0:25 of Game 2 was the Griffins’ fastest to start a playoff game since May 22, 2006, when Kent McDonell tallied 15 seconds into Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals at Milwaukee...Kyle Criscuolo’s overtime game-winner in Game 3 marked the second time Grand Rapids has clinched a series in overtime...The first time came in Game 5 of the 2006 North Division Semifinals against Toronto...Tyler Bertuzzi (2-2—4) and Evgeny Svechnikov (1-3—4) found the scoresheet in all three opening-round games and paced the Griffins with four points apiece...Jared Coreau turned aside 94 of 101 shots (0.931)...The crowd of 7,504 for Game 1 was the Griffins’ largest ever for a home playoff game played on or before April 21 as well as their largest for a Game 1 of a first-round series.