GRIFFINS VS. COMETS

Game 1 Sun., May 24 GRIFFINS at Comets 7 p.m.
Game 2 Mon., May 25 GRIFFINS at Comets 7 p.m.
Game 3 Thu., May 28 Comets at GRIFFINS 7 p.m.
Game 4 Fri., May 29 Comets at GRIFFINS 7 p.m.
*Game 5 Sun., May 31 Comets at GRIFFINS 5 p.m.
*Game 6 Tue., June 2 GRIFFINS at Comets 7 p.m.
*Game 7 Wed., June 3 GRIFFINS at Comets 7 p.m.

*If necessary. All times are Eastern and subject to change. All games on Newsradio WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM and AHLLive.com.

Griffins vs. Comets: This Western Conference Finals matchup is the first time that the Griffins and Comets have met in the postseason during Utica’s two-year AHL tenure, also marking the second consecutive round in which Grand Rapids will face a new opponent. The teams only met twice during the regular season, with both squads securing a victory on their home ice. The season series began with a 2-4 loss to the Comets at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Jan. 14, before the Griffins trounced the Comets, 5-1, in their inaugural visit to Van Andel Arena on Jan. 23. Ranking only fourth in the Midwest Division at the time of their victory over Utica, the Griffins used their momentum over the North Division leaders to spark a run in which they suffered only one regulation loss in 24 games from Jan. 23-March 20. Within that span, Grand Rapids strung together a franchise-record 19-game point streak (15-0-3-1) and claimed first place in both the Midwest Division and the Western Conference, just one point ahead of Utica, at the conclusion of its streak. Grand Rapids boasted the league’s most prolific offense this season with 249 goals, while Utica’s defense was the fifth-stingiest on the circuit, allowing only 182. Each club’s special teams nearly mirrored their counterparts during the regular season. Grand Rapids converted 17.0% of its power play chances (T15th), while Utica converted on 16.1% (18th). In terms of penalty killing, the Griffins’ 86.4% rate (6th) edged out the Comets’ 86.3% mark (7th).

How It Happened: The Griffins advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a decisive 5-3 victory over the Rockford IceHogs in Game 5 of the semifinal round. After an overtime victory in Game 4 at the BMO Harris Bank Center in which Tyler Bertuzzi scored the game-winner 13 seconds into the extra session, Grand Rapids closed out the series three days later with the help of five scorers. On a first-period power play, Teemu Pulkkinen scored his league-leading 13th goal of the postseason, marking his 30th career playoff point and eighth power play tally, breaking a tie with Derek King and Tomas Tatar for the most in franchise history. Pulkkinen ranks second all-time on the Griffins’ playoff scoring list, only trailing King’s 41 points. The beginning of the second period swung in favor of the Griffins, as Andy Miele solved Michael Leighton just 39 seconds in and Marek Tvrdon found the back of the cage at 2:16. Despite Rockford’s Tanner Kero putting the IceHogs on the board at 5:10, Bertuzzi scored his sixth goal and ninth point in just eight playoff games at the 12:21 mark to put the Griffins up 4-1 at the end of 40 minutes. After Rockford pulled Leighton with just under nine minutes left in the game, captain Jeff Hoggan deposited the puck into an empty net for a 5-1 lead. The IceHogs didn’t go out quietly though, as late-game scares by Zach Miskovic and Brandon Mashinter produced the final score of 5-3. The Comets advanced to the conference finals after a 1-0 victory over the Oklahoma City Barons in Game 7 of their second-round series, bringing an end to the Barons franchise. The heroes of the game were Utica right wing Alexandre Grenier, who scored the lone goal at 7:11 of the third period, and goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who became just the second goaltender to in AHL history with a 1-0 shutout in Game 7, joining Cleveland’s Johnny Bower from the 1953 Finals.

Regular Season Series Notes: Utica’s Dustin Jeffrey led both teams in points during the regular season series, registering three goals and an assist, but he was acquired by the New York Islanders in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on March 2 for Cory Conacher. Jeffrey appeared in 20 games with Bridgeport to close out his 2014-15 season. Six Griffins and two Comets each owned two points in the series, with Tomas Nosek leading the way for Grand Rapids after potting two empty net goals, including a shorthanded tally, on Jan. 23 at Van Andel Arena. While Jacob Markstrom appeared between the pipes in Utica’s win during the series, Griffins goaltender Tom McCollum didn’t play in either of the games against Utica. Markstrom owned a 2.02 GAA and a 0.929 save percentage in his Jan. 14 appearance versus the Griffins.

Final Four: Grand Rapids has advanced to the conference finals for the second time in three years, fourth time in its AHL history and the sixth time in its 19-year history, including five seasons in the IHL from 1996-01. The team’s last conference finals appearance came in 2013, when it defeated the Oklahoma City Barons in seven games en route to capturing its first championship. Prior to their Calder Cup-winning year, the Griffins advanced to the final four in 2006, when they were swept by the Milwaukee Admirals; in 2003, losing to the eventual-champion Houston Aeros in seven games; in 2001, losing to the eventual IHL Turner Cup-champion Orlando Solar Bears in six games; and in 2000, defeating the Cincinnati Cyclones in five games before losing to the Chicago Wolves in the Turner Cup Finals.

Well Rested: The Griffins closed out their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Rockford IceHogs on Sunday, May 17, giving the team time to rest and recoup for an entire week before their first game against the Comets on Sunday, May 24. Utica, however, will have just three days of rest after finishing off the Oklahoma City Barons in Game 7 on Wednesday, May 20. In addition, Grand Rapids’ last home game was on May 8 and the team will finally play again at Van Andel Arena on May 28, a full 20 days apart. It’s the longest postseason gap for the Griffins in home playoff games by an entire week. In contrast, the first five home playoff games this season were all played within a span of 10 days.

The Reign Down in Africa: Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen has been a dominant force for the Griffins since his return from the Detroit Red Wings on April 24. In 10 playoff games, the Vantaa, Finland, native owns a league-leading 13 goals, two assists and 15 points. Pulkkinen ties for the lead league in points with Manchester’s Jordan Weal (10-5—15), ranks first in goals, first in minor penalties (8), first in power play goals (5) and second in shots (47). In a first-period power play in Game 5 against Rockford, he scored his league-leading 13th goal of the postseason, marking his 30th career playoff point and eighth power play tally, breaking a tie with Derek King and Tomas Tatar for the most in franchise history. Pulkkinen ranks second all-time on the Griffins’ playoff scoring list (31), only trailing King’s 41 points, and his 13 goals this postseason are half of Bill McDougall’s AHL record for goals in a single playoff (26). In addition, he’s been held scoreless in just two games during the postseason. Pulkkinen won the AHL’s Willie Marshall Award as the league’s leading goal scorer for the 2014-15 campaign (34), despite playing in 27 fewer games than the three next-highest scorers, and was named to the 2014-15 AHL First All-Star Team on April 9.

When It Happens...: In playoff games in which Teemu Pulkkinen has scored, the Griffins are 11-5 all-time. Since the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs, Pulkkinen has played in 34 games, tallying 21 goals, 10 assists and 31 points. Pulkkinen has four multi-goal playoff games this season (10 GP) but didn’t have any prior to the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs (24 GP).

Bertuzzi Buzzsaw: After joining the Griffins for two games at the end of the regular season following his Guelph Storm being eliminated from the playoffs, left wing Tyler Bertuzzi has had a masive impact on Grand Rapids since missing the first two games of the playoffs due to a flue bug. In eight postseason matches, Bertuzzi ties for 11th among AHL scorers with nine points (6-3—9). He was particularly deadly in the Griffins’ semifinals series against the Rockford IceHogs, where he most notably scored both of Grand Rapids’ goals in Game 4, including the game-winning overtime goal just 13 seconds into the extra session. That goal was the fourth-fastest overtime goal in AHL playoff history. Bertuzzi also leads the entire league in game-winning playoff goals with four, approaching the AHL’s record of six set by Darren Haydar (2006) and Bud Holloway (2010). Bertuzzi was Detroit’s third choice (58th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and is the nephew of long-time NHL player Todd Bertuzzi.

Comet Tales: In just their second season as a franchise, the Utica Comets enjoyed a turnaround regular season compared to their inaugural 2013-14 campaign:

2013-14 2014-15
Record: 35-32-5-4, 79 pts. 47-20-7-2, 103 pts.
Division: 3rd North 1st North
Conference: T9th Western 1st Western
Overall: T19th AHL 2nd AHL
Playoffs: Did Not Qualify 1st Seed Western

Making Your Markstrom: Utica’s success this season is owed largely in part to 25-year-old star goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who compiled a 22-7-2 record and a 1.88 goals against average in 32 games with the Comets this season. Overall, the Gavle, Sweden, native ranked second among league goaltenders during the regular season and in addition to representing the Comets at the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic, which was held on his home ice at the Utica Memorial Auditorium, Markstrom was named to the AHL’s Second All-Star Team. In 11 playoff games, Markstrom has a 6-5 record and a 2.00 GAA, good enough for sixth overall. Nearly as strong in net for Utica all season-long was Joacim Eriksson, who compiled a 22-10-7 record and a 2.53 GAA through 41 games. Both Markstrom and Eriksson are natives of Gavle, Sweden, home to former Griffin and current Nashville Predator Calle Jarnkrok. Prior to their North American debuts, all three were members of the Swedish Elite League’s Brynas IF Gavle. Markstrom and Eriksson were teammates during Brynas’ 2008-09 season, while Markstrom and Jarnkrok were teammates during 2009-10.

Series Storylines:

• The Griffins are 7-1 in playoff series during their three seasons under coach Jeff Blashill, after having posted an 8-10 series record over their first 16 seasons. As such, Grand Rapids is the first AHL team to win seven playoff series during a three-year span since the Hershey Bears won back-to-back Calder Cups in 2009 and 2010. Meanwhile, the Comets, in just their second season in upstate New York, did not qualify for the playoffs last year;
• North Division champion Utica (47-20-7-2) edged out Midwest Division champion Grand Rapids (46-22-6-2) 103 to 100 in the Western Conference’s regular season points race. As a result, this will mark the first meeting of the No. 1 and 2 seeds in an AHL conference final since 2012, when No. 2 Toronto upset No.1 Oklahoma City 4-1 in the West while No. 1 Norfolk defeated No. 2 St. John’s 4-0 in the East;
• The Griffins will square off against the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate for the fourth time in the last 10 postseasons. All three prior clashes were against the Manitoba Moose, with Grand Rapids winning 4-3 in the 2006 North Division Finals, losing 3-4 in the 2007 North Division Semifinals, and losing 0-4 in the 2009 North Division Finals;
• This series features four of the 12 members of the AHL’s 2014-15 All-Star Teams. Griffins forwards Andy Miele and Teemu Pulkkinen were named to the First Team, while Comets defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti and goaltender Jacob Markstrom earned Second Team honors;
• Utica defenseman Travis Ehrhardt appeared in 135 games for the Griffins from 2009-12, tallying 27 points (5-22—27) and 99 penalty minutes. After logging 41 games (3-4—7, 22 PIM) during his first season with the Comets, he has seen action in all 12 of their post-season contests (0-4—4, 10 PIM).

New York, New York: Three Griffins players are natives of New York state, including goaltender Tom McCollum (Cambria, 208 miles from Utica), forward Mark Zengerle (Rochester, 136 miles) and defenseman Brian Lashoff (Albany, 96 miles). In addition, defenseman Nathan Paetsch resides in the state.

Larkin Signed to ATO: The Griffins on Thursday signed center Dylan Larkin to an amateur tryout. Detroit’s first choice (15th overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Larkin signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Wings on May 21. The Waterford, Mich., native, most recently secured a bronze medal with the United States in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship, tallying one assist and six penalty minutes in 10 games. Larkin also participated in the IIHF World Junior Championship earlier this season, where he tied for the tournament lead in goals (5) and led Team USA in points (5-2—7) through five games. The 6-foot-1, 193-pound center spent the duration of his 2014-15 regular season with the University of Michigan Wolverines, picking up 47 points (15-32—47), 38 PIM and a plus-18 rating in 35 games as a freshman. Larkin ranked 11th in the nation in scoring and was second among freshmen, behind Boston University’s Jack Eichel, earning national recognition as a Second Team All-American and within the conference as Big Ten Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten and All-Big Ten Rookie Team. Larkin is expected to make his debut in Game 1 against Utica.

Realignment: Next season under the AHL’s division realignment, the Comets will relocate to the Eastern Conference, where they’ll play in the North Division along with the Albany Devils (NJ), Binghamton Senators (OTT), Rochester Americans (BUF), St. John’s IceCaps (MTL), Syracuse Crunch (TB), and Toronto Marlies (TOR). The Griffins will remain in the Western Conference but will move to the Central Division, comprised of the Charlotte Checkers (CAR), Chicago Wolves (STL), Iowa Wild (MIN), Lake Erie Monsters (CBJ), Manitoba Moose (WPG), Milwaukee Admirals (NSH) and the Rockford IceHogs (CHI).

Don’t Look Back: The Griffins’ overtime victory in Game 4 against Rockford snapped their franchise-record six-game losing streak on the road during the playoffs, dating back to May 8, 2014 at Texas. Prior to that game, Grand Rapids was winless in their three previous playoff road games this postseason but had won all five on home ice. After winning the series in Rockford in Game 5, the Griffins are now on a two-game road winning streak and a five-game home winning streak.

Eligible Support: Three players were eligible to return to the Griffins upon the Detroit Red Wings’ elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs: forward Tomas Jurco, defenseman Alexey Marchenko, and goaltender Petr Mrazek. Marchenko was the only player to rejoin Grand Rapids in their quest for the Calder and has notched four assists since his return. Jurco (Slovakia) chose to represent his country at the World Championship. Landon Ferraro, who ranked third on the Griffins in scoring during the regular season with 42 points (27-15—42) in 70 games, played in one NHL game too many due to his appearance in the Wings’ Game 7 versus Tampa Bay. The Trail, B.C., native would be required to clear waivers if assigned to Grand Rapids.

Playoff Facts and Figures: Grand Rapids has won 15 of its 26 total previous playoff series and owns a combined 72-64 record during those games, going 35-34 on home ice and 37-30 on the road. Grand Rapids is now 4-3 in best-of-five series and 11-8 in best-of-seven series.

The Faithful Few: Seven members of the Griffins’ 2013 Calder Cup championship roster are still members of the active roster: forwards Louis-Marc Aubry, Jeff Hoggan and Teemu Pulkkinen: defensemen Brennan Evans, Brian Lashoff and Nathan Paetsch; and goaltender Tom McCollum. While Mitch Callahan also was part of the championship run in 2013, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in February and will not play during the playoffs.

Bench Bosses: Jeff Blashill led the Griffins to the playoffs for the third straight time and to the team’s second division title in his three seasons behind the bench. Born in Detroit and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., the 41-year-old Blashill helped Grand Rapids record a 46-22-6-2 record (100 pts.), exceeding results from both of his previous two campaigns as head coach. Previously, he led the Griffins to a 42-26-4-4 (92 pts.) record in 2012-13 and a 46-23-2-5 (99 pts.) record last season, in which he was awarded the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s Coach of the Year. Blashill’s perseverance was put to the test early on this season, as the Griffins ranked either fourth or fifth in the Midwest Division from Oct. 24-Dec. 19, including a five-game home losing streak to begin the season and a 3-6-1-0 record in their first 10 games. Blashill’s squad turned its fortunes around with a franchise record 19-game point streak (15-0-3-1) from Feb. 4-March 20, including a nine-game winning streak from Feb. 14– March 4, and eventually ran to a division title and to the second overall seed in the conference. In 2012-13, his first season as a head coach at the pro level, Blashill led the Griffins to the Calder Cup, marking the first championship in the franchise’s 17-year history. Travis Green was named the first Head Coach in Utica Comets history on July 11, 2013. Previously, Green spent his entire coaching career in the WHL. The 42-year old took over as head coach of the Portland Winterhawks during the 2012-13 season, following the suspension of head coach and general manager, Mike Johnston. Under Green’s tutelage, the Winterhawks compiled a 37-8-0-2 record en route to the WHL Championship Title. Behind Green, the Winterhawks went on to lose to the Halifax Mooseheads in the Memorial Cup Finals. Prior to coaching, Green played 14 years in the NHL as a member of the New York
Islanders, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. During his time in the NHL, he compiled 193 goals, 455 total points, and his team made the playoffs in seven of the 14 seasons. In the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, the Islanders selected Green in the second round (23rd overall).

Experience Counts: Fifteen players on the Griffins roster had AHL postseason experience entering the playoffs — Louis-Marc Aubry (0-1—1 in 14 GP), Andreas Athanasiou (0-1—1 in 6 GP), Mitch Callahan (7-9—16 in 32 GP), Colin Campbell (0-0—0 in 3 GP), Brennan Evans (2-7—9 in 48 GP), Jeff Hoggan (17-18—35 in 72 GP), Nick Jensen (0-1—1 in 10 GP), Brian Lashoff (1-5—6 in 26 GP), goaltender Tom McCollum (0-0 record, 3.50 GAA in 1 GP), Andy Miele (1-2—3 in 3 GP), Zach Nastasiuk (0-1—1 in 7 GP), Xavier Ouellet (0-0—0 in 8 GP), Nathan Paetsch (2-18—20 in 59 GP), Kevin Porter (0-7—7 in 12 GP), Teemu Pulkkinen (8-8—16 in 24 GP) and Ryan Sproul (2-3—5 in 10 GP). Two skaters had professional postseason experience at other levels; Chris Bruton (0-3—3 in 4 GP; ECHL) and Tomas Nosek (4-4—8 in 13 GP; Czech).

2014-15 Griffins vs. Comets

Griffins Records: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 in Grand Rapids, 0-1-0-0 in Utica
Comets Records: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 0-1-0-0 in Grand Rapids, 1-0-0-0 in Utica

Jan. 14 – Griffins 2, Comets 4 – Utica Memorial Auditorium
In the first-ever meeting between the Griffins and Comets, Grand Rapids fell by a score of 4-2 courtesy of a two-goal performance by Dustin Jeffrey and a 26-save performance from goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Following a scoreless first period, Jeffrey drew first blood just 1:04 into the middle frame, when he scored off of a rebound from Jared Coreau’s initial save. Following Utica’s first goal, special teams on both sides kicked into gear and had a huge impact on the outcome of the game. With Louis-Marc Aubry in the box for goaltender interference, Jeffrey earned his second of the night just 19 seconds into the power play after he procured the puck from a goal-mouth scramble. Later in the period with Andrey Pedan in the box for cross-checking, Alexey Marchenko scored his second goal of the season with a blistering slapshot set up by Scott Czarnowcan, which zoomed directly past Markstrom’s glove. With the third period only 61 seconds old, Alexandre Grenier restored Utica’s two-goal lead with the team’s second power play of the evening, before Andy Miele responded 38 seconds later to put the Griffins back within one. Although the Griffins battled heartedly throughout the third period, they couldn’t solve Markstrom again and eventually surrendered an empty-net goal to Carter Bancks with 58 seconds remaining in the game. After beginning the season with a record-tying six-game winning streak, Coreau’s 26 saves stuck him with his fourth consecutive loss and would prove to be the first of four straight losses for the Griffins.

Jan. 23 – Comets 1, Griffins 5 – Van Andel Arena
The Griffins welcomed the Comets to Van Andel Arena for the first time ever by grinding out a 5-1 victory over the visitors, backstopped by a 29-save performance from goaltender Pat Nagle, who was with the team on a professional tryout. The former Ferris State Bulldog’s first AHL win snapped the Griffins’ first 0-4 slump in almost four years, providing the team with a sigh of relief between the pipes while both Tom McCollum and Petr Mrazek were on recall with Detroit. Nagle blocked all 11 of Utica’s shots in the first period and Mark Zengerle potted a goal off of a stretch pass from Alexey Marchenko to give the Griffins a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. A fluky goal went the way of the Comets at 8:14 of the second period, when Nicklas Jensen lifted a backhand floater toward the far post, with the puck bouncing off of Dustin Jeffrey’s shoulder and trickling into the net under Nagle’s crossbar. However, Mitch Callahan seized the momentum in the final second of the period, jamming home a rebound past Joacim Eriksson to put the Griffins up 2-1 at the horn. A power play goal by Marek Tvrdon pushed the Griffins’ cushion to two at the 9:18 mark of the third period, before Tomas Nosek deposited two empty-net goals, including a shorthanded tally, to put the contest out of reach.

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

Game 1 Sun., May 24 GRIFFINS at Comets 7 p.m.
Game 2 Mon., May 25 GRIFFINS at Comets 7 p.m.
Game 3 Thu., May 28 Comets at GRIFFINS 7 p.m.
Game 4 Fri., May 29 Comets at GRIFFINS 7 p.m.
*Game 5 Sun., May 31 Comets at GRIFFINS 5 p.m.
*Game 6 Tue., June 2 GRIFFINS at Comets 7 p.m.
*Game 7 Wed., June 3 GRIFFINS at Comets 7 p.m.

*If necessary. All times are Eastern and subject to change. All games on Newsradio WOOD 106.9 FM/1300 AM and AHLLive.com.

Griffins vs. Comets: This Western Conference Finals matchup is the first time that the Griffins and Comets have met in the postseason during Utica’s two-year AHL tenure, also marking the second consecutive round in which Grand Rapids will face a new opponent. The teams only met twice during the regular season, with both squads securing a victory on their home ice. The season series began with a 2-4 loss to the Comets at the Utica Memorial Auditorium on Jan. 14, before the Griffins trounced the Comets, 5-1, in their inaugural visit to Van Andel Arena on Jan. 23. Ranking only fourth in the Midwest Division at the time of their victory over Utica, the Griffins used their momentum over the North Division leaders to spark a run in which they suffered only one regulation loss in 24 games from Jan. 23-March 20. Within that span, Grand Rapids strung together a franchise-record 19-game point streak (15-0-3-1) and claimed first place in both the Midwest Division and the Western Conference, just one point ahead of Utica, at the conclusion of its streak. Grand Rapids boasted the league’s most prolific offense this season with 249 goals, while Utica’s defense was the fifth-stingiest on the circuit, allowing only 182. Each club’s special teams nearly mirrored their counterparts during the regular season. Grand Rapids converted 17.0% of its power play chances (T15th), while Utica converted on 16.1% (18th). In terms of penalty killing, the Griffins’ 86.4% rate (6th) edged out the Comets’ 86.3% mark (7th).

How It Happened: The Griffins advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a decisive 5-3 victory over the Rockford IceHogs in Game 5 of the semifinal round. After an overtime victory in Game 4 at the BMO Harris Bank Center in which Tyler Bertuzzi scored the game-winner 13 seconds into the extra session, Grand Rapids closed out the series three days later with the help of five scorers. On a first-period power play, Teemu Pulkkinen scored his league-leading 13th goal of the postseason, marking his 30th career playoff point and eighth power play tally, breaking a tie with Derek King and Tomas Tatar for the most in franchise history. Pulkkinen ranks second all-time on the Griffins’ playoff scoring list, only trailing King’s 41 points. The beginning of the second period swung in favor of the Griffins, as Andy Miele solved Michael Leighton just 39 seconds in and Marek Tvrdon found the back of the cage at 2:16. Despite Rockford’s Tanner Kero putting the IceHogs on the board at 5:10, Bertuzzi scored his sixth goal and ninth point in just eight playoff games at the 12:21 mark to put the Griffins up 4-1 at the end of 40 minutes. After Rockford pulled Leighton with just under nine minutes left in the game, captain Jeff Hoggan deposited the puck into an empty net for a 5-1 lead. The IceHogs didn’t go out quietly though, as late-game scares by Zach Miskovic and Brandon Mashinter produced the final score of 5-3. The Comets advanced to the conference finals after a 1-0 victory over the Oklahoma City Barons in Game 7 of their second-round series, bringing an end to the Barons franchise. The heroes of the game were Utica right wing Alexandre Grenier, who scored the lone goal at 7:11 of the third period, and goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who became just the second goaltender to in AHL history with a 1-0 shutout in Game 7, joining Cleveland’s Johnny Bower from the 1953 Finals.

Regular Season Series Notes: Utica’s Dustin Jeffrey led both teams in points during the regular season series, registering three goals and an assist, but he was acquired by the New York Islanders in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on March 2 for Cory Conacher. Jeffrey appeared in 20 games with Bridgeport to close out his 2014-15 season. Six Griffins and two Comets each owned two points in the series, with Tomas Nosek leading the way for Grand Rapids after potting two empty net goals, including a shorthanded tally, on Jan. 23 at Van Andel Arena. While Jacob Markstrom appeared between the pipes in Utica’s win during the series, Griffins goaltender Tom McCollum didn’t play in either of the games against Utica. Markstrom owned a 2.02 GAA and a 0.929 save percentage in his Jan. 14 appearance versus the Griffins.

Final Four: Grand Rapids has advanced to the conference finals for the second time in three years, fourth time in its AHL history and the sixth time in its 19-year history, including five seasons in the IHL from 1996-01. The team’s last conference finals appearance came in 2013, when it defeated the Oklahoma City Barons in seven games en route to capturing its first championship. Prior to their Calder Cup-winning year, the Griffins advanced to the final four in 2006, when they were swept by the Milwaukee Admirals; in 2003, losing to the eventual-champion Houston Aeros in seven games; in 2001, losing to the eventual IHL Turner Cup-champion Orlando Solar Bears in six games; and in 2000, defeating the Cincinnati Cyclones in five games before losing to the Chicago Wolves in the Turner Cup Finals.

Well Rested: The Griffins closed out their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Rockford IceHogs on Sunday, May 17, giving the team time to rest and recoup for an entire week before their first game against the Comets on Sunday, May 24. Utica, however, will have just three days of rest after finishing off the Oklahoma City Barons in Game 7 on Wednesday, May 20. In addition, Grand Rapids’ last home game was on May 8 and the team will finally play again at Van Andel Arena on May 28, a full 20 days apart. It’s the longest postseason gap for the Griffins in home playoff games by an entire week. In contrast, the first five home playoff games this season were all played within a span of 10 days.

The Reign Down in Africa: Right wing Teemu Pulkkinen has been a dominant force for the Griffins since his return from the Detroit Red Wings on April 24. In 10 playoff games, the Vantaa, Finland, native owns a league-leading 13 goals, two assists and 15 points. Pulkkinen ties for the lead league in points with Manchester’s Jordan Weal (10-5—15), ranks first in goals, first in minor penalties (8), first in power play goals (5) and second in shots (47). In a first-period power play in Game 5 against Rockford, he scored his league-leading 13th goal of the postseason, marking his 30th career playoff point and eighth power play tally, breaking a tie with Derek King and Tomas Tatar for the most in franchise history. Pulkkinen ranks second all-time on the Griffins’ playoff scoring list (31), only trailing King’s 41 points, and his 13 goals this postseason are half of Bill McDougall’s AHL record for goals in a single playoff (26). In addition, he’s been held scoreless in just two games during the postseason. Pulkkinen won the AHL’s Willie Marshall Award as the league’s leading goal scorer for the 2014-15 campaign (34), despite playing in 27 fewer games than the three next-highest scorers, and was named to the 2014-15 AHL First All-Star Team on April 9.

When It Happens...: In playoff games in which Teemu Pulkkinen has scored, the Griffins are 11-5 all-time. Since the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs, Pulkkinen has played in 34 games, tallying 21 goals, 10 assists and 31 points. Pulkkinen has four multi-goal playoff games this season (10 GP) but didn’t have any prior to the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs (24 GP).

Bertuzzi Buzzsaw: After joining the Griffins for two games at the end of the regular season following his Guelph Storm being eliminated from the playoffs, left wing Tyler Bertuzzi has had a masive impact on Grand Rapids since missing the first two games of the playoffs due to a flue bug. In eight postseason matches, Bertuzzi ties for 11th among AHL scorers with nine points (6-3—9). He was particularly deadly in the Griffins’ semifinals series against the Rockford IceHogs, where he most notably scored both of Grand Rapids’ goals in Game 4, including the game-winning overtime goal just 13 seconds into the extra session. That goal was the fourth-fastest overtime goal in AHL playoff history. Bertuzzi also leads the entire league in game-winning playoff goals with four, approaching the AHL’s record of six set by Darren Haydar (2006) and Bud Holloway (2010). Bertuzzi was Detroit’s third choice (58th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and is the nephew of long-time NHL player Todd Bertuzzi.

Comet Tales: In just their second season as a franchise, the Utica Comets enjoyed a turnaround regular season compared to their inaugural 2013-14 campaign:

2013-14 2014-15
Record: 35-32-5-4, 79 pts. 47-20-7-2, 103 pts.
Division: 3rd North 1st North
Conference: T9th Western 1st Western
Overall: T19th AHL 2nd AHL
Playoffs: Did Not Qualify 1st Seed Western

Making Your Markstrom: Utica’s success this season is owed largely in part to 25-year-old star goaltender Jacob Markstrom, who compiled a 22-7-2 record and a 1.88 goals against average in 32 games with the Comets this season. Overall, the Gavle, Sweden, native ranked second among league goaltenders during the regular season and in addition to representing the Comets at the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic, which was held on his home ice at the Utica Memorial Auditorium, Markstrom was named to the AHL’s Second All-Star Team. In 11 playoff games, Markstrom has a 6-5 record and a 2.00 GAA, good enough for sixth overall. Nearly as strong in net for Utica all season-long was Joacim Eriksson, who compiled a 22-10-7 record and a 2.53 GAA through 41 games. Both Markstrom and Eriksson are natives of Gavle, Sweden, home to former Griffin and current Nashville Predator Calle Jarnkrok. Prior to their North American debuts, all three were members of the Swedish Elite League’s Brynas IF Gavle. Markstrom and Eriksson were teammates during Brynas’ 2008-09 season, while Markstrom and Jarnkrok were teammates during 2009-10.

Series Storylines:

• The Griffins are 7-1 in playoff series during their three seasons under coach Jeff Blashill, after having posted an 8-10 series record over their first 16 seasons. As such, Grand Rapids is the first AHL team to win seven playoff series during a three-year span since the Hershey Bears won back-to-back Calder Cups in 2009 and 2010. Meanwhile, the Comets, in just their second season in upstate New York, did not qualify for the playoffs last year;
• North Division champion Utica (47-20-7-2) edged out Midwest Division champion Grand Rapids (46-22-6-2) 103 to 100 in the Western Conference’s regular season points race. As a result, this will mark the first meeting of the No. 1 and 2 seeds in an AHL conference final since 2012, when No. 2 Toronto upset No.1 Oklahoma City 4-1 in the West while No. 1 Norfolk defeated No. 2 St. John’s 4-0 in the East;
• The Griffins will square off against the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate for the fourth time in the last 10 postseasons. All three prior clashes were against the Manitoba Moose, with Grand Rapids winning 4-3 in the 2006 North Division Finals, losing 3-4 in the 2007 North Division Semifinals, and losing 0-4 in the 2009 North Division Finals;
• This series features four of the 12 members of the AHL’s 2014-15 All-Star Teams. Griffins forwards Andy Miele and Teemu Pulkkinen were named to the First Team, while Comets defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti and goaltender Jacob Markstrom earned Second Team honors;
• Utica defenseman Travis Ehrhardt appeared in 135 games for the Griffins from 2009-12, tallying 27 points (5-22—27) and 99 penalty minutes. After logging 41 games (3-4—7, 22 PIM) during his first season with the Comets, he has seen action in all 12 of their post-season contests (0-4—4, 10 PIM).

New York, New York: Three Griffins players are natives of New York state, including goaltender Tom McCollum (Cambria, 208 miles from Utica), forward Mark Zengerle (Rochester, 136 miles) and defenseman Brian Lashoff (Albany, 96 miles). In addition, defenseman Nathan Paetsch resides in the state.

Larkin Signed to ATO: The Griffins on Thursday signed center Dylan Larkin to an amateur tryout. Detroit’s first choice (15th overall) in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Larkin signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Wings on May 21. The Waterford, Mich., native, most recently secured a bronze medal with the United States in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship, tallying one assist and six penalty minutes in 10 games. Larkin also participated in the IIHF World Junior Championship earlier this season, where he tied for the tournament lead in goals (5) and led Team USA in points (5-2—7) through five games. The 6-foot-1, 193-pound center spent the duration of his 2014-15 regular season with the University of Michigan Wolverines, picking up 47 points (15-32—47), 38 PIM and a plus-18 rating in 35 games as a freshman. Larkin ranked 11th in the nation in scoring and was second among freshmen, behind Boston University’s Jack Eichel, earning national recognition as a Second Team All-American and within the conference as Big Ten Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten and All-Big Ten Rookie Team. Larkin is expected to make his debut in Game 1 against Utica.

Realignment: Next season under the AHL’s division realignment, the Comets will relocate to the Eastern Conference, where they’ll play in the North Division along with the Albany Devils (NJ), Binghamton Senators (OTT), Rochester Americans (BUF), St. John’s IceCaps (MTL), Syracuse Crunch (TB), and Toronto Marlies (TOR). The Griffins will remain in the Western Conference but will move to the Central Division, comprised of the Charlotte Checkers (CAR), Chicago Wolves (STL), Iowa Wild (MIN), Lake Erie Monsters (CBJ), Manitoba Moose (WPG), Milwaukee Admirals (NSH) and the Rockford IceHogs (CHI).

Don’t Look Back: The Griffins’ overtime victory in Game 4 against Rockford snapped their franchise-record six-game losing streak on the road during the playoffs, dating back to May 8, 2014 at Texas. Prior to that game, Grand Rapids was winless in their three previous playoff road games this postseason but had won all five on home ice. After winning the series in Rockford in Game 5, the Griffins are now on a two-game road winning streak and a five-game home winning streak.

Eligible Support: Three players were eligible to return to the Griffins upon the Detroit Red Wings’ elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs: forward Tomas Jurco, defenseman Alexey Marchenko, and goaltender Petr Mrazek. Marchenko was the only player to rejoin Grand Rapids in their quest for the Calder and has notched four assists since his return. Jurco (Slovakia) chose to represent his country at the World Championship. Landon Ferraro, who ranked third on the Griffins in scoring during the regular season with 42 points (27-15—42) in 70 games, played in one NHL game too many due to his appearance in the Wings’ Game 7 versus Tampa Bay. The Trail, B.C., native would be required to clear waivers if assigned to Grand Rapids.

Playoff Facts and Figures: Grand Rapids has won 15 of its 26 total previous playoff series and owns a combined 72-64 record during those games, going 35-34 on home ice and 37-30 on the road. Grand Rapids is now 4-3 in best-of-five series and 11-8 in best-of-seven series.

The Faithful Few: Seven members of the Griffins’ 2013 Calder Cup championship roster are still members of the active roster: forwards Louis-Marc Aubry, Jeff Hoggan and Teemu Pulkkinen: defensemen Brennan Evans, Brian Lashoff and Nathan Paetsch; and goaltender Tom McCollum. While Mitch Callahan also was part of the championship run in 2013, he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in February and will not play during the playoffs.

Bench Bosses: Jeff Blashill led the Griffins to the playoffs for the third straight time and to the team’s second division title in his three seasons behind the bench. Born in Detroit and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., the 41-year-old Blashill helped Grand Rapids record a 46-22-6-2 record (100 pts.), exceeding results from both of his previous two campaigns as head coach. Previously, he led the Griffins to a 42-26-4-4 (92 pts.) record in 2012-13 and a 46-23-2-5 (99 pts.) record last season, in which he was awarded the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s Coach of the Year. Blashill’s perseverance was put to the test early on this season, as the Griffins ranked either fourth or fifth in the Midwest Division from Oct. 24-Dec. 19, including a five-game home losing streak to begin the season and a 3-6-1-0 record in their first 10 games. Blashill’s squad turned its fortunes around with a franchise record 19-game point streak (15-0-3-1) from Feb. 4-March 20, including a nine-game winning streak from Feb. 14– March 4, and eventually ran to a division title and to the second overall seed in the conference. In 2012-13, his first season as a head coach at the pro level, Blashill led the Griffins to the Calder Cup, marking the first championship in the franchise’s 17-year history. Travis Green was named the first Head Coach in Utica Comets history on July 11, 2013. Previously, Green spent his entire coaching career in the WHL. The 42-year old took over as head coach of the Portland Winterhawks during the 2012-13 season, following the suspension of head coach and general manager, Mike Johnston. Under Green’s tutelage, the Winterhawks compiled a 37-8-0-2 record en route to the WHL Championship Title. Behind Green, the Winterhawks went on to lose to the Halifax Mooseheads in the Memorial Cup Finals. Prior to coaching, Green played 14 years in the NHL as a member of the New York
Islanders, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Phoenix Coyotes, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. During his time in the NHL, he compiled 193 goals, 455 total points, and his team made the playoffs in seven of the 14 seasons. In the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, the Islanders selected Green in the second round (23rd overall).

Experience Counts: Fifteen players on the Griffins roster had AHL postseason experience entering the playoffs — Louis-Marc Aubry (0-1—1 in 14 GP), Andreas Athanasiou (0-1—1 in 6 GP), Mitch Callahan (7-9—16 in 32 GP), Colin Campbell (0-0—0 in 3 GP), Brennan Evans (2-7—9 in 48 GP), Jeff Hoggan (17-18—35 in 72 GP), Nick Jensen (0-1—1 in 10 GP), Brian Lashoff (1-5—6 in 26 GP), goaltender Tom McCollum (0-0 record, 3.50 GAA in 1 GP), Andy Miele (1-2—3 in 3 GP), Zach Nastasiuk (0-1—1 in 7 GP), Xavier Ouellet (0-0—0 in 8 GP), Nathan Paetsch (2-18—20 in 59 GP), Kevin Porter (0-7—7 in 12 GP), Teemu Pulkkinen (8-8—16 in 24 GP) and Ryan Sproul (2-3—5 in 10 GP). Two skaters had professional postseason experience at other levels; Chris Bruton (0-3—3 in 4 GP; ECHL) and Tomas Nosek (4-4—8 in 13 GP; Czech).

2014-15 Griffins vs. Comets

Griffins Records: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 1-0-0-0 in Grand Rapids, 0-1-0-0 in Utica
Comets Records: 1-1-0-0 Overall, 0-1-0-0 in Grand Rapids, 1-0-0-0 in Utica

Jan. 14 – Griffins 2, Comets 4 – Utica Memorial Auditorium
In the first-ever meeting between the Griffins and Comets, Grand Rapids fell by a score of 4-2 courtesy of a two-goal performance by Dustin Jeffrey and a 26-save performance from goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Following a scoreless first period, Jeffrey drew first blood just 1:04 into the middle frame, when he scored off of a rebound from Jared Coreau’s initial save. Following Utica’s first goal, special teams on both sides kicked into gear and had a huge impact on the outcome of the game. With Louis-Marc Aubry in the box for goaltender interference, Jeffrey earned his second of the night just 19 seconds into the power play after he procured the puck from a goal-mouth scramble. Later in the period with Andrey Pedan in the box for cross-checking, Alexey Marchenko scored his second goal of the season with a blistering slapshot set up by Scott Czarnowcan, which zoomed directly past Markstrom’s glove. With the third period only 61 seconds old, Alexandre Grenier restored Utica’s two-goal lead with the team’s second power play of the evening, before Andy Miele responded 38 seconds later to put the Griffins back within one. Although the Griffins battled heartedly throughout the third period, they couldn’t solve Markstrom again and eventually surrendered an empty-net goal to Carter Bancks with 58 seconds remaining in the game. After beginning the season with a record-tying six-game winning streak, Coreau’s 26 saves stuck him with his fourth consecutive loss and would prove to be the first of four straight losses for the Griffins.

Jan. 23 – Comets 1, Griffins 5 – Van Andel Arena
The Griffins welcomed the Comets to Van Andel Arena for the first time ever by grinding out a 5-1 victory over the visitors, backstopped by a 29-save performance from goaltender Pat Nagle, who was with the team on a professional tryout. The former Ferris State Bulldog’s first AHL win snapped the Griffins’ first 0-4 slump in almost four years, providing the team with a sigh of relief between the pipes while both Tom McCollum and Petr Mrazek were on recall with Detroit. Nagle blocked all 11 of Utica’s shots in the first period and Mark Zengerle potted a goal off of a stretch pass from Alexey Marchenko to give the Griffins a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. A fluky goal went the way of the Comets at 8:14 of the second period, when Nicklas Jensen lifted a backhand floater toward the far post, with the puck bouncing off of Dustin Jeffrey’s shoulder and trickling into the net under Nagle’s crossbar. However, Mitch Callahan seized the momentum in the final second of the period, jamming home a rebound past Joacim Eriksson to put the Griffins up 2-1 at the horn. A power play goal by Marek Tvrdon pushed the Griffins’ cushion to two at the 9:18 mark of the third period, before Tomas Nosek deposited two empty-net goals, including a shorthanded tally, to put the contest out of reach.

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