After ten days of rest, the Grand Rapids Griffins finally found themselves playing hockey again. Coming off a 3-1 series win over the Rockford IceHogs, the Griffins matched up against the top-seeded Milwaukee Admirals in the Central Division Finals.
Milwaukee had all but clinched the #1 spot in the Division months ago by way of a 19-game winning streak. The Admirals featured a roster with talent and depth across every position. The Griffins, however, weren’t fazed. They came out of the long rest with a game plan to choke out the Admirals’ attack. With a 4-2 victory, the Griffins open the series with a 1-0 lead.
Stars Shine Bright
The Griffins got off to a fast start in this one. Their top line of Jonatan Berggren, Austin Czarnik, and Carter Mazur got on the board less than five minutes in. A pretty tic-tac-toe play lead to a net side tap-in for Mazur.
All three players featured on that Griffins top line are scoring at least at a point-per-game pace. They got off quickly in this series to establish their presence.
For much of the first period, the Griffins kept the Admirals away from Sebastian Cossa‘s net. They held Milwaukee to the outside and kept the opportunities limited. That was until Juuso Parssinen hit Zach L’Heureux with a long stretch pass, catching Grand Rapids’ defenders napping at their blue line. The hottest stick in the AHL beat Cossa with a quick shot for his sixth of the postseason. The Admirals didn’t need a ton of looks to put one in and tie the game.
Just one period into this one and the stars for both teams were flexing their offensive muscles early.
Powerless Play
Kicking off the second, the Griffins remained committed to slowing the Admirals down in the neutral zone. After just four shots on Cossa in the first period, Grand Rapids looked to keep the pace slow and pick their spots to attack. That came on an aggressive Milwaukee pinch that allowed Marco Kasper a look on a 2-on-1. The Austrian rookie feathered a perfect saucer pass to Zach Aston-Reese for the one timer that goaltender Troy Groesnick had no chance on.
Following the leading goal, the Griffins got two chances on the power play, where they went 0-for-8 against Rockford last series. With ten days off, there was plenty of time to iron out the kinks and come out fresh and refocused.
The Griffins ran out an atrocious power play that struggled to so much as gain the zone. In fact, they never really looked comfortable with the puck. The momentum quickly swung to Milwaukee’s favor. Just seconds after an expiring penalty to Navrin Mutter the Admirals attacked. Phil Tomasino poked the puck through Cossa and the game was all knotted up after several chances for the Griffins to gain a stranglehold on the game.
Kasper the Friendly Ghost
Marco Kasper had been all over the ice in this one. The 19-year old plays a mature game for his age, handling heavy defensive responsibilities in his own end. Game One was no exception, and in the third that window opened for Grand Rapids again. Attacking in transition, Kasper and Brogan Rafferty gained the zone and found space right in front of Groesnick.
With Groesnick huddled up to the near side post, Kasper lifted the puck over his shoulder and off the far side post and in. From so tight to the net it took a perfect shot to put the Griffins up 3-2 in this one halfway through the third period.
From the ten minute mark, the Griffins were all about protecting their lead. Milwaukee’s attacks through the neutral zone were met by active sticks and bodies closing them into the boards. When the pucks got into the Griffins’ zone, the defense activated to get them up and out quickly before the Admirals’ forecheckers could take advantage.
With just two minutes left and Groesnick to the bench, Mazur was able to beat Marc Del Gaizo to a loose puck. The Milwaukee defender was forced to take his man down to avoid a sure goal. The ensuing power play allowed Joel L’Esperance to ice the game with an empty net goal, technically breaking Grand Rapids’ drought in that category.
With Kasper chipping the puck out to L’Esperance, his three-point effort capped off a 4-2 victory for the Griffins.
Takeaways
- For much of this game, it looked like Milwaukee was the team that hadn’t played in ten days. The Admirals had long stretches – especially early on – where they appeared asleep at the wheel. The aggressive forecheck that they’ve become known for just wasn’t there. By the time they started to get the wheels rolling and pucks at the net, Cossa was dialed in and wouldn’t give them much to shoot at.
- The power play for Grand Rapids remains a work in progress. Something simply has to change. Be it the entries into the zone or the plays to establish possession, the Griffins need to flip the script regarding their man advantage unit. L’Esperance’s goal on the stat sheet looks a little better, but the Griffins can’t continue to go without a consistent effort on the power play and expect to go far in these playoffs. Sooner or later, it’s going to bite them.
- The Griffins’ are now 3-0 on the road in these playoffs. They snagged home ice advantage away in this series and sets up a scenario where they play Game Two in Milwaukee with house money. Now with some of that ten day rust shaken off, they can play loose and fast. That could be a very dangerous scenario for the Admirals.
- Speaking of the Admirals, who takes the net for Game Two? It’s hard to blame Groesnick for any of the goals against. Defensive lapses left him out to hang, but Yaroslav Askarov has yet to make an appearance on home ice this postseason. Does head coach Karl Taylor go back to his young stud, or does he lean on the veteran that got them through last round?
Game Two is Monday night in Milwaukee, 7:00 C.S.T.
