GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Following Rockford’s decisive 5-1 win in Game Two on Wednesday night, the stage was set for a massive Friday at Van Andel Arena. The winner of Game Three would have the opportunity to clinch the Central Division Semifinal in Rockford on Sunday.
The atmosphere was a special one in Van Andel Arena, with an aptly themed pig roast going on before the game. That made the almost 9,000 fans in attendance as hungry for a W as the players on the ice.
Momentum has swung like a pendulum in this series and Friday night was no different. In the end, the rock swung the Griffins’ way as they took a 4-3 final in overtime to put the IceHogs on the brink of elimination.
Making the Adjustments
In Game Two, Grand Rapids had almost zero room to maneuver in the middle of the ice. The IceHogs did an excellent job of keeping the Griffins to the outside and keeping chances away from Drew Commesso‘s net. Commesso’s heroics in Game Two saw him starting again in Game Three over Jaxson Stauber, who came into this series on a 13-game winning streak.
In Game Two, the Griffins managed 10 shots through 30 minutes. They equaled that total in just over ten minutes of play in this one. Carter Mazur and Marco Kasper found themselves with good looks on net following point shots and deflections that Commesso had to fight off.
Though the first period ended scoreless, the Griffins maintained heavy possession in the Rockford end and came swinging with a much different energy than they presented in Game Two.
Minute Men
That energy came alive less than a minute into the second period where Dominik Shine fed a pass to the high slot that found Kasper. The 2021 first-round pick patiently waited for the lane to open before wiring a shot to the top shelf to break the ice in this one.
“It’s always great to score. Fun way to get the team started. I think we played good the whole game. We weren’t happy with our game we played on Wednesday, so I think everybody was excited to get out there and play our best game.”
Marco Kasper
The physical play turned up in the second, but the dial was cranked up when Brett Seney ran over Sebastian Cossa in the Griffins crease. Seney came up high on the 6’6 netminder and Simon Edvinsson was forced to respond in kind.
Despite the high shot – and Edvinsson simply coming to the defense of his goaltender, the Griffins found themselves playing at 4-on-4.
“[Simon] didn’t throw punches. At some point in time we have to have the ability to protect our goaltender. I’m glad our guy stuck up for our goaltender, that’s #1”
Head Coach Dan Watson
“Ref told me he got pushed in, and at the end of the day that’s playoff hockey. Winded me for a couple seconds and then i got back up like nothing happened”
Sebastian Cossa
Whether it was an innocent play or Rockford trying to send a message, Cossa remained dialed in when the Griffins saw the IceHogs making a push at the end of the second period. Rem Pitlick saw his breakaway chance hit the glass and bounce right back to him – the fortuitous bounce the only marker getting past Cossa after two periods of play.
Momentous
It was another play just a minute into the period. Jonatan Berggren hit Austin Czarnik streaking down the middle of the ice – attacking where the Griffins had little luck last game. Czarnik made a beautiful play to catch the puck through his legs, make a move on Commesso and bury the puck for the lead.
Van Andel’s roof nearly popped off when Elmer Soderblom finished a beautiful feed from Shine out front. The 3-1 score led to a time honored tradition of an octopus making its way to the ice – a sign of playoff hunger in this fanbase and organization.
However, Rockford is a resilient squad. They’ve been able to get under the Griffins’ skin all season and nothing exemplified that better than the goals by Zach Sanford and Jackson Cates at the side of Cossa’s net. Two plays created by hustle and some more luck and suddenly the Griffins, who had controlled much of the play in this one, found themselves heading to overtime.
“We talked about shifting momentum. We did that in the third and we asked them to do that again. We’ve already been in this position against this team. I thought our guys handled the adversity well and kept their emotions in check, which is a big reason why we won.”
Dan Watson on the mentality heading to overtime
Love the Moment
Grand Rapids came out to start the overtime with their pants on fire. They tested Commesso with bodies out front hoping to get one of those aforementioned bounces going their way.
It took about eight minutes to get one. After a Berggren turnover over the Rockford line, Mazur was able to get his stick on the puck and create another rush going the other way. Mazur went to the net and Berggren fed a sauce that Grandma Audrey would approve of if not for the finish ringing off the post.
The rebound came right to Berggren, who had an open net to tap the winning goal home and send the Grand Rapids crowd into a frenzy.
Takeaways
- What a response. It’s easy to get shell shocked with a quick swing in momentum after the two late goals to tie, but the Griffins held together to avoid what could’ve been a disastrous result. Instead of a Game Three collapse leading to a must-win scenario on the road, the story becomes one of resiliency with a chance to close out in Rockford. It’s a fine line.
- The power play did look better for Grand Rapids but continues to go 0-for. Two late penalty kills helped keep Rockford off the board – so it’s an overall improvement on special teams. Still, this team has too much talent to continue to go scoreless with the man advantage.
- For all that’s been hoped for Berggren in the Detroit organization, he’s been as advertised in this series for the Griffins. He became the first Griffin ever to record two overtime goals in the same postseason series with Game Three’s winner. He’s a player that loves the big moments and it shows in his game.
“He’s a guy that wants to live in these big moments. He’s done it multiple times for us. He wins a race to the net and bangs it in. He’s special offensively.”
Dan Watson on Berggren
The Griffins have a chance to close out the series in Rockford on Sunday. Puck drop for Game 4 is at 4 PM CST.
