The Grand Rapids Griffins and Rockford IceHogs are no strangers to one another. The teams faced off a dozen times this year; who’s up for a couple more?
The second-seeded Griffins have a tall order in the third-seeded IceHogs. Rockford ended the regular season at a torrid pace, falling a single point short of overtaking Grand Rapids in the Central Division standings. This Central Division Semifinal is a best-of-five affair that begins in Rockford on Saturday, April 27.
This promises to be a hotly contested series between division rivals. Here’s how the series shapes up entering Game One.
Rockford IceHogs Season Recap
Through the first four months of action, the IceHogs struggled to find a consistent groove. Rockford suffered through two seven-game losing streaks; the first came in December, with the second stretching to February 9 with an overtime loss to Texas. This left the team with a 16-19-5-2 record and a tenuous hold on fourth place in the Central.
From that point on, the tumblers fell into place for the IceHogs. Rockford won three of its next five games, then went on a seven-game win streak. This tied a franchise record, but the IceHogs weren’t done.
Rockford has not lost consecutive games since losing to Grand Rapids and Iowa on February 17 and 19. The IceHogs closed the regular season in dominating fashion, going 20-5 the rest of the way.
Grand Rapids Griffins Season Recap
With an influx of youth and a new coaching staff featuring former Griffin great Brian Lashoff, it was a rough start out of the gate for the Griffins. Heading into the Christmas break, Grand Rapids struggled to hold their head above water and were in danger of falling out of the playoff race for a third consecutive season.
Once the holiday spirit hit the Griffins, however, they seemed to hit another gear. The months of January and February were red-hot for Grand Rapids, stretching a point streak to a franchise-record 18 games, including a sweep of Texas to take over the second seed. From there, the Griffins never looked back. The Griffins also halted top-seeded Milwaukee’s 19-game winning streak over that span. After a difficult opening, the Griffins arrived to the scene in a big way.
During that streak, Sebastian Cossa was incredible.
After a rough start, the 2021 first-round pick emerged as a star in the crease for Grand Rapids. His imposing big frame and athletic reflexes led him to some incredible numbers since that Christmas break.
Regular Season Series
The Griffins and IceHogs split the season series. Each team is 4-2 in the other team’s barn. Five of the games were one-goal decisions; two were won by Rockford in overtime, while Grand Rapids came out on top of a February 2 shootout.
Over the last month, the teams have clashed four times. Predictably, each team has won twice in those contests. The latest tilt came on April 12 in Grand Rapids, where the IceHogs won 2-0.
Rockford IceHogs Storylines And Players To Watch
Jaxson Stauber and Drew Commesso have formed a solid goaltending tandem all season. Stauber, who likely will start Game One, just had a 13-game winning streak snapped in Milwaukee last weekend. Stauber is 13-1-1 with a 2.20 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in the last three months.
The IceHogs have a deep team of experienced skaters, led by team MVP Brett Seney (23 G, 40 A). Seney has played in all twelve games against Grand Rapids this season and has been dominant, with five goals and eight assists against the Griffins.
Rem Pitlick was assigned to Rockford in February by the Chicago Blackhawks and has been on a tear, scoring 33 points (14 G, 19 A) in 27 games with the IceHogs. Also chipping in on the offensive side are David Gust (16 G, 26 A) and Mike Hardman (22 G, 15 A).
Rookie defenseman Ethan Del Mastro (7 G, 30 A) leads a young group of blueliners that have made Rockford a very effective defensive squad. Fellow rookie Wyatt Kaiser (4 G, 14 A) has been a big part of that success. Issak Phillips and Louis Crevier, assigned to the IceHogs by Chicago at the trade deadline, provide additional depth on the back end.
The IceHogs are hoping to get some key players back in the lineup in time to impact their series with Grand Rapids. Cole Guttman has been out since taking a slash from the Griffins’ Taro Hirose on April 6. Guttman had 26 points (13 G, 13 A) in his previous thirteen games before being injured.
Rookie defenseman Nolan Allan (5 G, 12 A) and forward Zach Sanford, who recently came down from Chicago, are injured IceHogs who could be nearing a return to the lineup in the near future.
Grand Rapids Griffins Storylines And Players To Watch
The offense seemed to dry up for the Griffins near the end of the season. In April, the Griffins failed to score more than 2 goals in regulation without the aid of an empty net in their last seven games. Yes, they were missing Austin Czarnik and Simon Edvinsson to callups to Detroit. There was still plenty of talent in Jonatan Berggren, Marco Kasper, Carter Mazur, and the list goes on. The offense can’t dry up when it’s needed most against a tough Rockford team.
The power play, especially at the season’s end, was rather abysmal. There is too much talent on this Griffin’s team for the extra-man unit not to strike more frequently. They will have to lean on their opportunities with the man advantage when they can get them and cash in.
Speaking of man-advantage opportunities, the Griffins need to stay disciplined. Far too often – especially against Rockford – the Griffins have barked too much at the officials and got in trouble for it. If that doesn’t fail, they’ve allowed the IceHogs’ physical play to knock them off their game and trigger either retaliatory penalties or forced plays that aren’t there. The Griffins need to maintain their cool in order to stay in this series
Bold Prediction: Rockford IceHogs
Rockford takes advantage of the scheduling to win Game One, paced by a shutout by Stauber. The lone goal comes from Gust’s stick late in the third period. Paced by Gust’s playoff experience, the IceHogs successfully put the Griffins on their heels heading into the next two games at Van Andel Arena. Rockford will then look to wrest control of the series in Grand Rapids, where they’ve had success recently.
Bold Prediction: Grand Rapids
The Griffins find their power play and come alive in this series on the man advantage. This team has just too much talent and far too many offensive weapons to be so ice-cold in crucial situations.
The coaching staff is going to have to dial the Griffins in, and with reinforcements like Edvinsson and Czarnik returning from Detroit, the power play will flex its muscle against Rockford.
Series Prediction: Jon Fromi
Two evenly-matched teams playing shutdown hockey. Expect some overtime skating in at least two of the games. It may come down to the young goalie that takes over the series. Cossa…Stauber…Commesso? I say IceHogs in five games.
Series Prediction: Andrew Rinaldi
This is going to be physical – painful for both sides. It’s going to come right down to the wire. Luckily for the Griffins, their 23-7-6 record has been stellar at home, and they have the extra game there. Cossa’s going to be the horse in net for Grand Rapids as they squeeze one out here. Griffins in five.
