SYRACUSE, N.Y. – There was no cup except a hiccup for the Grand Rapids Griffins on Saturday, as the Syracuse Crunch used home ice to their full advantage and staved off elimination with a 5-1 win in Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals at the War Memorial Arena.
A crowd of 6,479 saw the Crunch score five times in the opening period en route to finishing 11-1 at home in the postseason. Despite the loss, the Griffins will return to Grand Rapids with a 3-2 series lead and as many as two chances to close out Syracuse within the friendly confines of Van Andel Arena, where they took Games 1 and 2 of this series and are 9-0 during the playoffs. Game 6 is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m.