Wolves howl in first game of Central Division finals, beating Griffins 2-1

Griffins Playoff Game #5 - Story by James Gemmell, Photos by Steve Katerberg

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- It started out like something out of the famous hockey movie Slapshot, with one brawl after the next in the first period. But when the dust settled Thursday night, the Chicago Wolves had drawn first blood - literally - in the opening game of their AHL Central Division finals series, 2-1.

The first period ended with no goals but plenty of fights. Griffins goaltender Michal Postava made one spectacular save after the next in the first period for Grand Rapids, which scored the game's first goal on a close-in rebound shot by Eduards Tralmaks. But that turned out to be the Griffins' only goal of the game, as Chicago clearly outskated them in Game One - and finished with 32 shots on goal to Grand Rapids' 24.

Josiah Slavin scored the game winner at 6:48 of the 3rd period for Chicago.

A crowd of 5,357 turned out to witness the action at Van Andel Arena in downtown Grand Rapids. It started out as a wild affair in the first frame, but settled down the rest of the way. The crowd didn't settle down, though. They expressed their displeasure at the officials, who failed to penalize Chicago for several cheap shots. Postava looked like Dominik Hasek at times with lightning-quick reflexes and sprawling saves on his back. But the Griffins could not produce enough offense to beat their archrival from down the road in Chicago.

Game 2 of the series will be in Grand Rapids on Saturday night, May 16, at 7 p.m. Eastern time. Games 3 and 4 will be in Chicago on Tuesday and Thursday nights, respectively, at 8 p.m. EDT. Game 5, if necessary, will be played in Grand Rapids on Saturday, May 23 at 7 p.m. The contests air on WOOD Radio AM 1300 & FM 106.9.

FIRST PERIOD: Griffins 0, Wolves 0. Chicago had 13 shots on goal, GR 6.

[7:15pm] A sparser crowd than I would have expected for the opener of the AHL Central Division finals in Grand Rapids between the Griffins and Chicago Wolves. Jakub Rychlovsky skated quickly down the right wing, and with a good pass to Eduards Tralmaks, but Wolves' goalie Cayden Primeau is there to stop it. Primeau is the son of former Detroit Red Wings center Keith Primeau. Wolves center Ivan Ryabin with a break now for Chicago about 3-1/2 minutes in, but Griffins' goaltender Michal Postava stoned him. Postava brought a sterling 1.25 postseason Goals Against Average into the game. Now, at the 14:54 mark, a pause in the action. Chicago has six shots on goal to Grand Rapids' three.

At 5:31 into the period, the Griffins Wojciech Stachowiak is called for a two-minute holding penalty. And then, with 13:20 to go in the period, the fists fly right in front of the Griffins' cage. It will give the Wolves a 4-on-3 one-man advantage. But not for a long ... a 1970s-style brawl breaks out behind Postava, after the goalie got run into and Griffins' tough guy Dominik Shine took exception. All H-E-double-hockey sticks breaking out behind the Grand Rapids net. William Lagesson got popped in the chops.

A moment later, another melee breaks out behind the Griffins' goal cage at 12:44. Sheldon Dries and Anton Johannson for the Griffins mixing it up with several Wolves, and Chicago forward Skyler Brind'Amour takes a cheap shot at Johannson when he wasn't looking.

Some real roughhousing going on and the refs call a penalty on the Wolves with 9:13 left in the 1st period, after Stachowiak almost scores on a wraparound attempt - but Primeau stops the puck from crossing the goal with a quick skate to the left post. The penalty against Nikita Pavlychev, the Chicago fourth-line center. The Wolves killed the penalty and there is now 7:02 left and another brawl breaks out. Pavylchek starts it the moment he gets out of the penalty box, this time behind Chicago's cage. A wild, fiesty brawl so far, with a game trying to eventually break out. I can't type fast enough to keep up with the penalties, they're coming so fast. So, here is some good old-fashioned copying-and-pasting.

5:31 Grand Rapids Griffins Wojciech Stachowiak Holding, 2 min PP

06:40 Chicago Wolves Felix Unger Sörum Roughing, 2 min

06:40 Grand Rapids Griffins William Lagesson Roughing, 2 min

07:15 Chicago Wolves Domenick Fensore Roughing, 2 min

07:16 Chicago Wolves Skyler Brind’Amour Roughing, 2 min

07:16 Chicago Wolves Skyler Brind’Amour Roughing, 2 min

07:16 Grand Rapids Griffins Sheldon Dries Roughing, 2 min PP

07:16 Grand Rapids Griffins Sheldon Dries Roughing, 2 min

07:16 Grand Rapids Griffins Anton Johansson Roughing, 2 min

Chicago Wolves Charles Alex Legault Roughing, 2 min PP

Back to full strength now with about four minutes left in the first frame, and Postava makes an acrobatic save for the Griffins to keep the game scoreless. You know you're playing well when you're keeping the AHL's Goaltender of the Month in November and December - Sebastian Cossa - on the bench throughout the playoffs. Chicago leads in shots on goal, 13-5, and cheap hits. Postava standing on his head in this game with five terrific saves... his .945 save percentage is rising.

A fight-filled first period ends with no goals on the scoreboard, but maybe some blood on the players' equipment. Wolves finish the opening period with 13 shots on goal to the Griffins' 6.

SECOND PERIOD: Griffins 1, Moose 1. Both teams had 11 shots on goal. Moose lead through two periods, 24-17.

Underway at 8:08pm. A giveaway at center ice and the Wolves get a 2-on-1 breakaway four minutes in, and Bradley Nadeau takes the pass cuts across and tries to deke Postava, who makes a leg save that Dominik Hasek would be proud of, sprawling on his back on a spectacular save.

With 12:50 left in the 2nd period, the Wolves have 18 shots on the game - not even to the halfway point in the game. The Griffins have only eight - Postava keeping them in the contest.

No fighting or penalties until the 10:42 mark of the second stanza - a stark contrast to the first period. Chicago's Noah Philp gets called for a two-minute high-sticking penalty, but the Griffins fail to muster a shot on goal. Their superior playoff power play not clicking so far tonight.

The Griffins light the lamp with 5:19 left in the 2nd period. A shot from the right point bounced out from a pile of bodies to Eduards Tralmaks, who is sitting open near the far-left goalpost and he puts the puck into a wide-open corner to score the playoff series' first goal. It's Tralmaks' second tally of the postseason. The Griffins now trail in shots on goal by only six, 22-16. Axel Sandin-Pellika and William Lagesson with the assists. The Griffins now trail in shots on goal by only six, 22-16, as they begin to take the action to the Wolves for the first time.

With 2:24 remaining in the 2nd period, Alex Doucet gets a two-minute tripping penalty. And Chicago capitalizes, on a goal by center Justin Robidas with 1:21 to go in the period. Juuso Valimaki and Felix Unger Sorum get the assists. The period ends with Chicago leading in shots on goal, 24-17.

THIRD PERIOD: Wolves 2, Griffins 1. Chicago outshot G.R., 8-7 in the period.

Underway at 9:06pm. 4:10 into the period, a Wolves' player takes a dive in the Chicago zone. Dominik Shine is called for a tripping penalty. The Griffins kill the power play.

Hard to believe the contrast between the first period and the ensuing two in terms of non-stop fighting in the first and relative calm the rest of the night - as coaches undoubtedly told their players to cool it, with so much at stake. Shine takes a hard hit to the upper body and goes to the bench. The Wolves then come down the ice and score on a nice cross-ice feed from Joel Nystrom on the left-wing side to Josiah Slavin, who quickly moved to the right post and one-timed it home. Nystrom and Ivan Ryabkin got the assists at 6:48 into the period.

The crowd loudly chants "the referees (stink)," to clean up the language that was actually said. They are livid that there was no call for Chicago hitting Shine.

Carter Mazur with a chance in close with six minutes left in regulation, but some good Wolves' defensive work. Amadeus Lombardi gets a couple whacks at the puck in close but can't penetrate the puck past goalie Cayden Primeau. Mazur is furious at the refs for swallowing the whistle after he was held in front of the Chicago goal crease.

More vocal jeering from the Van Andel Arena crowd with 3:45 to go - as the ref calls a crucial hooking penalty against Michael Brandsegg-Nygard. That sealed the deal, removing the practicality of pulling the Griffins' goalie after that.

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GAME NOTES from Griffins' public relations:

The Griffins posted a franchise-best 51-16-4-1 record (.743) 107 with points during the regular season. They claimed the Central Division crown for the first time since 2002-03. After getting a first-round bye in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs, they defeated the Manitoba Moose in four games after losing the first on the road.

Chicago’s series with the Texas Stars went the full five games, with the Wolves winning the decisive Game 5, 6-1, at Allstate Arena. The Wolves split the two games in Texas before returning to Chicago and winning two of the three contests. Two of the five games were decided in overtime. Chicago outscored the Stars 17-13, showing 3.40 goals per game while allowing 2.60 goals. Chicago was outshot by Texas 147-130 (26.0 vs. 29.4). Finally, the Wolves’ power play finished 3-for-18 (16.7%) and the penalty kill went 14-for-16 (87.5%). Ryan Suzuki showed a team-high six points and four goals in five outings and Bradly Nadeau led the roster with four assists. In net, Cayden Primeau went 3-2 with a 2.27 GAA and a .918 save percentage.  

High Stakes

Throughout their 30 years as rivals in both the AHL and IHL, the Griffins and Wolves have met in the playoffs six times, with Chicago winning on four occasions. Each time these teams have clashed in the postseason, the winning team has gone on to either win the cup (three times) or lose to the eventual champion (three times). Over their five previous AHL playoff meetings, the winner reached the Calder Cup Finals three times and won the cup twice.