The Manitoba Moose saved their season the first two times they faced elimination in the Calder Cup Playoffs, but couldn’t do it a third time.
The Grand Rapids Griffins scored three power play goals in a 5-2 Game 4 win over Manitoba on Friday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Griffins won the best-of-five series three games to one to advance to the Central Division final.
Grand Rapids had a one-goal lead after the first two periods and then added a pair in the top half of the third frame. The Moose scored just as they pulled the keeper to pull within two goals, but an empty net with three minutes remaining sealed their fate.
“It just stinks,” said Moose forward Parker Ford, who had an assist in the loss. “It ends so suddenly and it’s just upset all around. I think it’s very exciting to see everybody in the locker room after that loss and the thing about pro hockey is you don’t know what the team is going to look like next year.”
Dylan Anhorn and Phillip Di Giuseppe had the markers in the loss as Manitoba scored just five goals throughout the four-game series.
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“Tough pill to swallow right now,” Moose defenseman Ashton Sautner said. “We had a lot of confidence in our group and we had a lot of momentum. I loved coming away from that Milwaukee series. Just who our group is. We just scratched and clawed all year, and we got to a game that we, as a group in that locker room, felt like we could win.”
The Moose had just six shots on goal in each of the first two periods and were outshot by the Griffins 26-21 overall.
The Griffins won three straight after the Moose won the series opener.
“It’s always an empty feeling when you’re with a group of guys for the whole season and it ends so suddenly,” Moose coach Mark Morrison said. “It’s always tough. It’s tough for everybody, but I’m proud of them. I’m very proud of this group. We’ve had a lot of different groups that have bowed out at different times, but this group — there was no hand.”
The Griffins were 3-for-4 on the power play in the clincher.
Thomas Milic made 21 saves in goal for Manitoba in his first start since Game 1 of the playoffs.
Carter Mazur scored twice in the win, while Eduards Tralmaks, Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård also beat Milic.
Dawson Barteaux and Tyson Empey both played their first game of the series for the Moose after Lucas Wahlin missed Game 4 with a lower-body injury and Kale Clague was attending the birth of his baby.
The Griffins will now meet the Chicago Wolves in the Central Division final.
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