Of Grand Rapids Griffins-related note this morning:
- The Griffins play the Manitoba Moose in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the teams’ first-round series this evening, and the Grand Rapids Press’s Peter J. Wallner sets up tonight’s game:
The Griffins won Thursday, 3-0, but also lost Eric Tangradi in the process. The team’s top regular-season goal scorer (with 31) was suspended for Game 5 for a cross-check incident on Thursday, though no penalty was called. Tangradi has two goals and four points in the four games.
His suspension is the latest of four from the series. The Griffins also had Colin Campbell miss Game 3 for an illegal check to the head of Mason Appleton, the rookie of the year who hasn’t been back since.
Meanwhile, the Moose will get back one big scorer and still be without another for the finale.
Buddy Robinson, the team’s leading goal scorer in the regular season (25) can return after missing the past two games for an interference incident that sidelined Griffins center Axel Holmstrom.
But they won’t have Michael Spacek, a 17-goal scorer, who left the bench during a fight in the second period of Game 3. He was suspended three games.
Wallner continues, noting that the winner of this series will play the Rockford IceHogs…
2. The Griffins posted a clip of Ben Street discussing the intensity of games 3 and 4 of the series:
