Grand Rapids Griffins Fall to Manitoba Moose,1-0, in Game One of Central Division Semifinals
Photo Credit: Jonathan Kozub and Darcy Finley/Manitoba Moose
After a 13 day break, the Grand Rapids Griffins made their return to play, falling to the Manitoba Moose, 1-0, in the Central Division Semifinals of the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs.
In a pre-game interview with Bob Kaser, Griffins play-by-play announcer, Head Coach Dan Watson touched on how the coaches were going to attack game one. “We’re going to look at the first five minutes, everyone’s first shift, and then we’re gonna build from there,” Coach Watson said. “We’re going to get everyone involved as early as we can.” He also went on to explain why goaltender Michal Postava would be starting in net over Sebastian Cossa. “He’s earned it,” Watson said to Kaser. “Bottom line. Coming down the stretch, his game play, his demeanor, the way he was seeing the puck, it’s elite right now.”
Elite is the perfect way to describe how Postava played down the final stretch of the regular season. Today, he brought that skill into the game, stopping 22 of 23 shots. There were a few times Postava’s confidence oozed over, and he left the comfort and safety of his crease to prevent a play from turning into a goal. In the second period, Postava went so far as to race to the top of the slot to clear a puck out of the defensive zone as Manitoba’s Danny Zhilkin raced towards him. It was a risky move, and the puck ended up in the benches, but it prevented the Moose from getting too deep into the zone. So, I would say, it was a successfully executed move by Postava.
Despite how well Postava played, Manitoba forward Mason Shaw was able to find the back of the net with 2:26 to play in the game. He was able to stop the initial shot, but he had to sprawl out on the ice to prevent the puck from going into the net. While on the ground, Postava was unable to control the rebound, and Shaw was able to chip it into the net for the game-winning goal.
On the other side of the ice, Manitoba goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis put on a show of his own, stopping all 39 of the shots Grand Rapids threw on net. Most of the shots DiVincentiis faced were strong, hard, high-caliber shots launched from various areas of the ice, including a few from the top of the crease. Honestly, there were not many soft shots thrown on net by the Griffins.
The way Grand Rapids executed on special teams was a bit perplexing. Specifically, the power play. The second power play unit of Erik Gustafsson, Eduards Tralmaks, Carter Mazur, Amadeus Lombardi, and Wojciech Stachowiak had such a strong showing in the Griffins' first two man-advantages that they went out on the ice first for Grand Rapids’ third power play opportunity. Manitoba’s penalty kill, paired with DiVincentiis’ quick legs, was too much for Grand Rapids to handle. Moose defensemen Isaak Phillips and Ashton Sautner were the stars of Manitoba’s kill, often forcing turnovers and throwing their bodies in front of shots. When the Moose lightened up their pressure, the Griffins still couldn’t find a way to turn their plays into goals. They were robbed of a few goals by DiVincentiis and Manitoba’s kill, but they had even more missteps on the power play.
Had they been able to convert on the power play, this game may have turned out differently for Grand Rapids.
For a team that hadn’t played in almost two weeks, the Griffins played quite well and were able to match the Moose for much of the game. However, it is clear there is still a little bit of rust on the skates that need to be shaken off.
After the game, Kaser provided the listeners with a fun little nugget about Grand Rapids and Manitoba.
The last time the Griffins were in a nothing-nothing tie after two periods in a playoff game was in Manitoba on April 19, 2007. The Moose scored in the third period to win game one of the North Division Semifinals, 1-0.
Manitoba and Grand Rapids meet again on Sunday at 3 pm est for game two of the Central Division Semifinals.
