Moose announce playoff dates for North Division Final vs. Grand Rapids Griffins

Published on April 26, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manitoba Moose News Release


The Manitoba Moose, in conjunction with the American Hockey League and the Grand Rapids Griffins, today announced the dates and times for the upcoming Calder Cup North Division Final between the Moose and Griffins.

After finishing first overall in the entire American Hockey League in the 2008-09 regular season, the Moose advanced to the North Division Final for the fourth time in the last five seasons by eliminating the Toronto Marlies in six games in the North Division Semi-Final. Jason Krog led all Moose scorers in the first round with six assists and eight points while Jason Jaffray had five goals to pace the team. Cory Schneider followed up a regular season which saw him win the "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the league's top goalie to win his first career playoff series with a 1.98 goals against average and a .925 save percentage.

The series will open up in Winnipeg this upcoming weekend, before shifting to Grand Rapids for Games 3 to 5, and then moving back to Winnipeg for Games 6 & 7, if necessary. The Moose and Griffins have faced each other two previous times in Calder Cup playoff history, with each series going the distance. Back in 2006, the Griffins advanced to the Western Conference Final with a seven-game victory over Alain Vigneault's Moose. However, in 2007, the Moose returned the favor with a seven-game victory in the North Division Semi-Final. Holdovers from both series for the Moose who will participate in this year's best-of-seven include Moose captain Mike Keane, Jason Jaffray, Maxime Fortunus, and Nathan McIver. This season, the Moose and Griffins split the four-game series with two wins apiece as each team won a game in the other's building.

The following are the dates, along with locations, and times for the first-round playoff series between the Moose and Griffins (all times central):

North Division Final - Series "K" - Manitoba Moose(1) vs. Grand Rapids Griffins(3)

Game 1 - Friday, May 1 Grand Rapids Griffins at Manitoba Moose 7:30 p.m. MTS Centre

Game 2 - Saturday, May 2 Grand Rapids Griffins at Manitoba Moose 7:30 p.m. MTS Centre

Game 3 - Monday, May 4 Manitoba Moose at Grand Rapids Griffins 6:00 p.m. Van Andel Arena

Game 4 - Wednesday, May 6 Manitoba Moose at Grand Rapids Griffins 6:00 p.m. Van Andel Arena

**Game 5 - Friday, May 8 Manitoba Moose at Grand Rapids Griffins 6:00 p.m. Van Andel Arena

**Game 6 - Sunday, May 10 Grand Rapids Griffins at Manitoba Moose 7:30 p.m. MTS Centre

**Game 7 - Tuesday, May 12 Grand Rapids Griffins at Manitoba Moose 7:30 p.m. MTS Centre

** if necessary

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from April 26, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central