The Grand Rapids Griffins got off to a fast start and never looked back, eliminating visiting San Jose Barracuda, 4-2, in the American Hockey League's Western Conference finals Saturday night at Van Andel Arena.
The Griffins won the series, 4-1, and stamped their ticket to the Calder Cup finals for the second time in five seasons. Grand Rapids will face the Syracuse Crunch in a rematch of the 2013 finals, when the Griffins won their first hockey title.
It didn't take long for the crowd of 8,876 to get rocking as Brian Lashoff scored 24 seconds into the game and Matthew Ford followed with another goal at 16:11 in the first period to give the Griffins a 2-0 lead over the Barracuda.