GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A dominant four-goal second period propelled the Grand Rapids Griffins to a 6-2 victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Friday at Van Andel Arena, moving the Griffins within one win of playing for the Calder Cup for the second time in five years.
On the strength of Eric Tangradi’s three-point night, the second-largest crowd (8,707) to ever see a conference finals game in Grand Rapids witnessed the Griffins hand San Jose consecutive regulation losses for just the third time all season.
Now leading the Western Conference Finals three games to one, the Griffins will have a chance to close out the conference’s regular season champions at home on Saturday when they host the Barracuda at 7 p.