Chicago Wolves reach Western Conference Finals after beating Griffins

Noah Philp delivered the finishing punch and Cayden Primeau supplied the wall behind it, carrying the Chicago Wolves past the Grand Rapids Griffins 3-2 in Game 4 at Allstate Arena and into the Western Conference Finals of the Calder Cup playoffs. The Wolves won the best-of-five Central Division Finals 3-1, a result that marked another step in a postseason run built on tight checking, timely scoring and a goaltender who has already had to win games on his own.

Philp scored twice in the clincher, Justin Robidas added the other Chicago goal and Primeau turned aside 33 shots to seal the series at home in Rosemont, Illinois. Chicago never needed a blowout to finish the job. It needed a game like this one, with one line finding answers and one goaltender making sure Grand Rapids could not extend the series back to Michigan for a Game 5.

The Wolves now face the Colorado Eagles, who reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time after eliminating the Coachella Valley Firebirds 3-1. The series begins May 28, 2026, as a best-of-seven, with Games 1 and 2 in Colorado and Games 3 and 4 back at Allstate Arena. Chicago also enters the matchup with a regular-season edge, going 3-1-0-0 against Colorado, a useful reminder that this is not just a playoff surprise built on momentum. It is a team that already proved it could handle the next opponent over a full schedule.

Chicago’s path has been demanding from the start. The Wolves clinched a berth in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs on March 29, their second straight postseason appearance, and then pushed through Texas before surviving Grand Rapids. The division finals had their swing point in Game 3, when Chicago dropped an overtime decision before answering with a cleaner effort in Game 4. Head coach Cam Anastas, hired as the club’s 15th head coach on April 21, wanted a better response after reviewing that loss, and Primeau later said the group expected the Griffins to come hard with their backs against the wall.

That is what makes Chicago dangerous now. The Wolves are not simply advancing on talent alone; they are advancing because the game plan travels. Philp can score, Robidas can finish, Primeau can erase mistakes and the structure has held long enough to put the franchise one round from the Calder Cup Final.