Griffins, Wolves set for Central Division final with Game 1 in Grand Rapids

Grand Rapids gets the schedule it wanted most: the first two games at Van Andel Arena, a midseries trip to Chicago, and, if it comes to that, a Game 5 back home. In a best-of-five round where one hot night can tilt the bracket, that setup gives the Griffins a chance to turn the Central Division final into a pressure test for the Wolves before the series even leaves Michigan.

Game 1 is set for Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m., with Game 2 following Saturday, May 16 at 7 p.m. in Grand Rapids. The series then shifts to Allstate Arena for Game 3 on Tuesday, May 19 at 8 p.m. and Game 4, if necessary, on Thursday, May 21 at 8 p.m. A deciding Game 5 would return to Van Andel Arena on Saturday, May 23 at 7 p.m. That home-heavy start matters for a Griffins club that finished 51-16-4-1 and topped the Central Division, especially against a Chicago team that finished second at 36-21-8-7 and has already shown it can survive a long round.

The road here also tells part of the story. Grand Rapids closed out Manitoba 3-1 in the division semifinals, while Chicago needed five games to get past Texas, winning the decisive contest at Allstate Arena. The Griffins have advanced to the Central Division Finals for the second time in the last three years, while the Wolves are back in this round for the first time since winning the Calder Cup in 2022. All of it feeds the sense that Game 3, when the series moves to Rosemont, Illinois, could be the pivot point.

The matchup has been tight all season. Chicago went 4-2-2-2 against Grand Rapids in the regular season, including a 2-0-2-1 mark in Michigan, so the Griffins did not simply dominate the ice because they finished first. Justin Robidas and Felix Unger Sorum led the Wolves with six points apiece in those 10 meetings, while Amadeus Lombardi paced Grand Rapids against Chicago with three goals and four assists.

The playoff backdrop makes the series even heavier. The Griffins and Wolves have met six times in the postseason across their AHL and IHL rivalry, with Chicago taking four of those series. In five previous AHL playoff matchups, the winner reached the Calder Cup Finals three times and lifted the trophy twice. Grand Rapids has won two championships, in 2013 and 2017, while Chicago has three Calder Cups and two IHL Turner Cups to its name.

Two people add another layer to the opener. Chicago head coach Spiros Anastas was an assistant in Grand Rapids when the Griffins won the 2013 Calder Cup, and Wolves forward Givani Smith, a first-round pick by Detroit in 2016, played parts of five seasons with Grand Rapids and totaled 52 points in 148 games there. In net, Michal Postava has given Grand Rapids a .945 save percentage and a 1.25 goals-against average on 86 saves in 91 shots, and Carter Mazur arrived in this series after scoring two goals in each of the final two games against Manitoba. The winner of this one does not just move on; it carries the weight of a rivalry that has decided much bigger things before.