Manitoba Moose thump Griffins, advance to Central Division Final

The Manitoba Moose were road warriors all season, and in a win or go home situation Monday night in Grand Rapids, they were again at their best.

The Moose advanced to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs after a 5-1 road win over the Grand Rapids Griffins in Game 5 of the Central Division semifinal, winning the best-of-five first-round series 3-2.

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Forward Brendan Lemieux scored a goal and added two assists, while starting goaltender Eric Comrie made 34 stops in the victory. Forward Mike Sgarbossa and defenceman Cameron Schilling also picked up a goal and an assist.

Manitoba will now meet the Rockford Ice Hogs in the Central Division Final, beginning Friday May 4 at Bell MTS Place.

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The Moose were 25-9-4 on the road during the regular season, and were able to win two of three games in Grand Rapids during the first round series.

Manitoba will have home-ice advantage for the next round as they finished four points ahead of Rockford during the regular season. In four regular season meetings, the teams won two games each.

Manitoba Moose vs. Rockford IceHogs (Best-of-seven series)

Game 1       Friday May 4              @Bell MTS Place             7 p.m.

Game 2       Saturday May 5         @Bell MTS Place             4 p.m.

Game 3       Wednesday May 9    @Rockford                        7 p.m.

Game 4       Friday May 11            @Rockford                        7 p.m.

*-Game 5   Saturday May 12        @Rockford                       6 p.m.

*-Game 6   Tuesday May 15         @Bell MTS Place             7 p.m.

*-Game 7   Wednesday May 16   @Bell MTS Place             7 p.m.