Grand Rapids Griffins to meet Toronto Marlies in first round; Pulkkinen finishes with most AHL goals

Griffins Playoff Logo-finalBy @MichaelCaples –

The Grand Rapids Griffins’ regular season came to a close Saturday night, and while the Red Wings’ AHL club didn’t finish with a victory, they finished with something better – a division title.

The Griffins are once again Midwest Division champions. This year marks the second time in three seasons under coach Jeff Blashill’s direction that the team has emerged as the top club in their respective division.

Grand Rapids finished 46-22-6-2, and in doing so,they  have secured a date with the Toronto Marlies in the first round of the AHL playoffs. The Griffins enter the AHL playoffs as the No. 2 seed, with Toronto holding the No. 7 spot.

Their first-round series will kick off on Saturday, April 25, Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto; the Marlies will host the first two games before Games 3-5 (if necessary) shift back to Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

Here is the schedule:

2015 Calder Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Quarterfinals – Best-of-Five
Game 1 Sat., April 25 GRIFFINS at Toronto Marlies 3 p.m.
Game 2 Sun., April 26 GRIFFINS at Toronto Marlies 3 p.m.
Game 3 Wed., April 29 Toronto Marlies at GRIFFINS 7 p.m.
*Game 4 Sat., May 2 Toronto Marlies at GRIFFINS 7 p.m.
*Game 5 Sun., May 3 Toronto Marlies at GRIFFINS 5 p.m.

Meanwhile, the conclusion of the regular season marked a major accomplishment for Teemu Pulkkinen. Despite spending time with the Detroit Red Wings this year, Pulkkinen still managed to lead the AHL in goals during the 2014-15 AHL season.

After recording 34 goals in only 46 games, Pulkkinen is this year’s recipient of the Willie Marshall Award. Pulkkinen was named an AHL First Team All Star, as well.

Previous winners of the Willie Marshall Award include Mike Cammalleri, Cory Conacher, Tyler Johnson and Zach Boychuk.