We all hope for the best, whether it’s the long-awaited success the Detroit Red Wings in March or their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, in their first playoff game after a thirteen-day layoff. Hope often sputters out quicker than dollars at a gas pump. On the bright side, at leas the Griffins won game two of their initial playoff series!
In these trying times for both fanbases, it’s important to remember what each team is gaining no matter the number wins and losses: experience.
“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.” Randy Pausch says in The Last Lecture
Nobody likes the idea of experience. We like the beginning and ends. It’s the instant gratification that we’ve all grown so accustomed to, forgetting that the best things in life aren’t in the bookends. Instead, they lay somewhere in between.
Grand Rapids Griffins gained valuable experience against Manitoba Moose in both games this weekend
We all want our team to make the playoffs and to win games (especially in the playoffs).
Yet, some of the most important things the players need aren’t measured with a ruler or counted on a stat sheet. Both young and old players need to grow. Just like everything in life, these growing pains must be experienced to help guide anyone in the future.
Boy, the Grand Rapids Griffins had a lot of learning in their first playoff game.
Thirty-nine shots on goal. 39 lessons learned against Domenic DiVincentiis (the Moose's goaltender), who apparently flipped his beast mode switch on for the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Manitoba Moose had a mere 23 shots on goal.
Blame anyone you would like but the proof is in the pudding. The team failed their first test. Even though they didn’t get a win, they earned their valuable experience.
A series of mistakes team-wide led to the goal against. A wild stick from an important penalty killer led to a penalty (later confirmed to be a follow through, so the penalty shouldn't have been called in the first place). Then, a series of mistakes in front of Postava and a misread of the play is all it took to surrender the first goal of the series.
It’s a bitter taste in the mouths of players, coaches and fans alike.
All but a handful of minutes showed a Grand Rapids team who was faster, smarter and more supportive of their teammates. They played with skill that couldn’t be matched. Going pound for pound, they matched the Moose’s physical play as well. It’s not arrogance or cockiness. The Griffins are just a better team.
Yet, when the better team takes their foot off the gas pedal—if even just for a few minutes—the entire narrative shifts.
Here’s how the Grand Rapids Griffins can beat the Manitoba Moose to three wins
We can feel sorry for the Griffins that they gave up a goal against. However, it’s not the reason they lost the game. It’s also not the biggest learning opportunity for Grand Rapids moving forward.
Mistakes are going to happen. It’s a part of life and often the most effective learning experiences stem from those mistakes.
Parades to the sin bin will continue. Missed assignments, standing in the wrong shooting lane or lying down too early to make a save can and will happen.
The biggest opportunity for growth for the Griffins, and the map to success, is their ability to respond within the valleys of the game—just like the Red Wings who struggled mightily this season.
It's like watching a Scooby-Doo cartoon where Shaggy and Scooby are trapped in a giant snowball with the bad guy in a Yeti costume. As it rolls along, it picks up speed and snow--growing ever larger as it descends the mountain. The longer it takes players to get out of the proverbial snowball, the lower they get until they possibly crash into something (jolting them free, but one would hope they gather themselves before that point is reached).
Sadly, we often see this in realtime with Detroit. They have a great game (or even season), then all of a sudden one thing (or month) doesn't go their way. Then, things continue to pile on driving the team down further into the valley of despair.
Throughout most of Game One, the Griffins showed just how lethal they can be (even without scoring a goal). They controlled the entire game until they gave up the goal against.
Had Grand Rapids regrouped, composed themselves and continued to play as they did in the previous 55 minutes, or so, who knows what would've happened. Instead, they decided to let the Moose take control. The Griffins (and Red Wings, by extension) cannot afford to let one lull in the game define it.
If you give up a goal, so what? It has nothing to do with the next puck drop. Let's get back out there and keep putting in the work.
Fortunately, the Griffins played a near-flawless Game Two, Sunday. Even when Grand Rapids bent, withstanding the Moose's wrath, they didn't break. Manitoba was only able to generate eight shots on goal in the third period.
THIS ROOM over everything else 👊‼️ pic.twitter.com/aV1mmvfG9U
— y-Grand Rapids Griffins (@griffinshockey) May 4, 2026
If the Griffins can replicate Game Two, they will see success. If they play as they did in Game Two, where one little mistake sets off a careening snowball, they'll get a chance to apply lessons that they have learned.
Instead of feeling down about a previous hiccup, Grand Rapids need continue to play to their identity as a fast paced, highly skilled and hard working team that loves to win every battle they enter.
Add us as a preferred source on Google