WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Game 1 of the Central Division Semifinals served up a goaltending battle on Saturday at the Canada Life Centre, as Domenic DiVincentiis made 39 saves to backstop the Manitoba Moose to a 1-0 win over the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Michal Postava countered with 22 saves for the Griffins in his Calder Cup Playoff debut, denying every shot by the home squad until Mason Shaw popped home a rebound during a power play with just 2:26 remaining in the third period. Including his 25 appearances during the regular season, the co-winner of the AHL’s Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award – with teammate Sebastian Cossa – still has yet to allow more than three goals in a game this season.

Despite the Griffins playing for the first time since their regular-season finale 13 days ago and the Moose coming off a first-round series victory over Milwaukee on Sunday, it was visiting Grand Rapids that looked more on form during the opening period. The Griffins tested DiVincentiis 14 times while allowing only five shots on Postava. Amadeus Lombardi had perhaps the best chance of the frame during a power play at the 12:20 mark, but his attempt from the left circle rang off the crossbar.

Grand Rapids pushed its shots advantage to 28-15 through two periods but both netminders remained up to the task, with DiVincentiis making three consecutive stops – right pad saves on Wojciech Stachowiak and Jakub Rychlovsky before a left toe save on Eduards Tralmaks – during a flurry just before the horn to keep it a 0-0 contest.

It marked the Griffins’ first scoreless playoff game through 40 minutes since Game 1 of the North Division Semifinals on April 19, 2007 at Manitoba, when the Moose went on to take a 1-0 win and eventually claim the series in seven games.

History repeated itself for at least one afternoon. Grand Rapids once again held the upper hand in shots at 11-8 during the third, but a high-sticking call on Anton Johansson with 4:09 remaining gave the Moose their opening. Walker Duehr took a tap pass from Shaw and fired a shot from the right circle that Postava turned aside, but Shaw was waiting for the rebound and quickly scored from a sharp angle.

DiVincentiis was forced to make just one more stop, on a Sheldon Dries shot from long range with one second remaining, as his 39 saves were the most ever by an opposing goalie in a playoff shutout of the Griffins. His effort trumped Ian Gordon’s 38-save performance in the Cleveland Lumberjacks’ 2-0 victory over Grand Rapids in Game 5 of the IHL Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 4, 2000.

Notes

• The Griffins have been on the short end of all three 1-0 decisions in their playoff history.
• Grand Rapids was also blanked in its 2025 playoff opener, losing 4-0 to Texas.
• Now in their fifth playoff series against Manitoba, the Griffins are still looking for their first Game 1 victory over the Moose. Manitoba won each of the last three series after taking Game 1 on home ice, most recently the 2018 division semifinals.
• The Griffins are 2-3 all time in best-of-five series when losing Game 1, most recently falling to Texas in three games during the 2025 Central Division Semifinals.
• Grand Rapids fell to 9-15 all time against the Moose in the playoffs, including 4-8 in Winnipeg.

Box Score

Grand Rapids 0 0 0 - 0
Manitoba 0 0 1 - 1

1st Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Bauer Mb (holding), 10:48; Gustafsson Gr (roughing), 14:30; Shaw Mb (roughing), 14:30.

2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Lagesson Gr (cross-checking), 2:43; Gustafsson Mb (hooking), 8:53; Brandsegg-Nygård Gr (roughing), 13:24; Zhilkin Mb (roughing), 13:24.

3rd Period-1, Manitoba, Shaw 1 (Duehr, Yager), 17:34 (PP). Penalties-served by Fagemo Mb (too many men - bench minor), 3:49; Lombardi Gr (interference), 4:51; Johansson Gr (high-sticking), 15:51.

Shots on Goal-Grand Rapids 14-14-11-39. Manitoba 5-10-8-23.

Power Play Opportunities-Grand Rapids 0 / 3; Manitoba 1 / 3.

Goalies-Grand Rapids, Postava 0-1 (23 shots-22 saves). Manitoba, DiVincentiis 3-0 (39 shots-39 saves).

A-5,007

Three Stars

1. MB DiVincentiis (W, SO, 39 saves); 2. GR Postava (L, 22 saves); 3. MB Shaw (game-winning goal)

Record/Next Game

Grand Rapids: 0-1 / Central Division Semifinals Game 2 / Sun., May 3 at Manitoba 3 p.m. EDT

Manitoba: 3-1 / Central Division Semifinals Game 2 / Sun., May 3 vs. Grand Rapids 2 p.m. CDT

Photo by Manitoba Moose