GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – It was a rookie season to remember for Mike Borkowski '16 as the former Raider and the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins won the Calder Cup Tuesday night in front of a home crowd of 10,834 at Van Andel Arena.
 
The Griffins defeated the Syracuse Crunch 4-3 in Game 6 of the Calder Cup Finals to claim their second title in the past five years, becoming just the fifth active AHL franchise to win multiple Calder Cups. The Griffins also join the Hershey Bears and Rochester Americans as the only active franchises to win multiple titles in a five-year span.
 
Borkowski played in 51 games for the Griffins during the regular season, registering three goals and two assists before dressing for one game in the postseason run to the Calder Cup.
 
Borkowski was a four-year player for the Raiders from 2012-16, scoring 87 points on 30 goals and 57 points in 133 career games. He netted 20 points three times in his career, with a career-high 28 coming during his sophomore year in 2013-14 on the back of eight goals and 20 assists. In his final season, Borkowski tallied 13 goals and 22 points for the Raiders.
 
Other Raider Champions
Borkowski becomes the second former Raider to win a championship this season as Daniel Gentzler '15 won the SPHL's President's Cup in May with the Macon Mayhem, completing a two-game sweep of the Peoria Rivermen.
 
In addition to Borkowski and Gentzler, Borkowski's classmates Tylor and Tyson Spink '16 reached the Western Conference Finals in search of the ECHL's Kelly Cup while Chris Wagner reached the Western Conference Finals with the Anaheim Ducks where their run to the Stanley Cup came to an end against the Nashville Predators.
 
Playing for Charity
Former Raider Austin Smith '12 was also back on the ice Wednesday as he dressed in the Red, White and Blue to compete for Team USA against Canada in an exhibition game tabbed as the "Ice Hockey Classic" in Warners Bay, Australia to raise money for local charities.
 
Smith joined numerous former NHL players and professionals from top European Leagues in the charity game in front of the sell-out crowd. This past season, Smith dominated in the Austrian Hockey League where he tallied 27 goals and 28 assists for 55 points in 56 games.


- All Grand Rapids photos courtesy of Mark Newman and Sam Iannamico of the Grand Rapids Griffins
- Austin Smith photo courtesy of Rhys Lavender/Powerplay Photographics