Bryan Helmer scored with 1:23 left in overtime as Grand Rapids clinched the North Division title with a thrilling 5-4 win in Manitoba on Friday night.
The victory, the Griffins’ 11th in a row, also gave Grand Rapids the regular-season Western Conference title.
At 53-16-1-4, the Griffins need four wins in their final six games to tie the AHL record for victories in a season.
Grand Rapids got two third-period goals from Eric Manlow to take a 4-3 lead, but the Moose tied things up on Jason Jaffray‘s goal with just 33 seconds left in regulation.
Helmer’s winning goal came just seconds after he was denied on a breakaway by Maxime Ouellet.
Jimmy Howard made 28 saves to run his personal winning streak to 12 games.
Brandon Nolan led the Moose with a goal and two assists.
Elsewhere on Friday:
Dustin Penner picked up a goal and two assists as Portland tied Wilkes-Barre/Scranton atop the Eastern Conference standings with 100 points following a 4-2 win over Providence… Even with the loss, the Bruins clinched the fourth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division
18-year-old Ryan O’Marra scored twice in his professional debut for Bridgeport, but Brent Kelly responded with two goals and an assist as Philadelphia defeated the Sound Tigers, 4-2
Kelly Guard made 17 of his 27 saves in the third period for his fourth shutout of the season, helping Binghamton to a 2-0 win over visiting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Warren Peters scored with 1:52 left in regulation and Mark Giordano followed 63 seconds into overtime as Omaha stunned Houston, 2-1, extending the Aeros’ winless slide to eight games (0-5-2-1)
Chris Taylor and Michael Ryan each recorded hat tricks and Clarke MacArthur tallied four assists as Rochester routed Syracuse, 9-4
Dwight Helminen scored three goals and Nigel Dawes added a goal and three assists as Hartford dumped Springfield, 9-3
Quintin Laing had a goal and an assist for Norfolk in a 4-1 victory at Albany
Tomas Fleischmann recorded two goals and an assist to lead Hershey to a 7-2 win over Lowell, moving the Bears to within two points of first place in the East Division
Alexandre Daigle scored two goals and assisted on two others as Manchester rolled past Toronto, 6-1, ending the Marlies’ seven-game points streak (5-0-2-0)
Michael Garnett stopped 25 shots to backstop Chicago to its sixth win in a row, 3-1 at Hamilton
Peoria won its fourth in a row, getting goals from D.J. King and Mike Zigomanis in a 2-1 victory at San Antonio
Junior Lessard scored the tying goal in the third period and the winning goal in the shootout as Iowa got past Milwaukee, 3-2
