Grand Rapids, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids Griffins had one final heartbreak to hand the Syracuse Crunch on Tuesday night in Van Andel Arena.

Martin Frk's goal with 12:41 left in the third stood up as the game-winner as the Griffins beat the Crunch 4-3 to clinch the 2017 AHL Calder Cup.

Huge goal by Frk to give GR their first lead of the game! pic.twitter.com/bZ3LVrHmpY — AHL (@TheAHL) June 14, 2017

The Griffins won the series four games to two and all four of Grand Rapids' wins in the series came by one goal. In the clincher, the Griffins fought back from one-goal deficits three times.

Yanni Gourde scored twice for the Crunch and Matt Taormina added one marker. Syracuse goalie Mike McKenna stopped 23 shots and Grand Rapids' Jared Coreau denied 28.

"I think we really battled hard tonight again. But they answered our goals every time. That was the key of their game tonight,'' Gourde said.

"I'm very proud of this team. We played hard, I thought we played like champions tonight, and we didn't get the bounces,'' said Syracuse coach Ben Groulx. "Credit to the Griffins. They're a great team, and they found a way to win. For us. Obviously it's tough because at one point you feel that you can touch the Cup. You're so close, and, phew, it's gone. So it's tough right now.

Frk put home the game-winner on a long shot from the right point that sailed past a screen set by Tomas Nosek in front of McKenna. Syracuse pushed hard in the closing moments of the game, but couldn't unearth the tying score that might have pushed the team to a Game 7 and perhaps the first goal in the franchise's 23-year history.

Tyler Bertuzzi knotted the game at 3-3 for Grand Rapids at the 3:50 mark of the third. Nosek grabbed a loose puck and slipped it to Bertuzzi on the right side, from where he smoothly flipped it in.

"We just wish there was more because they've been waiting a long time and they deserve it,'' McKenna said, reflecting on the Crunch's fan support this season. "We did everything we could. To come up short in one goal games that many times. It's hockey. It's so hard to win. The fans deserve it.''

Gourde's late second-period goal sent the Crunch up 3-2 after 40 minutes. He chipped a rebound from the left side of the crease past Coreau to snap the deadlock.

.@YanniGourde with his second of the night gives Syracuse a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes of play. #GRvsSYR #CalderCup pic.twitter.com/VRuuE9rrPe — AHL (@TheAHL) June 14, 2017

"What I like about our team is we never quit, we never stop. We battle from the first to last minute. To me, that's playing like champions,'' Groulx said.

That answered a score that the Crunch goalie gift-wrapped for the Griffins. McKenna, behind his net, tried to make a soft pass to Syracuse blueliner Jake Dotchin on the left side. But Grand Rapids' Ben Street deflected the puck to Mitch Callahan outside the crease, and Callahan converted into an empty net at the 11:50 mark to tie the game at 2-2.

"We just didn't keep enough (goals) out and put enough in,'' McKenna said. "I guess it's just as easy as that.''

Taormina struck at the 7:51 mark to give the Crunch a 2-1 lead. Coreau left a fat rebound off a shot by Michael Bournival in the slot, and Toarmina jumped up to pop it home.

A miscue by Dotchin set up a Grand Rapids power-play goal that tied the game just 18 seconds into the second.

Dotchin, along his end boards, tried to play the puck to Gabriel Dumont out front. But it deflected off a Grand Rapids player to Matthew Ford out front, and Ford had time to easily line up a shot that solved McKenna.

Gourde put up the only marker of the first period, set up by a gaffe from Coreau.

Coreau, stationed behind his net, tried to clear the puck through the slot. But it hit a Griffins player out front, and rolled to Gourde on the left side. Gourde easily fired a shot into an open left side at the 14:09 mark.

.@YanniGourde is good. Gourde capitalizes on an open net to give the @SyracuseCrunch the first goal of the game. #GRvsSYR pic.twitter.com/SrQ22UpQ6E — AHL (@TheAHL) June 13, 2017

The Crunch penalty kill, which entered the game with 16 consecutive successful efforts, then preserved the lead.

Syracuse's Adam Erne was called for cross checking at the 15:17 mark, and 1:23 later teammate Gabriel Dumont was whistled for high-sticking.

That set up 37 seconds of Grand Rapids 5-on-3, but the Crunch's man-down units wasted both Griffins power plays.

Bertuzzi won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Bertuzzi registered nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points in 19 playoff games for Grand Rapids.