AHL Morning Skate: April 21, 2008

Albany 4, PHILADELPHIA 1 (ALB leads, 2-1)

W-B/SCRANTON 5, Hershey 1 (WBS leads, 3-0)

PORTLAND 4, Hartford 3 (POR leads, 3-1)

Chicago 4, MILWAUKEE 3 (OT) (CHI leads, 2-1)

SUNDAY’S THREE STARS:

1. Darren Haydar netted a pair of goals, including the game-winner in overtime, as Chicago took a 4-3 win at Milwaukee and a 2-1 series lead.

2. Stephen Dixon scored twice to help Portland post a 4-3 win over Hartford and open a 3-1 lead in their Atlantic Division semifinal.

3. Bryan Rodney potted two goals in the first period, sending Albany on its way to a 4-1 victory at Philadelphia and a 2-1 edge in their series.

MONDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times ET):

Game 4 – Providence at Manchester, 7:05 (PRO leads, 3-0)

Game 3 – Toronto at San Antonio, 8:00 (Series tied, 1-1)

2008 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:
Atlantic Division Semifinal – Series “A” (best-of-7)
A1-Providence Bruins vs. A4-Manchester Monarchs || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 16 – PROVIDENCE 3, Manchester 2 (OT)
Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 18 – PROVIDENCE 2, Manchester 0
Game 3 – Sat., Apr. 19 – Providence 3, MANCHESTER 2 (OT)
Game 4 – Mon., Apr. 21 – Providence at Manchester, 7:05
*Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 25 – Manchester at Providence, 7:05
*Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 26 – Manchester at Providence, 7:05
*Game 7 – Mon., Apr. 28 – Providence at Manchester, 7:05

Atlantic Division Semifinal – Series “B” (best-of-7)
A2-Hartford Wolf Pack vs. A3-Portland Pirates || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 16 – HARTFORD 3, Portland 1
Game 2 – Thu., Apr. 17 – Portland 3, HARTFORD 2 (2OT)
Game 3 – Sat., Apr. 19 – PORTLAND 3, Hartford 2
Game 4 – Sun., Apr. 20 – PORTLAND 4, Hartford 3
Game 5 – Tue., Apr. 22 – Portland at Hartford, 7:00
*Game 6 – Thu., Apr. 24 – Hartford at Portland, 7:05
*Game 7 – Sat., Apr. 26 – Portland at Hartford, 7:00

East Division Semifinal – Series “C” (best-of-7)
E1-W-B/Scranton Penguins vs. E4-Hershey Bears || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 16 – W-B/Scranton 2, HERSHEY 1 (OT)
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 19 – W-B/SCRANTON 6, Hershey 2
Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 20 – W-B/SCRANTON 5, Hershey 1
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 23 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 25 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 26 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 7 – Sun., Apr. 27 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 5:05

East Division Semifinal – Series “D” (best-of-7)
E2-Philadelphia Phantoms vs. E3-Albany River Rats || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 16 – ALBANY 4, Philadelphia 0
Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 18 – PHILADELPHIA 3, Albany 0
Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 20 – Albany 4, PHILADELPHIA 1
Game 4 – Tue., Apr. 22 – Philadelphia at Albany, 7:00
Game 5 – Thu., Apr. 24 – Philadelphia at Albany, 7:00
*Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 26 – Albany at Philadelphia, 7:05 (WC)
*Game 7 – TBA – Albany at Philadelphia (WC)

 

North Division Semifinal – Series “E” (best-of-7)
N1-Toronto Marlies vs. W5-San Antonio Rampage || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 16 – TORONTO 4, San Antonio 3
Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 18 – San Antonio 6, TORONTO 3
Game 3 – Mon., Apr. 21 – Toronto at San Antonio, 8:00
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 23 – Toronto at San Antonio, 8:00
Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 25 – Toronto at San Antonio, 8:00
*Game 6 – Sun., Apr. 27 – San Antonio at Toronto, 4:00
*Game 7 – Mon., Apr. 28 – San Antonio at Toronto, 7:30

North Division Semifinal – Series “F” (best-of-7)
N2-Syracuse Crunch vs. N3-Manitoba Moose || Preview
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 18 – SYRACUSE 2, Manitoba 1 (OT)
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 19 – Manitoba 3, SYRACUSE 2 (OT)
Game 3 – Tue., Apr. 22 – Syracuse at Manitoba, 8:30
Game 4 – Fri., Apr. 25 – Syracuse at Manitoba, 8:30
Game 5 – Sat., Apr. 26 – Syracuse at Manitoba, 8:30
*Game 6 – Mon., Apr. 28 – Manitoba at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 7 – Tue., Apr. 29 – Manitoba at Syracuse, 7:00

West Division Semifinal – Series “G” (best-of-7)
W1-Chicago Wolves vs. W4-Milwaukee Admirals || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 16 – Milwaukee 4, CHICAGO 3 (OT)
Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 18 – CHICAGO 2, Milwaukee 1
Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 20 – Chicago 4, MILWAUKEE 3 (OT)
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 23 – Chicago at Milwaukee, 8:00
Game 5 – Thu., Apr. 24 – Milwaukee at Chicago, 8:00
*Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 26 – Chicago at Milwaukee, 8:30
*Game 7 – Mon., Apr. 28 – Milwaukee at Chicago, 8:00

West Division Semifinal – Series “H” (best-of-7)
W2-Rockford IceHogs vs. W3-Houston Aeros || Preview

Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 18 – ROCKFORD 3, Houston 1
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 19 – Houston 1, ROCKFORD 0 (2OT)
Game 3 – Tue., Apr. 22 – Rockford at Houston, 8:05
Game 4 – Thu., Apr. 24 – Rockford at Houston, 8:05
Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 25 – Rockford at Houston, 8:35
*Game 6 – Sun., Apr. 27 – Houston at Rockford, 5:05
*Game 7 – Mon., Apr. 28 – Houston at Rockford, 8:05

 

*if necessary… All times Eastern

GAME NOTES (all times ET):
Game 4 – Providence at Manchester, 7:05 (PRO leads, 3-0)

Providence can become the first team to advance to the second round tonight with a win over Manchester in Game 4 of their Atlantic Division semifinal at the Verizon Wireless Arena… Jeff Hoggan’s shorthanded goal in overtime lifted the Bruins to a 3-2 victory in Game 3 on Saturday… The Monarchs, who allowed six shorthanded goals over the entire regular season, have now surrendered two in this series: Wacey Rabbit netted one in Game 1… Hoggan leads all scorers with five points (2-3-5) through three games… For Manchester, Matt Moulson shows two goals, and Teddy Purcell has a team-high three points, all assists… The seventh-year Monarchs have never won a game when facing elimination (0-6), but last year’s ouster by Hershey was the first time they had been knocked out on home ice… With a chance to eliminate an opponent, Providence has won five straight games since coughing up a 3-1 series lead to Hartford in the 2000 conference finals.

 

Game 3 – Toronto at San Antonio, 8:00 (Series tied, 1-1)

Calder Cup Playoff hockey returns to San Antonio tonight for the first time since Apr. 13, 2003, as the Rampage host Toronto in Game 3 of their North Division semifinal… The teams split a pair of games north of the border last week, as Toronto captured the opener by a 4-3 count and San Antonio came back with a 6-3 victory in Game 2… Rookie Chad Kolarik, playing his second game as a professional, netted a hat trick in Game 2, the first postseason victory in Rampage history… 2006 Calder Cup champion Joey Tenute added a pair of goals for San Antonio, and goaltender Josh Tordjman made 23 saves for his first career playoff win… Seven different players have scored the Marlies’ seven goals in the series… Justin Pogge made his playoff debut for Toronto on Saturday, stopping 15 of 17 shots in 33 minutes of relief duty… The Rampage are 3-for-8 on the power play and 10-for-10 on the penalty kill thus far.

MORNING HEADLINES:

RODNEY PUTS RATS BACK IN CONTROL

Phil Janack, Daily Gazette

He didn’t make history, but defenseman Bryan Rodney more than made up for what he felt was a subpar effort less than 48 hours earlier. Rodney came one goal short of registering the Albany River Rats first career playoff hat trick in a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Phantoms Sunday night at the Wachovia Center. In Friday’s Game 2, Rodney had the puck taken away right in front of his own net, leading to the Phantoms’ second goal in a 3-0 loss. “I needed to come back and have a solid game tonight,” Rodney said. “It started off pretty good. I couldn’t be happier.”

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/apr/21/0421_rats/

 

BEARS BOXED INTO 3-0 HOLE

Tim Leone, Harrisburg Patriot-News

After rolling to three playoff sweeps the past two years, the Hershey Bears are well acquainted with the statistic. Only two clubs in AHL history have revived from a 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. In the wake of Sunday night’s 5-1 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series, the stat now applies to the Bears. They trail WBS 0-3 and must win four in a row to prevent their season from ending. “We’re far from over,” Bears head coach Bob Woods said. “They’re coming back to our building now. We’re going to have our fans. We’ve just got to make sure we stay out of the box, No. 1, and we’ve got to play our game.”

http://www.pennlive.com/hersheybears/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/sports/120874472029410.xml&coll=1

 

NEWCOMERS PROVIDE BOOST FOR RAMPAGE

John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News

For Rampage rookie Chad Kolarik, if ever there was cause for all-out celebration, this was it. After all, it’s not every day you record a hat trick in only your second game as a professional hockey player. In the playoffs. As part of the biggest victory in the history of a franchise. Yet quiet exuberance was about as far as Kolarik was willing to go. “It was pretty exciting,” the former University of Michigan forward said. “But it was only one game in a best-of-7 series. It’ll probably be a while before I get another one. It’s playoff hockey.”

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA.042108.Rampage.EN.37653b0.html

 

CURRY EARNS PRAISE WITH FANS

Jonathan Bombulie, The Citizen’s Voice

Mark it down. With 10:17 left in the second period on April 20, 2008, it happened. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goalie John Curry had his first Chiodo moment. Hershey was down 4-1 but was on a power play when Andrew Gordon made a pass from behind the net to set up defenseman Jonathan Paiement at the bottom of the left faceoff circle. Curry got just enough of the shot to stop it, then squeezed his pads together and his arms to his sides to make sure there would be no rebound. The fans in Curry’s end of the ice responded with a standing ovation, much like they used to when Andy Chiodo turned playoff hero in 2004 and 2005. “I was looking for the reaction because I didn’t want to look behind me,” he said. “I figured they wouldn’t cheer if it was in.”

http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19502569&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=460522&rfi=6

 

UPHILL BATTLE STARING AT MONARCHS

John Habib, Union Leader

Head coach Mark Morris doesn’t deny his Monarchs face a daunting task of climbing out of an 0-3 hole against the best team in the American Hockey League. But in a tight series where the first three games could have been won by Manchester, Morris is hoping the puck bounces the Monarchs’ way in tonight’s 7:05 p.m. Game 4 start against Providence at Verizon Wireless Arena. “We need a little bit of luck,’’ said Morris. “We’re not down 3-0 because of a lack of effort. We’ve kept it competitive, but unfortunately we have no wins to show for it.’’ The Baby B’s would prefer to end the series tonight, but Morris said he doesn’t expect his team to fold its tent just yet.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Uphill+battle+staring+at+Monarchs&articleId=5b2ce435-0bc9-42e2-a45f-e2621ba63ad2

 

AN UP-AND-DOWN WIN

Paul Betit, Portland Press-Herald

Stephen Dixon scored his second goal of the game with 4:20 remaining to lift the Portland Pirates to a 4-3 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack in an AHL playoff game Sunday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center. Dixon joined Michal Birner and Jason King as game-winning scorers for the Pirates in the best-of-seven Atlantic Division semifinal series, which Portland leads, 3-1. “On the bench, we’re saying the exact same thing – a new hero every night,” said Geoff Platt, who had two assists. “We’re real proud that everyone’s chipping in. It isn’t one guy or another. It’s a really fun atmosphere.”

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=182854&ac=PHspt

 

MOOSE ARE FARING WELL WITH TOUGH CRUNCH TEST

Gary Lawless, Winnipeg Free Press

The Manitoba Moose had their will checked this past weekend and now it’s time for the Syracuse Crunch to hop up on the examining table and give us a peek at their heart. Whether it beats purple or yellow is at question and the answer will go a long way in determining the outcome of this North Division best-of-seven semifinal. The Moose stood under the glare of a raucous Syracuse audience and a foaming pack of Crunch with malicious intent for two consecutive nights and arrived back in Winnipeg standing even in this set. A Game 1 overtime loss was followed by a Moose overtime win and left coach Scott Arniel comfortable with his situation coming home.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/topstory/story/4163211p-4750512c.html

ALUMNI WATCH:
Two-time AHL All-Star Jiri Hudler netted a goal for Detroit yesterday as the Red Wings eliminated Nashville with a 3-0 victory in Game 6.

Loui Eriksson, who has played 95 career regular-season AHL games with the Iowa Stars, scored a goal in Dallas’ 4-1 series-clinching win over Anaheim last night.

BY THE NUMBERS:
2,750:42 – Consecutive playoff minutes played by Hershey goaltender Frederic Cassivi (not counting time pulled for an extra attacker) before being replaced by Daren Machesney during Game 2 on Saturday night, dating back to the 2005 postseason with Cincinnati… As part of the streak, Cassivi went the distance in all 40 of the Bears’ playoff games in 2006 and 2007.

ON THIS DATE:

April 21, 2006 – Jiri Hudler’s goal 2:21 into the third overtime period gives Grand Rapids a 6-5 win over Toronto in Game 1, while Jeff Giuliano scores 1:46 into the second OT to lift Manchester past Hartford, 6-5, in Game 3.

 

April 21, 1995 – The Hershey Bears (186) and Cornwall Aces (149) combine for 335 penalty minutes, then an AHL playoff record, but the Bears’ 6-3 win extends the series to a Game 6.

 

April 21, 1965 – Gerry Ehman scores at 14:39 of overtime to give Rochester a 2-1 win over Hershey in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals.

 

April 21, 1951 – Behind the goaltending of Johnny Bower, the Cleveland Barons win the Calder Cup with a 3-1 win over Pittsburgh in Game 7.

ON THE AIR:
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