AHL Quick Hits is now the Morning Skate… Every morning, take a spin around the AHL ice with recaps and previews, news and notes, facts and figures, and the top headlines from around the American Hockey League.
MONDAY’S SCORES:
Providence 3, MANCHESTER 2 (OT) (PRO wins, 4-0)
SAN ANTONIO 3, Toronto 2 (SAN leads, 2-1)
MONDAY’S THREE STARS:
1. Martins Karsums tallied the game-winner just 46 seconds into overtime, allowing
2. Bill Thomas potted the eventual game-winning goal as
3.
TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times ET):
Game 4 –
Game 5 –
Game 3 –
Game 3 –
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 3, MANCHESTER 2 (OT)
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 –
After the teams split a pair in
Game 5 –
Game 3 –
Game 3 –
After splitting the first two games in
MORNING HEADLINES:
INACTIVE RATS STILL HELPING THE TEAM
Pete Dougherty,
Out of sight, maybe, but not out of mind. Two Albany River Rats defensemen who can’t help the team against the Philadelphia Phantoms on the ice are trying to contribute however they can in the American Hockey League playoffs. Mark Flood, whose season ended with a shoulder injury Feb. 27, has been marking video during games. Tim Conboy, serving an eight-game suspension for his actions in Game 1 of the series, is sitting in the press box watching defensive tendencies. “That they can’t play doesn’t mean that you can’t keep them involved and make them feel a part of it,”
http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=682656&category=SPORTS&newsdate=4/22/2008
PENS’ MAGICIAN IN NET PUTS ON A SPECIAL SHOW
Paul Sokoloski,
For one brief moment, John Curry froze in a crouch at the corner of his goal, his back to center ice and his eyes fixed on the dangerous sniper lurking behind the net. Suddenly, Curry turned into a whirling dervish. His head snapped around like a character out of the exorcist, his body spun with it, and his glove shot skyward to somehow snag a soaring puck just before it found the net. All the demons swirling around the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series with Hershey disappeared. “Those are the saves you need to make,” Curry said. “It was just a reaction save. You can’t go into a game trying to make those.”
http://www.timesleader.com/sports/20080422_22_soko_column_ART.html
HAVING AN IMPACT
Jonathan Bombulie, The Citizen’s Voice
Throughout the course of his final season, there was a focus on some numbers Dennis Bonvie put up during his storied AHL career. His 4,493 penalty minutes, tops in league history by a country mile. His 871 games played, 16th on the league’s all-time list. But now that the playoffs have begun, another number has emerged, and it’s a number that might paint an even more flattering picture of Bonvie’s career than any of the others. The next Calder Cup playoff game Bonvie appears in will be the 100th of his career. That’s a milestone that only nine other players in league history have reached.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19505477&BRD=2259&PAG=461&dept_id=460522&rfi=6
SECOND PERIOD FLURRY LIFTS RAMPAGE
John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News
Maybe the Rampage are just making up for lost time. Or maybe they’re just beginning to like this whole postseason thing. Three days after recording the first playoff victory in their six-year history, the Rampage registered their first postseason win at home. Second-period goals by David Spina, Jon DiSalvatore and Bill Thomas lifted the Rampage to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Marlies on Monday at the AT&T Center in Game 3 of their first-round, American Hockey League Calder Cup playoff matchup. “I thought we were relentless tonight, after we got down a goal,” Spina said. “That’s what playoff hockey is all about.”
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA042208.RampageGamer.en.3d92bef.html
METHOT CAN PLAY THIS TIME
Lindsay Kramer,
It’s a given that Syracuse Crunch defenseman Marc Methot recalls his first playoff swing through Winnipeg two seasons ago for all the wrong reasons. Playing for a team that blows a 2-0 series lead by losing four straight will have you spitting up “what ifs?” for the rest of your career. But there’s yet another, more personal, reason that Methot reaches for the antacids whenever he ponders that three-game swing through the prairie in 2005-06. In Game 4 he was a healthy scratch for the first time since he can’t remember when, and for the last time as a member of the Crunch. “I just remember at the time I was disappointed and (upset). You wouldn’t be normal if you weren’t mad about it,” he said. “Sure, you have a chip on your shoulder. It wasn’t an easy time for me. It’s not going to be given to you. You have to work hard and stay competitive to be in a competitive lineup.”
http://www.syracuse.com/articles/sports/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1208854666271300.xml&coll=1
PLAYOFFS THE BEST OF TIMES, AND WORST
Randy Turner,
There must be something about the word “playoffs” that stirs the very soul. There’s anger. Aching disappointment. Unfettered joy. And it can get pretty intense on the ice, too. For example, the last time the Manitoba Moose hosted a playoff game, in May of ‘aught seven, it was a nightmarish and inglorious end to what was deemed to be a potentially fruitful postseason. But that edition of the Moose didn’t cooperate, blowing a two-goal third period lead against the eventual champion Hamilton Bulldogs in Game 6 to lose 4-3 in overtime. Safe to say that the men behind the Moose, notably president Mark Chipman and GM Craig Heisinger, didn’t suffer the defeat well.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/topstory/story/4163627p-4750942c.html
CRUNCH COMING OFF RARE LOSS
Ken Wiebe,
It’s been so long since the Syracuse Crunch suffered an outright loss, naturally you wonder if they remember what it’s like to have to bounce back. Have no fear, despite amassing a record of 20-0-0-3 until Saturday’s 3-2 overtime defeat and not losing outright since Feb. 18, the Crunch vow to not let the disappointment of seeing the streak go up in smoke have any impact on the Calder Cup playoff series against the Manitoba Moose. “Nobody is happy after a loss, it doesn’t matter what type of streak you are on,” said Crunch head coach Ross Yates. “We were going to lose sooner or later. We weren’t going to win 15 to end the regular season and then 16 playoff games. We knew it was going to happen. Now it’s how we react. It’s time to get back on the horse now and start a new one.”
http://www.winnipegsun.com/Sports/Hockey/2008/04/22/5353261-sun.html