News

AHL Morning Skate: June 3

by theahl

Take a game-day spin around the AHL ice with latest news and notes from
the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs in today’s Morning Skate.

Complete Schedule || Playoff Brackets || Today’s Scoreboard || League Leaders

   
Game 2 – 7:00 ET, AHL Live free-view, SiriusXM 91
(Lake Erie leads series, 1-0)
Infographic: Series Snapshot | Game 2 Media Kit
  

Hershey hosts Lake Erie in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals tonight, looking to salvage a split before the series moves to Cleveland… The Monsters scored three times in the third period on Wednesday night to earn a 4-1 victory in Game 1… Ohio native Trent Vogelhuber (2-5-7) scored the winning goal with 14:21 remaining after the teams entered the third period tied at 1-1… It was Vogelhuber’s first goal in 13 games, since he scored in the Monsters’ postseason opener on Apr. 20 at Rockford… Daniel Zaar (5-4-9) scored twice, Steve Eminger (1-6-7) recorded two assists and Anton Forsberg (6-0, 1.25, .956) made 26 saves for his sixth consecutive win… Forsberg has allowed eight goals on 183 shots in his seven playoff appearances… Markus Hannikainen (3-5-8) also netted a goal for Lake Erie in Game 1… Jakub Vrana (8-6-14) tallied Hershey’s only goal on Wednesday, tying for the AHL lead with his eighth goal of the postseason… Chris Bourque (4-7-11) notched an assist, the 77th of his Calder Cup Playoff career to move into second place all-time behind Darren Haydar (80)… Justin Peters (11-6, 2.07, .925) stopped 22 of 26 shots as his five-game home winning streak came to an end… Lake Erie improved to 12-2 this postseason, 14-2 in its last 16 road games and 21-4 in its last 25 games overall… Hershey is now 1-3 in Game 1’s this postseason; the Bears came back to defeat Portland and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after dropping those series openers… Hershey was 0-for-2 on the power play in Game 1… The Bears played a penalty-free game for the first time since Mar. 14, 2014 (vs. Syracuse)… In Calder Cup Finals history, the Game 1 winner has gone on to win the series 60 of 79 times (75.9 percent)… Tonight’s Game 2 will air on NHL Network Radio (SiriusXM 91).

2016 Calder Cup Finals – Series “O” (best-of-7)
A1-Hershey Bears vs. C2-Lake Erie Monsters
Game 1 – Wed., June 1 – Lake Erie 4, HERSHEY 1 | Recap | Highlights
Game 2 – Fri., June 3 – Lake Erie at Hershey, 7:00
Game 3 – Mon., June 6 – Hershey at Lake Erie, 7:00
Game 4 – Sat., June 11 – Hershey at Lake Erie, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sun., June 12 – Hershey at Lake Erie, 6:00
*Game 6 – Tue., June 14 – Lake Erie at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 7 – Fri., June 17 – Lake Erie at Hershey, 7:00
   *if necessary… All times Eastern
Historical Rivals
In a fitting end to the AHL’s 80th-anniversary season, the Calder Cup Finals are taking place in two of the league’s most historic cities… The Hershey Bears are playing in their 23rd Finals, while Cleveland is hosting the championship series for the first time in 50 years, since the last of the Cleveland Barons’ 14 trips to the Finals in 1966… The Barons and Bears met in the Finals three times, with Cleveland winning all three series (1941, 1945, 1954).
Official Business
The American Hockey League has named the on-ice officials for the 2016 Calder Cup Finals… Referees working the series will be Tom Chmielewski (second Finals), Terry Koharski (ninth), Jon McIsaac (first), Kendrick Nicholson (first) and Garrett Rank (second)… Linesmen will be Shandor Alphonso, Devin Berg, Ryan Daisy, Brandon Gawryletz, John Grandt and Jud Ritter.
MVP Effort
Hershey’s Chris Bourque is the ninth consecutive regular-season MVP to reach the Calder Cup Finals in the same season… Seven of the last eight won the Calder Cup as well:

2016 – Chris Bourque, Hershey Bears
2015 – Brian O’Neill, Manchester Monarchs
2014 – Travis Morin, Texas Stars
2013 – Tyler Johnson, Syracuse Crunch
2012 – Cory Conacher, Norfolk Admirals
2011 – Corey Locke, Binghamton Senators
2010 – Keith Aucoin, Hershey Bears
2009 – Alexandre Giroux, Hershey Bears
2008 – Jason Krog, Chicago Wolves

Working Overtime
There have been 14 overtime games played in the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs so far… Home teams are 9-5: 

*May 26 – LAKE ERIE 2, Ontario 1 (Lukas Sedlak, 26:25)
May 21 – HERSHEY 3, Toronto 2 (Carter Camper, 9:09)
*May 16 – Lake Erie 4, GRAND RAPIDS 3 (Zach Werenski, 12:32)
*May 15 – HERSHEY 3, W-B/Scranton 2 (Travis Boyd, 10:57)
May 13 – Ontario 4, SAN DIEGO 3 (Mike Amadio, 6:29)
May 9 – W-B/SCRANTON 2, Hershey 1 (Kael Mouillierat, 2:31)
May 8 – ALBANY 3, Toronto 2 (Nick Lappin, 18:40)
May 7 – Ontario 2, SAN DIEGO 1 (Justin Auger, 11:55)
May 5 – LAKE ERIE 3, Grand Rapids 2 (Oliver Bjorkstrand, 12:23)
Apr. 28 – Portland 2, HERSHEY 1 (Rob Flick, 43:10)
Apr. 26 – UTICA 2, Albany 1 (Alexandre Grenier, 9:13)
*Apr. 23 – W-B/Scranton 5, PROVIDENCE 4 (Jake Guentzel, 33:52)
Apr. 21 – W-B/SCRANTON 4, Providence 3 (Daniel Sprong, 5:13) 
Apr. 20 – W-B/SCRANTON 3, Providence 2 (Carter Rowney, 1:09)
  *series clincher
Calder Cup Finals History
Results of the last 25 Calder Cup Finals series:

2015 – Manchester Monarchs 4, Utica Comets 1
2014 – Texas Stars 4, St. John’s IceCaps 1
2013 – Grand Rapids Griffins 4, Syracuse Crunch 2
2012 – Norfolk Admirals 4, Toronto Marlies 0
2011 – Binghamton Senators 4, Houston Aeros 2
2010 – Hershey Bears 4, Texas Stars 2
2009 – Hershey Bears 4, Manitoba Moose 2
2008 – Chicago Wolves 4, W-B/Scranton Penguins 2
2007 – Hamilton Bulldogs 4, Hershey Bears 1
2006 – Hershey Bears 4, Milwaukee Admirals 2
2005 – Philadelphia Phantoms 4, Chicago Wolves 0
2004 – Milwaukee Admirals 4, W-B/Scranton Penguins 0
2003 – Houston Aeros 4, Hamilton Bulldogs 3
2002 – Chicago Wolves 4, Bridgeport Sound Tigers 1
2001 – Saint John Flames 4, W-B/Scranton Penguins 2
2000 – Hartford Wolf Pack 4, Rochester Americans 2
1999 – Providence Bruins 4, Rochester Americans 1
1998 – Philadelphia Phantoms 4, Saint John Flames 2
1997 – Hershey Bears 4, Hamilton Bulldogs 1
1996 – Rochester Americans 4, Portland Pirates 3
1995 – Albany River Rats 4, Fredericton Canadiens 0
1994 – Portland Pirates 4, Moncton Hawks 2
1993 – Cape Breton Oilers 4, Rochester Americans 1
1992 – Adirondack Red Wings 4, St. John’s Maple Leafs 3
1991 – Springfield Indians 4, Rochester Americans 2
About the Calder Cup
While the AHL’s history dates back to the fall of 1936, the Calder Cup trophy was first awarded in 1938 to the Providence Reds for winning the second International-American Hockey League championship. (In 1996, George Parsons of the Syracuse Stars was presented the Calder Cup in a ceremony at the Onondaga County War Memorial; it is believed the Stars never received a trophy for their 1937 championship.) The Calder Cup is named for Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL (1917-43) and one of the driving forces behind the formation of the AHL.

In 2001, the trophy’s base was changed to include two tiers of plaques, which feature the rosters of each of the last 20 Calder Cup champions; the plaques from the first 59 champions are on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The entire trophy now stands 24 inches tall and weighs 35 pounds. The bowl, made of sterling silver, is 12 inches high and eight inches in diameter; the base is made of Brazilian mahogany.
Alumni Watch
In Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night, Conor Sheary scored 2:35 into overtime as Pittsburgh defeated San Jose, 2-1, to take a 2-0 series lead… Sheary played 30 games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins earlier this season, totaling seven goals and 29 assists for 36 points… 2011 AHL All-Star Justin Braun scored for the Sharks.

Calder Cup Finals on AHL Live
As a thanks to the AHL’s loyal and dedicated fans, the American Hockey League and NeuLion, Inc., are making video streaming of all seven games of the 2016 Calder Cup Finals available for viewing at no charge from AHL Live via desktop, laptop, mobile device or tablet… To watch free on AHL Live, simply visit ahllive.com from any desktop computer, log in with your AHL Live account (or create a new one), select the Finals All-Access Pass and enter the promo code CALDERCUP2016 to access all of the action of the AHL’s championship series featuring the calls of the Bears’ Scott Stuccio and the Monsters’ Tony Brown… You can watch on your desktop or laptop through ahllive.com, or download the official AHL Live app from iTunes or Google Play to watch on your mobile device or tablet.