Take a game-day spin around the AHL ice with latest from around the American Hockey League in today’s Morning Skate.
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Tonight’s Previews
2014 Calder Cup Finals – Game 1 – 8:30 ET | Broadcast Information
The Calder Cup Finals get underway tonight as the Western Conference champion Texas Stars host the Eastern Conference champion St. John’s IceCaps in Game 1 at Cedar Park Center in Cedar Park, Texas… The Stars, who finished first overall in the AHL during the regular season, are in the Finals for the second time in the franchise’s five-year history; the IceCaps are playing for the championship for the first time in just their third year of existence… Texas lost the 2010 Finals to Hershey in six games, and is looking for its first-ever Finals win on home ice tonight… Both clubs enter the Finals with an identical 11-5 postseason record… Texas is coming off a seven-game victory over Toronto in the Western Conference Finals… Mike Hedden (6-9-15) and Travis Morin (4-11-15) share the Stars’ playoff scoring lead, while Justin Dowling has added 4-7-11 in just nine games, including three points in Tuesday’s series clincher against the Marlies in his first game back from injury… Former IceCaps defenseman Derek Meech (3-8-11) leads all Texas blueliners in scoring… Cristopher Nilstorp (9-4, 2.14, .914) has started eight consecutive games since Jack Campbell was injured during Game 5 of the Stars’ second-round series vs. Grand Rapids… Bidding for his third Calder Cup championship, Andrew Gordon (8-8-16) leads St. John’s in scoring through three rounds after putting up 2-6-8 in the IceCaps’ six-game win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the Eastern Conference title… Stars captain Maxime Fortunus (0-3-3) and IceCaps captain Jason Jaffray (4-6-10) were teammates on the 2009 Manitoba Moose team that lost to Gordon’s Hershey Bears in the Finals; Gordon also helped the Bears beat Texas in 2010… Will O’Neill (2-11-13) is eligible to return for the IceCaps after sitting out Game 6 vs. the Penguins serving a one-game AHL suspension… Eric O’Dell (9-2-11) is tied for the AHL playoff lead in goals… Michael Hutchinson (11-5, 1.61, .946) has allowed no more than one goal in nine of his 16 playoff starts, and gave up a total of eight goals on 182 shots (1.34, .956, 2 SO) to Wilkes-Barre last round… Texas leads the AHL in both most shots taken (37.1 game) and fewest shots allowed (26.6) during the playoffs… St. John’s has scored first in 14 of its 16 playoff games… Home teams are 2-12 in Game 1’s during the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs… In Calder Cup Finals history, the Game 1 winner has gone on to take the series 75.3 percent of the time (58 of 77).
2014 Calder Cup Finals – Series “O” (best-of-7)
W1-Texas Stars vs. E4-St. John’s IceCaps | Series Snapshot
Game 1 – Sun., June 8 – St. John’s at Texas, 8:30
Game 2 – Mon., June 9 – St. John’s at Texas, 8:30
Game 3 – Wed., June 11 – Texas at St. John’s, 6:00
Game 4 – Mon., June 16 – Texas at St. John’s, 6:00
*Game 5 – Tue., June 17 – Texas at St. John’s, 6:00
*Game 6 – Thu., June 19 – St. John’s at Texas, 8:30
*Game 7 – Mon., June 23 – St. John’s at Texas, 8:30
*if necessary… All times Eastern
Official Business
The American Hockey League has named the on-ice officials for the 2014 Calder Cup Finals. Referees working the series will be Trevor Hanson (first Finals), Terry Koharski (seventh), Mark Lemelin (second), Dave Lewis (first) and Graham Skilliter (third). Linesmen will be John Grandt, Trent Knorr, Joe Maynard, Randy Sappo, Carl Sasyn and Jim Vail.
About Last Night…
2005 AHL All-Star Dustin Brown scored at 10:26 of the second overtime period to give Los Angeles a 5-4 win over the New York Rangers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final last night… Fellow AHL alumni Willie Mitchell and Dwight King recorded a goal and an assist each on the night… Former AHL All-Stars Mats Zuccarello and Martin St. Louis scored for the Rangers, as did AHL grads Ryan McDonagh and Derick Brassard… Thirty-nine of the 48 players who have dressed for the Kings and Rangers this postseason have been graduates of the American Hockey League.
Game 1 Histories
The home team (higher seed) is 5-8 in the opening game of the Calder Cup Finals since 1993:
2013 – Grand Rapids 3, SYRACUSE 1
2012 – NORFOLK 3, Toronto 1
2011 – HOUSTON 3, Binghamton 1
2010 – Texas 2, HERSHEY 1
2009 – Hershey 5, MANITOBA 4 (OT)
2008 – CHICAGO 5, W-B/Scranton 4
2007 – Hamilton 4, HERSHEY 0
2006 – MILWAUKEE 2, Hershey 1
2005 – Philadelphia 1, CHICAGO 0
2004 – MILWAUKEE 2, W-B/Scranton 1 (OT)
2003 – Houston 2, HAMILTON 1
2002 – Chicago 5, BRIDGEPORT 4 (OT)
2001 – W-B/Scranton 4, SAINT JOHN 3
Working Overtime
There have been 15 overtime games played in the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs so far:
Apr. 23 – Springfield 3, PROVIDENCE 2 (Andrew Joudrey, 2:21)
Apr. 23 – Texas 3, OKLAHOMA CITY 2 (Mike Hedden, 5:35)
Apr. 25 – Providence 2, SPRINGFIELD 1 (Matt Fraser, 3:54)
Apr. 25 – W-B/Scranton 3, BINGHAMTON 2 (Anton Zlobin, 8:40)
Apr. 25 – Chicago 4, ROCHESTER 3 (Dmitrij Jaskin, 1:06)
Apr. 25 – Grand Rapids 2, ABBOTSFORD 1 (Ryan Sproul, 39:26)
Apr. 26 – BINGHAMTON 4, W-B/Scranton 3 (Stephane Da Costa, 11:07)
Apr. 26 – Texas 3, OKLAHOMA CITY 2 (Brendan Ranford, 15:04)
Apr. 30 – W-B/SCRANTON 3, Binghamton 2 (Chuck Kobasew, 7:32)
Apr. 30 – NORFOLK 1, Manchester 0 (Maxime Sauve, 14:51)
May 13 – NORFOLK 3, St. John’s 2 (Andre Petersson, 13:10)
May 14 – W-B/Scranton 5, PROVIDENCE 4 (Simon Despres, 26:32)
May 14 – TORONTO 4, Chicago 3 (Jerry D’Amigo, 3:28)
May 16 – PROVIDENCE 3, W-B/Scranton 2 (Cory Kane, 6:31)
May 16 – Texas 3, GRAND RAPIDS 2 (Chris Mueller, 3:18)
Calder Cup Finals History
Results of the last 25 Calder Cup Finals series:
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
1990 – Springfield Indians 4, Rochester Americans 2
1989 – Adirondack Red Wings 4, New Haven Nighthawks 1
AHL Live
Don’t miss a second on the road to the 2014 Calder Cup championship. AHL Live brings AHL action to your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet all season long with live video webcasts and free highlights of every AHL game… Visit ahllive.com for details.
