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
2013 Calder Cup Finals – Game 2 – 6:00 ET
(GR leads series, 1-0)
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, ESPN America
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (Sirius 207, XM 92)
Webcast: AHL Live (free offer)
The 2013 Calder Cup Finals continue with Game 2 tonight, less than 24 hours after Grand Rapids opened the series with a 3-1 win over Syracuse… A standing-room-only crowd of 6,333 fans packed the Onondaga County War Memorial Arena for the first AHL Finals game since the building opened in 1951… Mitch Callahan (5-2-7), Riley Sheahan (3-9-12) and Gustav Nyquist (2-1-3) scored for the Griffins in Game 1, while Petr Mrazek (12-7, 2.12, .924) stopped 28 of 29 shots against a Syracuse club that averaged 4.0 goals per game through the first three playoff rounds… Griffins defenseman Chad Billins (2-10-12) notched an assist in Game 1, giving him 1-6-7 in his last six games… Jean-Philippe Cote (1-2-3) had the Crunch’s only goal of the night, his second in 53 career Calder Cup Playoff games… Cote’s goal was also the first allowed by Mrazek on the road in 214:27; he shut out Oklahoma City in Games 4 and 5 of the conference finals… Cedrick Desjardins (11-2, 1.87, .919) made 18 saves on 20 shots for Syracuse… Grand Rapids was 1-for-4 on the power play in Game 1; Syracuse was 0-for-5… The Crunch also lost the opener of their conference final series with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, then went on to win four straight… Grand Rapids is just the 20th team ever to win Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals on the road; 14 of the previous 19 went on to win the series.
2013 Calder Cup Finals – Series “O” (best-of-7)
E3-Syracuse Crunch vs. W3-Grand Rapids Griffins
Game 1 – Sat., June 8 – Grand Rapids 3, SYRACUSE 1
Game 2 – Sun., June 9 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 6:00
Game 3 – Wed., June 12 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00
Game 4 – Fri., June 14 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sat., June 15 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 6 – Tue., June 18 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 7 – Thu., June 20 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
About Last Night…
The Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL’s Western Conference championship with a 4-3 win in double overtime over the Los Angeles Kings last night… Duncan Keith (Norfolk) scored a goal for the Blackhawks, Bryan Bickell (Norfolk, Rockford) notched two assists and Corey Crawford (Norfolk, Rockford) made 33 saves… Chicago will face Boston in the Stanley Cup Finals beginning Wednesday night.
Guest Services
Grand Rapids is the 20th team all-time — but the eighth in the last 13 years — to win Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals on the road… Fourteen of the previous 19 went on to win the championship (series winners in bold):
2013 – Grand Rapids 3, SYRACUSE 1
2010 – Texas 2, HERSHEY 1
2009 – Hershey 5, MANITOBA 4 (OT)
2007 – Hamilton 4, HERSHEY 0
2005 – Philadelphia 1, CHICAGO 0
2003 – Houston 2, HAMILTON 1
2002 – Chicago 5, BRIDGEPORT 4 (OT)
2001 – W-B/Scranton 4, SAINT JOHN 3
1992 – Adirondack 6, ST. JOHN’S 3
1990 – Springfield 7, ROCHESTER 6
1985 – Sherbrooke 4, BALTIMORE 3
1980 – Hershey 5, NEW BRUNSWICK 3
1978 – New Haven 5, MAINE 2
1977 – Rochester 4, NOVA SCOTIA 3
1971 – Springfield 4, PROVIDENCE 2
1964 – Cleveland 4, QUEBEC 2
1951 – Pittsburgh 3, CLEVELAND 2 (OT)
1950 – Indianapolis 4, CLEVELAND 1
1944 – Buffalo 4, CLEVELAND 2
1939 – Cleveland 2, PHILADELPHIA 1
Working Overtime
There have been 13 overtime games played in the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs so far… Road teams are 10-3:
Apr. 26 – Texas 3, MILWAUKEE 2 (Brett Ritchie, 11:44)
Apr. 26 – Charlotte 4, OKLAHOMA CITY 3 (Brody Sutter, 3:06)
Apr. 27 – SPRINGFIELD 2, Manchester 1 (Cody Bass, 10:36)
Apr. 27 – W-B/Scranton 3, BINGHAMTON 2 (Chad Kolarik, 8:18)
Apr. 27 – SYRACUSE 4, Portland 3 (Richard Panik, 6:36)
Apr. 28 – Hershey 5, PROVIDENCE 4 (Jon DiSalvatore, 3:05)
Apr. 28 – SPRINGFIELD 3, Manchester 2 (Cody Bass, 18:44)
*May 1 – Toronto 3, ROCHESTER 2 (Will Acton, 5:14)
*May 2 – Syracuse 4, PORTLAND 3 (Ondrej Palat, 19:43)
*May 4 – Springfield 4, MANCHESTER 3 (Nick Drazenovic, 8:06)
May 9 – Oklahoma City 2, TEXAS 1 (Anton Lander, 1:28)
May 15 – Providence 2, W-B/SCRANTON 1 (Carter Camper, 0:31)
May 20 – W-B/Scranton 2, PROVIDENCE 1 (Trevor Smith, 3:26)
*indicates goal ended series
Watch the Calder Cup Finals Free on AHL Live
As a thank you to our fans, the American Hockey League and NeuLion are offering free streaming of the 2013 Calder Cup Finals on AHL Live… Visit ahllive.com for details.
