AHL Morning Skate: May 27

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 4 – 7:30 ET, AHL Live
(Hershey leads series, 3-0)
  

The Hershey Bears are one win away from their 23rd trip to the Calder Cup Finals as they visit Toronto for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference championship series tonight… A resounding 8-2 win in Game 3 on Wednesday has the Bears on the verge of their first Finals appearance since 2010 and their fifth in 11 seasons since beginning their affiliation with the Washington Capitals in 2005… Zach Sill (5-3-8) and Jakub Vrana (7-5-12) each scored twice in Game 3, Chris Bourque (4-6-10) tallied a goal and an assist and Carter Camper (6-9-15) extended his scoring streak to nine games with a pair of assists… Justin Peters (10-4, 1.74, .937) stopped 26 shots in the win… Hershey scored the final seven goals of the game, including five in a span of 7:05 bridging the second and third periods… Josh Leivo (3-8-11) and Colin Smith (1-2-3) scored for the Marlies on Wednesday… The Bears were 6-for-6 on the penalty kill in Game 3, and scored two shorthanded goals on the same minor early in the third period… The six-goal margin of defeat was the largest for the Marlies all season, and the eight goals were the most allowed by Toronto at home since an 8-1 loss to Chicago on Mar. 5, 2007… With his two points in Game 3, Chris Bourque moved past former Toronto Marlies junior star and Maple Leafs player and coach Mike Nykoluk to become the all-time leading scorer in Bears playoff history (74 points)… Bourque’s 76 career playoff assists are tied for second-most in AHL history, and his 105 points place him fifth… The Bears have scored 14 goals on 75 shots in the series (18.7 percent)… Tonight’s game can be seen on TSN2 across Canada, and heard on SiriusXM 91 (NHL Network Radio).

Eastern Conference Finals – Series “M” (best-of-7) 
N1-Toronto Marlies vs. A1-Hershey Bears
Game 1 – Fri., May 20 – HERSHEY 3, Toronto 1
Game 2 – Sat., May 21 – HERSHEY 3, Toronto 2 (OT)
Game 3 – Wed., May 25 – Hershey 8, TORONTO 2
Game 4 – Fri., May 27 – Hershey at Toronto, 7:30
*Game 5 – Sun., May 29 – Hershey at Toronto, 3:00
*Game 6 – Tue., May 31 – Toronto at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 7 – Thu., June 2 – Hershey at Toronto, 7:30
   *if necessary… All times Eastern

   
(Lake Erie wins series, 4-0)
  

For the first time in 50 years, the Calder Cup Finals are returning to Cleveland after the Lake Erie Monsters won the AHL’s Western Conference championship last night with a 2-1 double-overtime victory over Ontario in front of 10,854 fans at Quicken Loans Arena… Lukas Sedlak scored both goals for the Monsters, including the winner 6:25 into the second OT period, and Anton Forsberg made 41 saves… Sedlak (8-5-13) now leads the AHL with eight goals this postseason, and has 18 goals in his last 23 games after scoring four in his first 44 contests of the season… Forsberg (5-0, 1.30, .955) won his fifth consecutive decision since taking over in the Lake Erie crease during Game 5 of the division finals vs. Grand Rapids, and finished with a .953 save percentage in the four-game sweep of the Reign… Kerby Rychel (1-4-5) recorded two assists in the Game 4 win… Joel Lowry (4-2-6) scored off a Lake Erie misplay early in the third period, the only goal scored by Ontario over the final 153:37 of the series… Peter Budaj (7-6, 2.18, .904), making his 73rd start in 81 team games, stopped 29 shots last night for the Reign… The Monsters are 11-2 this postseason and have won 20 of their last 24 games overall… The Cleveland Barons reached the Calder Cup Finals 14 times between 1939 and 1966 and won nine championships… Lake Erie will be the lower seed in the Finals against either Toronto or Hershey.

Western Conference Finals – Series “N” (best-of-7)
P1-Ontario Reign vs. C2-Lake Erie Monsters
Game 1 – Sat., May 21 – Lake Erie 4, ONTARIO 3
Game 2 – Sun., May 22 – Lake Erie 3, ONTARIO 2
Game 3 – Tue., May 24 – LAKE ERIE 4, Ontario 0
Game 4 – Thu., May 26 – LAKE ERIE 2, Ontario 1 (2OT)

Down 0-3
Three teams in AHL history have come back from 0-3 down to win a best-of-seven Calder Cup Playoff series:

1960 Semifinals
Game 1 – Cleveland Barons 2, Rochester Americans 0
Game 2 – Cleveland Barons 2, Rochester Americans 1
Game 3 – Cleveland Barons 7, Rochester Americans 5
Game 4 – Rochester Americans 5, Cleveland Barons 3
Game 5 – Rochester Americans 4, Cleveland Barons 1
Game 6 – Rochester Americans 5, Cleveland Barons 3
Game 7 – Rochester Americans 4, Cleveland Barons 1

1989 Division Finals
Game 1 – Hershey Bears 4, Adirondack Red Wings 3
Game 2 – Hershey Bears 5, Adirondack Red Wings 3
Game 3 – Hershey Bears 1, Adirondack Red Wings 0
Game 4 – Adirondack Red Wings 6, Hershey Bears 3
Game 5 – Adirondack Red Wings 3, Hershey Bears 2 (OT)
Game 6 – Adirondack Red Wings 4, Hershey Bears 2
Game 7 – Adirondack Red Wings 2, Hershey Bears 1 (OT)

2013 Conference Semifinals
Game 1 – Providence Bruins 8, W-B/Scranton Penguins 5
Game 2 – Providence Bruins 4, W-B/Scranton Penguins 2
Game 3 – Providence Bruins 2, W-B/Scranton Penguins 1 (OT)
Game 4 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 3, Providence Bruins 1
Game 5 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 4, Providence Bruins 0
Game 6 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 2, Providence Bruins 1 (OT)
Game 7 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 5, Providence Bruins 0

Eastern Conference Finals History
The Richard F. Canning Trophy is presented each season to the playoff champions of the AHL’s Eastern Conference… Here are the results of the Eastern Conference Finals since the league split into two conferences in 1995-96:

2015 – Manchester Monarchs 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 0
2014 – St. John’s IceCaps 4, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2
2013 – Syracuse Crunch 4, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 1
2012 – Norfolk Admirals 4, St. John’s IceCaps 0
2011 – Binghamton Senators 4, Charlotte Checkers 0
2010 – Hershey Bears 4, Manchester Monarchs 2
2009 – Hershey Bears 4, Providence Bruins 1
2008 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 4, Portland Pirates 3
2007 – Hershey Bears 4, Manchester Monarchs 0
2006 – Hershey Bears 4, Portland Pirates 3
2005 – Philadelphia Phantoms 4, Providence Bruins 2
2004 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 3
2003 – Hamilton Bulldogs 4, Binghamton Senators 1
2002 – Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4, Hamilton Bulldogs 3
2001 – Saint John Flames 4, Providence Bruins 1
2000 – Hartford Wolf Pack 4, Providence Bruins 3
1999 – Providence Bruins 4, Fredericton Canadiens 2
1998 – Saint John Flames 4, Hartford Wolf Pack 1
*1997 – Hamilton Bulldogs 4, Albany River Rats 1
*1996 – Portland Pirates 4, Saint John Flames 3
  *known as Northern Conference

Western Conference Finals History
The Robert W. Clarke Trophy is presented each season to the playoff champions of the AHL’s Western Conference… Here are the results of the Western Conference Finals since the league split into two conferences in 1995-96:

2016 – Lake Erie Monsters 4, Ontario Reign 0
2015 – Utica Comets 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 2
2014 – Texas Stars 4, Toronto Marlies 3
2013 – Grand Rapids Griffins 4, Oklahoma City Barons 3
2012 – Toronto Marlies 4, Oklahoma City Barons 1
2011 – Houston Aeros 4, Hamilton Bulldogs 3
2010 – Texas Stars 4, Hamilton Bulldogs 3
2009 – Manitoba Moose 4, Houston Aeros 2
2008 – Chicago Wolves 4, Toronto Marlies 1
2007 – Hamilton Bulldogs 4, Chicago Wolves 1
2006 – Milwaukee Admirals 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 0
2005 – Chicago Wolves 4, Manitoba Moose 0
2004 – Milwaukee Admirals 4, Rochester Americans 1
2003 – Houston Aeros 4, Grand Rapids Griffins 3
2002 – Chicago Wolves 4, Houston Aeros 1
2001 – W-B/Scranton Penguins 4, Hershey Bears 0
2000 – Rochester Americans 4, Hershey Bears 0
1999 – Rochester Americans 4, Philadelphia Phantoms 2
1998 – Philadelphia Phantoms 4, Albany River Rats 2
*1997 – Hershey Bears 4, Springfield Falcons 3
*1996 – Rochester Americans 4, Syracuse Crunch 1
  *known as Southern Conference

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)

Alumni Watch
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs last night, Bryan Rust scored twice and Matt Murray made 16 saves as Pittsburgh won the Eastern Conference championship with a 2-1 win over Tampa Bay… Jonathan Drouin scored for the Lightning and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 37 saves… Rust, Murray, Drouin and Vasilevskiy all played in the AHL earlier this season.

AHL Live
Don’t miss a second on the road to the 2016 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.