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.
TUESDAY’S SCORES:
CHICAGO 4, Rockford 1 (CHI wins, 4-3)
TUESDAY’S THREE STARS:
1. Rookie goaltender Ondrej Pavelec stopped 38 of 39 shots as
2. Jason Krog netted the eventual game-winning goal to lead the Wolves into the Western Conference finals.
3. Kris Versteeg tallied the IceHogs’ lone goal in the defeat.
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times ET):
Game 1 –
2008 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:
Complete Results || Scoring Leaders || Goaltending Leaders
Eastern Conference Finals – Series “M” (best-of-7)
E1-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. A3-Portland Pirates
Game 1 – Wed., May 14 – Portland at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Game 2 – Thu., May 15 – Portland at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Game 3 – Sun., May 18 – W-B/Scranton at Portland, 4:05
Game 4 – Tue., May 20 – W-B/Scranton at Portland, 7:05
*Game 5 – Wed., May 21 – W-B/Scranton at Portland, 7:05
*Game 6 – Fri., May 23 – Portland at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 7 – Sat., May 24 – Portland at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Western Conference Finals – Series “N” (best-of-7)
W1-Chicago Wolves vs. N1-Toronto Marlies
Game 1 – Fri., May 16 – Toronto at Chicago, 8:30
Game 2 – Sun., May 18 – Toronto at Chicago, 4:00
Game 3 – Tue., May 20 – Chicago at Toronto, 7:30
Game 4 – Wed., May 21 – Chicago at Toronto, 7:30
*Game 5 – Fri., May 23 – Toronto at Chicago, 8:30
*Game 6 – Sun., May 25 – Chicago at Toronto, 4:00
*Game 7 – Tue., May 27 – Toronto at Chicago, 8:00
Atlantic Division Finals – Series “I” (best-of-7)
A1-Providence Bruins vs. A3-Portland Pirates || Preview
Game 1 – Sat., Apr. 26 – PROVIDENCE 4, Portland 0
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 27 – PROVIDENCE 7, Portland 1
Game 3 – Fri., May 2 – PORTLAND 4, Providence 3 (OT)
Game 4 – Sun., May 4 – PORTLAND 3, Providence 2 (OT)
Game 5 – Tue., May 6 – PORTLAND 3, Providence 2
Game 6 – Fri., May 9 – Portland 5, PROVIDENCE 4
East Division Finals – Series “J” (best-of-7)
E1-W-B/Scranton Penguins vs. E2-Philadelphia Phantoms || Preview
Game 1 – Thu., May 1 – Philadelphia 5, W-B/SCRANTON 2
Game 2 – Sat., May 3 – W-B/SCRANTON 5, Philadelphia 4 (OT)
Game 3 – Mon., May 5 – W-B/Scranton 3, PHILADELPHIA 2 (WC)
Game 4 – Wed., May 7 – W-B/Scranton 8, PHILADELPHIA 4 (WC)
Game 5 – Fri., May 9 – W-B/SCRANTON 3, Philadelphia 1
North Division Finals – Series “K” (best-of-7)
N1-Toronto Marlies vs. N2-Syracuse Crunch || Preview
Game 1 – Fri., May 2 – Syracuse 5, TORONTO 1
Game 2 – Sun., May 4 – Syracuse 3, TORONTO 1
Game 3 – Tue., May 6 – Toronto 8, SYRACUSE 2
Game 4 – Wed., May 7 – SYRACUSE 5, Toronto 4 (OT)
Game 5 – Fri., May 9 – TORONTO 4, Syracuse 3 (OT)
Game 6 – Sat., May 10 – Toronto 3, SYRACUSE 2
Game 7 – Mon., May 12 – TORONTO 3, Syracuse 2
West Division Finals – Series “L” (best-of-7)
W1-Chicago Wolves vs. W2-Rockford IceHogs || Preview
Game 1 – Thu., May 1 – CHICAGO 4, Rockford 1
Game 2 – Sat., May 3 – CHICAGO 7, Rockford 3
Game 3 – Sun., May 4 – ROCKFORD 3, Chicago 1
Game 4 – Wed., May 7 – ROCKFORD 3, Chicago 2
Game 5 – Fri., May 9 – Rockford 5, CHICAGO 1
Game 6 – Sun., May 11 – Chicago 4, ROCKFORD 3
Game 7 – Tue., May 13 – CHICAGO 4, Rockford 1
*if necessary… All times Eastern… (WC) –
GAME NOTES (all times ET):
Game 1 –
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and
MORNING HEADLINES:
IT’S SURVIVE, ADVANCE FOR WOLVES
Len Ziehm,
The Wolves are still alive in the American Hockey League playoffs, and the Blackhawks’ top farm team is going home. The Rockford IceHogs, however, earned plenty of respect in their first season. Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec was the difference Tuesday in Game 7 of the West Division championship series. He made 39 saves in the Wolves’ 4-1 victory at Allstate Arena to put his team in the Western Conference finals against the Toronto Marlies. “He played tremendous, that kid in the cage,” IceHogs coach Mike Haviland said. “Their power play came through in the last two games and won them the series.” The next round begins Friday at Allstate Arena, but it will be hard-pressed to match the spirited battle between the Wolves and IceHogs. “It was too bad someone had to lose,” said AHL most valuable player Jason Krog, who scored the winning goal Tuesday. “It was so close. It was just a battle, the whole thing. What a great team they are.”
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/wolves/948296,CST-SPT-wolves14.article
VICTORIOUS WOLVES HOG THE SPOTLIGHT
Chris Kuc,
The last time the Wolves played a deciding Game 7 on home ice, they captured a championship. Tuesday night’s 4-1 victory over the Rockford IceHogs before a crowd of 5,218 at Allstate Arena didn’t bring home any hardware, but it did allow the Wolves to rally to a hard-fought 4-3 West Division finals series victory and advance to the Western Conference finals of the AHL’s Calder Cup playoffs. The Wolves will take on the Toronto Marlies in the conference finals beginning Friday night at Allstate Arena. The winners advance to the Calder Cup finals. “
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-14-wolves-chicagomay14,0,2630706.story
POWER-PLAY GOALS SINK ICEHOGS
Reed Schreck,
The same problem that plagued
http://www.rrstar.com/rockford/x401614855/Power-play-goals-sink-IceHogs
PIRATES THE NEXT OBSTACLE FOR PENS
Tom Venesky,
Defenseman Mark Ardelan doesn’t know a lot about the Portland Pirates. You can’t really blame him considering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins faced the Pirates only twice this season. But Ardelan and his teammates will have plenty of time to get acquainted with the Pirates when they open their AHL Eastern Conference Final playoff series at
http://www.timesleader.com/sports/20080514_14_penguins_ART.html
PENGUINS’ BRENT LOOKING FOR NEW PLAYOFF MEMORY
Jonathan Bombulie, Times-Shamrock Newspapers
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins center Tim Brent had some great times in a Portland Pirates uniform. He also suffered the most stinging loss of his pro career while wearing their colors. It’s the latter that drives him as the Penguins and Pirates are set to square off in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals tonight at the Wachovia Arena. Brent and the Pirates advanced to the seventh game of the conference finals two years ago only to lose to Hershey on an Eric Fehr goal in overtime. “We were so close and to watch Hershey steamroll
http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19687229&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=418214&rfi=6
PIRATES PREP FOR HIGH-SCORING PENGUINS
Paul Betit,
Center Stephen Dixon and defenseman Andy Schneider know exactly what the Portland Pirates will face when they play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the AHL’s Eastern Conference championship.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=187651&ac=PHspt
GOAL IS FOR SUCCESS TO CARRY OVER TO ‘08-’09
Lindsay Kramer,
Even before the final horn sounded on the Syracuse Crunch with a Game 7 loss to
http://www.syracuse.com/crunch/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1210755669222210.xml&coll=1
BY THE NUMBERS:
4 – Consecutive seasons that a team from
273 – Consecutive games played by
ALUMNI WATCH:
Ryan Whitney, who reached the 2004 Calder Cup Finals with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, scored a goal as part of Pittsburgh’s 4-1 win at Philadelphia last night, giving the Penguins a 3-0 series lead in the NHL’s Eastern Conference finals… 2005 Calder Cup champion R.J. Umberger tallied the Flyers’ lone marker.
ON THIS DATE: