All the marbles on the line tonight

CALDER CUP UPDATE:
The last conference finalist will be determined tonight as Grand Rapids hosts Manitoba in the deciding Game 7 of the North Division Final (7:00 ET)… The Moose pushed the series to the limit with a 3-1 win last night… Josh Green, returning to the lineup after missing three games with pneumonia, scored two first-period goals, including Manitoba’s first road power-play goal in its last 59 postseason chances… Maxime Ouellet relieved an injured Wade Flaherty at the 6:45 mark of the first period and stopped 35 of 36 shots for the Moose… Ouellet has a 0.88 goals-against average and a .974 save percentage in two appearances this postseason… Lee Goren added a goal and an assist… Jiri Hudler scored the Griffins’ lone goal of Game 6, his fourth of the series and sixth of the postseason… Jimmy Howard stopped 16 shots as Grand Rapids finished with a 37-19 edge in shots, including a 36-7 run after spotting the Moose a three-goal lead.

Manitoba has scored 11 first-period goals in the series, and eight over the final two periods combined… In five of the first six games, one team has scored at least the first three goals of the contest… The Griffins are 2-3 at home this postseason after going 30-6-1-3 at Van Andel in the regular season… Manitoba is looking to join the 1983 Maine Mariners and the 1996 Portland Pirates as the only teams in Calder Cup Playoff history to win Games 6 and 7 of a series on the road… In 2003, the Moose took Game 6 in Hamilton before losing at the Bulldogs in Game 7… The Griffins have played one Game 7 in franchise history, dropping a 2-1 decision at home to Houston in 2003… Home teams are 33-30 (.524) all-time in Calder Cup Playoff Game 7’s, including 3-0 this postseason… If Grand Rapids wins, the Western Conference Final will begin Thursday at Van Andel Arena; if Manitoba wins, Game 1 will be Friday in Milwaukee.

Atlantic Division Final — Series "I" (best-of-7)
A1-Portland Pirates vs. A2-Hartford Wolf Pack
Game 1 – Tue., May 2 – Portland 6, HARTFORD 2
Game 2 – Thu., May 4 – HARTFORD 3, Portland 2 (OT)
Game 3 – Sat., May 6 – PORTLAND 4, Hartford 3 (OT)
Game 4 – Sun., May 7 – Hartford 4, PORTLAND 2
Game 5 – Thu., May 11 – PORTLAND 4, Hartford 1
Game 6 – Sun., May 14 – PORTLAND 5, Hartford 4 (OT)

East Division Final — Series "J" (best-of-7)
E1-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. E2-Hershey Bears
Game 1 – Thu., May 4 – Hershey 5, WILKES-BARRE 4
Game 2 – Sat., May 6 – Hershey 5, WILKES-BARRE 0
Game 3 – Sun., May 7 – HERSHEY 4, Wilkes-Barre 1
Game 4 – Tue., May 9 – HERSHEY 1, Wilkes-Barre 0

North Division Final — Series "K" (best-of-7)
N1-Grand Rapids Griffins vs. N3-Manitoba Moose
Game 1 – Fri., May 5 – Manitoba 3, GRAND RAPIDS 1
Game 2 – Sat., May 6 – GRAND RAPIDS 3, Manitoba 2
Game 3 – Tue., May 9 – Grand Rapids 5, MANITOBA 4 (OT)
Game 4 – Thu., May 11 – MANITOBA 5, Grand Rapids 1
Game 5 – Sat., May 13 – Grand Rapids 3, MANITOBA 2
Game 6 – Mon., May 15 – Manitoba 3, GRAND RAPIDS 1
Game 7 – Tue., May 16 – at Grand Rapids, 7:00

West Division Final — Series "L" (best-of-7)
W1-Milwaukee Admirals vs. W2-Houston Aeros
Game 1 – Thu., May 4 – MILWAUKEE 5, Houston 4
Game 2 – Sat., May 6 – MILWAUKEE 7, Houston 0
Game 3 – Sun., May 7 – Milwaukee 7, HOUSTON 4
Game 4 – Tue., May 9 – Milwaukee 4, HOUSTON 2

Complete Calder Cup Playoff schedules and results

All times Eastern… *if necessary

ALUMNI WATCH:
On Monday at the 2006 World Championships in Latvia, 2005 Calder Cup champion Jeff Carter scored two shorthanded goals and former AHL All-Stars Patrice Bergeron and Brad Boyes scored a goal each as Canada doubled up Finland, 4-2… 1999 AHL All-Star Marc Denis made 38 saves for Canada… 2005 AHL All-Star Mikko Koivu had a goal and an assist for the Finns.

BY THE NUMBERS:
13 — Game 7’s in Calder Cup Playoff history that have gone to overtime… One of those Game 7 OT heroes was current Grand Rapids defenseman Terry Virtue, who gave Hartford a conference championship with his series-clincher vs. Providence in 2000.

ON THIS DATE (May 16):
2003 – Houston outshoots Grand Rapids by a 27-12 margin and earns a 2-1 win in Game 3 of their conference final series… 1999Richard Park scores two goals and assists on three others as Philadelphia routs Kentucky, 9-3, in Game 7 of the Mid-Atlantic Division final… 1998Martin St. Louis scores twice as Saint John downs Hartford, 5-4, in their conference final Game 1… 1989 – The Adirondack Red Wings win their third Calder Cup of the 1980’s with a 10-7 win over New Haven… 1984 – The Maine Mariners defeat Rochester, 5-2, to capture their third Calder Cup title in seven years… 1980Darryl Sutter nets the winning goal as New Brunswick staves off elimination with a 4-2 win over Hershey in Game 5 of the Calder Cup final.

AHL ON B2 NETWORKS:
B2 Networks brings all the action of the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs to your computer with live video webcasts of every game… Click here for details.