As the two conference finals take Friday off, some notes from around the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs as we get closer to crowning the American Hockey League’s 70th Calder Cup champion:
The Hershey Bears continued their history-making march with a 2-1 overtime win in Portland last night, claiming a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Final as the teams head down to Chocolatetown for Games 3 and 4.
Graham Mink, who played four seasons in Portland (2001-05) before Washington moved its AHL affiliation to Hershey this season, scored the winner in Game 2… Mink is one of 14 players on the Bears roster who previously spent time with the Pirates.
The win improved Hershey’s playoff record to a sparkling 10-0, and moved them up the charts on a couple of all-time leaderboards:
|
Longest winning streak
(single postseason)
|
|
12
|
*Hershey
|
1988
|
|
10
|
Hershey
|
2006
|
|
10
|
*Cape Breton
|
1993
|
|
10
|
Rochester
|
1991
|
|
10
|
*Hershey
|
1974
|
|
9
|
*Rochester
|
1996
|
|
9
|
*Cleveland
|
1964
|
|
*won Calder Cup
|
|
|
Longest winning streak
(one or more postseasons)
|
|
15
|
Cleveland
|
1964-66
|
|
14
|
Hershey
|
1988-89
|
|
12
|
Nova Scotia
|
1972-73
|
|
10
|
Hershey
|
2006
|
|
10
|
Cape Breton
|
1993
|
|
10
|
Rochester
|
1991
|
|
10
|
Hershey
|
1974
|
|
10
|
Springfield
|
1960-61
|
|
Only one other team – the 1988 Hershey Bears – has won as many as 10 consecutive games to begin a postseason… Those Bears went 12-0, sweeping all three series to win the Calder Cup.
The 2006 edition of the Bears has outscored its opponents by a 40-15 margin so far this postseason, including 17-2 over the last five games.
Hershey has not allowed an even-strength goal in its last 317:07 of play, the equivalent of nearly 16 full periods.
Frederic Cassivi, who led the AHL with 34 victories during the regular season, has been in net the whole way for the Bears during the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs, and owns a 1.44 goals-against average and .948 save percentage… He still has some work to do to catch Michel Plasse, whose 1.25 GAA for Nova Scotia during the 1972 postseason remains the lowest in AHL history.
Portland scored first last night, ending a span of 423:11 in which Hershey had not trailed in a game going back to the second period of Game 3 of their first-round series with Norfolk
The Pirates, who set an AHL record with 27 road wins during the 2005-06 regular season, will now attempt to become just the sixth team in AHL history to win a best-of-seven series after dropping the first two games on home ice… The most recent club to accomplish that feat was this year’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, in their East Division semifinal against Bridgeport.
Milwaukee took the early lead in the Western Conference championship series with a 4-0 win over Grand Rapids at Van Andel Arena last night.
Game 1 was scoreless until Chris Durno scored 2:01 into the third period off a turnover in the Griffins’ end.
Darren Haydar scored twice and added an assist during the four-goal third, moving him into a tie atop the AHL’s postseason scoring leaderboard with 24 points on 12 goals and 12 assists in 12 games… Haydar has 10 goals and six assists during his current seven-game scoring streak, and has vaulted into a tie for 22nd place all-time in both goals (27) and points (62) in his Calder Cup Playoff career.
Simon Gamache added a goal and an assist in Game 1, and sits just behind Haydar with 61 points in his AHL postseason career.
Pekka Rinne made 36 saves for his fifth win – and second shutout – in five playoff games.
Drew MacIntyre got the start in net for the Griffins after relieving Jimmy Howard in Tuesday’s Game 7 win vs. Manitoba and stopped 27 of 30 shots, but suffered his first loss at Van Andel Arena since Oct. 15.
Grand Rapids dropped to 3-4 at home this postseason… The Griffins were 30-6-1-3 on home ice in the regular season.
Terry Virtue skated in his 103rd career Calder Cup Playoff game last night, the most ever by an AHL defenseman… He broke a tie with current Philadelphia Phantoms head coach John Stevens, who played 102 Calder Cup Playoff games in his career… Virtue now ranks eighth overall on that list, which is led by Ken Gernander (123), Virtue’s teammate on the 2000 Calder Cup champion Hartford Wolf Pack.
ON THIS DATE:
May 19, 2003 — Facing a possible 0-3 series deficit, Binghamton scores four times in a span of 5:13 early in the third period, turning a 4-2 deficit into a 6-4 win over Hamilton in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final.
May 19, 2002 — Chicago buries Houston, 7-0, to win the Western Conference championship and advance to the Calder Cup Final.
May 19, 2000 — J.F. Labbe makes 39 saves as Hartford staves off elimination with a 5-3 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final at Providence, ending the Bruins’ playoff record 16-game home winning streak.
May 19, 1983 — The Rochester Americans win the Calder Cup, completing a four-game sweep with a 3-1 win at Maine.
Calder Cup Playoff schedules and results
Calder Cup Playoff brackets
