CALDER CUP UPDATE:
Portland kept its season alive with a three-goal rally, erasing a 2-0 deficit and posting a 3-2 win over Hershey in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals last night… Game 6 is tonight in Portland (7:05 ET), with the Pirates trying to push the series to the limit… Bruno St. Jacques and Ryan Shannon tied the score before Tim Brent’s first goal since Dec. 31 put Portland on top… Tomas Fleischmann had a goal and an assist for the Bears, giving him nine points (5g, 4a) in the series… Mike Green also scored for Hershey, the first career playoff goal for the AHL All-Rookie defenseman… In both of their wins in the series, the Pirates have dug out of a two-goal hole in the third period… Portland had scored just one goal in eight periods on home ice during the series before the Game 5 comeback… Hershey lost for the first time in seven road games this postseason.
Milwaukee can wrap up the Western Conference championship with a Game 4 victory over visiting Grand Rapids at the Bradley Center tonight (7:00 CT)… The Admirals have won eight in a row and are in line for their second consecutive series sweep… Grand Rapids is the 101st team in AHL history to be down 0-3 in a best-of-seven series; only two have come back to win, most recently Detroit’s AHL affiliate in Adirondack in 1989… Darren Haydar’s league-leading 13th goal of the postseason came with 3:06 left in regulation in Game 3 and gave Milwaukee a 3-2 victory on Monday night… Simon Gamache and Shea Weber each had a goal and an assist in the win… The Griffins, who ranked first in the AHL in the regular season on the power play, are 0-for-20 in the series… Kent McDonell scored twice for Grand Rapids in Game 3… Jiri Hudler has gone three games without a point for just the second time all year (Dec. 14-17).
Eastern Conference Final — Series "M" (best-of-7)
A1-Portland Pirates vs. E2-Hershey Bears
Game 1 – Wed., May 17 – Hershey 5, PORTLAND 0
Game 2 – Thu., May 18 – Hershey 2, PORTLAND 1 (OT)
Game 3 – Sat., May 20 – Portland 6, HERSHEY 5 (2OT)
Game 4 – Sun., May 21 – HERSHEY 4, Portland 0
Game 5 – Tue., May 23 – PORTLAND 3, Hershey 2
Game 6 – Wed., May 24 – at Portland, 7:05
*Game 7 – Tue., May 30 – at Hershey, 7:00
Western Conference Final — Series "N" (best-of-7)
N1-Grand Rapids Griffins vs. W1-Milwaukee Admirals
Game 1 – Thu., May 18 – Milwaukee 4, GRAND RAPIDS 0
Game 2 – Sat., May 20 – Milwaukee 2, GRAND RAPIDS 1
Game 3 – Mon., May 22 – MILWAUKEE 3, Grand Rapids 2
Game 4 – Wed., May 24 – at Milwaukee, 8:00
*Game 5 – Fri., May 26 – at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 6 – Sat., May 27 – at Milwaukee, 8:00
*Game 7 – Mon., May 29 – at Grand Rapids, 7:00
Complete Calder Cup Playoff schedules and results
All times Eastern… *if necessary
ALUMNI WATCH:
Fernando Pisani scored the winning goal with 5:46 left in regulation as Edmonton held on for a wild 5-4 win over Anaheim last night, taking a 3-0 lead in their Stanley Cup Playoff Western Conference championship series… Pisani, who played three AHL seasons in Hamilton (2000-03), leads the Oilers with nine playoff goals… Two-time Calder Cup finalist Toby Petersen scored his first career NHL playoff goal for Edmonton, as did AHL grad Steve Staios… Former AHL All-Star Chris Kunitz and 1993 Calder Cup finalist Sean O’Donnell each had a goal for the Mighty Ducks.
BY THE NUMBERS:
.864 — Winning percentage of the Milwaukee Admirals in games beyond the first round of the last three Calder Cup Playoffs… Since 2004, Milwaukee is 11-10 in division semifinals (winning two seven-game series and losing a third), and 19-3 thereafter.
ON THIS DATE (May 24):
2002 – Bob Nardella scores with 2.7 seconds left in regulation and Andreas Karlsson follows up 13:58 into overtime as Chicago beats Bridgeport, 5-4, in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals… 1998 – Martin St. Louis picks up a goal and an assist as the Saint John Flames score seven times off Dan Cloutier and wins the Eastern Conference championship with a 7-3 win over Hartford… 1996 – Dwayne Roloson stops 31 shots to lead Saint John to a 4-1 win at Portland, evening up their conference final series at two games apiece… 1991 – Michel Picard’s goal six minutes into the third period stands up as the game-winner as Springfield defeats Rochester, 5-3, to capture its second straight Calder Cup championship… 1985 – The Sherbrooke Canadiens, led by 19-year-old goaltender Patrick Roy, win the Calder Cup with a 3-1 win over Baltimore.
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.
