AHL Morning Skate: 5.9.22

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A3-Providence Bruins vs. A6-Bridgeport Islanders
(Bridgeport wins series, 2-0)

Game 1 – Bridgeport 2, PROVIDENCE 1 (OT) | Recap
Game 2 – BRIDGEPORT 2, Providence 1 (OT) | Recap


A4-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. A5-Hershey Bears
Game 3 – Tonight, 7:05 ET, AHLTV
(Series tied, 1-1)

Game 1 – W-B/SCRANTON 3, Hershey 0 | Recap
Game 2 – HERSHEY 2, W-B/Scranton 1 | Recap
Game 3 – Mon., May 9 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*if necessary… All times Eastern

GAME NOTES
The first winner-take-all game of the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs goes tonight as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton hosts Hershey in Game 3 of their Atlantic Division first-round series... The Bears evened things up with a 2-1 win last night, getting goals from Beck Malenstyn and Dylan McIlrath along with 22 saves from Pheonix Copley (1-1, 1.52, .943)... McIlrath’s tally was his first goal in 50 career Calder Cup Playoff contests... Hershey improved to 10-3 all-time at Giant Center when facing elimination, including 7-0 in such games against the Penguins... Felix Robert scored the Wilkes-Barre goal in Game 2, while Tommy Nappier (1-1, 1.01, .964) made 30 saves... This will be the fourth winner-take-all game between the Penguins and Bears; Wilkes-Barre won a Game 5 in 2012, while Hershey took Game 7’s in 2009 and 2016... Tonight’s winner moves on to face Springfield in the division semifinals.


A1-Charlotte Checkers vs. A6-Bridgeport Islanders
Game 1 – Tuesday, 7:00 ET, AHLTV

Game 1 – Tue., May 10 – Charlotte at Bridgeport, 7:00
Game 2 – Thu., May 12 – Charlotte at Bridgeport, 7:00
Game 3 – Sat., May 14 – Bridgeport at Charlotte, 4:00
*Game 4 – Mon., May 16 – Bridgeport at Charlotte, 7:00
*Game 5 – Wed., May 18 – Bridgeport at Charlotte, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern


A2-Springfield Thunderbirds vs. WBS/HER winner
Game 1 – Wednesday, AHLTV


N4-Belleville Senators vs. N5-Rochester Americans
(Rochester wins series, 2-0)

Game 1 – ROCHESTER 4, Belleville 3 (OT) | Recap
Game 2 – Rochester 4, BELLEVILLE 3 (OT) | Recap


N1-Utica Comets vs. N5-Rochester Americans
Game 1 – Tuesday, 7:00 ET, AHLTV

Game 1 – Tue., May 10 – Rochester at Utica, 7:00
Game 2 – Sat., May 14 – Rochester at Utica, 7:00
Game 3 – Sun., May 15 – Utica at Rochester, 5:05
*Game 4 – Tue., May 17 – Utica at Rochester, 7:05
*Game 5 – Thu., May 19 – Rochester at Utica, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern


N2-Syracuse Crunch vs. N3-Laval Rocket
Game 3 – Thursday, 7:00 ET, AHLTV
(Series tied, 1-1)

Game 1 – SYRACUSE 5, Laval 3 | Recap
Game 2 – Laval 3, SYRACUSE 2 | Recap
Game 3 – Thu., May 12 – Syracuse at Laval, 7:00
Game 4 – Sat., May 14 – Syracuse at Laval, 3:00
*Game 5 – Tue., May 17 – Laval at Syracuse, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern


C4-Rockford IceHogs vs. C5-Texas Stars
(Rockford wins series, 2-0)

Game 1 – ROCKFORD 2, Texas 1 | Recap
Game 2 – ROCKFORD 1, Texas 0 (OT) | Recap


C1-Chicago Wolves vs. C4-Rockford IceHogs
Game 1 – Thursday, 8:00 ET, AHLTV

Game 1 – Thu., May 12 – Rockford at Chicago, 8:00
Game 2 – Sat., May 14 – Rockford at Chicago, 8:00
Game 3 – Sun., May 15 – Chicago at Rockford, 5:00
*Game 4 – Tue., May 17 – Chicago at Rockford, 8:00
*Game 5 – Thu., May 19 – Rockford at Chicago, 8:00
*if necessary... All times Eastern


C2-Manitoba Moose vs. C3-Milwaukee Admirals
Game 3 – Wednesday, 8:00 ET, AHLTV
(Milwaukee leads series, 2-0)

Game 1 – MILWAUKEE 3, Manitoba 2 | Recap
Game 2 – MILWAUKEE 2, Manitoba 1 | Recap
Game 3 – Wed., May 11 – Milwaukee at Manitoba, 8:00
*Game 4 – Fri., May 13 – Milwaukee at Manitoba, 8:00
*Game 5 – Sun., May 15 – Milwaukee at Manitoba, 3:00
*if necessary... All times Eastern


P2-Ontario Reign vs. P7-San Diego Gulls
(Ontario wins series, 2-0)

Game 1 – ONTARIO 7, San Diego 4 | Recap
Game 2 – ONTARIO 3, San Diego 2 (OT) | Recap

 
P3-Colorado Eagles vs. P6-Henderson Silver Knights
(Colorado wins series, 2-0)

Game 1 – COLORADO 5, Henderson 2 | Recap
Game 2 – COLORADO 5, Henderson 2 | Recap

 
P4-Bakersfield Condors vs. P5-Abbotsford Canucks
(Bakersfield wins series, 2-0)

Game 1 – BAKERSFIELD 2, Abbotsford 1 (OT) | Recap
Game 2 – BAKERSFIELD 3, Abbotsford 2 | Recap


P1-Stockton Heat vs. P4-Bakersfield Condors
Game 1 – Tuesday, 9:30 ET, AHLTV

Game 1 – Tue., May 10 – Bakersfield at Stockton, 9:30
Game 2 – Wed., May 11 – Bakersfield at Stockton, 9:30
Game 3 – Fri., May 13 – Stockton at Bakersfield, 10:00
*Game 4 – Sun., May 15 – Stockton at Bakersfield, 8:00
*Game 5 – Tue., May 17 – Bakersfield at Stockton, 9:30
*if necessary... All times Eastern


P2-Ontario Reign vs. P3-Colorado Eagles
Game 1 – Wednesday, 9:05 ET, AHLTV

Game 1 – Wed., May 11 – Ontario at Colorado, 9:05
Game 2 – Fri., May 13 – Ontario at Colorado, 9:05
Game 3 – Sun., May 15 – Colorado at Ontario, 11:00
*Game 4 – Tue., May 17 – Colorado at Ontario, 10:00
*Game 5 – Wed., May 18 – Colorado at Ontario, 10:00
*if necessary... All times Eastern

The Hershey Bears did not spend much time Sunday night basking in victory.

Not with a bus to catch for a game 90 minutes to the north some 23 hours later. They ensured that bus ride by hammering out a 2-1 home win in Game 2 of their first-round series with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The long-standing rivals will settle the series tonight at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“It's a business trip,” Bears head coach Scott Allen said of the return to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. “Our business is to win one hockey game.”

Hershey defenseman Dylan McIlrath, a 2017 Calder Cup winner with the Grand Rapids Griffins, provided the game-winning goal Sunday. McIlrath’s long right-point shot midway through the second period put Hershey ahead 2-0 and allowed the Bears to withstand the push from the visitors that followed.

Hershey’s Game 2 win followed a 3-0 defeat in Game 1 that had left the Bears openly unhappy with their performance. In that 3-0 loss, Hershey mustered just 23 shots. On top of their issues, Hershey also had to do without injured forwards Joe Snively and Kody Clark for Game 2. Back from the Washington Capitals on a conditioning stint for the series, the Bears had counted on Snively’s addition to spark their offense.

“Just unacceptable,” McIlrath said of Game 1. “That wasn’t the way we know we can play.”

Allen also knew his players had much more to offer.

“We knew what we had to do,” the always plain-spoken Allen said. “We knew there wasn’t a guy in this organization that was even a little bit satisfied with how we played in Game 1. We addressed the disappointment. We had to get by it. We had to make a couple of adjustments.

“All the credit goes to the 20 guys who...got it done.”

Following the Game 1 loss on Friday, Allen went to work to make those needed adjustments.

Said Allen, “Pre-practice [Saturday], we had a meeting. We watched the video, because we needed to get back to who we are and what we are.

“I just knew this team was not going to [repeat a bad performance], especially in front of these fans. We love our fans. Our fans love this team. Our players were already jacked up as it was, but I thought the fans definitely brought it to another level for our guys.”

Now it is time to finish the next chapter of the Bears-Penguins rivalry, one that matches the intensity between their National Hockey League parent clubs, the Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“We played these guys enough,” McIlrath said. “We know what they’re about. They know what we’re about.”

If Allen was unhappy with his club following Game 1, Penguins head coach J.D. Forrest had a different reaction to his club dropping Game 2.

“We played really hard from start to finish,” Forrest told the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton media via the team website. “A couple of bounces maybe didn’t go our way. We knew they had their backs against the wall. We knew we were going to get their best, and they played a solid game.

“We just couldn’t find a way to put another one behind [Pheonix Copley] there.”

Forrest and the Penguins can look toward having forward Jonathan Gruden back for Game 3 tonight. Gruden missed Game 2 with a one-game league suspension.

Game 2 is done. Now it is on to Game 3.

“It’s one of those things where it’s just a matter of outwilling the other team,” Forrest continued. “We both played [Sunday], the same amount of rest. We’re both going back to Wilkes-Barre. All things are equal.”

― Patrick Williams

ALUMNI WATCH
In yesterday’s Stanley Cup Playoff action, Brad Marchand (2-3-5), Patrice Bergeron (1-2-3), David Pastrnak (1-1-2) and Jake DeBrusk (1-1-2) all had multiple-point games in Boston’s 5-2 victory over Carolina... Marchand, Bergeron, Pastrnak and DeBrusk were among nine Providence Bruins alumni in the Boston lineup... 2019 AHL All-Star Jordan Kyrou scored twice and 2018 AHL All-Star Jordan Binnington made 28 saves as St. Louis downed Minnesota, 5-2... Ross Colton scored twice in Tampa Bay’s 7-3 win over Toronto... Carl Grundstrom (2-1-3) and Trevor Moore (1-1-2), teammates on the Toronto Marlies’ 2018 Calder Cup championship team, combined for five points as Los Angeles defeated Edmonton, 4-0.

Watch the Calder Cup Playoffs on AHLTV
Don’t miss a second on the road to the 2022 Calder Cup championship. AHLTV features live streaming of every AHL game in high definition on desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices, as well as OTT platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV. A subscription is just $29.99 for the entire postseason, or just $8.99 for a day pass. Visit AHLTV.com for details.