Every game day from now until the end of the Calder Cup Playoffs, the AHL Morning Skate takes 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.
MONDAY’S SCORES:
Game 3 – Houston 5, PEORIA 3 (HOU leads series, 3-0)
MONDAY’S THREE STARS:
1. Colton Gillies’ two third-period goals lifted Houston to a 5-3 win in Peoria and a 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven series.
2. T.J. Hensick struck twice for the Rivermen, his first two goals of the series.
3. Houston’s Casey Wellman had a goal, an assist and a game-high four shots in the win.
TODAY’S SCHEDULE (all times ET):
Game 3 – Hershey at Charlotte, 7:00 (Series tied, 1-1)
Game 4 – Portland at Connecticut, 7:00 (POR leads series, 2-1)
Game 4 – Manchester at Binghamton, 7:05 (MCH leads series, 2-1)
Game 3 – W-B/Scranton at Norfolk, 7:15 (NOR leads series, 2-0)
Game 3 – Hamilton at Oklahoma City, 8:05 (HAM leads series, 2-0)
Game 4 – Houston at Peoria, 8:05 (HOU leads series, 3-0)
Game 3 – Lake Erie at Manitoba, 8:30 (Series tied, 1-1)
Game 3 – Milwaukee at Texas, 8:30 (Series tied, 1-1)
2011 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:
Atlantic Division Semifinal – Series “A” (best-of-7)
A1-Portland Pirates vs. A3-Connecticut Whale || Preview
Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 14 – PORTLAND 3, Connecticut 2
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 16 – PORTLAND 3, Connecticut 2 (OT)
Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 17 – CONNECTICUT 3, Portland 1
Game 4 – Tue., Apr. 19 – Portland at Connecticut, 7:00
Game 5 – Thu., Apr. 21 – Connecticut at Portland, 7:00
*Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 23 – Portland at Connecticut, 7:00
*Game 7 – Mon., Apr. 25 – Connecticut at Portland, 7:00
Atlantic Division Semifinal – Series “B” (best-of-7)
A2-Manchester Monarchs vs. E5-Binghamton Senators || Preview
Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 14 – MANCHESTER 2, Binghamton 1
Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 15 – Binghamton 4, MANCHESTER 3 (OT)
Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 17 – Manchester 5, BINGHAMTON 4 (OT)
Game 4 – Tue., Apr. 19 – Manchester at Binghamton, 7:05
Game 5 – Wed., Apr. 20 – Manchester at Binghamton, 7:05
*Game 6 – Fri., Apr. 22 – Binghamton at Manchester, 7:00
*Game 7 – Sat., Apr. 23 – Binghamton at Manchester, 7:00
East Division Semifinal – Series “C” (best-of-7)
E1-W-B/Scranton Penguins vs. E4-Norfolk Admirals || Preview
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 15 – Norfolk 2, W-B/SCRANTON 1
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 16 – Norfolk 2, W-B/SCRANTON 0
Game 3 – Tue., Apr. 19 – W-B/Scranton at Norfolk, 7:15
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 20 – W-B/Scranton at Norfolk, 7:15
*Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 22 – W-B/Scranton at Norfolk, 7:30
*Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 23 – Norfolk at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 7 – Mon., Apr. 25 – Norfolk at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
East Division Semifinal – Series “D” (best-of-7)
E2-Hershey Bears vs. E3-Charlotte Checkers || Preview
Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 14 – Charlotte 5, HERSHEY 4
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 17 – HERSHEY 4, Charlotte 2
Game 3 – Tue., Apr. 19 – Hershey at Charlotte, 7:00
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 20 – Hershey at Charlotte, 7:00
Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 22 – Hershey at Charlotte, 7:00
*Game 6 – Sun., Apr. 24 – Charlotte at Hershey, 5:00
*Game 7 – Mon., Apr. 25 – Charlotte at Hershey, 7:00
North Division Semifinal – Series “E” (best-of-7)
N1-Hamilton Bulldogs vs. W5-Oklahoma City Barons || Preview
Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 14 – HAMILTON 5, Oklahoma City 2
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 16 – HAMILTON 2, Oklahoma City 1
Game 3 – Tue., Apr. 19 – Hamilton at Oklahoma City, 8:05
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 20 – Hamilton at Oklahoma City, 8:05
*Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 22 – Hamilton at Oklahoma City, 8:05
*Game 6 – Sun., Apr. 24 – Oklahoma City at Hamilton, 4:00
*Game 7 – Mon., Apr. 25 – Oklahoma City at Hamilton, 7:30
North Division Semifinal – Series “F” (best-of-7)
N2-Lake Erie Monsters vs. N3-Manitoba Moose || Preview
Game 1 – Sat., Apr. 16 – LAKE ERIE 6, Manitoba 4
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 17 – Manitoba 3, LAKE ERIE 2 (OT)
Game 3 – Tue., Apr. 19 – Lake Erie at Manitoba, 8:30
Game 4 – Thu., Apr. 21 – Lake Erie at Manitoba, 8:30
Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 22 – Lake Erie at Manitoba, 8:30
*Game 6 – Sun., Apr. 24 – Manitoba at Lake Erie, 4:00
*Game 7 – Tue., Apr. 26 – Manitoba at Lake Erie, 7:00
West Division Semifinal – Series “G” (best-of-7)
W1-Milwaukee Admirals vs. W4-Texas Stars || Preview
Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 14 – MILWAUKEE 5, Texas 2
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 16 – Texas 3, MILWAUKEE 1
Game 3 – Tue., Apr. 19 – Milwaukee at Texas, 8:30
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 20 – Milwaukee at Texas, 8:30
Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 22 – Milwaukee at Texas, 8:30
*Game 6 – Mon., Apr. 25 – Texas at Milwaukee, 8:00
*Game 7 – Tue., Apr. 26 – Texas at Milwaukee, 8:00
West Division Semifinal – Series “H” (best-of-7)
W2-Houston Aeros vs. W3-Peoria Rivermen || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 13 – HOUSTON 4, Peoria 1
Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 15 – HOUSTON 3, Peoria 2 (OT)
Game 3 – Mon., Apr. 18 – Houston 5, PEORIA 3
Game 4 – Tue., Apr. 19 – Houston at Peoria, 8:05
*Game 5 – Wed., Apr. 20 – Houston at Peoria, 8:05
*Game 6 – Fri., Apr. 22 – Peoria at Houston, 8:35
*Game 7 – Sun., Apr. 24 – Peoria at Houston, 5:05
*if necessary… All times Eastern
GAME NOTES (all times ET):
Game 3 – Hershey at Charlotte, 7:00 (Series tied, 1-1)
The city of Charlotte hosts its first AHL postseason game tonight when the hometown Checkers welcome Hershey to Time Warner Cable Arena for Game 3 of their East Division semifinal… The teams split the first two games of the series in Hershey, with the Bears taking a 4-2 victory in Game 2 on Sunday after falling in the opener… Hershey got goals from forwards Brian Willsie and Andrew Kozek along with defensemen Patrick McNeill and Sheldon Souray in Game 2, and rookie rearguard Dmitry Orlov contributed an assist and a plus-4 rating… Bears goaltender Braden Holtby bounced back to earn the win with 22 saves in net after surrendering five goals on 28 shots in Game 1 last Thursday… Former AHL MVP Keith Aucoin chipped in a pair of assists in Game 2 and paces all Bears scorers with four points (1-3-4) through the first two postseason contests… 2010-11 AHL All-Rookie forward Zac Dalpe tallied both Checkers goals on Sunday and is tied for second in the entire AHL with five points (3-2-5) in the playoffs thus far… Dalpe has now racked up 11 points (6-5-11) in just six career playoff games against Hershey, dating back to his 3-3-6 showing in four outings last spring as a member of the Albany River Rats… The Bears have won four straight road games in the Calder Cup Playoffs – all three tilts at Texas in the 2010 Calder Cup Finals, and Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Manchester.
Game 4 – Portland at Connecticut, 7:00 (POR leads series, 2-1)
Connecticut looks to pull even in its Atlantic Division semifinal tonight when it hosts Portland for Game 4… The Whale made the home team 3-0 in this series and got on the board with a 3-1 victory on Sunday at the XL Center in Hartford… Connecticut scored once in each period in that one, receiving goals from Tommy Grant, Derek Couture (1-1-2), and John Mitchell… It marked the first professional goal for Grant, who posted three assists in seven regular-season games for the Whale after completing a four-year career at the University of Alaska-Anchorage… Couture, in the AHL postseason for the first time since 2007, also nabbed his first career Calder Cup Playoff goal… Mitchell now shows 10-5-15 in 24 career AHL playoff contests, which includes a run to the 2008 Western Conference Finals as a member of Toronto… Mitchell’s three points this round (2-1-3) are tied with defenseman Wade Redden for the Connecticut team lead… Whale goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris made his third straight playoff start in net in Game 3 and earned the victory with 29 saves on 30 shots… Rookie Mark Voakes tallied the Pirates’ lone goal on Sunday, the first of his AHL postseason career… Mark Parrish earned an assist on the play after going scoreless in the series’ first two games in Portland… The Pirates are trying to snap a five-game postseason road losing skid and collect their first road win in the playoffs since their 2009 postseason opener at Providence.
Game 4 – Manchester at Binghamton, 7:05 (MCH leads series, 2-1)
Binghamton hosts Manchester in Game 4 of the teams’ Atlantic Division semifinal tonight looking to avoid falling into a 3-1 series deficit… The Senators dropped a heartbreaker in Game 3 on Sunday, jumping out to a 3-0 first-period lead and holding a 4-2 edge in the third frame before watching the Monarchs rally back to tie it and eventually win on a goal by Bud Holloway just 1:43 into overtime… That capped a memorable night for Holloway, who scored three times and added an assist for a four-point performance… Holloway recorded his first three goals of the postseason after leading Manchester with a career-best 28 markers (28-33-61) in 78 games during the regular season… Defenseman Jake Muzzin netted his second goal of the playoffs for the Monarchs, and Dwight King rounded out the visitors’ offense with his first of the postseason… Holloway (3-2-5) and Justin Azevedo are tied atop the Monarchs’ scoring list thus far, while King (1-2-3), Corey Elkins, and defenseman David Kolomatis (1-2-3) show three points apiece… Manchester starting goaltender Jeff Zatkoff came out after allowing the three first-period goals and was replaced by rookie Martin Jones, who finished with 14 saves on 15 shots in his Calder Cup Playoff debut… Second Team AHL All-Star defenseman Andre Benoit notched a first-period goal for the Senators, as did Roman Wick and rookie Colin Greening… First-year pro Bobby Butler, who spent much of the season’s second half in the NHL with Ottawa, added his first career AHL playoff goal.
Game 3 – W-B/Scranton at Norfolk, 7:15 (NOR leads series, 2-0)
After taking the first two contests on the road, Norfolk hosts its first playoff game since 2007 tonight aiming for what would be a surprising 3-0 series lead on AHL regular-season champion Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the clubs’ East Division semifinal… The Admirals own a 2-0 lead in the series despite totaling only four goals, earning a 2-1 victory in Game 1 on Friday and a 2-0 decision in Game 2 the next night… Marc-Antoine Pouliot tallied a goal in both contests for the Admirals, including an empty-netter in the closing seconds of Game 2… Mattias Ritola (1-1-2) and Paul Szczechura potted the other Norfolk goals in the series, with Szczechura’s marker at 19:52 of the second period on Saturday breaking a scoreless deadlock and standing up as the game-winner… Admirals goaltender Dustin Tokarski earned a 27-save shutout in Game 2 and has turned aside 59 of 60 shots (.983) through his first two AHL playoff appearances… Saturday marked the first time Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had been shut out on home ice since dropping a 1-0 decision to goaltender Michael Leighton and Adirondack on Feb. 12… The Penguins had the AHL’s fourth-ranked offense in the regular season, averaging 3.26 goals per game… Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has now lost eight consecutive playoff games since taking a 3-2 series lead over Hershey in the 2009 East Division Finals; the Pens dropped the final two games of that series and suffered an opening-round sweep at the hands of Albany in the 2010 postseason.
Game 3 – Hamilton at Oklahoma City, 8:05 (HAM leads series, 2-0)
Calder Cup Playoff hockey comes to the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City for the first time tonight, and the hometown Barons are in need of some home cooking to get back in their North Division semifinal with Hamilton… The Bulldogs defended their home ice to snag a 2-0 series lead, outscoring Oklahoma City 7-3 in the two contests… Hamilton fell into a 1-0 hole in Game 2 on Saturday before receiving goals from Andreas Engqvist and Nigel Dawes to take a 2-1 victory… Dawes tallied the game-winner on the power play 1:03 into the second period, and the 26-year-old has now registered a goal in his first two playoff games after ranking second in the AHL with 41 markers (41-31-72) during a regular season which he split between the Bulldogs and Chicago Wolves… Engqvist notched his first career AHL playoff goal and shows three points (1-2-3) through the first two games… The three points are tied with Dawes (2-1-3) for the club lead… Drew MacIntyre again stood tall in the Bulldogs’ net, stopping 38 of 39 shots to register his second straight win to begin the postseason… Going back to the regular year, MacIntyre is riding a five-game winning streak and has surrendered only one goal in three of those five games… Brad Moran gave Oklahoma City a 1-0 lead late in the first period of Game 2, tallying his first AHL playoff goal since scoring as a member of Manitoba on Apr. 28, 2008, at Syracuse… 32-goal scorer Alexandre Giroux fired a team-high five shots on goal on Saturday but was held off the scoresheet for a second straight game.
Game 4 – Houston at Peoria, 8:05 (HOU leads series, 3-0)
Houston can become the first team to advance to the division finals round of the Calder Cup Playoffs tonight, as the Aeros aim to complete a four-game sweep of Peoria… The Aeros are looking to sweep the Rivermen out of the postseason for the second time in three all-time meetings, having also turned the trick in the 2006 division semifinals… Houston fell into a quick 2-0 first-period hole in Game 3 on Monday night at Carver Arena but scored five of the game’s final six goals to emerge with a 5-3 victory… Colton Gillies led the way with a pair of markers, including the eventual game-winner at 11:53 of the third period… That score broke a 3-3 tie, and Gillies then added an insurance goal less than four minutes later… Casey Wellman notched his first professional playoff goal for the Aeros, while Chad Rau and ex-Peoria forward Jon DiSalvatore rounded out the offense… Jeff Penner chipped in a pair of assists for his first points of the 2011 postseason… Rau (2-1-3) is in a four-way tie for the Houston team scoring lead along with Jed Ortmeyer (1-2-3), Patrick O’Sullivan (1-2-3), and First Team AHL All-Star defenseman Maxim Noreau (0-3-3)… Houston held a 30-15 shots advantage in Game 3, and rookie goaltender Matt Hackett only had to make 12 saves to collect his third straight win between the pipes… Akim Aliu (0:19) and T.J. Hensick (9:49) staked the Rivermen to an early 2-0 advantage, and Hensick netted a power play goal in the second period… Peoria will be looking to stop a four-game playoff losing skid which dates back to its 2009 first-round series against the Aeros.
Game 3 – Lake Erie at Manitoba, 8:30 (Series tied, 1-1)
The scene shifts to the MTS Centre in downtown Winnipeg tonight as Manitoba and Lake Erie collide for Game 3 of their North Division semifinal… The teams split the first two games of the series in Cleveland over the weekend, with the Moose prevailing in Sunday’s Game 2 when Rick Rypien found the back of the net at 8:03 of overtime… It marked the first goal of the entire season for Rypien, a veteran of 119 NHL contests with the parent Vancouver Canucks, and his first AHL playoff goal since May 13, 2006… Aaron Volpatti notched a first-period goal and then assisted on the game-winner for Manitoba, and Marco Rosa rounded out the Moose’s scoring with his team-high third goal of the playoffs… Since returning from injury late in the regular season, Rosa has racked up nine goals and 16 points in just 11 contests… Rosa’s five postseason points thus far (3-2-5) are good for a share of second place in the AHL… Former Monsters goaltender Tyler Weiman got the start in net for Manitoba in Game 2 and responded with 34 saves on 36 shots to pick up the win… David Van der Gulik posted a goal and an assist for Lake Erie on Sunday, and defenseman Julien Brouillette also scored for his first-ever AHL postseason goal… Matthew Ford has a pair of goals in the series for the Monsters – both coming in Game 1 – and six other Lake Erie skaters have scored once apiece.
Game 3 – Milwaukee at Texas, 8:30 (Series tied, 1-1)
After splitting the first two games in Milwaukee, the Admirals and Stars take to the Cedar Park Center ice tonight for Game 3 of their West Division semifinal… Milwaukee burst out of the gates with a 5-2 victory in the series opener, but Texas came back to even it up by earning a 3-1 decision in Game 2 on Saturday… Defenseman Teemu Laakso put the Admirals on the board early with a first-period power play goal, and the Stars then rallied to beat a Milwaukee team which had finished 27-3-3-4 during the regular season when recording the game’s first goal… Defenseman Philip Larsen and forwards Aaron Gagnon and Travis Morin scored a goal apiece for Texas, with Morin also adding an assist for a two-point night… Larsen and Morin each scored on the power play, as the Stars finished 2-for-6 with the man-advantage for the game and are 3-for-10 (30.0 percent) for the series, the second-best mark in the AHL thus far… Raymond Sawada chipped in a pair of assists in the Game 2 victory, and his three points overall (0-3-3) are tied with Morin (1-2-3) for tops on the Stars… Texas rookie goaltender Richard Bachman picked up the first win of his AHL playoff career after stopping 29 of 30 shots in net… Admirals forward Gabriel Bourque assisted on the goal by Laakso and leads all AHL scorers in the early going of the postseason with six points (2-4-6) through two games… After posting four points (2-2-4) in the series opener, Milwaukee’s Chris Mueller was held off the scoresheet entirely in Game 2.
MORNING HEADLINES:
PIRATES SEEKING TO AMP UP ON POWER PLAY – Portland Press-Herald
Your power play needs a boost. Do you overhaul the system? Or do you stick with it? If you’re the Portland Pirates, you keep going with what has worked, but you make subtle changes designed to put more pucks in the net. The Pirates continue their best-of-seven AHL Atlantic Division semifinal series with the Connecticut Whale at 7 tonight at the XL Center. High on Portland’s priority list: score with the man-advantage.
http://www.pressherald.com/sports/caught-in-0-for-15-lull-pirates-seeking-to-amp-up-performance-on-power-play_2011-04-19.html
HERSHEY BEARS, CHARLOTTE CHECKERS HEAD TO NASCAR COUNTRY – Harrisburg Patriot-News
There is a fundamental dynamic in the East Division semifinals series that is moving to NASCAR’s home office for a three-game stretch. The Charlotte Checkers would like to play it on a superspeedway, with long straightaways that promote acceleration. The Hershey Bears want to keep it on a road course, with plenty of twists and turns that require braking and deceleration.
http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2011/04/hershey_bears_charlotte_checke_2.html
GOOD GUY DALPE LEADS PLAYOFFS VS. BEARS – Charlotte News & Observer
Zac Dalpe wants to stay in Charlotte. We need to keep Zac Dalpe in Charlotte. "The weather’s turned great here," he says. "It’s snowing back home." Back home is Paris, the other Paris, unless you’re from Canada, in which case Dalpe is from the real Paris. His Paris is in Ontario, southwest of Toronto. The high today there should be 45. That’s 40 degrees cooler than the projected high in Charlotte. So, yeah, let it snow. Dalpe, 21, plays center for the Charlotte Checkers. A second-round draft pick of the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes, he’s amazingly fast. He’s also very aggressive. And he’s a scorer more than a passer.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/04/19/2233514/good-guy-dalpe-leads-playoffs.html
PENGUINS NOT PANICKING – Citizens’ Voice
After watching the Norfolk Admirals take the first two games of the East Division semifinals last weekend, the leaders of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins developed a mantra. "I don’t know if we’re in a corner," captain Ryan Craig said. "I wouldn’t classify it as ‘in trouble,’" coach John Hynes said. "It’s a long series," winger Brett Sterling said. "I’ve been through this before with different teams. You’ve got to win four. They’ve got two." Are they trying to convince themselves? Whistling past the playoff graveyard? Or do their comments have some merit?
http://citizensvoice.com/sports/penguins-not-panicking-1.1134294#axzz1JzFySRx1
DREADFUL START PROVIDES GREAT OPPORTUNITY
Are the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins really the best team in the AHL? Or just the team with the best regular-season record? The way they were smacked around at the start of the AHL playoffs, the Penguins appear on the verge of suffering one of the worst indignities in their history. They were 11 games better than the second-best team during the regular season. Now the Penguins are two games worse than Norfolk after the first weekend of a best-of-seven playoff series. It is the perfect chance for the Penguins to prove they are great.
http://www.timesleader.com/sports/Dreadful_start_provides_great_opportunity_Paul_Sokoloski_Opinion_04-18-2011.html
ADMIRALS’ TOKARSKI FINALLY HEATS UP ON ICE
At the end of the season, winning begins at the end of the ice. "A teams that’s successful in the playoffs isn’t necessarily the team with a goalie that’s been the best during the season or in the past," Norfolk Admirals captain Chris Durno said. "It’s the team that has a goalie that gets hot at the right time." Don’t stand too close to Dustin Tokarski. You might get burned.
http://hamptonroads.com/2011/04/admirals-tokarski-finally-heats-ice
B-SENS LOOK TO SHARPEN OFFENSIVE BITE
Ask any of the Binghamton Senators when they’ve played their best hockey during a first-round Calder Cup playoff series against the Manchester Monarchs, and they’re bound to answer the same way. The third period of Friday’s 4-3 overtime victory in Manchester and the first period of Sunday’s 5-4 OT loss in Binghamton showed exactly what the B-Sens are capable of on both sides of the ice. Without analyzing smaller details, it’s easy to see one similarity between those two frames — the three goals in each scored by a B-Sens offense that has been shut out for five of nine regulation periods during the series.
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20110418/SPORTS/104180365/B-Sens-look-sharpen-offensive-bite?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Sports
THE ROSA’S IN BLOOM – Winnipeg Free Press
Turns out, every playoff thorn for the Manitoba Moose has a Rosa. First, it was a disheartening 6-4 loss in Game 1, where red-hot forward Marco Rosa‘s four-point outing, matching a franchise playoff record. Then with just 49 seconds left in Game 2, it was Rosa who forced overtime with this third goal in three games, leading to the eventual winner by teammate Rick Rypien and a 3-2 Manitoba victory. "He’s been eating Wheaties in the morning," quipped Moose head coach Claude Noel. In fact, Rosa entered the playoffs with 11 points in his last nine regular season games and 24 points in the last 22 games.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/moose/the-rosas-in-bloom-for-marco-moose-120187859.html
JUST IN TIME – Winnipeg Free Press
On paper, they are the fourth line; a rookie, a reject and a resurrection. On ice, they might have saved the fledgling Calder Cup aspirations of the Manitoba Moose. Because the moment Rick Rypien‘s overtime winner counted in Cleveland on Sunday — tying the best-of-seven North division semifinal with the Lake Erie Monsters 1-1 — head coach Claude Noel’s pre-playoff premonition appeared to be coming true.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/moose/coach-has-nothing-but-praise-for-play-of-fourth-line-its-alive-just-in-time-120187829.html
AEROS WIN 5-3 TO TAKE COMMANDING 3-0 SERIES LEAD – Houston Chronicle
The Peoria Rivermen hoped to reverse their fortunes in the West Division Semifinals on Monday. But the Aeros kept moving forward, wiping out a two-goal deficit to roll over the Rivermen 5-3 in Game 3 and take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series before 3,064 at Carver Arena.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/hki/aeros/7527545.html
RIVERMEN NOW IN 3-0 PLAYOFF HOLE – Peoria Journal Star
The Peoria Rivermen got a two-goal, breakout game from center T.J. Hensick and an early spark from returning winger Akim Aliu to build leads of 2-0 and 3-1 midway through the game. But the offense dried up, goaltender Jake Allen got burned for a key soft goal, and the forward-deep Aeros charged past the Rivermen with four unanswered goals in the final 30:17 to push Peoria to the brink of elimination.
http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1508083709/Game-3-end-1st-period-Rivermen-2-Aeros-0
ICEHOGS UP WITH BLACKHAWKS HOLD OUT HOPE FOR COMEBACK IN SERIES – Rockford Register Star
Even down three games to none to Vancouver in a best-of-seven series, the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks are having no problem finding motivation headed into Tuesday night’s Game 4 in Chicago. Especially for the younger players, many of which are current or former Rockford IceHogs. “There are a lot of guys left here from last year’s team, and there are a lot of young guys here now, too. We know what it was like to get hot in the playoffs and get that taste of winning. We want them to taste that,” Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane said while standing next to his locker this morning.
http://www.rrstar.com/sports/x1225330818/IceHogs-up-with-Blackhawks-hold-out-hope-for-comeback-in-series
FROM CALDER TO STANLEY:
In yesterday’s Stanley Cup Playoff action, 2006 Calder Cup finalist Rich Peverley netted the eventual game-winning goal as Boston cut its series deficit in half with a 4-2 win at Montreal… Tyler Kennedy nabbed the third-period game-winner to send Pittsburgh past Tampa Bay, 3-2… Former AHL All-Star Valtteri Filppula’s second-period strike provided the difference as Detroit grabbed a commanding 3-0 series lead with a 4-2 victory in Phoenix.
BY THE NUMBERS:
8 – Games on today’s schedule, tying April 26, 1996, as the busiest single night in Calder Cup Playoff history.
ON THIS DATE:
April 19, 2010 – Jamie McBain scores twice as Albany finishes off a four-game sweep of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with a 5-3 win over the Penguins… Led by Jordan Schroeder’s hat trick, Manitoba rolls past Hamilton, 7-2, in Game 3 of their series.
April 19, 2008 – Ryan Jones scores his first professional goal at 6:57 of the second overtime period giving Houston the win over Rockford in the longest 1-0 game in AHL history.
April 19, 2007 – Carey Price records a shutout in his professional playoff debut, stopping 34 shots in Hamilton’s 2-0 Game 1 win at Rochester.
April 19, 1996 – Craig Conroy and Darcy Tucker score two goals apiece as the Fredericton Canadiens defeat the P.E.I. Senators, 7-4, in the opener of their first-round series.
April 19, 1970 – Jim Stanfield scores 1:06 into overtime to send the Springfield Kings to a 5-4 win in Game 7 of their division semifinal vs. Hershey.
AHL LIVE:
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