AHL Morning Skate: June 15

Take a game-day spin around the AHL ice with latest from around the American Hockey League in today’s Morning Skate.

Complete Schedule || Playoff Brackets || Today’s Scoreboard || League Leaders || Series Preview

Tonight’s Previews

syr  gr  
2013 Calder Cup Finals – Game 5 – 7:00 ET
(GR leads series, 3-1)
TV:
Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (central NY), WXSP-TV (Grand Rapids)
Webcast:
AHL Live (free offer)
With their backs to the wall and their season on the line, the Syracuse Crunch held on for a 3-2 win over Grand Rapids at a sold-out Van Andel Arena last night to extend the 2013 Calder Cup Finals to a Game 5… Richard Panik‘s goal with 3:08 left in the second period snapped a 2-2 tie and stood up as the difference for the Crunch, who avoided being swept in the championship series after winning 11 of 12 games through the first three rounds of the postseason… Panik (7-5-12) added an assist for a two-point night, his fourth game of these playoffs with at least two points but his first since Game 2 of the second round vs. Springfield (May 11)… Brett Connolly (5-5-10) and Ondrej Palat (6-16-22) also scored for Syracuse… Cedrick Desjardins (12-4, 2.27, .906) made 26 saves in snapping a three-game losing streak… Joakim Andersson (2-4-6) and Jan Mursak (11-6-17) scored for the Griffins in Game 4… Jeff Hoggan (5-7-12) tallied an assist, his fifth point in the last three games… Petr Mrazek (14-8, 2.24, .920) turned aside 21 of 24 shots but lost for just the second time in his last eight starts… The Griffins are 3-for-18 on the power play in the series after going 0-for-5 last night… The Crunch were 0-for-6 on the power play in Game 4 and are 2-for-23 for the Finals… Tonight is the Griffins’ 99th game of the season, and their ninth in 15 days… The Crunch are playing their fifth game in 14 days… Grand Rapids has lost a potential series-clinching game at home in each of its four series this postseason… The Griffins still have not played an overtime game this postseason; the last team to win the Calder Cup without an OT game was the 1978 Maine Mariners… June 15 matches the latest calendar date ever for an AHL game; Hershey defeated Milwaukee on June 15, 2006, to win the Calder Cup in Game 6 of the Finals.

2013 Calder Cup Finals – Series “O” (best-of-7)
E3-Syracuse Crunch vs. W3-Grand Rapids Griffins
Game 1 – Sat., June 8 – Grand Rapids 3, SYRACUSE 1
Game 2 – Sun., June 9 – Grand Rapids 6, SYRACUSE 4
Game 3 – Wed., June 12 – GRAND RAPIDS 4, Syracuse 2
Game 4 – Fri., June 14 – Syracuse 3, GRAND RAPIDS 2
Game 5 – Sat., June 15 – Syracuse at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 6 – Tue., June 18 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00
*Game 7 – Thu., June 20 – Grand Rapids at Syracuse, 7:00
   *if necessary… All times Eastern

Alumni Watch

Andrew Shaw scored at 12:08 of the third overtime period on Wednesday night to give Chicago a 4-3 win over Boston in Game 1 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final… Shaw was one of five skaters in the Blackhawks’ Game 1 lineup who also played for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs during the 2012-13 season… Game 2 is tonight in Chicago.

Home is Where the Cup Is

In the last 20 years, teams are 11-4 in home games with a chance to win the Calder Cup:

2013 Game 4 – Syracuse Crunch 3, GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS 2
2010 Game 6 – HERSHEY BEARS 4, Texas Stars 0
2009 Game 5 – Manitoba Moose 3, HERSHEY BEARS 2
2008 Game 6 – CHICAGO WOLVES 5, W-B/Scranton Penguins 2
2007 Game 5 – HAMILTON BULLDOGS 2, Hershey Bears 1
2005 Game 4 – PHILADELPHIA PHANTOMS 5, Chicago Wolves 2
2003 Game 7 – Houston Aeros 3, HAMILTON BULLDOGS 0
2002 Game 5 – CHICAGO WOLVES 4, Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3 (2OT)
2001 Game 6 – SAINT JOHN FLAMES 1, W-B/Scranton Penguins 0
1999 Game 5 – PROVIDENCE BRUINS 5, Rochester Americans 1
1998 Game 6 – PHILADELPHIA PHANTOMS 6, Saint John Flames 1
1996 Game 7 – ROCHESTER AMERICANS 2, Portland Pirates 1
1996 Game 6 – Portland Pirates 5, ROCHESTER AMERICANS 1
1994 Game 6 – PORTLAND PIRATES 4, Moncton Hawks 1
1993 Game 5 – CAPE BRETON OILERS 7, Rochester Americans 2

Staying Alive
Of the 23 teams to lose the first three games of a best-of-seven Calder Cup Final series, Syracuse is just the seventh to avoid being swept… The others:

2008 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. Chicago Wolves (lost in 6)
1999 – Rochester Americans vs. Providence Bruins (lost in 5)
1974 – Providence Reds vs. Hershey Bears (lost in 5)
1973 – Nova Scotia Voyageurs vs. Cincinnati Swords (lost in 5)
1969 – Quebec Aces vs. Hershey Bears (lost in 5)
1962 – Buffalo Bisons vs. Springfield Indians (lost in 5)

Working Overtime
There have been 13 overtime games played in the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs so far… Road teams are 10-3:

Apr. 26 – Texas 3, MILWAUKEE 2 (Brett Ritchie, 11:44)
Apr. 26 – Charlotte 4, OKLAHOMA CITY 3 (Brody Sutter, 3:06)
Apr. 27 – SPRINGFIELD 2, Manchester 1 (Cody Bass, 10:36)
Apr. 27 – W-B/Scranton 3, BINGHAMTON 2 (Chad Kolarik, 8:18)
Apr. 27 – SYRACUSE 4, Portland 3 (Richard Panik, 6:36)
Apr. 28 – Hershey 5, PROVIDENCE 4 (Jon DiSalvatore, 3:05)
Apr. 28 – SPRINGFIELD 3, Manchester 2 (Cody Bass, 18:44)
*May 1 – Toronto 3, ROCHESTER 2 (Will Acton, 5:14)
*May 2 – Syracuse 4, PORTLAND 3 (Ondrej Palat, 19:43)
*May 4 – Springfield 4, MANCHESTER 3 (Nick Drazenovic, 8:06)
May 9 – Oklahoma City 2, TEXAS 1 (Anton Lander, 1:28)
May 15 – Providence 2, W-B/SCRANTON 1 (Carter Camper, 0:31)
May 20 – W-B/Scranton 2, PROVIDENCE 1 (Trevor Smith, 3:26)
  *indicates goal ended series

Watch the Calder Cup Finals Free on AHL Live
As a thank you to our fans, the American Hockey League and NeuLion are offering free streaming of the 2013 Calder Cup Finals on AHL Live… Former AHL broadcasters Bob McElligott of the Columbus Blue Jackets and John Michael of the Cleveland Cavaliers have the call tonight… Visit ahllive.com for details.