News

AHL Morning Skate: May 13

by theahl

Take a game-day spin around the AHL ice with latest news and notes from
the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs in today’s Morning Skate.

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

   
Game 6 – 7:05 ET, AHL Live
(Hershey leads series, 3-2)
  

The Hershey Bears can move on to the Eastern Conference Finals with one more victory as they take a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre tonight… Hershey grabbed a 5-3 win in Game 5 on Wednesday night, with former Penguin Zach Sill scoring the game-winning goal on a shorthanded breakaway early in the third period… Sill (1-3-4), who played 277 regular-season games and 60 postseason contests with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from 2009-14, also had two assists in Game 5… Jakub Vrana (4-5-9) and Carter Camper (3-4-7) recorded a goal and an assist each for Hershey, which built a 3-0 lead before Wilkes-Barre battled back to tie on goals by Tom Kostopoulos (4-3-7), Josh Archibald (1-1-2) and Tom Sestito (1-3-4)… Sill’s game-winning goal was the fourth shorthanded marker allowed by the Penguins this postseason… Justin Peters (6-3, 1.44, .947) allowed more than two goals for just the second time in nine starts this postseason but earned the Game 5 victory with 29 saves… Tristan Jarry (1-0, 2.24, .902) and Casey DeSmith (4-3, 2.49, .923) split Wilkes-Barre’s goaltending duties in Game 5… The Penguins are an impressive 15-5 on home ice when facing elimination in their history, including 6-1 since 2012… In 17 head-to-head meetings between these teams this season, the club scoring the game’s first goal is now 17-0.

Atlantic Division Finals – Series “I” (best-of-7)
A1-Hershey Bears vs. A3-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Game 1 – Wed., May 4 – W-B/Scranton 4, HERSHEY 0
Game 2 – Fri., May 6 – HERSHEY 2, W-B/Scranton 0
Game 3 – Sat., May 7 – Hershey 5, W-B/SCRANTON 2
Game 4 – Mon., May 9 – W-B/SCRANTON 2, Hershey 1 (OT)
Game 5 – Wed., May 11 – HERSHEY 5, W-B/Scranton 3
Game 6 – Fri., May 13 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 7 – Sun., May 15 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 5:00
   *if necessary… All times Eastern

   
Game 4 – 10:05 ET, AHL Live
(Ontario leads series, 2-1)
  

The Pacific Division Finals resume tonight after a four-day layoff with Ontario holding a 2-1 series lead over San Diego… The Gulls bounced back from Saturday’s overtime loss in Game 2 with a 3-0 shutout victory on the road in Game 3 on Sunday night… Matt Hackett (2-2, 1.96, 935) made 29 saves for the second shutout of his Calder Cup Playoff career… Kalle Kossila (2-0-2), Nick Ritchie (5-2-7) and Jaycob Megna (1-0-1) scored for the Gulls in Game 3, which was their first shutout victory since a 5-0 win at San Jose back on Dec. 12… Ritchie has recorded a point in all seven playoff games for San Diego, and Chris Mueller (2-6-8) brings a five-game scoring streak into tonight’s contest after picking up an assist on Sunday… The Gulls were 1-for-4 on the power play in Game 3, scoring the first goal allowed by Ontario’s penalty killers this postseason… Peter Budaj (5-2, 1.68, .920) stopped 22 of 24 shots in Sunday’s loss, which ended the Reign’s four-game winning streak… Ontario was 4-0 following a shutout loss during the regular season… The Reign are now outshooting their opponents 253-151 over their seven playoff games.

Pacific Division Finals – Series “L” (best-of-7)
P1-Ontario Reign vs. P2-San Diego Gulls
Game 1 – Thu., May 5 – ONTARIO 5, San Diego 3
Game 2 – Sat., May 7 – Ontario 2, SAN DIEGO 1 (OT)
Game 3 – Sun., May 8 – San Diego 3, ONTARIO 0
Game 4 – Fri., May 13 – Ontario at San Diego, 10:05
Game 5 – Sat., May 14 – San Diego at Ontario, 10:00
*Game 6 – Mon., May 16 – Ontario at San Diego, 10:05
*Game 7 – Wed., May 18 – San Diego at Ontario, 10:00
   *if necessary… All times Eastern
About Last Night
#TORvsALB: Toronto scored two more power-play goals in a 5-1 win at Albany last night to take a 3-2 series lead in the North Division Finals… The Marlies have outscored the Devils 12-3 over the last two games, going 6-for-14 on the power play in the process… Josh Leivo tallied a goal and two assists and Mark Arcobello recorded three assists in the Game 5 win.
Working Overtime
There have been 9 overtime games played in the 2016 Calder Cup Playoffs so far… Home teams are 6-3:

May 9 – W-B/SCRANTON 2, Hershey 1 (Kael Mouillierat, 2:31)
May 8 – ALBANY 3, Toronto 2 (Nick Lappin, 18:40)
May 7 – Ontario 2, SAN DIEGO 1 (Justin Auger, 11:55)
May 5 – LAKE ERIE 3, Grand Rapids 2 (Oliver Bjorkstrand, 12:23)
Apr. 28 – Portland 2, HERSHEY 1 (Rob Flick, 43:10)
Apr. 26 – UTICA 2, Albany 1 (Alexandre Grenier, 9:13)
Apr. 23 – W-B/Scranton 5, PROVIDENCE 4 (Jake Guentzel, 33:52)
Apr. 21 – W-B/SCRANTON 4, Providence 3 (Daniel Sprong, 5:13)
Apr. 20 – W-B/SCRANTON 3, Providence 2 (Carter Rowney, 1:09)
Alumni Watch
In Stanley Cup Playoff action last night, 2010 AHL All-Star Logan Couture recorded a goal and two assists and 2011 AHL All-Star Martin Jones made 20 saves as San Jose advanced to the Western Conference final with a 5-0 win over Nashville.

At the 2016 IIHF World Championships in Russia yesterday, the United States got goals from 2014-15 Eddie Shore Award winner Chris Wideman and defenseman Brady Skjei, who played 68 games with Hartford in 2015-16, in a 4-0 win over France.

AHL Live
Don’t miss a second on the road to the 2016 Calder Cup championship. AHL Live brings AHL action to your desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet all season long with live video webcasts and free highlights of every AHL game… Visit ahllive.com for details.