AHL Quick Hits is now the Morning Skate… Every morning, take 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.
TUESDAY’S SCORES:
Game 1 – Providence 6, MANCHESTER 3 (PRO leads, 1-0)
Game 7 – MANITOBA 4, Grand Rapids 1 (MTB wins, 4-3)
TUESDAY’S THREE STARS:
1. Jason Jaffray records a hat trick to lead Manitoba to a Game 7 win over Grand Rapids.
2. Yannick Tremblay gets the game-winning goal and adds two assists as the Moose advance.
3. Pascal Pelletier scores two goals, sets up another as Bruins take Game 1 from Manchester.
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times ET):
Game 1 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00
Game 2 – Providence at Manchester, 7:05 (PRO leads, 1-0)
Game 1 – Iowa at Chicago, 8:00
2007 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:
Atlantic Division Final – Series "I" (best-of-7)
A1-Manchester Monarchs vs. A3-Providence Bruins || Preview
Game 1 – Tue., May 1 – Providence 6, MANCHESTER 3
Game 2 – Wed., May 2 – Providence at Manchester, 7:05
Game 3 – Tue., May 8 – Manchester at Providence, 7:05
Game 4 – Wed., May 9 – Manchester at Providence, 7:05
*Game 5 – Sat., May 12 – Providence at Manchester, 7:35
*Game 6 – Mon., May 14 – Manchester at Providence, 7:05
*Game 7 – Wed., May 16 – Providence at Manchester, 7:05
East Division Final – Series "J" (best-of-7)
E1-Hershey Bears vs. E2-W-B/Scranton Penguins || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., May 2 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00
Game 2 – Fri., May 4 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00
Game 3 – Sat., May 5 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
Game 4 – Wed., May 9 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 5 – Fri., May 11 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 6 – Sat., May 12 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05
*Game 7 – Mon., May 14 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00
North Division Final – Series "K" (best-of-7)
N1-Manitoba Moose vs. N3-Hamilton Bulldogs
Game 1 – Sat., May 5 – Hamilton at Manitoba, 8:30
Game 2 – Sun., May 6 – Hamilton at Manitoba, 8:30
Game 3 – Tue., May 8 – Manitoba at Hamilton, 7:30
Game 4 – Sat., May 12 – Manitoba at Hamilton, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sun., May 13 – Manitoba at Hamilton, 3:00
*Game 6 – Mon., May 14 – Hamilton at Manitoba, 8:30
*Game 7 – Wed., May 16 – Hamilton at Manitoba, 8:30
West Division Final – Series "L" (best-of-7)
W2-Chicago Wolves vs. W4-Iowa Stars || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., May 2 – Iowa at Chicago, 8:00
Game 2 – Fri., May 4 – Iowa at Chicago, 8:30
Game 3 – Sun., May 6 – Chicago at Iowa, 6:05
Game 4 – Tue., May 8 – Chicago at Iowa, 8:05
*Game 5 – Thu., May 10 – Chicago at Iowa, 8:05
*Game 6 – Sat., May 12 – Iowa at Chicago, 8:00
*Game 7 – Mon., May 14 – Iowa at Chicago, 8:00
Atlantic Division Semifinal — Series "A" (best-of-7)
A1-Manchester Monarchs vs. A4-Worcester Sharks || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 18 – MANCHESTER 5, Worcester 2
Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 20 – MANCHESTER 4, Worcester 3 (2OT)
Game 3 – Sat., Apr. 21 – Manchester 5, WORCESTER 0
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 25 – WORCESTER 3, Manchester 2
Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 27 – Worcester 4, MANCHESTER 1
Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 28 – Manchester 3, WORCESTER 2 (2OT)
Atlantic Division Semifinal — Series "B" (best-of-7)
A2-Hartford Wolf Pack vs. A3-Providence Bruins || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 18 – HARTFORD 5, Providence 1
Game 2 – Fri., Apr. 20 – Providence 4, HARTFORD 2
Game 3 – Sat., Apr. 21 – Hartford 5, PROVIDENCE 2
Game 4 – Tue., Apr. 24 – PROVIDENCE 5, Hartford 1
Game 5 – Thu., Apr. 26 – Hartford 1, PROVIDENCE 0
Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 28 – Providence 5, HARTFORD 2
Game 7 – Sun., Apr. 29 – Providence 5, HARTFORD 4
East Division Semifinal — Series "C" (best-of-7)
E1-Hershey Bears vs. E4-Albany River Rats || Preview
Game 1 – Wed., Apr. 18 – HERSHEY 3, Albany 2
Game 2 – Thu., Apr. 19 – Albany 3, HERSHEY 2 (OT)
Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 22 – Hershey 6, ALBANY 5 (GF)
Game 4 – Mon., Apr. 23 – Hershey 3, ALBANY 1 (GF)
Game 5 – Wed., Apr. 25 – Hershey 4, ALBANY 2 (GF)
East Division Semifinal — Series "D" (best-of-7)
E2-W-B/Scranton Penguins vs. E3-Norfolk Admirals || Preview
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 20 – Norfolk 5, W-B/SCRANTON 2
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 21 – W-B/SCRANTON 5, Norfolk 2
Game 3 – Mon., Apr. 23 – W-B/Scranton 3, NORFOLK 2 (OT)
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 25 – NORFOLK 4, W-B/Scranton 1
Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 27 – W-B/Scranton 8, NORFOLK 1
Game 6 – Sun., Apr. 29 – W-B/SCRANTON 3, Norfolk 2
North Division Semifinal — Series "E" (best-of-7)
N1-Manitoba Moose vs. N4-Grand Rapids Griffins || Preview
Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 19 – MANITOBA 1, Grand Rapids 0
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 21 – Grand Rapids 4, MANITOBA 1
Game 3 – Mon., Apr. 23 – GRAND RAPIDS 2, Manitoba 1 (OT)
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 25 – Manitoba 4, GRAND RAPIDS 1
Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 27 – GRAND RAPIDS 4, Manitoba 3 (OT)
Game 6 – Sun., Apr. 29 – MANITOBA 2, Grand Rapids 1
Game 7 – Tue., May 1 – MANITOBA 4, Grand Rapids 1
North Division Semifinal — Series "F" (best-of-7)
N2-Rochester Americans vs. N3-Hamilton Bulldogs || Preview
Game 1 – Thu., Apr. 19 – Hamilton 2, ROCHESTER 0
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 21 – ROCHESTER 3, Hamilton 1
Game 3 – Sun., Apr. 22 – HAMILTON 5, Rochester 4 (2OT)
Game 4 – Tue., Apr. 24 – Rochester 4, HAMILTON 3
Game 5 – Thu., Apr. 26 – Hamilton 4, ROCHESTER 2
Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 28 – HAMILTON 6, Rochester 2
West Division Semifinal — Series "G" (best-of-7)
W1-Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights vs. W4-Iowa Stars || Preview
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 20 – OMAHA 4, Iowa 2
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 21 – Iowa 2, OMAHA 1 (OT)
Game 3 – Mon., Apr. 23 – IOWA 2, Omaha 1
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 25 – IOWA 3, Omaha 2
Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 27 – OMAHA 3, Iowa 2 (OT)
Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 28 – IOWA 5, Omaha 2
West Division Semifinal — Series "H" (best-of-7)
W2-Chicago Wolves vs. W3-Milwaukee Admirals || Preview
Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 20 – CHICAGO 3, Milwaukee 2
Game 2 – Sun., Apr. 22 – CHICAGO 4, Milwaukee 1
Game 3 – Tue., Apr. 24 – Chicago 3, MILWAUKEE 2
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 25 – Chicago 3, MILWAUKEE 2 (OT)
*if necessary… All times Eastern
(GF) at Glens Falls, N.Y.
GAME NOTES (all times ET):
Game 1 – W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00
The Bears and Penguins are meeting in the East Division Finals for the second straight year… Hershey swept Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in four straight last spring en route to the Calder Cup championship… Scott Barney (3g, 3a) and Kyle Wilson (2g, 4a) shared the Bears’ scoring lead with six points each in their five-game triumph over Albany in the first round… Robert Nilsson (2g, 7a) and defenseman Micki DuPont (4g, 5a) were the Penguins’ co-leaders with nine points each in six games vs. Norfolk… Nilsson recorded 14 points in nine games vs. Hershey in the regular season, playing for both Wilkes-Barre and Bridgeport… Tonight is the 500th Calder Cup Playoff game in Bears franchise history (263-236).
Game 2 – Providence at Manchester, 7:05 (PRO leads, 1-0)
Pascal Pelletier had two goals and an assist as Providence doubled up Manchester, 6-3, in Game 1 last night… Bruins rookie David Krejci had three assists, moving him into the AHL playoff scoring lead with 12 points (0g, 12a)… Sean Bentivoglio added a goal and an assist, giving him five points in his last three games… Brian White snapped a 3-3 tie early in the third period with his first goal in 42 career Calder Cup Playoff games… T.J. Kemp had a goal and an assist for the Monarchs… Providence scored six goals in Game 1 after netting 12 goals total in eight regular-season meetings with the Monarchs… After winning its first three postseason games this spring, Manchester has lost three of four… Providence has won four straight road games since dropping Game 1 at Hartford on Apr. 18, scoring 20 goals in those four contests.
Game 1 – Iowa at Chicago, 8:00
Chicago’s league-leading offense scored 48 goals in 10 games against Iowa during the regular season… Darren Haydar was in on nearly half of those, recording 23 points (7g, 16a) in the season series… Michael Garnett backstopped the Wolves to a first-round sweep of Milwaukee, stopping 103 of 110 shots (1.67, .936) and improving his career Calder Cup Playoff record to 6-0 with a 1.62 GAA and a .944 save percentage… Iowa completed a first-round upset of Omaha with a 5-2 win in Game 6 on Saturday… Joel Lundqvist had his third straight two-point night since returning from a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Dallas… After allowing four goals on 20 shots in Game 1, Dan Ellis posted a 1.72 GAA and a .930 save percentage in winning four of the last five games vs. the Knights.
MACINTYRE FIGHTS OFF ILLNESS TO GET INTO BIG GAME
Ken Wiebe, Winnipeg Sun
Drew MacIntyre wasn’t going to let a little vomit stop him from playing in the biggest game of the AHL season. MacIntyre skipped the morning skate, but came up with a 21-save effort to help the Manitoba Moose stave off elimination for the second consecutive game. A 4-1 victory gave the Moose a 4-3 series victory in the best-of-7 AHL North Division semifinal. "I didn’t have much in me. I’m glad it didn’t go to overtime," said MacIntyre, who stopped 196 of 208 shots that came in his direction. "He’s playing on an empty stomach, he’s been losing his lunch since about 2 a.m. (Monday) night," said Jason Jaffray. "Give him a lot of credit. He was the MVP of this series. He stood on his head. People are finally starting to notice that he’s a top-end guy in this league." … Link
TREMBLAY ANSWERS THE CALL
Gary Lawless, Winnipeg Free Press
Yannick Tremblay desperately wanted to be in a game last night, whether out on the coast with the Vancouver Canucks or here in Winnipeg with the Moose. Good thing for the Manitoba boys that Tremblay was made available for last night’s Game 7 North Division semifinal tussle with the Grand Rapids Griffins. The veteran defenseman was brilliant all night in both ends of the rink and busted up a 1-1 tie at 14:09 of the third period to give his Moose a 2-1 lead that turned into a 4-1 win and series victory. "This is a great way to come back. To score and help the team win. I missed Game 6 while I was in Vancouver and the guys did a great job to get that win." … Link
STARS FACE POTENT TEAM IN CHICAGO
Lisa Colonno, Des Moines Register
Francis Wathier wants the chance to deflate the American Hockey League’s best offense. The Iowa Stars open their West Division final series against the Chicago Wolves at 7 p.m. today in Rosemont, Ill. The Wolves, whose offense paced the league, boast the league’s most valuable player and rookie of the year. Stars forward Wathier seeks the task of shutting down the Wolves’ top offensive line of MVP Darren Haydar, top rookie Brett Sterling and Jason Krog. "I hope coach puts us against them again," said Wathier. "It’s a great challenge. I’d love to have that opportunity and love to raise my game and say, ‘Hey, they are not going to score tonight and that’s going to be my job.’ I’d just love it." … Link
SCHAEFER IS THE ONE IN PENS’ GOAL
Tim Leone, Harrisburg Patriot-News
Goalie Nolan Schaefer, acquired on loan from the San Jose Sharks this season as depth insurance for the Hershey Bears, became the odd man out due to the play of Maxime Daigneault. Now he’s become the main man for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, going 4-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average and .922 save percentage while starting every game of their first-round series against Norfolk. The East Division finals between Hershey and WBS, which begin tonight at Giant Center, have plenty of I-81 rivalry dynamics for a best-of-seven drama. The backbone of it all, though, will be how Schaefer fares relative to playoff-tested Bears goalie Frederic Cassivi. … Link
ALUMNI WATCH:
Nine American Hockey League alumni have been named finalists for the NHL’s eight major awards, as announced by the National Hockey League yesterday:
- Martin Brodeur (Hart, Vezina)
- Miikka Kiprusoff (Vezina)
- Roberto Luongo (Hart, Vezina, Pearson)
- Samuel Pahlsson (Selke)
- Jay Pandolfo (Selke)
- Lindy Ruff (
- Martin St. Louis (Lady Byng)
- Michel Therrien (
- Alain Vigneault (
BY THE NUMBERS:
26 – Record for most assists in a single Calder Cup Playoff year, set by Bill McDougall of Cape Breton in 1993 and matched by Rochester’s Domenic Pittis (2000) and Chicago’s Rob Brown (2002)… David Krejci has 12 assists in eight games for Providence this postseason.
ON THIS DATE:
May 2, 2003 – Trent Hunter scores with 21.4 seconds left in regulation to give Bridgeport a 3-2 win over Binghamton and even their conference semifinal series at 2-2.
ON THE AIR:
B2 Networks brings AHL action to your computer, web-enabled cell phone or PDA throughout the Calder Cup Playoffs with live video webcasts of nearly every AHL game… Visit caldercup.com for details.
