AHL Morning Skate: May 9, 2007


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 3 – PROVIDENCE 2, Manchester 1 (PRO leads, 2-1)
Game 3 – Manitoba 3, HAMILTON 2 (HAM leads, 2-1)
Game 4 – Chicago 6, IOWA 1 (CHI leads, 3-1)


TUESDAY’S THREE STARS:
1. In his first action since Mar. 16, Wade Flaherty stops all 19 shots he faces to allow Manitoba to rally for a Game 3 win in Hamilton.

2. Andre Deveaux breaks a 1-1 tie with two goals and sends Chicago on its way to a 3-1 series lead over Iowa.

3. T.J. Trevelyan‘s goal with 1:30 remaining gives Providence a pivotal Game 3 win over Manchester.


WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times ET):
Game 4 – Manchester at Providence, 7:05 (PRO leads, 2-1)
Game 4 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05 (HER leads, 3-0)


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 – MANCHESTER 4, Providence 1
Game 3 – Tue., May 8 – PROVIDENCE 2, Manchester 1
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 – HERSHEY 4, W-B/Scranton 3
Game 2 – Fri., May 4 – HERSHEY 4, W-B/Scranton 3 (2OT)
Game 3 – Sat., May 5 – Hershey 2, W-B/SCRANTON 0
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 || Preview
Game 1 – Sat., May 5 – Hamilton 2, MANITOBA 1
Game 2 – Sun., May 6 – Hamilton 3, MANITOBA 2
Game 3 – Tue., May 8 – Manitoba 3, HAMILTON 2
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 – CHICAGO 7, Iowa 0
Game 2 – Fri., May 4 – Iowa 5, CHICAGO 4
Game 3 – Sun., May 6 – Chicago 5, IOWA 3
Game 4 – Tue., May 8 – Chicago 6, IOWA 1
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

*if necessary… All times Eastern


GAME NOTES (all times ET):
Game 4 – Manchester at Providence, 7:05 (PRO leads, 2-1)
T.J. Trevelyan redirected home the game-winning goal with 90 seconds left in regulation to give Providence a 2-1 win and a 2-1 series lead over Manchester last night… Trevelyan’s goal extended his scoring streak to five games (3g, 3a)… Nate DiCasmirro added a shorthanded goal in the second period… Hannu Toivonen made 24 saves as the Bruins won for the fourth time in five games… Oleg Tverdovsky netted the only goal for the Monarchs late in the third, but the Bruins got the game-winner just 39 seconds later… Starting again for an injured Jason LaBarbera, Barry Brust made 26 stops for Manchester… The Monarchs have been held to six total goals in five games at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center this season… There has not been a single lead change in any of Providence’s 10 games during the 2007 Calder Cup Playoffs… Manchester has lost back-to-back games just three times since New Year’s.

Game 4 – Hershey at W-B/Scranton, 7:05 (HER leads, 3-0)
Hershey extended its winning streak to six games with a 2-0 win in Game 3 on Saturday night, pushing Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to the brink of elimination in the East Division Final… Frederic Cassivi stopped 19 shots in Game 3 for his sixth career AHL playoff shutout, two shy of former Bear Gord Henry’s league record of eight… Micki DuPont continues to lead all AHL defensemen in playoff scoring with five goals and 10 points in nine games for the Penguins… The Pens are 0-for-20 and the Bears are 0-for-14 on the power play in the series… Hershey’s postseason road winning streak sits at six games going back to last spring… The Bears are 15-1 vs. East Division opponents over the last two postseasons… The Penguins are 8-5 all-time when facing elimination… Wilkes-Barre is trying to avoid becoming the third team in AHL history to be swept in a best-of-seven series by the same opponent in consecutive postseasons (see By The Numbers below).


MORNING HEADLINES:

NEWCOMER RASK IS SITTING HERE TO WATCH AND LEARN
Joe McDonald, Providence Journal

On each side of Tuukka Rask’s green goalie mask the word “Wall” is painted in white letters. When asked if that’s the nickname he earned while playing in the Finnish Elite League, he quickly downplayed it, probably not wanting to seem too confident with his new P-Bruins teammates. The highly touted goaltending prospect for Boston recently signed a multi-year deal with the Bruins and arrived in town on Sunday. He will remain with the P-Bruins for the rest of the postseason, but he’s not going to play, according to Providence coach Scott Gordon. Starting goaltender Hannu Toivonen has been told as much, too. Rask, whose rights were acquired by Boston from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Andrew Raycroft last summer, has joined the P-Bruins to get himself acclimated to the North American environment in preparation for next season. … Link

MISSION POSSIBLE
Jonathan Bombulie, The Citizens’ Voice
Only a few dozen players in the history of hockey can say they overcame a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins coach Todd Richards is one of them. As a defenseman for the Orlando Solar Bears in 1999, Richards helped topple the Detroit Vipers in the conference finals to engineer the only such comeback in the 56-year history of the International Hockey League. “It can be done. I’ve done it. I’ve been a part of it,” Richards said. “To me, that series, doing that, accomplishing that, was almost like winning a championship. We lost to Houston in Game 7 for the championship, so it’s not really talked about or remembered much, but it’s an accomplishment I’m really proud to be a part of.” … Link

RAZOR’S EDGE
Ken Warren, Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa’s Ray Emery enters the third round of the playoffs with a record of 8-2, a goals-against average of 2.04 and a save percentage of .919. The Buffalo Sabres have also received solid goaltending from Ryan Miller, creating a second consecutive playoff matchup against Emery. Miller is 8-3 in the playoffs, with a 2.07 average and a save percentage of .928. A year ago, it was a showdown of rookies, as both were receiving their first taste of the NHL playoffs. Emery is anxious to even the score this time around against Miller, a goaltender he has become extremely familiar with over the years. From 2002-05, Emery and Miller went head-to-head in the American Hockey League. Emery’s Binghamton Senators and Miller’s Rochester Americans played each other 10 times a year. Both played in the AHL All-Star Game in 2004. … Link


BY THE NUMBERS:
2
– Teams in Calder Cup Playoff history that have been swept in a best-of-seven series by the same opponent in back-to-back postseasons… Down 0-3 to Hershey heading into tonight’s Game 4, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are looking to avoid joining the Hamilton Bulldogs (vs. Rochester, 2004-05) and the Boston Braves (vs. Nova Scotia, 1972-73) with that dubious distinction.


ON THIS DATE:
May 9, 2001 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton plays its fifth straight overtime game and wins its fourth, both AHL records, defeating Hershey by a score of 5-4… Michal Rozsival caps a four-point night with the game-winner in OT.

May 9, 1980 – Current Milwaukee head coach Claude Noel scores the winning goal in Hershey’s 5-3 win over New Brunswick in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Final.


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.