When head coach Michel Therrien was penciling names onto the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, clear-day roster back on March 11, he was left with a few tough decisions. Including Marquis Mathieu was a no-brainer. Simply put, the guy is extremely valuable. That’s one-of-the-hottest-sticks-on-the-ice valuable. That’s wins-nearly-every-face-off valuable. And, perhaps most importantly, that’s already-won-a-Calder-Cup valuable. “I think (experience) […]
Though they come from different backgrounds, defensemen Juha Alen and Shane O’Brien have both made major strides in their first AHL season. Both Cincinnati Mighty Ducks blueliners are big, young, first-year pros whose talents were raw at the beginning of the season, and not surprisingly, they have become good friends. “Although we’re both young guys […]
Dieter Kochan made 19 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, leading Bridgeport to a 2-0 win in Norfolk on Sunday and clinching a berth in the Calder Cup 2004 Playoffs for the Sound Tigers. Bridgeport will be making its third trip to the postseason in as many years since joining the AHL in […]
The Manchester Monarchs and Philadelphia Phantoms clinched Calder Cup Playoff berths on Saturday night, the seventh and eighth teams to reserve a spot in this year’s field of 20. Manchester secured a berth and moved to within one point of first place in the Atlantic Division with a 3-0 win at Hershey. The Monarchs will […]
Twelve players found the scoresheet for Syracuse on Friday night, including goaltender Pascal Leclaire, who also made 31 saves, as the Crunch clinched a Calder Cup Playoff berth with a 6-3 win over Binghamton. The Crunch’s version of the M & M (& M & M) Boys built a 4-0 lead, as Brad Moran opened […]
It was an emotional night at Allstate Arena when the Chicago Wolves honored the memory of former teammate Dan Snyder on Saturday, hosting the Milwaukee Admirals. The first 5,000 fans to the game received a commemorative picture of Snyder, who died on Oct. 5 in Atlanta from injuries suffered in a car accident on a […]
It was a warm — unseasonably so even for late summer — September Sunday morning when I met Carlo Colaiacovo in 2001. We were both in Kitchener for the Maple Leafs rookie tournament and it was early — very early. While most 18-year-old kids were still asleep in their beds, deep in dreamland, Colaiacovo was […]
Syracuse’s 5-3 win over St. John’s on Wednesday night opened the door for the Hamilton Bulldogs to clinch a berth in the Calder Cup 2004 Playoffs. It will be the seventh postseason appearance in eight seasons for the Bulldogs, who are currently 36-22-10-4 and sitting atop the North Division with 86 points. Hamilton reached the […]
There is no getting around his team’s troubles this season, Albany River Rats defenseman Matt DeMarchi says. Eastern Conference power Philadelphia had laid consecutive losses – 5-3 and 6-1 – on the River Rats in a two-game series in Philadelphia earlier in the month. After the second loss, DeMarchi spoke, his voice even-toned. “Some guys, […]
The Portland Pirates have put together a season like none other in team history. Led by goaltenders Maxime Ouellet and Rastislav Stana, they are poised to shatter a host of franchise defensive records. Admittedly, the Pirates’ offense has not matched the prowess of its defense but lately, the team has mounted a different kind of […]
