Griffins, Moose set for Game 6 tonight

CALDER CUP UPDATE:
One spot remains in the AHL’s final four for 2006, and Grand Rapids can join that elite quartet with a victory over Manitoba in tonight’s Game 6 of the North Division final (7:00 ET)… The Griffins won two of three in Winnipeg last week to bring a 3-2 series lead back home to Van Andel Arena… Grand Rapids’ Jiri Hudler leads all scorers with eight points (3g, 5a) in the series, including the decisive goal in Saturday’s Game 5… Valtteri Filppula has seven points in his last four games for the Griffins… Craig Darby and Rick Rypien scored for the Moose in Game 5… Alexandre Burrows recorded an assist, his team-leading 11th point of the postseason… Each of Manitoba’s five losses this postseason has been by a single goal… Manitoba has played two Game 6’s in its Calder Cup history, staving off elimination against Hamilton in 2003 and ousting Syracuse in the first round this year… Only two teams in AHL history have won Games 6 and 7 of a playoff series on the road: the 1983 Maine Mariners (def. Nova Scotia) and the 1996 Portland Pirates (def. Saint John).

Portland reached its first conference final since 1996 with a 5-4 overtime win over Hartford last night, eliminating the Wolf Pack in six games… Pierre Parenteau buried the game-winner 3:06 into the extra period… Parenteau and Garett Bembridge each had two goals and an assist for the Pirates, and Zenon Konopka recorded four assists to take over the AHL’s playoff scoring lead with 23 points in 12 games… Aaron Gavey scored his first playoff goal since Apr. 28, 2000, when he was with the NHL’s Dallas Stars… Portland will take on Hershey for the right to play for the Calder Cup; that best-of-seven series begins Wednesday night at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

Atlantic Division — Series "I" (best-of-7)
A1-Portland Pirates vs. A2-Hartford Wolf Pack
Game 1 – Tue., May 2 – Portland 6, HARTFORD 2
Game 2 – Thu., May 4 – HARTFORD 3, Portland 2 (OT)
Game 3 – Sat., May 6 – PORTLAND 4, Hartford 3 (OT)
Game 4 – Sun., May 7 – Hartford 4, PORTLAND 2
Game 5 – Thu., May 11 – PORTLAND 4, Hartford 1
Game 6 – Sun., May 14 – PORTLAND 5, Hartford 4 (OT)

East Division — Series "J" (best-of-7)
E1-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. E2-Hershey Bears
Game 1 – Thu., May 4 – Hershey 5, WILKES-BARRE 4
Game 2 – Sat., May 6 – Hershey 5, WILKES-BARRE 0
Game 3 – Sun., May 7 – HERSHEY 4, Wilkes-Barre 1
Game 4 – Tue., May 9 – HERSHEY 1, Wilkes-Barre 0

North Division — Series "K" (best-of-7)
N1-Grand Rapids Griffins vs. N3-Manitoba Moose
Game 1 – Fri., May 5 – Manitoba 3, GRAND RAPIDS 1
Game 2 – Sat., May 6 – GRAND RAPIDS 3, Manitoba 2
Game 3 – Tue., May 9 – Grand Rapids 5, MANITOBA 4 (OT)
Game 4 – Thu., May 11 – MANITOBA 5, Grand Rapids 1
Game 5 – Sat., May 13 – Grand Rapids 3, MANITOBA 2
Game 6 – Mon., May 15 – at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 7 – Tue., May 16 – at Grand Rapids, 7:00

West Division — Series "L" (best-of-7)
W1-Milwaukee Admirals vs. W2-Houston Aeros
Game 1 – Thu., May 4 – MILWAUKEE 5, Houston 4
Game 2 – Sat., May 6 – MILWAUKEE 7, Houston 0
Game 3 – Sun., May 7 – Milwaukee 7, HOUSTON 4
Game 4 – Tue., May 9 – Milwaukee 4, HOUSTON 2

Complete Calder Cup Playoff schedules and results

All times Eastern… *if necessary

ALUMNI WATCH:
On Sunday, 1995 AHL All-Star Cory Stillman scored the winning goal and 2005 AHL All-Rookie goalie Cam Ward stopped 17 shots as Carolina eliminated New Jersey with a 4-1 victory… Fernando Pisani and Ryan Smyth each scored twice and three-time AHL All-Star Dwayne Roloson made 21 saves as Edmonton doubled up San Jose, 6-3.

BY THE NUMBERS:
58 — Consecutive power plays in road playoff games without a goal by the Manitoba Moose, a drought dating back to Game 1 of last year’s first-round series with St. John’s… The Moose are 0-for-29 in five road games this postseason and 1-for-65 in 11 games away from home over the last two Calder Cup Playoffs.

ON THIS DATE (May 15):
2003Raffi Torres and Jason Ward score off Hamilton native Ray Emery as the Bulldogs beat Binghamton, 2-1, in Game 2 of their conference final season at Copps Coliseum… 1992Mike Sillinger tallies a goal and two assists as Adirondack advances to the Calder Cup final with a 5-3 win in Rochester… 1978 – The first-year Maine Mariners capture the Calder Cup championship with a 5-4 win over New Haven… 1973 – Before 15,019 fans at the Aud in Buffalo, the Cincinnati Swords win the Calder Cup with a 5-1 win over Nova Scotia… 1972 – Nova Scotia concludes a dominating postseason with a 4-1 win over Baltimore, claiming its first championship; the Voyageurs outscored their oponents 64-19 in their 15 playoff games (12-3).

AHL ON B2 NETWORKS:
B2 Networks brings all the action of the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs to your computer with live video webcasts of every game… Click here for details.