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AHL Morning Skate: April 26, 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.


WEDNESDAY’S SCORES:
Game 5 – Hershey 4, ALBANY 2 (at Glens Falls, N.Y.; HER wins, 4-1)
Game 4 – Manitoba 4, GRAND RAPIDS 1 (Series tied, 2-2)
Game 4 – WORCESTER 3, Manchester 2 (MCH leads, 3-1)
Game 4 – NORFOLK 4, W-B/Scranton 1 (Series tied, 2-2)
Game 4 – IOWA 3, Omaha 2 (IOW leads, 3-1)
Game 4 – Chicago 3, MILWAUKEE 2 (OT) (CHI wins, 4-0)


WEDNESDAY’S THREE STARS:
1. Sharks defenseman Tom Walsh scores twice and adds an assist as Worcester staves off elimination vs. Manchester

2. Joel Lundqvist celebrates his return to Iowa with two third-period goals, pushing Omaha to the brink

3. Brian Fahey‘s overtime winner completes Chicago’s four-game sweep of rival Milwaukee


THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE (all times ET):
Game 5 – Hartford at Providence, 7:05 (Series tied, 2-2)
Game 5 – Hamilton at Rochester, 7:05 (Series tied, 2-2)


2007 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:

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 at Manchester, 7:35
*Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 28 – Manchester at Worcester, 7:00
*Game 7 – Mon., Apr. 30 – Worcester at Manchester, 7:05

 

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 at Providence, 7:05
Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 28 – Providence at Hartford, 7:00
*Game 7 – Sun., Apr. 29 – Providence at Hartford, 7:00

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 at Norfolk, 7:15
Game 6 – Sun., Apr. 29 – Norfolk at W-B/Scranton, 5:05
*Game 7 – Tue., May 1 – Norfolk at W-B/Scranton, 7:05

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 – Manitoba at Grand Rapids, 7:00
Game 6 – Sun., Apr. 29 – Grand Rapids at Manitoba, 8:30
*Game 7 – Tue., May 1 – Grand Rapids at Manitoba, 8:30

 

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 at Rochester, 7:05
Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 28 – Rochester at Hamilton, 7:00
*Game 7 – Mon., Apr. 30 – Hamilton at Rochester, 7:05

 

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 – Iowa at Omaha, 8:00
*Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 28 – Omaha at Iowa, 8:05
*Game 7 – Tue., May 1 – Iowa at Omaha, 8:00

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):
In Calder Cup Playoff history, there have been 91 best-of-seven series that were tied, 2-2… The Game 5 winner has gone on to win the series 73 times (80.2 percent).

Game 5 – Hartford at Providence, 7:05 (Series tied, 2-2)
Providence rolled to a 5-1 win over Hartford on Tuesday night, reducing their Atlantic Division semifinal to a best-of-three… Bruins rookie David Krejci has points in 11 straight games going back to the regular season (4g, 11a), including six assists in this series… Defenseman Sean Curry has two goals and two assists in the last three games for Providence… Jeff Hoggan’s shorthanded marker on Tuesday was his first playoff goal since Game 5 of the 2003 Calder Cup Finals with Houston… The Bruins have killed off 20 of 21 Wolf Pack power plays in the series (95.2 percent)… Hartford blueliner Dave Liffiton is tied for the AHL postseason lead with a plus-6 rating through four games… When a best-of-seven series is tied at 2-2, the Wolf Pack are 1-5 all-time in Game 5.

Game 5 – Hamilton at Rochester, 7:05 (Series tied, 2-2)
Anthony Stewart had his first career two-goal game to lead Rochester to a 4-3 win in Game 4 on Tuesday night, squaring the series at two games apiece… Americans defenseman Jeremy Swanson recorded three assists in the win after totaling two helpers in 47 regular-season games… Michael Ryan extended his goal-scoring streak to three games with his fourth marker of the series… The Amerks are second in the league on the power play this postseason (4-for-15, 26.7 percent)… Jonathan Ferland has scored in each of the last two games for the Bulldogs… Cory Urquhart and Ajay Baines also scored for Hamilton in Game 4.


MORNING HEADLINES:

WELCH LOOKS TO CLOSE THE DEAL WITH AMERKS
Lindsay Kramer, NHL.com
Jack Birch
, director of hockey operations for the Florida Panthers, laid it all out on the table when he met with defenseman Noah Welch on Welch’s first day in Rochester earlier this season. Welch said Birch told him he was surprised to have been able to get him in a trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins. He pointed out that Florida gave up a lot in the swap, namely veteran forward Gary Roberts. And he said that his current stopover with the Amerks aside, the Panthers see Welch as a regular NHL defenseman. “The good thing about Jack is he made everything clear to me the first time I met him,” said Welch, a second-year pro. “They wanted me to have a good playoff and help lead the team to the finals. To me, that’s not pressure. That’s fun.” In other words, that’s the postseason… Link

BULLDOGS NEED TO DIG DEEPER
Garry McKay, Hamilton Spectator

A long series is what everyone predicted. Before the first puck was dropped all the experts called the Rochester Americans and Hamilton Bulldogs to need six or seven games to settle their AHL North Division semifinal. "Look at the two teams the whole year," says Ajay Baines. "What were we separated by, three points in the regular season, we were both 5-5 against each other and now we’re 2-2 after four games. This is pretty much what was expected."… Link

MACINTYRE SHEDS THE GOAT HORNS
Tim Campbell, Winnipeg Free Press

Not a word was exchanged but the encounter pretty well summed up Drew MacIntyre‘s Game 4 against the Grand Rapids Griffins Wednesday night. On his way to speak to a reporter, MacIntyre bumped into Moose goalie coach Rick St. Croix at the doorway to the Moose dressing room. St. Croix was veritably beaming from ear to ear. He raised his fist and bumped knuckles with the 23-year-old Moose goalie, who returned his smile. "I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason," the goalie said when his interview began… Link

P-BRUINS ARE AIMING TO TAKE THE UPPER HAND
Robert Lee, Providence Journal

Providence and Hartford both have proven in their best-of-seven Atlantic Division semifinal series that they can score, so goaltending will be a key in tonight’s pivotal Game Five at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. With the series tied at 2-2, the P-Bruins are averaging 4½ goals per game in their two wins, and the Wolf Pack are averaging five in their two victories. Providence goalie Hannu Toivonen was outstanding in Providence’s two triumphs. He made 45 saves and stopped 93.8 percent of the shots he faced. He limited Hartford to a combined three goals in the P-Bruins’ two wins. In Providence’s two losses, Toivonen surrendered nine goals… Link


BY THE NUMBERS:
26-7
– Record this postseason of teams when scoring the first goal of the game (.788).


ON THIS DATE:
April 26, 2005
Derek Roy records two goals and an assist and Ryan Miller makes 28 saves as Rochester completes a four-game sweep of Hamilton with a 5-4 victory.

April 26, 1996
– An AHL playoff record five overtime games are played on one day, including Cornwall’s 2-1 win over Albany to cap the second-biggest upset in Calder Cup Playoffs history… The Aces finished 35 points behind the defending champion River Rats in the regular season.

April 26, 1995
Providence scores six times in the third period, including goals by Peter Laviolette and Sergei Zholtok, and defeats Portland, 6-3, in Game 7 of their first-round series.

April 26, 1983 Jim Wiemer scores a double-overtime goal for the second straight night, giving Rochester a 2-1 win at New Haven and a 3-1 series lead.

April 26, 1962 Jimmy Anderson‘s goal 2:44 into overtime clinches Springfield’s 3-2 win over Buffalo and the Indians’ third consecutive Calder Cup championship, a feat yet to be duplicated.


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.