CALDER CUP UPDATE:
Portland resuscitated its championship hopes last night with a come-from-behind victory over Hershey at Giant Center, taking a 6-5 decision in double overtime in Game 3… The Pirates still trail the Bears two games to one heading into Game 4 this evening (6:00 ET)… Shane O’Brien provided the decisive blow 7:31 into the fifth period, capping a four-point night… The winner was Portland’s fourth power-play goal of the night… Portland trailed by a 5-3 count with less than six minutes remaining, but tied the score when Zenon Konopka and Garett Bembridge scored 22 seconds apart… Konopka finished with two goals and an assist, while O’Brien and Pierre Parenteau each finished had a goal and three assists for the Pirates… Tomas Fleischmann and Dave Steckel scored twice apiece for the Bears, who saw their perfect 10-0 start to the playoffs come to an end.
Game 4 will be the teams’ fourth game in five nights, with a 480-mile overnight bus ride thrown in… Pierre Parenteau’s second-period goal in Game 3 was the first allowed by the Bears at even strength in their last 351:13 of play, a span of nearly six full games… The Pirates improved to 4-2 away from home in the playoffs after winning an AHL-record 27 road games in the regular season… Zenon Konopka leads the league with 16 assists and 27 points in the playoffs, while Shane O’Brien tops defensemen in goals (6), assists (13) and points (19)… Portland is 3-4 in OT this postseason; Hershey is 2-1… Frederic Cassivi’s career AHL playoff record dropped 17-4 in a Bears uniform (26-19 overall)… Dave Steckel has eight playoff goals after scoring 14 in the regular season… Hershey has scored exactly five goals in seven of its 11 playoff games.
The Western Conference Final is off today after Milwaukee’s 2-1 win in Game 2 last night… The Admirals got shorthanded goals from Kevin Klein and Jordin Tootoo and 41 saves from Pekka Rinne to take a 2-0 series lead over Grand Rapids, with the series shifting to Milwaukee… The Admirals were also 10-for-10 on the penalty kill in winning their seventh straight game… Tomas Kopecky had the goal for the Griffins, who have lost five of eight playoff games on home ice.
Eastern Conference Final — Series "M" (best-of-7)
A1-Portland Pirates vs. E2-Hershey Bears
Game 1 – Wed., May 17 – Hershey 5, PORTLAND 0
Game 2 – Thu., May 18 – Hershey 2, PORTLAND 1 (OT)
Game 3 – Sat., May 20 – Portland 6, HERSHEY 5 (2OT)
Game 4 – Sun., May 21 – at Hershey, 6:00
Game 5 – Tue., May 23 – at Portland, 7:05
*Game 6 – Wed., May 24 – at Portland, 7:05
*Game 7 – Tue., May 30 – at Hershey, 7:00
Western Conference Final — Series "N" (best-of-7)
N1-Grand Rapids Griffins vs. W1-Milwaukee Admirals
Game 1 – Thu., May 18 – Milwaukee 4, GRAND RAPIDS 0
Game 2 – Sat., May 20 – Milwaukee 2, GRAND RAPIDS 1
Game 3 – Mon., May 22 – at Milwaukee, 8:00
Game 4 – Wed., May 24 – at Milwaukee, 8:00
*Game 5 – Fri., May 26 – at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 6 – Sat., May 27 – at Milwaukee, 8:00
*Game 7 – Mon., May 29 – at Grand Rapids, 7:00
Complete Calder Cup Playoff schedules and results
All times Eastern… *if necessary
ALUMNI WATCH:
On Saturday, 2005 Baz Bastien Award winner Ryan Miller made 29 saves as Buffalo beat Carolina, 3-2, in Game 1 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Final… At the semifinals of the 2006 World Championships, 2005 Eddie Shore Award winner Niklas Kronwall scored a goal and 2003 Calder Cup Playoffs MVP Johan Holmqvist made 28 saves as Sweden beat Canada, 5-4… 2000 Calder Cup champion Milan Hnilicka stopped 33 shots in the Czech Republic’s 3-1 win over Finland.
BY THE NUMBERS:
6 — Record for shorthanded goals scored in a single Calder Cup postseason, set by the 1998 Philadelphia Phantoms and now matched by the 2006 Milwaukee Admirals… All six of the Admirals’ shorthanded markers have come in their last four games.
ON THIS DATE (May 21):
2005 – Rookies Jeff Carter, R.J. Umberger and Mike Richards score for Philadelphia in a 3-0 win over Providence in Game 2 of their conference final… 2000 – Terry Virtue, who won a Calder Cup with Providence a year earlier, gets the overtime winner as Hartford eliminates the Bruins, 3-2, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final… 1997 – Down 2-0 in the series and 3-1 in the third period, Hershey rallies for a 4-3 OT win over Springfield in Game 3 of their conference final… 1993 – Rochester opens the Calder Cup Final by beating Cape Breton, 5-4 in overtime, and ending the Oilers’ 10-game winning streak… 1986 – Adirondack wins its second Calder Cup with a 7-3 win over Hershey.
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.
