CALDER CUP UPDATE:
After three days off, the Atlantic Division final resumes with Portland hosting Hartford in Game 5 tonight (7:05 ET)… The teams have alternated wins in the series, with the Wolf Pack coming off a 4-2 victory in Game 4 back on Sunday… Hartford’s Alexandre Giroux leads all scorers with eight points in the series (4g, 4a), and comes in with a 10-game scoring streak… With two goals and three assists in the series, Jarkko Immonen now has 19 points (11g, 8a) in 13 games against Portland this season… Greg Moore, a native Mainer who joined Hartford on a try-out last month, scored the winning goal for the Pack in Game 4… Zenon Konopka has recorded a point in 22 straight games for the Pirates going back to the regular season (13g, 20a)… Portland’s 2006 AHL All-Rookie forward Ryan Shannon has five goals in the series… Drew Miller, younger brother of Buffalo Sabres goaltender and 2005 Bastien Award winner Ryan Miller, made his pro debut for Portland in Game 3… The Wolf Pack are 8-for-33 on the power play (24.2 percent) in the series, but the Pirates have allowed just four goals at even strength… In Calder Cup Playoff history, 88 best-of-seven series have been tied at 2-2; the Game 5 winner has taken the series 70 times (79.5 percent).
Coming off a see-saw 5-4 overtime win, Grand Rapids takes a 2-1 series lead into Game 4 of the North Division final in Manitoba tonight (7:30 CT)… The Griffins built an early lead on Tuesday night, chasing Moose starter Wade Flaherty from the crease by scoring three times on three shots in the first 4:48 of the game… Manitoba cut the deficit to 3-2 by the first intermission, then ended an 0-for-24 drought with two power-play goals in the second period to pull even at 4-4… After a scoreless third, Eric Manlow won it for the Griffins 6:38 into OT… Grand Rapids is 3-0 in overtime games and 4-0 on the road in the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs; Manitoba fell to 2-2 in overtime and 3-1 on home ice… Manlow, Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula each had a goal and an assist for the Griffins in Game 3, while Darryl Bootland and Bryan Helmer notched two assists each… Jason Jaffray picked up his fifth postseason goal for the Moose after scoring 12 times in 73 regular-season games… Jason King’s equalizer in the second period was his first goal of the postseason… Manitoba has scored just three third-period goals in its nine playoff games.
Atlantic Division Final — 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 – at Portland, 7:05
Game 6 – Sun., May 14 – at Portland, 7:05
*Game 7 – Wed., May 17 – at Hartford, 7:00
East Division Final — 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/Scranton 1
Game 4 – Tue., May 9 – HERSHEY 1, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 0
North Division Final — 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 – at Manitoba, 8:30
Game 5 – Sat., May 13 – at Manitoba, 8:30
*Game 6 – Mon., May 15 – at Grand Rapids, 7:00
*Game 7 – Tue., May 16 – at Grand Rapids, 7:00
West Division Final — 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:
In Stanley Cup Playoff action on Wednesday, two-time Calder Cup finalist Raffi Torres tied the score in the third period and Shawn Horcoff won it 2:24 into the third overtime as Edmonton defeated San Jose, 3-2… 1999 AHL All-Rookie forward J.P. Dumont scored in overtime to give Buffalo a 3-2 win over Ottawa… 2005 AHL All-Rookie goalie Cam Ward made 28 saves for his seventh straight win as Carolina beat New Jersey, 3-2.
BY THE NUMBERS:
.443 — Winning percentage of home teams during the 2006 Calder Cup Playoffs (27-34)… Last postseason, home teams won more than two-thirds of the time (53-26, .671).
ON THIS DATE (May 11):
2005 – Jimmy Roy’s goal with 3:12 remaining gives Manitoba a 2-1 win over Rochester and a 3-1 lead in their North Division final… 2002 – Dan Snyder scores at 14:00 of the second overtime period and Pasi Nurminen makes 58 saves as Chicago beats Houston, 4-3, in Game 2 of their Western Conference final… 1997 – Facing elimination in Game 6 of their conference semifinal, Hershey gets a goal from Blair Atcheynum 42 seconds into the third OT to earn a 3-2 win over Philadelphia… 1979 – The Maine Mariners win their second straight Calder Cup with an 8-4 win over New Haven.
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.
