CALDER CUP UPDATE:
After a five-day layoff, the Eastern Conference championship will be decided tonight as Hershey hosts Portland in Game 7 (7:00 ET)… Tim Brent, who hadn’t scored a goal for the Pirates since Dec. 31, picked up the game-winners in both Game 5 and Game 6… Bobby Ryan scored his first pro goal and added two assists in the Game 6 win, a 5-3 decision for Portland… 2006 Second Team AHL All-Star Dustin Penner and 2003 first-round draft picks Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf were assigned to Portland after Anaheim was eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Saturday night… Hershey forwards Tomas Fleischmann (5g, 6a) and Kris Beech (4g, 4a) each has a point in all six games in the series… Frederic Cassivi has allowed 13 goals in the Bears’ three losses this postseason, and 15 goals in their 11 wins… Hershey is 12-2-1 in its last 15 home games; Portland has won 19 of its last 24 road contests… The teams have combined for 28 goals in the last four games, but none in the first period… Tonight’s winner gets Milwaukee in the 2006 Calder Cup Finals, beginning Friday at the Bradley Center…
Home teams are 34-30 (.531) all-time in Calder Cup Playoff Game 7’s, including 4-0 this postseason… Portland is looking to join 17 teams in AHL history which have won a best-of-seven series after being down 0-2 (including five which lost the first two games at home), and 13 teams which have won a best-of-seven series after being down 1-3… Several Pirates, including top scorers Zenon Konopka, Shane O’Brien and Pierre Parenteau, played for Cincinnati last season and rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to eliminate Milwaukee in the first round… The Bears are 6-8 all-time in Game 7’s, while the Pirates are 1-2… Hershey’s last Game 7 was a 3-1 win over Springfield to claim the 1997 Southern Conference championship… Portland’s last Game 7 was a 2-1 loss to Rochester in the climax of the 1996 Calder Cup Finals.
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 – HERSHEY 4, Portland 0
Game 5 – Tue., May 23 – PORTLAND 3, Hershey 2
Game 6 – Wed., May 24 – PORTLAND 5, Hershey 3
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 – MILWAUKEE 3, Grand Rapids 2
Game 4 – Wed., May 24 – MILWAUKEE 5, Grand Rapids 4
Calder Cup Finals (Potential Schedules)
A1-Portland vs. W1-Milwaukee
Game 1 – Fri 6/2 at Milwaukee, 8:00
Game 2 – Sat 6/3 at Milwaukee, 8:00
Game 3 – Mon 6/5 at Portland, 7:05
Game 4 – TBA at Portland, 7:05
*Game 5 – Thu 6/8 at Portland, 7:05
*Game 6 – Sat 6/10 at Milwaukee, 8:00
*Game 7 – Mon 6/12 at Portland, 7:05
– or –
W1-Milwaukee vs. E2-Hershey
Game 1 – Fri 6/2 at Milwaukee, 8:00
Game 2 – Sat 6/3 at Milwaukee, 8:00
Game 3 – Sat 6/10 at Hershey, 7:00
Game 4 – Sun 6/11 at Hershey, 6:00
*Game 5 – Tue 6/13 at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 6 – Thu 6/15 at Milwaukee, 8:00
*Game 7 – Sat 6/17 at Milwaukee, 8:00
Complete Calder Cup Playoff schedules and results
All times Eastern… *if necessary
BY THE NUMBERS:
231 — NHL games played in 2005-06 by players on Portland’s current roster… Eight different Pirates appeared in the NHL this season.
206 — NHL games played in 2005-06 by players on Hershey’s current roster… Sixteen different Bears appeared in the NHL this season.
ON THIS DATE (May 30):
2003 – In the longest game in AHL history, Michael Ryder scores 14:56 into the fourth overtime period and Ty Conklin records 83 saves as Hamilton beat Houston, 2-1, in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals at Copps Coliseum… 1999 – Martin Biron makes 38 saves as Rochester takes a 3-2 conference final series lead with a 2-1 overtime win over Philadelphia… 1993 – Bill McDougall caps his astonishing postseason with four assists – giving him 52 points in 16 games – as Cape Breton wins the Calder Cup with a 7-2 win over Rochester.
LIVE CHAT:
Milwaukee Admirals forward Darren Haydar enters the AHL Chat Room to answer fans’ questions live on theahl.com and caldercup.com, Wednesday afternoon, May 31, at 2:00 p.m. ET.
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.
