AHL Texas Stars

Benn Leads Stars Past Wolves in Game 5

Published on May 8, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


The Texas Stars (7-2) defeated the Chicago Wolves (6-6) 5-3 on Friday night in front of 5,112 fans at Cedar Park Center in Game 5. Texas rookie forward Jamie Benn posted the first hat trick on home ice and the first five-point game in Stars history, giving Texas a 3-2 series lead in the West Division Finals. Stars goalie Brent Krahn (7-2) made 43 saves for the victory, including 19 saves in the second period. Texas forwards Perttu Lindgren and Raymond Sawada each added two points in the win. Chicago goalie Peter Mannino (6-5) made 12 saves in two periods of work, giving up four goals in the defeat. Wolves' winger Anthony Stewart scored twice in the loss.

West Division Finals Schedule (best of seven)

Game 1 - Texas 4 at Chicago 3 (OT)

Game 2 - Texas 3 at Chicago 4 (OT)

Game 3 - Chicago 5 at Texas 3

Game 4 - Chicago 2 at Texas 3

Game 5 - Chicago 3 at Texas 5 (TEX leads series 3-2)

Game 6 - Sun., May 9 - Texas at Chicago, 3:00 p.m.

Game 7 - Tues., May 11 - Texas at Chicago, 7:00 p.m. -X

X = If Necessary

Manchester Knocks Out Worcester, Moves on to Face Hershey in Eastern Conference Finals

Defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov picked a dramatic time for his first AHL playoff goal, scoring 1:55 into overtime to send Manchester to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 2-1 win over Worcester in Game 6 of the teams' second-round series on Friday night. The Monarchs earned a six-game victory over the regular-season division-champion Sharks in the Atlantic Division Finals and advanced to the conference finals for the second time in four years. Manchester will battle the powerhouse Hershey Bears for a berth in the Calder Cup Finals, with Game 1 of that series set for Wednesday in Hershey.

Abbotsford Host Hamilton in Pivotal Game 5

The Heat and Bulldogs meet in Game 5 of the North Division Finals in Abbotsford tonight, where the two teams split Games 3 and 4 of the series. The Heat won Game 1 in Hamilton and Game 4 at home on Thursday night. The Bulldogs took Game 2 at home and won Game 3 in Abbotsford. Center David Desharnais leads Hamilton in scoring with four goals and six assists for ten points in ten playoff games. Hamilton goalie Cedrick Desjardins is 6-4 in the postseason with a 2.62 goals against average and a .902 save percentage. Abbotsford's Brett Sutter leads the team in playoff scoring with seven assists and 11 points in 11 games played. Goalie David Shantz is 6-4 in the playoffs, boasting a 2.61 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. The Heat is ranked second in shots per game at 34.09 and second in shots against, allowing only 25.36 per game. Abbotsford has outscored their opponents 16-7 in the first period of play, but has been outscored 17-6 in the second period of the postseason. Hamilton has been outscored by Abbotsford 10-9 in the series. In the AHL's 109 previous best-of-seven series tied 2-2, the Game 5 victor has won the series 86 times (78.9 percent).

SATURDAY'S GAME 5-8-10:

Game 5 - Hamilton at Abbotsford 7:00 PDT (Series tied, 2-2)

FRIDAY'S SCORE:

Game 5 - Chicago 3 at Texas 5 (TEX leads series 3-2)

Game 6 - Worcester 1 at Manchester 2 (OT) (MAN wins series, 4-2)

SERIES SUBPLOTS.......

- Prior to Friday night's five-point outburst, Texas rookie Jamie Benn had been scoreless in his last three games against Chicago.

- Texas defenseman Garrett Stafford and center Warren Peters are both eligible to return from AHL suspensions for Game 6 in Chicago.

- Chicago's Anthony Stewart is leading the AHL with five power-play goals in the postseason and he ranks third with eight goals in 11 games. Stewart has five goals and seven points in five games of the West Division Finals.

Playoff Format.......

Four rounds, with each round slated as a best of seven series. The top four teams in each division qualify for playoffs. The teams play within their division for the first two rounds. The division winners will meet in the conference finals. The winner of the Western Conference will play the winner of the Eastern Conference for the Calder Cup. In order to take the Calder Cup, a team must win 16 games.

The Calder Cup.......

The coveted Calder Cup has been a motivational force for American Hockey League teams throughout the League's 73-year history. It is one of our sport's greatest challenges and ultimate honors to hoist the Calder Cup in victory.

The trophy is named for Frank Calder, who served as the National Hockey League's first President from 1917 to 1943. During the 1920's, Mr. Calder was instrumental in guiding hockey into the mainstream of America's major cities including Boston, New York, Detroit and Chicago, while helping in the formation of the American League.

The Calder Cup trophy itself was actually first awarded in 1938 to the Providence Reds for winning the second International-American Hockey League championship. (In 1996, George Parsons of the Syracuse Stars was presented the Calder Cup in a ceremony at the Onondaga County War Memorial, as it is believed the Stars never received a trophy for their 1937 championship.

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American Hockey League Stories from May 8, 2010


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