2009 Calder Cup Playoffs: Division Finals Previews
Published on April 28, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. ... The original field of 16 has been reduced to eight as the Division Finals round of the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs gets underway tonight.
The division semifinals wrapped up on Monday night when Houston eliminated Peoria with a 5-2 road win in the only Game 7 of the opening round. Defenseman Maxim Noreau notched his second game-winner of the series in the third period for the Aeros, who advance to a West Division Finals date with first-place Milwaukee. The Admirals have been idle since completing a four-game sweep of Rockford on Apr. 21.
The AHL's regular-season champion received a scare in the first round, but Manitoba recovered from a pair of early series deficits to oust Toronto in six games and advance to the North Division Finals. The Moose's victory sets up their third postseason meeting in the last four years with Grand Rapids, which knocked off second-place Hamilton in six games behind league leaders Ville Leino (13 points) and Justin Abdelkader (six goals).
It's an all-Pennsylvania East Division Finals for the sixth consecutive year as defending conference champion Wilkes-Barre/Scranton battles division winner Hershey, which won the Calder Cup in 2006 and returned to the Finals in 2007. Chris Minard netted a goal in all five games as the Penguins dispatched Bridgeport in the opening round for the third time in six years, while the Bears took care of longtime rival Philadelphia in a sweep.
The Atlantic Division Finals begin tonight with Providence hosting fourth-place Worcester at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The Bruins secured a five-game opening-round victory over Portland behind a balanced offensive attack and the stellar play of second-year goaltender Tuukka Rask (4-1, 1.20, .959). The third-year Sharks advanced after rallying for a first-round upset of division-champion Hartford, becoming the 20th team in AHL history to win a best-of-7 series despite dropping the first two games.
DIVISION SEMIFINAL NOTES ...
A lower-seeded team advanced in each of the AHL's four divisions - fourth-place Worcester (Atlantic) and third-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (East), Grand Rapids (North), and Houston (West)... Of the 43 games played in the first round, only six extended to overtime, with road teams capturing four of those six contests... Road teams were 23-20 overall in the first round... Teams were 34-9 when scoring the first goal... Providence outscored Portland, 8-0, during the second period in their series... Hershey's penalty kill, which ranked 29th in the AHL during the regular season, was a perfect 22-for-22 against Philadelphia... With 10 points in the first round, Grand Rapids' Darren Haydar extended his AHL playoff career record totals to 59 goals, 75 assists and 134 points... None of the four division finalists in the Western Conference advanced to the second round in 2008... Worcester and Grand Rapids are in the division finals after missing last year's playoffs entirely.
American Hockey League Stories from April 28, 2009
- McGinn scores two in Sharks 3-2 OT loss to Bruins - Worcester Sharks
- P-Bruins Defeat Sharks 3-2, Lead Series 1-0 - Providence Bruins
- Austin, Abbotsford, Glens Falls Joining AHL in 2009-10 - Rockford IceHogs
- 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs: Division Finals Previews - AHL
- Follow the Rats on Twitter! - Albany River Rats
- Austin, Abbotsford, Glens Falls joining AHL in 2009-10 - AHL
- River Rats Early Bird Special Ends Thursday - Albany River Rats
- B-Sens Announce Fan Advisory Board Members For 2009-10 - Binghamton Senators
- Yannick Weber Joins Switzerland At World Championships - Hamilton Bulldogs
- AHL Morning Skate - AHL
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