AHL American Hockey League

AHL Morning Skate

Published on April 15, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SATURDAY'S SCORES:

Toronto 4, MANITOBA 2

Norfolk 6, ALBANY 5

Philadelphia 3, BRIDGEPORT 1

Hamilton 4, GRAND RAPIDS 2

BINGHAMTON 2, Hershey 1

PORTLAND 5, Lowell 2

Providence 2, SPRINGFIELD 0

Rochester 5, SYRACUSE 2

MANCHESTER 4, Worcester 1

CHICAGO 5, Iowa 0

Houston 4, SAN ANTONIO 2

Omaha 3, PEORIA 2 (SO)

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SATURDAY'S THREE STARS:

1. Darren Haydar 's seventh four-point night of the season helped keep Chicago in the hunt for a division title.

2. Hannu Toivonen made 22 stops to lead Providence into the postseason with a 2-0 win in Springfield.

3. Mattias Weinhandl assisted on all four Houston goals in a 4-2 win at San Antonio.

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SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET):

Norfolk at Bridgeport, 1:00

Grand Rapids at Toronto, 4:00

Lowell at Worcester, 4:00

Hartford at Portland, 4:05

Manchester at Providence, 4:05

Peoria at Milwaukee, 5:00

Hershey at Philadelphia, 5:05

Syracuse at W-B/Scranton, 5:05

Omaha at Chicago, 6:00

San Antonio at Houston, 6:05

Hamilton at Rochester, 6:05

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CALDER CUP PLAYOFF RACES:

Click here for up-to-date AHL standings

ATLANTIC DIVISION

1. Manchester has clinched first place

2. Hartford has clinched second place

3. Providence clinches third place with (a) a point vs. Manchester; or (b) a Worcester loss (regulation/OT/SO) vs. Lowell

4. Worcester clinches third place with a win vs. Lowell and a Providence regulation loss vs. Manchester

EAST DIVISION

1. Hershey has clinched first place in the overall AHL standings

2. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton clinches second place with (a) a win vs. Syracuse; or (b) a Norfolk regulation loss at Bridgeport; or (c) a point vs. Syracuse and a Norfolk OT/SO loss at Bridgeport

3. Norfolk clinches second place with (a) a win at Bridgeport and a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton loss (regulation/OT/SO) vs. Syracuse; or (b) an OT/SO loss at Bridgeport and a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton regulation loss vs. Syracuse

4. Albany has clinched fourth place

NORTH DIVISION

1. Manitoba has clinched first place

2. Rochester clinches second place with a point vs. Hamilton

3. Hamilton clinches second place with a regulation win at Rochester

4. Grand Rapids clinches a playoff berth with (a) a win at Toronto; or (b) a Peoria regulation loss at Milwaukee; or (c) an OT/SO loss at Toronto and a Peoria loss (regulation/OT/SO) at Milwaukee

WEST DIVISION

1. Omaha clinches first place with a point at Chicago

2. Chicago clinches first place with a regulation win vs. Omaha

3. Milwaukee has clinched third place

4. Iowa has clinched fourth place

5. Peoria clinches a playoff berth with (a) a win at Milwaukee and a Grand Rapids loss (regulation/OT/SO) at Toronto; or (b) an OT/SO loss at Milwaukee and a Grand Rapids regulation loss at Toronto

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GAME NOTES (all times ET):

Norfolk at Bridgeport, 1:00

Norfolk is playing for a chance at second place and home-ice advantage in its first-round playoff series with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton... The Admirals are 5-2-0-0 and have won four of the last five meetings against Bridgeport... Norfolk rookie Troy Brouwer has seven goals and eight points in seven games against the Sound Tigers this season... Bridgeport is on a four-game losing streak, where they have been outscored 15-3.

Grand Rapids at Toronto, 4:00

In the easiest scenario, Grand Rapids can clinch the final spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs with a win in Toronto... The Griffins are 4-3-0-0 and have won three of the last four meetings against the Marlies... Toronto is 5-0-0-1 in its last six games at Ricoh Coliseum... Grand Rapids is 1-6-1-2 in its last 10 road matches.

Lowell at Worcester, 4:00

Worcester has clinched a playoff spot, but needs a win and some help to climb back into third place... The Sharks have won four of the last five meetings between the teams, including a 6-1 decision on Wednesday night... Graham Mink has five goals in six games against Lowell in 2006-07; Mathieu Darche has 10 points in nine games... The Devils have lost four straight road games.

Hartford at Portland, 4:05

Hartford has won six straight meetings from Portland this season, including all three previous visits to Cumberland County... The teams have combined for 20 goals in the last two meetings... Al Montoya is 4-1-0 with a 1.97 GAA and .929 save percentage against the Pirates this season... Bobby Bolt and Matt Christie both scored their first professional goals in Portland's 5-2 win over Lowell last night.

Manchester at Providence, 4:05

The Monarchs look to end the regular season with their ninth consecutive win... In place of an injured Jason LaBarbera, Barry Brust and Yutaka Fukufuji have combined to allow just six goals in the last four games... The Monarchs are outscoring their opponents 38-15 on their current eight-game winning streak... The Bruins need a point (or a Worcester loss) to secure third place in the Atlantic Division and avoid the Monarchs in the first round of the playoffs.

Peoria at Milwaukee, 5:00

The Rivermen are one point behind Grand Rapids for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference... Milwaukee is unbeaten in regulation against the Rivermen in 2006-07, going 7-0-1-1... All four meetings at the Bradley Center this season have been decided by one goal... Peoria is 3-1-0-2 in its last six games overall.

Hershey at Philadelphia, 5:05

Hershey is 5-0-0-0 this season at Philadelphia, outscoring the Phantoms 23-5 in the process... Maxime Daigneault is 7-0-0 with a 1.21 GAA and a .959 save percentage against Philadelphia in 2006-07... Phantoms forward Mark Cullen has points in four of his last five games, recording two goals and two assists... A win by the Bears would be their 51st of the season and would set a new franchise record.

Syracuse at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 5:05

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has won four of the last five meetings with the Crunch, including the last two at home... The Penguins' last two games were a 6-0 win (vs. Bridgeport) and a 6-1 loss (vs. Hershey)... Wilkes-Barre has won 11 of its last 12 games against non-playoff-bound opponents... The Crunch (33-34-4-8) can finish the season at .500 with a victory this evening.

Omaha at Chicago, 6:00

The West Division championship is on the line as Omaha visits Chicago... The Knights need a point to finish first; the Wolves need a regulation win... Omaha has won its last two visits to Allstate Arena since a 9-1 loss there on Dec. 15... Darren Haydar has 18 points (7g, 11a) in nine games vs. the Knights this season, and his 122 points on the season are tied for seventh-most in AHL history... Omaha can tie an AHL record with its 27th road win of the season tonight.

San Antonio at Houston, 6:05

The Lone Star rivals close out the 2006-07 season with their 12th meeting of the year... Bryan Lundbohm scored twice and Mattias Weinhandl had four assists as Houston defeated San Antonio last night, 4-2... The Aeros are 4-1-0 in five meetings with San Antonio at the Toyota Center this season... Yanick Lehoux has 14 points (5g, 9a) in 11 games against the Aeros on the year.

Hamilton at Rochester, 6:05

Home-ice advantage in the first round is on the line as Hamilton visits Rochester in a preview of their North Division semifinal... The Bulldogs are unbeaten in regulation in their last four games (3-0-0-1); the Americans are 2-0-0-1 in their last three... Andrei Kostitsyn leads the Bulldogs with 12 points (6g, 6a) in six outings against the Amerks this season... The teams will open their playoff series either Wednesday or Thursday night.

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MORNING HEADLINES:

LONGTIME RADIO VOICE NOT QUITE READY TO GO OFF THE AIR

Kirk Wessler, Peoria Journal-Star

Now that his final game behind the radio mike is imminent, Norm Ulrich doesn't want the season to end. The 67-year-old play-by-play voice of Peoria hockey announced his retirement last fall, because the travel demands had become too much to take. And now, all he wants to do is travel. To Milwaukee today. Then on to Winnipeg next week. And Hamilton or Rochester after that. He'd go to Katmandu, for crying out loud, if he had to.

Norm Ulrich has been the voice of hockey in Peoria since 1988, and was behind the mike for an IHL championship in 1991 and an ECHL title in 2000.

THE CAN'T-MISS KID - LITERALLY

Jim Fennell, New Hampshire Sunday News

We'll have to wait awhile to know for sure if Brian Boyle is a can't-miss prospect, but we can say for certain he's a can't-miss player right now. That's how it goes when you're 6-foot-7 without skates on. Brian Paul Boyle embarked on his much-anticipated professional career last night at the Verizon Wireless Arena when he skated for the Manchester Monarchs against the Worcester Sharks.

Brian Boyle was the Los Angeles Kings' first-round pick in the 2003 NHL draft. He played four seasons at Boston College before making his pro debut for Manchester last night.

TO SNYDERS, WOLVES PART OF THEIR FAMILY

Bob Verdi, Chicago Tribune

Graham and LuAnn Snyder never will fill the void because parents aren't supposed to see a son die. But that in part explains why they are here this weekend to visit their extended family, the Chicago Wolves. "Dan loved this city and this franchise," Graham was saying the other day. "He was on a championship team here, but it was more than that. The Wolves always do things first-class. They were that way with him when he played for them, and have been that way toward us since the accident."

A member of the Wolves' 2002 Calder Cup championship team, Dan Snyder was killed in a car accident in September 2003. Dan's parents are in Chicago this weekend to wrap up their season-long RV tour to raise awareness and funds for the Dan Snyder Memorial Foundation.

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FROM CALDER TO STANLEY:

Sean Avery, who had three goals and an assist in seven career Calder Cup Playoff games, had a goal and an assist in the N.Y. Rangers' 2-1 win over Atlanta in Game 2 on Saturday.

Ryan Whitney, a Calder Cup finalist with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2004, scored a goal in Pittsburgh's 4-3 win over Ottawa on Saturday.

2003 Calder Cup Playoffs MVP Johan Holmqvist made 34 saves as Tampa Bay defeated New Jersey, 3-2, on Saturday night.

2002 Calder Cup finalist Rick DiPietro returned to the crease and made 32 saves as the N.Y. Islanders beat Buffalo on Saturday, 3-2.

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BY THE NUMBERS:

4 - Members of the Chicago Wolves poised to finish among the AHL's top 10 in scoring... The last team to accomplish that feat was the 2000-01 Kentucky Thoroughblades (Ryan Kraft, Mikael Samuelsson, Jim Montgomery, Steve Bancroft).

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ON THE AIR:

B2 Networks brings AHL action to your computer, web-enabled cell phone or PDA all season long with live video webcasts of nearly every AHL game... Visit theahl.com for details.

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