AHL American Hockey League

AHL Morning Skate

Published on April 13, 2008 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


SATURDAY'S SCORES:

HERSHEY 5, Philadelphia 2

TORONTO 6, Rochester 2

HARTFORD 5, Bridgeport 2

WORCESTER 4, Lowell 1

Hamilton 4, LAKE ERIE 1

PEORIA 4, Iowa 1

SYRACUSE 1, Binghamton 0

Norfolk 3, W-B/SCRANTON 2 (OT)

SPRINGFIELD 3, Portland 2 (OT)

Providence 3, MANCHESTER 0

Quad City 3, SAN ANTONIO 2

HOUSTON 3, Milwaukee 2

CHICAGO 7, Rockford 1

GRAND RAPIDS 3, Manitoba 2 (OT)

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SATURDAY'S THREE STARS:

1. Jason Krog matched a personal season high with five points (1-4-5) as Chicago took a 7-1 win over Rockford in the back end of a home-and-home.

2. Andrew Gordon netted a pair of goals to help Hershey clinch the last available spot in the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs with a 5-2 win over Philadelphia.

3. Adam Munro turned in a 31-save shutout as Syracuse won its 14th straight game and moved into second place in the North Division.

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SUNDAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET):

Hartford at Bridgeport, 4:00

Peoria at Chicago, 4:00

Manitoba at Toronto, 4:00

Lowell at Providence, 4:05

Springfield at Worcester, 4:05

Binghamton at Hershey, 5:00

Hamilton at Syracuse, 5:00

Albany at Philadelphia, 5:05

Milwaukee at Houston, 5:05

Iowa at Rockford, 5:05

Quad City at San Antonio, 6:00

Lake Erie at Rochester, 6:05

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CALDER CUP PLAYOFF RACES:

Click here for up-to-date AHL standings

ATLANTIC DIVISION

1. Providence and Manchester will meet in the first round of the playoffs, beginning Wednesday

2. Hartford and Portland will meet in the first round of the playoffs, beginning Wednesday

EAST DIVISION

1. W-B/Scranton and Hershey will meet in the first round of the playoffs, beginning Wednesday

2. Philadelphia and Albany will meet in the first round of the playoffs, beginning Wednesday

NORTH DIVISION

1. Toronto has clinched first place, and clinches the regular-season conference title with

(a) a win vs. Manitoba and a Chicago loss (regulation/OT/SO) vs. Peoria, or

(b) an OT/SO loss vs. Manitoba and a Chicago regulation loss vs. Peoria

2. Syracuse clinches second place with

(a) a win vs. Hamilton, or

(b) a Manitoba regulation loss, or

(c) an OT/SO loss vs. Hamilton and a Manitoba OT/SO loss at Toronto, or

(d) a regulation loss by two goals or fewer vs. Hamilton and a Manitoba OT/SO loss at Toronto

3. Manitoba clinches second place with

(a) a win at Toronto and a Syracuse loss (regulation/OT/SO) vs. Hamilton, or

(b) an OT/SO loss at Toronto and a Syracuse regulation loss by three goals or more vs. Hamilton

WEST DIVISION

1. Chicago has clinched first place, and clinches the regular-season conference title with

(a) a win vs. Peoria, or

(b) a Toronto regulation loss vs. Manitoba, or

(c) an OT/SO loss vs. Peoria and a Toronto OT/SO loss vs. Manitoba

2. Rockford clinches second place with:

(a) a point vs. Iowa

3. Sunday's HOU-MIL winner clinches second place with:

(a) a Rockford regulation loss vs. Iowa

4. San Antonio clinches fourth place with:

(a) a win vs. Quad City, or

(b) an OT/SO loss vs. Quad City and a HOU or MIL regulation win

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GAME NOTES (all times ET):

Hartford at Bridgeport, 4:00

Hartford visits intra-state rival Bridgeport this afternoon in the back end of a home-and-home... The Wolf Pack are tuning up for their 11th playoff appearance in as many seasons, while the Sound Tigers were eliminated from postseason contention with last night's 5-2 loss to the Wolf Pack... Bridgeport has taken 11 points in the season series thus far to Hartford's 10... The Pack enter at 10-1-0-2 in their last 13 contests, and a victory would give them their second 50-win season in team history and first since 2004-05... Rookie Artem Anisimov had a goal and two helpers in Hartford's win last night, while Tim Jackman had both goals for the Sound Tigers... Bridgeport winger Jeff Tambellini is in a four-way tie for the league's goal-scoring lead with 37.

Peoria at Chicago, 4:00

In-state foes Peoria and Chicago wrap up their regular season this afternoon at the Allstate Arena... The Wolves are 6-3-0-0 against the Rivermen and can clinch home-ice advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs with a victory... Chicago teammates Jason Krog (37-73-110) and Brett Sterling (37-32-69) are tied with two other players for the league's goal-scoring title... Krog, who has 31 points (12-19-31) in 16 career games vs. Peoria, is looking to become just the third player in AHL history to lead the league in goals, assists and points in the same season... Chicago has signed 2007 first-round draft pick Angelo Esposito to an amateur tryout... Jean-Guy Trudel has a point in five of his last six contests (2-7-9) for Peoria.

Manitoba at Toronto, 4:00

Manitoba visits Toronto this afternoon in the finale of a three-game road swing to close the regular season... The Moose, who enter one point back of Syracuse for second place in the North Division, outscored Toronto 8-1 in taking a pair of victories at the MTS Centre last weekend... Second-year pro Jannik Hansen has five goals and 10 points against Manitoba this season, both team highs... The Marlies are 27-8-1-3 this year at Ricoh Coliseum... Rookie Jiri Tlusty has scored a goal and posted multiple points in all three games (4-5-9) since returning to the Marlies from the parent Maple Leafs... John Mitchell shows seven points (1-6-7) in his last three outings for Toronto.

Lowell at Providence, 4:05

The AHL's top overall team has its last tune-up for the playoffs on Sunday as Providence hosts Lowell in the finale of their 10-game season series... The Bruins have won eight of the first nine meetings (8-1-0-0) and are a perfect 4-0-0-0 against the Devils at the Dunkin' Donuts Center... Rookie goaltender Kevin Regan, a University of New Hampshire product, turned in a 23-save shutout at Manchester in his professional debut on Saturday... The P-Bruins average 3.53 goals per game, second-most in the AHL... 2008 AHL All-Star Petr Vrana has played all 79 games for the Devils this year and shows a team-high 40 assists and 60 points.

Springfield at Worcester, 4:05

Springfield and Worcester wrap up their seasons this afternoon at the DCU Center... The Falcons (35-34-5-5, 80 points) will miss the playoffs but are assured of their highest point total since also posting 80 in the 1998-99 campaign... Rookie Liam Reddox and 2008 AHL All-Star Rob Schremp each has 10 points (3-7-10) in the season series against the Sharks, and Schremp has a goal in three of his last four outings overall (3-3-6)... The Sharks, also out of playoff contention, are looking for their first three-game winning streak since Dec. 15-18... Rookie Derek Joslin (0-4-4) and 2008 AHL All-Star Mike Iggulden (3-1-4) both have four-game scoring streaks.

Binghamton at Hershey, 5:00

Binghamton visits the Giant Center to take on Hershey in the teams' eighth and final meeting of the season... The Bears are 5-1-0-1 against the Senators this season, but three of the victories have required either overtime or the shootout... Hershey clinched the East Division's fourth and final playoff spot with a 5-2 win over Philadelphia last night, while Binghamton will miss the playoffs for the third straight year... The Bears' Chris Bourque sports a seven-game scoring streak (8-7-15), and Kyle Wilson has a point in three straight games (2-2-4)... Captain Denis Hamel has a team-high 31 goals and 54 points for the B-Sens, who are 1-5-0-1 in their last seven contests.

Hamilton at Syracuse, 5:00

Syracuse can clinch second place in the North Division with a win over Hamilton as the teams wrap up their season series... The Crunch have won 14 straight games, have a point in 22 straight (19-0-0-3), and are 23-1-0-5 in their last 29 contests... Syracuse is coming off consecutive shutouts, a 21-save effort by Karl Goehring in a 4-0 win at Rochester on Friday, and a 31-save performance by Adam Munro in a 1-0 squeaker over Binghamton last night... Joakim Lindstrom, who scored the game's only goal on Saturday, has a team-high 11 points (3-8-11) in just five games against Hamilton... The Bulldogs will miss the playoffs a year after winning the Calder Cup... 2008 AHL All-Star Corey Locke sports 14 points (7-7-14) over his last six outings.

Albany at Philadelphia, 5:05

It's a first-round playoff preview at the Wachovia Spectrum this afternoon as Albany visits Philadelphia... The River Rats will finish third in the East Division and square off with the second-place Phantoms beginning Wednesday... Philadelphia has taken four of the teams' first seven regular-season meetings this year (4-3-0-0), including all three tilts in the City of Brotherly Love... Rookie Kyle Greentree paces the Phantoms with 24 goals, while Jared Ross shows a team-high 62 points... 2007-08 AHL outstanding goaltender Michael Leighton ranks first in the league in save percentage (.931) and shutouts (7) for Albany, and he's second in goals-against average (2.10).

Milwaukee at Houston, 5:05

The logjam in the race for West Division playoff positioning will sort itself out a bit after Milwaukee and Houston tangle for the third time this weekend and eighth time on the season... The teams have split a pair of contests over the last two days and are currently part of a three-way tie with San Antonio for third place in the division, two points back of Rockford... Joel Ward (20-20-40) and Ryan Hamilton (20-19-39) are tied for the Aeros team lead in goals, and goaltender Nolan Schaefer's 2.07 GAA is tops in the league... Milwaukee's Matt Ellison brings a four-game scoring streak (1-3-4) into today's action.

Iowa at Rockford, 5:05

Rockford can clinch second place in the West Division and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs with a point in its meeting with Iowa today... The IceHogs are 5-2-0-0 against the Stars on the season... Rockford's Petri Kontiola has four goals and 12 points in the first seven tilts of the season series, while rookie Jack Skille shows 10 points (5-5-10) in five games against Iowa... Three-time AHL All-Star Martin St. Pierre ranks second in the league in both assists (66) and points (87) in 68 games... Marty Sertich has five goals over his last three games for the Stars, who will miss the playoffs for the first time in their three-year history.

Quad City at San Antonio, 6:00

Quad City and San Antonio play the back end of a two-game set this evening at the AT&T Center... The Flames' David Van der Gulik notched two goals in the third period to rally Quad City past the Rampage by a 3-2 count last night... Carsen Germyn, who also scored in the victory, has five goals and seven points in seven games against San Antonio this year... The Rampage will finish either fourth or fifth in the West Division, and will participate in the postseason for the first time since 2003... San Antonio is 28-18-2-5 against divisional opponents this season... Goaltender Al Montoya is 6-1-0 with a 2.10 GAA in his last seven outings.

Lake Erie at Rochester, 6:05

Lake Erie looks to snap a three-game losing skid as it wraps up its inaugural season with a trip to Rochester, which has lost six in a row... The Monsters are 3-1-1-0 thus far in the season series, and the teams have split their first two encounters at the Blue Cross Arena... Eric Healey leads Lake Erie with 53 points (21-32-53), but he has been held off the scoresheet in five straight games... Rookie T.J. Hensick has a point in three of his last four tilts (2-3-5)... Brady Calla scored his first pro goal in the Americans' 6-2 loss in Toronto yesterday... Brothers Anthony Stewart of Rochester and Chris Stewart of Lake Erie are both former first-round draft picks.

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MORNING HEADLINES:

SEASON'S TURNOUT BIG PLUS

Tim Warsinskey, Cleveland Plain-Dealer

Asked to name a highlight from the Lake Erie Monsters' inaugural season, Monsters winger Dan DaSilva said it was the home opener, which drew 15,132 fans to Quicken Loans Arena last October. When the first game is the most memorable, that can be a bad sign. But not in this case. Lake Erie's 40th and final home game - a 4-1 loss to Hamilton on Saturday night - was an appropriate sendoff because an enthusiastic crowd of 15,408 was the largest in the American Hockey League this season. They spun the turnstiles for Fan Appreciation Night. The Monsters organization, coaches and players seemed truly appreciative of support they received from a town where some thought professional hockey was dead... Link

BONVIE'S RESPECT WILL BE MISSED

Jonathan Bombulie, The Citizen's Voice

The 8,000-plus fans who jammed the Wachovia Arena on Saturday night will never see it again. Not in a regular-season game anyway. They'll never see a player pop up from stretching during warm-ups, step provocatively across the red line with both skates and tap his stick on the ice in enemy territory in an act of defiance before skating away. They'll never see a player seek out an opponent in the penalty box for a handshake after a particularly long and grueling fight. They'll never see another player quite like Dennis Bonvie... Link

IT'S A CLINCH

Tim Leone, Harrisburg Patriot-News

The Hershey Bears certainly didn't back into the Calder Cup playoffs Saturday night at Giant Center. They barged in swinging. Waking from an early two-goal deficit, Hershey rallied for a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phantoms that clinched fourth place in the East Division and a first-round matchup against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. "You look at everything they've gone through all year long," Bears head coach Bob Woods said. "Guys leaving. The injuries, the callups. Just everything. There's many times we could have just probably -- not packed it in -- but things could have went the other direction. They never quit."... Link

RATS' BLANCHARD QUIETLY EFFECTIVE

Phil Janack, Daily Gazette

From goaltender Michael Leighton's year-end league awards and the return from the NHL of Tim Conboy and Jeff Hamilton, to the arrival of heralded first-round pick Brandon Sutter and the team earning its second straight playoff berth, there has been plenty of buzz around the Albany River Rats in recent weeks. Lost in it all has been the continued quiet yet effective play of rookie forward Nicolas Blanchard. Still seven weeks shy of his 21st birthday, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Blanchard has been a steady if unspectacular presence, skating lately at left wing on a line with Mike Angelidis and Kiel McLeod... Link

HELM'S FUTURE LOOKING BRIGHT

Ken Wiebe, Winnipeg Sun

One look at the smooth stride of Darren Helm tells you all you need to know about how bright his future is going to be. The St. Andrews product played his final game of his American Hockey League season last night against the Manitoba Moose, but his campaign isn't done just yet. As of this morning, Helm will rejoin the Detroit Red Wings and serve as a depth player for the Stanley Cup playoffs. And with an injury or two up front, the speedy centre will get a first taste of the playoffs in the pros... Link

WOLVES LOOK SHARP IN TUNEUP FOR PLAYOFFS

Tim Sassone, Daily Herald

The Chicago Wolves had it cranked up to playoff intensity Saturday night. With the start of the American Hockey League's Calder Cup playoffs only four days away, the Wolves' 7-1 win over the Rockford IceHogs before a season-high 14,229 at the Allstate Arena was an impressive tuneup for a team that had been struggling to the finish line. "We've sort of been having a couple good games and a couple bad games and haven't really put together a solid game," Wolves center Jason Krog said. "Tonight I thought was probably our best effort in a month or month and a half."... Link

WOTTON ULTIMATE LEADER OF SOUND TIGERS

Mike Fornabaio, Connecticut Post

Impersonating a good public relations man, Mark Wotton was pushing a feature earlier this season. He pointed to Dustin Kohn, the young Bridgeport Sound Tigers defenseman - look at the job he's doing, Wotton said. The last story Wotton wants to read is one about himself. The Sound Tigers' captain is his own least-favorite topic of discussion. "He's kind of the ultimate leader," former teammate Rick Berry, who grew up with Wotton in Manitoba, said earlier this season in Springfield. "He always puts the team first. I can even remember, he was 13 or 14 years old, calling to make sure I got a ride to the skate in the summer. He never worried about himself."... Link

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ALUMNI WATCH:

Darren McCarty scored a goal and Tomas Holmstrom added a goal and an assist in Detroit's 4-2 win over Nashville in Game 2 yesterday.

Alexei Kovalev, who made his postseason debut during the 1993 Calder Cup Playoffs, scored in overtime last night to give Montreal a 3-2 win over Boston and a 2-0 series lead.

Joel Lundqvist recorded two assists to help Dallas past Anaheim, 5-2, in Game 2 last night.

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BY THE NUMBERS:

6 - Goals that the Houston Aeros can give up in their season finale vs. Milwaukee today and still capture at least a share of the AHL's Harry "Hap" Holmes Award for team goaltending... Houston has allowed 181 goals through 79 games; Wilkes-Barre/Scranton finished its schedule with 187 goals against.

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ON THIS DATE:

April 13, 1987 - 19-year-old rookie Mike Keane scores 14:12 into overtime to give Sherbrooke a 3-2 win over Nova Scotia and a 3-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round series.

April 13, 1956 - The Providence Reds win what would be their final Calder Cup, finishing up a four-game sweep of Cleveland with a 6-3 victory.

April 13, 1950 - The Indianapolis Capitals complete a perfect 8-0 postseason run with a 3-2 victory over Cleveland to win the Calder Cup.

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American Hockey League Stories from April 13, 2008


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