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AHL Morning Skate

Published on June 14, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


2010 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:

Complete Results || Scoring Leaders || Goaltending Leaders

2010 Calder Cup Finals - Series "O" (best-of-7)

E1-Hershey Bears vs. W2-Texas Stars

Game 1 - Thu., June 3 - Texas 2, HERSHEY 1

Game 2 - Sat., June 5 - Texas 4, HERSHEY 3

Game 3 - Mon., June 7 - Hershey 6, TEXAS 3

Game 4 - Wed., June 9 - Hershey 4, TEXAS 2

Game 5 - Fri., June 11 - Hershey 2, TEXAS 1 (OT) (HER leads series, 3-2)

Game 6 - Mon., June 14 - Texas at Hershey, 7:00

*Game 7 - Wed., June 16 - Texas at Hershey, 7:00

*if necessary... All times Eastern

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FRIDAY'S THREE STARS:

1. Alexandre Giroux extended his own AHL record with his fifth career playoff overtime goal, giving Hershey a 2-1 win in Game 5 and a 3-2 series lead.

2. Stars goaltender Matt Climie took the tough-luck loss in Game 5 despite making 41 saves on 43 shots.

3. Aaron Gagnon scored the only Texas goal in Game 5.

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GAME NOTES (all times ET):

Game 6 - Texas at Hershey, 7:00 (HER leads series, 3-2)

TV: NHL Network, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (DirecTV 642, Dish 424), ABC-27 Harrisburg

Satellite Radio: XM 204, Sirius 208

Video Webcast: AHL Live (www.ahllive.com)

Hershey is one win away from capping off a record-setting season with a championship, returning home for Game 6 of the Calder Cup Finals after winning all three games in Texas last week... The Bears, who are on the verge of becoming the AHL's first repeat champions since the Springfield Indians won in 1990 and 1991, took a thrilling Game 5 on Friday night, 2-1, on Alexandre Giroux's goal 13:28 into overtime... It was Hershey's eighth OT win of the 2010 playoffs and Giroux's fifth career playoff OT goal, extending a pair of AHL records... Giroux (14-11-25) also became the third player in AHL history with 50 career playoff goals, joining Darren Haydar (59) and Jody Gage (51)... Hershey's top defensive tandem of John Carlson and Karl Alzner - both former first-round draft picks by the parent Washington Capitals - picked up the assists on the game-winner... Francois Bouchard (5-5-10) scored in regulation for Hershey on Friday, his third goal of the Finals and fifth of the playoffs... Chris Bourque (7-20-27) picked up an assist to claim sole possession of the league postseason scoring lead... Michal Neuvirth (13-4, 2.18, .916) finished with 35 saves to earn his fourth consecutive road win, and stopped all 36 Texas shots in the third period and overtime of Games 3-5... Neuvirth has now made as many career appearances - 39 - in the playoffs (29-10, 2.03, .925, 4 SO) as in the regular season (24-11-2, 2.45, .916, 2 SO) for the Bears... Keith Aucoin (2-23-25), who had an assist in Game 5, leads all scorers with 1-5-6 in the series... Aaron Gagnon (8-4-12) had the only Texas goal in Game 5, redirecting home a Dan Jancevski (1-11-12) shot on a first-period power play... The Stars have scored with the man advantage in four consecutive games... Matt Climie (7-6, 2.71, .916) made 41 saves on Friday night, his third game this postseason with 40-plus saves and just two goals against... Brent Krahn (7-3, 2.32, .928) served as Climie's backup in Game 5, dressing for the first time since being injured in Game 6 at Chicago on May 9... Jamie Benn (14-12-26) has been held to 0-2-2 in the series after recording 14-10-24 in 18 games over the first three rounds... The team scoring first is just 1-4 in the Finals, and all five games have been tied entering the third period... Hershey trailed beyond the midway point of the second period in all three games at the Cedar Park Center but rallied for their 10th, 11th, and 12th come-from-behind wins of the postseason... The Bears, who have won 75 of their 100 games since opening night, are the first team to win three road contests in a single Finals series since Adirondack (four) and St. John's (three) combined to win all seven games of the 1992 Finals on the road... Hershey had won 13 straight and 37 of 38 at home before losing Games 1 and 2 to Texas... The Bears have not clinched a Calder Cup title on home ice since 1980, when they defeated the New Brunswick Hawks in Game 6 at Hersheypark Arena; Hershey won the Cup on the road in 1988 (Fredericton), 1997 (Hamilton), 2006 (Milwaukee) and 2009 (Manitoba)... The Bears are 10-12 all-time with a chance to clinch a Calder Cup championship... Texas is already 3-0 when facing elimination this postseason, winning Game 7 at Chicago in the second round and taking Games 6 and 7 of the conference finals in Hamilton... This is the third consecutive Finals series to go six games; there has not been a Game 7 since 2003 (Houston vs. Hamilton).

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ALL-TIME CALDER CUP PLAYOFF LEADERS

Points

1. Darren Haydar, 135

2. Willie Marshall, 119

3. Jason Krog, 118

4. Jody Gage, 110

5. Fred Glover, 104

6. Alexandre Giroux, 98

...

17. Keith Aucoin, 74

Goals

1. Darren Haydar, 59

2. Jody Gage, 51

3. Alexandre Giroux, 50

4(t). Willie Marshall, 48

4(t). Fred Glover, 48

6. Brad Smyth, 46

7(t). Jason Krog, 42

7(t). Gordie Clark, 42

Assists

1(t). Darren Haydar, 76

1(t). Jason Krog, 76

3. Willie Marshall, 71

4(t). Keith Aucoin, 62

4(t). Mike Nykoluk, 62

6. Domenic Pittis, 61

...

14(t). Alexandre Giroux, 48

Games Played

1. Bryan Helmer, 137

2. Ken Gernander, 123

3. Fred Glover, 120

4. Jody Gage, 115

...

8(t). Alexandre Giroux, 111

8(t). Boyd Kane, 111

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MORNING HEADLINES:

BEARS AIM TO KEEP FOCUS AMID ANTICIPATION - Harrisburg Patriot-News

A highly anticipated giant celebration turned into a giant letdown during last season's Calder Cup finals. The Hershey Bears had a chance to clinch at home for the first time since 1980 in Game 5 against the Manitoba Moose. Instead, Manitoba won 3-2 to the consternation of a then-record Giant Center crowd of 10,860. "We let something slip through our fingers in Game 5 there last year," Bears defenseman Karl Alzner said Sunday.

http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2010/06/calder_cup_finals_hershey_bear.html

BEARS GLAD TO BE BACK HOME - Lebanon Daily News

The last time the Hershey Bears played in a Game 6 of the Calder Cup finals, they won. That was last year. Four years earlier, in 2006, the Bears also played in a Game 6 of the Cup finals, a game they also won. But heading into tonight's Game 6 of the 2010 Cup finals, there's a bit of a difference. For the first time since 1980, the Bears are playing a Game 6 on home ice. And, as far as the Bears are concerned, nothing could be sweeter than winning the Calder Cup at Giant Center for the first time.

http://www.ldnews.com/sports/ci_15287599

BEARS REGAIN REGULAR-SEASON FORM DURING SWEEP IN TEXAS - Harrisburg Patriot-News

Asking a scorer the caliber of Alexandre Giroux to sift through his memory bank will always take time. Hershey's veteran winger has compiled 42-, 50- and 60-goal seasons with the Bears. He has 36 playoff tallies with the team and an American Hockey League-record five overtime goals. And considering the stakes, Giroux's game-winner in Hershey's 2-1 OT victory over Texas Friday night at Cedar Park Center ranks very high on his list of top moments.

http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2010/06/the_hershey_bears_regains_thei.html

WIN OR LOSE, STARS' FIRST SEASON A HIT - Austin American-Statesman

Whether they win or lose in Hershey doesn't matter in the long run. The important thing is the Stars have established roots here. They put a terrific product on the ice, drew nice crowds this season, and won their share of games. Plus they're fun to watch. It goes without saying that this is football country but there is room for minor league sports to thrive.

http://www.statesman.com/sports/pro/win-or-lose-in-hershey-stars-1st-season-743006.html

HERSHEY BUSINESSES, FANS GEARING UP FOR GAME 6 - ABC27

The most storied franchise in the American Hockey League is trying to do something it hasn't done in 30 years by winning a Calder Cup on home ice. The town is getting ready for what vendors hope will be big business. "The fans are here so often, they get to know you personally so you build a relationship with a lot of the people in the building," Bears forward Andrew Gordon said.

http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/0610/745497.html

BEARS, STARS TAKE IT TO AUSTIN CITY LIMITS - Harrisburg Patriot-News

An empty stage, set up for Cumberland Valley High's Class of 2010 graduation ceremony, stood vigil on Giant Center's rink Friday night. The roughly 2,000 people who showed up at the building, though, came to watch the Hershey Bears' continuing commencement through the Calder Cup finals at a big-screen viewing party. Puck and circumstance. And the Bears and Texas Stars made Game 5 a series valedictory with a scintillating overtime classic at Cedar Park Center.

http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2010/06/game_5_hershey_bears_texas_sta.html

BEARS TAKE THIRD STRAIGHT IN TEXAS - WashingtonCaps.com

The Hershey Bears spent the 2009-10 regular season breaking AHL records and doing things other teams had never accomplished in league history. They seem bent on doing the same in the postseason. Alexandre Giroux's goal at 13:28 of overtime gave the Bears a 2-1 win in Friday's pivotal Game 5 and a 3-2 lead in the series as the scene shifts back to Hershey. Striving to become the first team in AHL history to lose the first two games of a final series on home ice and still win the Calder Cup, the Bears are now just one victory shy of doing just that.

http://capitals.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=531578

TEXAS LOSES GAME 5 HEARTBREAKER IN OVERTIME - DallasStars.com

It was the final game of the season at the Cedar Park Center and boy, was it a thrilling one. Unfortunately for the 7,054 rabid fans on hand, a venue record, it was also an incredibly disappointing one, as the Texas Stars ended up on the short end of a nail-biter, falling in overtime 2-1 to the Hershey Bears Friday night in Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals. After losing their fourth straight home game - including all three in this best-of-seven series - the Stars now find themselves on the brink of elimination, trailing the AHL championship 3-2.

http://stars.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=531579

AHL COACHES MOVE UP TO FIND NHL SUCCESS - St. Petersburg Times

Last week, the Lightning named Guy Boucher as its new coach. Even for those who follow hockey closely, Boucher's name was relatively unknown. But this is all you need to know to feel somewhat comfortable about Boucher: He is coming from the American Hockey League. Boucher coached one season with Hamilton, the top affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. Based on recent history, American Hockey League coaches have a solid track record when moving up to the NHL.

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hockey/lightning/ahl-coaches-move-up-to-find-nhl-success/1102025

BOUCHER'S QUEST FOR AN EDGE NEVER ENDS - St. Petersburg Times/Montreal Gazette

Guy Boucher, the Tampa Bay Lightning's new head coach and new hope for a renaissance, has a pretty simple mantra about how you achieve success: Be relentless. Push forward toward your goal, no matter what you have to do or overcome. "For me, it just never ends, this quest to find an edge," he said during his introductory news conference Thursday morning at the St. Pete Times Forum. "I enjoy it."

http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/Boucher+quest+edge+never+ends/3148485/story.html

ARNIEL DID NOT RUSH ON HIS CLIMB TO THE TOP - Columbus Dispatch

At age 28, Scott Arniel played the last of his 730 games in the NHL - and the first of his 555 games in the minor leagues. A humbling transition for a once-prized prospect, Arniel swapped air travel for bus rides, amenities for anonymity. But here's what Blue Jackets fans need to know about Arniel, their 47-year-old coach hired Tuesday: He has made it back to the NHL through perseverance, gathering insight at each stop and never compromising his values to take the next step prematurely.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2010/06/13/arniel-did-not-rush-on-his-climb-to-the-top.html

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BY THE NUMBERS:

103.3 - Combined percentage of capacity that the Giant Center (cap. 10,500) and Cedar Park Center (6,712) have been filled to for the first five games of the Calder Cup Finals, with standing-room-only crowds watching Hershey and Texas each night so far.

383 - Best-of-seven series played in Calder Cup Playoff history, including the current battle between Hershey and Texas... Of the previous 382, only one - the 1992 Calder Cup Finals between the Adirondack Red Wings and the St. John's Maple Leafs - has seen the road team win every game.

3 - Road wins by Texas when facing elimination, tied for the most ever in a single Calder Cup postseason (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 2004).

46-13 - All-time record of teams in home games with a chance to win the Calder Cup.

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ON THIS DATE:

This is the first AHL game ever played on a June 14... The latest calendar date ever for an AHL game was June 15, 2006, when the Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup with a 5-1 win at Milwaukee in Game 6 of the Finals.

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AHL LIVE:

Don't miss a step on the road to the 2010 Calder Cup championship. AHL Live brings AHL action to your computer all season long with live video webcasts and highlights of every AHL game, as well as behind-the-scenes features and interviews in the Video On Demand section... Visit theahl.com or ahllive.com for details.

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American Hockey League Stories from June 14, 2010


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