AHL American Hockey League

AHL Morning Skate

Published on April 22, 2011 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


Every game day from now until the end of the Calder Cup Playoffs, the AHL Morning Skate takes a spin around the AHL ice with recaps and previews, news and notes, facts and figures, and the top headlines from around the American Hockey League.

THURSDAY'S SCORES:

Game 5 - PORTLAND 5, Connecticut 4 (POR leads series, 3-2)

Game 4 - Lake Erie 6, MANITOBA 3 (LE leads series, 3-1)

THURSDAY'S THREE STARS:

1. Justin Mercier netted a pair of goals and added an assist as Lake Erie pushed Manitoba to the brink of elimination with a 6-3 win in Game 4.

2. Two-time AHL All-Star Mark Mancari put up three points (1-2-3) to lead Portland past Connecticut, 5-4, for a 3-3-2 series edge.

3. Kevin Clark recorded a pair of goals for Manitoba in the losing effort.

TODAY'S SCHEDULE (all times ET):

Game 6 - Binghamton at Manchester, 7:00 (MCH leads series, 3-2)

Game 5 - Hershey at Charlotte, 7:00 (Series tied, 2-2)

Game 5 - W-B/Scranton at Norfolk, 7:30 (Series tied, 2-2)

Game 5 - Hamilton at Oklahoma City, 8:05 (Series tied, 2-2)

Game 5 - Lake Erie at Manitoba, 8:30 (LE leads series, 3-1)

Game 5 - Milwaukee at Texas, 8:30 (Series tied, 2-2)

2011 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS:

Atlantic Division Semifinal - Series "A" (best-of-7)

A1-Portland Pirates vs. A3-Connecticut Whale || Preview

Game 1 - Thu., Apr. 14 - PORTLAND 3, Connecticut 2

Game 2 - Sat., Apr. 16 - PORTLAND 3, Connecticut 2 (OT)

Game 3 - Sun., Apr. 17 - CONNECTICUT 3, Portland 1

Game 4 - Tue., Apr. 19 - CONNECTICUT 3, Portland 1

Game 5 - Thu., Apr. 21 - PORTLAND 5, Connecticut 4

Game 6 - Sat., Apr. 23 - Portland at Connecticut, 7:00

*Game 7 - Mon., Apr. 25 - Connecticut at Portland, 7:00

Atlantic Division Semifinal - Series "B" (best-of-7)

A2-Manchester Monarchs vs. E5-Binghamton Senators || Preview

Game 1 - Thu., Apr. 14 - MANCHESTER 2, Binghamton 1

Game 2 - Fri., Apr. 15 - Binghamton 4, MANCHESTER 3 (OT)

Game 3 - Sun., Apr. 17 - Manchester 5, BINGHAMTON 4 (OT)

Game 4 - Tue., Apr. 19 - Manchester 6, BINGHAMTON 3

Game 5 - Wed., Apr. 20 - BINGHAMTON 5, Manchester 4 (OT)

Game 6 - Fri., Apr. 22 - Binghamton at Manchester, 7:00

*Game 7 - Sat., Apr. 23 - Binghamton at Manchester, 7:00

East Division Semifinal - Series "C" (best-of-7)

E1-W-B/Scranton Penguins vs. E4-Norfolk Admirals || Preview

Game 1 - Fri., Apr. 15 - Norfolk 2, W-B/SCRANTON 1

Game 2 - Sat., Apr. 16 - Norfolk 2, W-B/SCRANTON 0

Game 3 - Tue., Apr. 19 - W-B/Scranton 2, NORFOLK 1

Game 4 - Wed., Apr. 20 - W-B/Scranton 4, NORFOLK 2

Game 5 - Fri., Apr. 22 - W-B/Scranton at Norfolk, 7:30

Game 6 - Sat., Apr. 23 - Norfolk at W-B/Scranton, 7:05

*Game 7 - Mon., Apr. 25 - Norfolk at W-B/Scranton, 7:05

East Division Semifinal - Series "D" (best-of-7)

E2-Hershey Bears vs. E3-Charlotte Checkers || Preview

Game 1 - Thu., Apr. 14 - Charlotte 5, HERSHEY 4

Game 2 - Sun., Apr. 17 - HERSHEY 4, Charlotte 2

Game 3 - Tue., Apr. 19 - Hershey 3, CHARLOTTE 2

Game 4 - Wed., Apr. 20 - CHARLOTTE 3, Hershey 2

Game 5 - Fri., Apr. 22 - Hershey at Charlotte, 7:00

Game 6 - Sun., Apr. 24 - Charlotte at Hershey, 5:00

*Game 7 - Mon., Apr. 25 - Charlotte at Hershey, 7:00

North Division Semifinal - Series "E" (best-of-7)

N1-Hamilton Bulldogs vs. W5-Oklahoma City Barons || Preview

Game 1 - Thu., Apr. 14 - HAMILTON 5, Oklahoma City 2

Game 2 - Sat., Apr. 16 - HAMILTON 2, Oklahoma City 1

Game 3 - Tue., Apr. 19 - OKLAHOMA CITY 2, Hamilton 0

Game 4 - Wed., Apr. 20 - OKLAHOMA CITY 5, Hamilton 2

Game 5 - Fri., Apr. 22 - Hamilton at Oklahoma City, 8:05

Game 6 - Sun., Apr. 24 - Oklahoma City at Hamilton, 4:00

*Game 7 - Mon., Apr. 25 - Oklahoma City at Hamilton, 7:30

North Division Semifinal - Series "F" (best-of-7)

N2-Lake Erie Monsters vs. N3-Manitoba Moose || Preview

Game 1 - Sat., Apr. 16 - LAKE ERIE 6, Manitoba 4

Game 2 - Sun., Apr. 17 - Manitoba 3, LAKE ERIE 2 (OT)

Game 3 - Tue., Apr. 19 - Lake Erie 2, MANITOBA 1

Game 4 - Thu., Apr. 21 - Lake Erie 6, MANITOBA 3

Game 5 - Fri., Apr. 22 - Lake Erie at Manitoba, 8:30

*Game 6 - Sun., Apr. 24 - Manitoba at Lake Erie, 4:00

*Game 7 - Tue., Apr. 26 - Manitoba at Lake Erie, 7:00

West Division Semifinal - Series "G" (best-of-7)

W1-Milwaukee Admirals vs. W4-Texas Stars || Preview

Game 1 - Thu., Apr. 14 - MILWAUKEE 5, Texas 2

Game 2 - Sat., Apr. 16 - Texas 3, MILWAUKEE 1

Game 3 - Tue., Apr. 19 - TEXAS 3, Milwaukee 2 (OT)

Game 4 - Wed., Apr. 20 - Milwaukee 3, TEXAS 2

Game 5 - Fri., Apr. 22 - Milwaukee at Texas, 8:30

Game 6 - Mon., Apr. 25 - Texas at Milwaukee, 8:00

*Game 7 - Tue., Apr. 26 - Texas at Milwaukee, 8:00

West Division Semifinal - Series "H" (best-of-7)

W2-Houston Aeros vs. W3-Peoria Rivermen || Preview

Game 1 - Wed., Apr. 13 - HOUSTON 4, Peoria 1

Game 2 - Fri., Apr. 15 - HOUSTON 3, Peoria 2 (OT)

Game 3 - Mon., Apr. 18 - Houston 5, PEORIA 3

Game 4 - Tue., Apr. 19 - Houston 2, PEORIA 1

*if necessary... All times Eastern

GAME NOTES (all times ET):

Game 6 - Binghamton at Manchester, 7:00 (MCH leads series, 3-2)

After Binghamton staved off elimination at home on Wednesday, this Atlantic Division semifinal shifts back to the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester for Game 6 tonight, and the Monarchs have another chance to advance to the division finals for a second straight year... Dating back to 2007, Manchester had won four straight playoff games with an opportunity to clinch a series prior to suffering a 5-4 overtime defeat on Wednesday... Senators forward Ryan Potulny notched a pair of third-period power play goals - including the tying marker with 4:34 left in regulation - before Kaspars Daugavins scored another man-advantage marker to win it at 6:38 of overtime... Potulny has begun the postseason on a five-game scoring streak, and his seven goals and nine points lead all AHL scorers thus far... Binghamton's power play, which ranked first in the AHL during the regular season (22.8 percent), finished 3-for-9 (33.3 percent) on Wednesday after going a combined 3-for-20 (15.0 percent) in the first four games of the series... Cody Bass and Bobby Butler added even-strength tallies for the Senators in Game 5; Second Team AHL All-Star defenseman Andre Benoit had three assists; and 19-year-old rookie goaltender Robin Lehner stopped 30 shots to earn the win in his AHL postseason debut... Benoit is now on a four-game scoring streak (1-6-7) for Binghamton, as are forwards Roman Wick (1-5-6) and Ryan Keller (1-5-6)... Monarchs rookie forward Ray Kaunisto, who hadn't scored a goal since Mar. 6 vs. Charlotte, netted a pair in the Game 5 loss... David Meckler and defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov also lit the lamp for Manchester... Corey Elkins posted an assist to run his postseason-opening scoring streak to five games (2-3-5), and rookie Brayden Schenn's helper gave the rookie a point in all three contests (1-3-4) since joining Manchester from juniors... To advance, Binghamton will need to become the sixth team in AHL history to win Games 6 and 7 of a series on the road, joining Texas (2010), Abbotsford (2010), Providence (2007), Portland (1996), and Maine (1983).

Game 5 - Hershey at Charlotte, 7:00 (Series tied, 2-2)

Charlotte hosts two-time defending Calder Cup champion Hershey tonight for the pivotal Game 5 of their East Division semifinal, before the series shifts back to Chocolatetown for Game 6 on Sunday... The Checkers avoided falling into a 3-1 series hole by eking out a 3-2 victory on Wednesday courtesy of a late third-period goal from Nick Dodge and 35 saves in net by goaltender Mike Murphy... Dodge's goal - his second of the series - came with 2:39 left in regulation to give the Checkers a 3-1 advantage, and it proved decisive when Hershey's Mathieu Perreault answered 39 seconds later with his second goal of the game... Dodge, a 34-goal scorer during the regular season, has now scored in two straight games after being held without a goal in the first two games of this series... Nicolas Blanchard and ex-Bear Oskar Osala tallied power play goals earlier in Wednesday's tilt for Charlotte... It marked Blanchard's first AHL postseason goal in his 24th career game, while Osala - a member of the Bears' 2009 Calder Cup title team - notched his ninth career AHL playoff goal and first of this postseason... Charlotte forward Jon Matsumoto, who had produced no points and a minus-3 rating in the previous two games combined, chipped in two assists in Game 4... Second-year pro Zach Boychuk, drafted 14th overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2008, has registered a point in all four playoff outings thus far (2-2-4)... Murphy's victory in net marked the first of his Calder Cup Playoff career... Perreault had not registered two goals in a game since Nov. 28, when he also accomplished the feat against Murphy and the Checkers... Bears forward Keith Aucoin is on a four-game scoring streak (2-5-7) to begin the postseason... Since becoming the top affiliate of the Washington Capitals in 2005, Hershey is 4-0 in postseason series which were tied 2-2 after four games.

Game 5 - W-B/Scranton at Norfolk, 7:30 (Series tied, 2-2)

The home team is still looking for its first win in this series as Norfolk hosts Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for Game 5 of their East Division semifinal tonight... The fourth-seeded Admirals went into Wilkes-Barre and took Games 1 and 2 from the AHL regular-season Penguins, but the Pens have returned the favor with a pair of victories thus far in southeastern Virginia... Dating back to the regular season, Wilkes-Barre has now won five straight games in Norfolk since suffering its only loss there this year, a 4-2 setback on Dec. 10... The Penguins totaled just one goal in the two home-ice losses but have outscored the Admirals 6-3 since the series shifted to Norfolk... Five Wilkes-Barre skaters scored their first goal of the playoffs in Wednesday's 4-2 win in Game 4 - forwards Ryan Craig and Joe Vitale along with defensemen Corey Potter and Ben Strait... Potter and Vitale each added an assist for a multiple-point night, and Brett Sterling chipped in two assists... Sterling, who led the Pens with 53 regular-season points (27-26-53), got on the scoresheet after being held without a point in the first three games of the series... Potter now leads all Wilkes-Barre skaters with three points (1-2-3) in the postseason, while rookie Keven Veilleux (2-0-2) remains the only member of the team with more than one goal... Baz Bastien Award winner Brad Thiessen earned the victory on Wednesday with 34 saves on 36 shots... Despite his 2-2 record thus far, Thiessen ranks first among AHL postseason goaltenders in both goals-against average (1.51) and save percentage (.947)... Admirals forward Johan Harju, who racked up 23 goals in the regular season (23-30-53), nabbed his first of the playoffs on Wednesday, and Marc-Antoine Pouliot added his team-high third goal of the series... On Thursday, Norfolk received forwards Blair Jones and Mattias Ritola back from parent-club Tampa Bay, and also welcomed former first-round draft pick Carter Ashton after the forwards completed his junior season with the Tri-City Americans (WHL).

Game 5 - Hamilton at Oklahoma City, 8:05 (Series tied, 2-2)

After dropping the first two games of this North Division semifinal on the road, Oklahoma City has bounced back with a pair of home-ice victories over Hamilton to even the series at 2-2 heading into tonight's critical Game 5... The Barons posted a 5-2 victory in Game 4 on Wednesday, and the five goals matched their total offensive output from the first three games of the series combined... Linus Omark and Mark Arcobello recorded a goal and an assist apiece for Oklahoma City, and Zack Stortini, Chris Vandevelde, and Hunter Tremblay also scored... It marked the first goal of the postseason for all five players, and the first professional tally for Tremblay... Stortini, a 2007 Calder Cup champion as a member of the Bulldogs, had not scored in the AHL postseason since Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals that spring... Omark, who spent 51 regular-season games in the NHL with Edmonton this year, paces the Barons with three points (1-2-3) thus far, while eight other skaters check in with two points apiece... Oklahoma City collected the victory on Wednesday despite the fact that its top line of Alexandre Giroux, Colin McDonald, and Brad Moran combined for zero points and a minus-3 rating on the night... Barons goaltender Martin Gerber earned the win with 29 saves in net and has turned aside 55 of 57 shots (.965) in two games since the series moved to Oklahoma... Rookies Ian Schultz and Paul Zanette, who entered with four professional goals between them, scored for Hamilton in the Game 4 loss... Bulldogs forward Nigel Dawes ranked second in the AHL with 41 regular-season goals (41-31-72) and lit the lamp in each of the first two playoff games, but he has been held without a goal in the past two... Prior to Wednesday, Hamilton goaltender Drew MacIntyre had not allowed as many as four goals in a game since a 4-3 overtime loss at Rockford on Mar. 25... Dating back to the 2010 Western Conference Finals, the Bulldogs are 1-4 in their last five postseason road games.

Game 5 - Lake Erie at Manitoba, 8:30 (LE leads series, 3-1)

Holding a commanding 3-1 lead in their first-ever AHL playoff series, Lake Erie tonight has its first of three chances to close out Manitoba and advance to the North Division Finals to take on either Hamilton or Oklahoma City... The Monsters have traveled to Winnipeg and captured two straight road games to push the Moose to the brink of what would be their second consecutive first-round elimination since reaching the 2009 Calder Cup Finals... Lake Erie scored twice in each period - including a pair of late empty-netters - en route to a 6-3 win in Game 4 on Thursday night at the MTS Centre... Forward Justin Mercier led the charge with two goals and an assist, and the second-year pro's five playoff points (3-2-5) are tied with captain Ben Walter (3-2-5) for the team lead... Mercier has produced five points in his first four postseason games after totaling five points (3-2-5) in his final 17 regular-season outings combined... Walter and Mark Olver posted a goal and an assist apiece on Thursday, while Matthew Ford and Luke Walker also found the back of the net... With three goals in the series (3-0-3), Ford is deadlocked with Mercier and Walter for the Lake Erie club lead in that category... The Monsters have now scored six goals twice in the first four games of this series after reaching that plateau only three times during the 80-game regular season... Former Calder and Stanley Cup champion goaltender John Grahame made 36 saves in net for Lake Erie in Game 4, improving to 2-1-0 (2.23, .943) in three postseason appearances... Manitoba is 0-for-19 on the power play in the playoffs - making them the only AHL team without a man-advantage goal this postseason - and the Moose have also surrendered two shorthanded goals... Kevin Clark scored twice and Jason Jaffray once for Manitoba in the Game 4 loss... Marco Rosa picked up two assists and leads the Moose with seven points (3-4-7) thus far... Manitoba is a respectable 10-8 all-time when facing postseason elimination.

Game 5 - Milwaukee at Texas, 8:30 (Series tied, 2-2)

Deadlocked at two games apiece, Milwaukee and Texas return to the Cedar Park Center ice tonight for the pivotal Game 5 of their opening-round series... Each team has captured a game on the opponent's ice thus far, most recently a 3-2 win for the Admirals in Game 4 on Wednesday night... Milwaukee bounced back to earn that victory just one night after blowing a 2-0 third-period lead and losing Game 3 in overtime... Rookie Gabriel Bourque netted his team-leading fourth postseason goal for the Admirals on Wednesday, and Taylor Beck and Mark Van Guilder each scored his first-ever Calder Cup Playoff goal... Bourque and Beck registered their goals on the power play, while Van Guilder scored at even strength... Bourque has found the back of the net in three of four postseason games so far, and his eight points (4-4-8) are tied for second in the entire AHL... Forward Chris Mueller chipped in an assist in Wednesday's victory and also has a point in three of his first four playoff outings (3-4-7) to rank second on the Admirals in scoring... First-year goaltender Jeremy Smith stopped 30 of 32 shots in Game 4 to pick up the victory for Milwaukee... Milwaukee rookie defenseman Roman Josi has posted a single assist in all four games thus far... The Admirals totaled only seven goals in their six-game regular-season series with Texas but have already scored 11 times through the first four games of this series... Texas rookie Scott Glennie, drafted eighth overall by parent-club Dallas in 2009, notched his first professional goal on Wednesday... Greg Rallo bagged a power play goal for his first score of the postseason after leading Texas with 26 tallies (26-28-54) during the regular year... The Stars (5-for-20) and Admirals (4-for-16) are both clicking at 25 percent on the power play in the series.

MORNING HEADLINES:

PIRATES MOVING TO THE BRINK - Portland Press Herald

The puck rested at the feet of a defenseman in front of the goal, if only for a few seconds. Instinctively, Mark Parrish knew what to do. Pounce on the puck and shoot it. More often than not, instincts pay off. Parrish's gut reaction proved profitable Thursday night in the Portland Pirates' 5-4 win over the Connecticut Whale in Game 5 of a best-of-seven AHL Atlantic Division semifinal at the Cumberland County Civic Center.

http://bit.ly/fLGztJ

MONARCHS LOOK FOR CLINCHER - New Hampshire Union Leader

The Manchester Monarchs are disappointed they could not close out the series in Game 5, but will now have two chances at home to eliminate the Binghamton Senators and advance to round two of the AHL playoffs. "We obviously would have liked to end it so we can rest our guys. We still have some work to do," said Monarchs head coach Mark Morris. "At this time of year, it's really intense."

http://bit.ly/e0hlTR

SENATORS DETERMINED TO FORCE GAME 7 - Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

Their backs are still against the wall, but the Binghamton Senators have a little more strength to push away after rallying for a season-saving 5-4 overtime win on Wednesday night. The B-Sens enter Game 6 of their best-of-seven first-round Calder Cup playoff series Friday night in Manchester trailing the Monarchs 3-2 and hoping to extend the series to a Game 7 Saturday night.

http://bit.ly/fDRgUW

KLEINENDORST'S HUNCH GIVES B-SENS EXTRA PUNCH - Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin

Dressing 13 forwards and five defensemen isn't exactly the norm for a pro hockey team, but the Binghamton Senators found out Wednesday night that configuration may be the perfect solution to their injury woes on the blue line. With four defensemen injured, the four regulars left are already taking the bulk of the ice time. So when Cody Bass tweaked something in warmups before Game 5, coach Kurt Kleinendorst decided to give rookie forward Mike Hoffman a less active defenseman's spot in the lineup and keep Bass in play.

http://bit.ly/hXUW7N

PENS SET FOR PIVOTAL GAME 5 - Citizens' Voice

How does an AHL team come back from an 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series' There's perhaps no better expert to ask than Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins assistant coach Alain Nasreddine. Twenty-two teams in the history of the league have climbed out of an 0-2 hole, and Nasreddine played for three of them, on consecutive springs for the Penguins in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

http://bit.ly/ehATUJ

THIESSEN HAS SLIGHT EDGE ON TOKARSKI - Citizens' Voice

Anyone who watched Norfolk's Dustin Tokarski make save after acrobatic save on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game 2 had to conclude he was the hottest goalie in the league. As it turns out, he might not even be the hottest goalie in the series. Penguins goalie Brad Thiessen leads the league in goals-against average (1.51) and is second in save percentage (.947). Those numbers are slightly better than Tokarski's (1.77 and .941).

http://bit.ly/e6p6km

A WAR OF ATTRITION - Wilkes-Barre Times Leader

The heightened physical play of a playoff series no doubt takes a toll on players. The Norfolk Admirals have lost three of their top forwards to injuries since Game 1, and many of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are sporting cuts and bruises like badges of honor. But players aren't the only ones getting beaten and banged up. Sometimes the equipment they wear comes out on the losing end of a hit along the boards or a hard shot.

http://bit.ly/ijcUCw

ADMIRALS GET PLAYOFF REINFORCEMENTS FROM LIGHTNING - Virginian-Pilot

The Norfolk Admirals are getting reinforcements from Tampa Bay, and none too soon as the team prepares for tonight's Game 5 in the best-of-seven first-round playoff series with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Lightning - the NHL parent club of the Admirals - reassigned forwards Blair Jones and Mattias Ritola to Norfolk on Thursday. Both played in Norfolk's two playoff wins on the road.

http://bit.ly/exm2QP

BEARS, CHECKERS EYE GAME 5 - Harrisburg Patriot-News

Game 5 prowess played a major role in winning the 2009-10 Calder Cup for the Hershey Bears. In the Eastern Conference finals against the Manchester Monarchs and the Calder Cup finals against the Texas Stars, the Bears found themselves in best-of-seven series deadlocked at 2-2. The Bears, visitors in both games, beat Manchester 3-2 in overtime in Game 5 and Texas 2-1 in OT in Game 5. They went on to win both series in six games.

http://bit.ly/gHShRE

EXPECT ANOTHER CLOSE GAME TONIGHT - Charlotte Observer

Hard to get more evenly matched teams than the Charlotte Checkers and the Hershey Bears. Each has won two games in the best-of-7 series in the American Hockey League playoffs. The Bears prevailed 3-2 Tuesday; the Checkers, 3-2 Wednesday. Each snatched a game on the other's home ice. Of the seven AHL playoff series that have gone through four games, the Charlotte-Hershey series is the closest with a cumulative five-goal margin.

http://bit.ly/dPL8Vw

PLAYERS CONVERGE ON CHECKERS TEAM - Raleigh News & Observer

Two weeks ago tonight, Drayson Bowman was helping the Carolina Hurricanes rip the Atlanta Thrashers 6-1, excited and convinced he would soon be in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Justin Faulk was in St. Paul, Minn., a freshman defenseman for the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs, excited about playing in the NCAA championship game the next day against Michigan in the Frozen Four. Mike Murphy wasn't sure when he would be playing hockey again. That the three would converge in Charlotte was the last thing they had in mind.

http://bit.ly/fEJHpZ

BARONS HIT HOT STRETCH AT HOME HEADING INTO GAME 5 - The Daily Oklahoman

Home ice hasn't been much of an advantage for the Oklahoma City Barons for much of this season. Until now. After slogging through much of their home schedule, playing .500 at the Cox Center before the final two home games of the regular season, the Barons have hit their hottest stretch at home.

http://bit.ly/hBljhp

MONSTERS POWER PAST MOOSE - Cleveland Plain Dealer

The Lake Erie Monsters have the Manitoba Moose right where they want them. The Monsters scored two goals on a five-minute power play in the first period and held on for a 6-3 victory Thursday in Game 4 of their North Division semifinal before 7,874 spectators at MTS Centre. The Monsters have a 3-1 series lead and can wrap it up with a win in Game 5 on Friday night, also at MTS Centre.

http://bit.ly/hugNWd

MOOSE ON LAST LEGS - Winnipeg Sun

Firing up the clich�s, the Manitoba Moose currently find themselves in win-or-go-home territory. Thanks to a 6-3 loss to the Lake Erie Monsters on Thursday before a crowd of 7,874 at MTS Centre, the Moose now trail the best-of-7 North Division semifinal 3-1. "You focus on the first period of the next game," said Moose head coach Claude Noel. "We're going to have to muster up a good game. You can't look at a series now. You look at a game."

http://bit.ly/g6NKUE

MONSTERS TAKE MOOSE; MANITOBA'S HOPES HINGE ON GAME 5 - Winnipeg Free Press

No offense, but the Manitoba Moose season could be over very soon. And for the same reason: No offense. At least not on special teams, which have been Manitoba's curse - with the man advantage or shorthanded. The Moose playoff hopes now cling to a thread after suffering a 6-3 loss in Game 4 of the AHL's North division semifinal to the Lake Erie Monsters in front of 7,874 dismayed witnesses at MTS Centre Thursday night.

http://bit.ly/i3W4zG

SMITH FILLING IN NICELY FOR ADMIRALS - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Admirals lost their all-star goaltender in the midst of trying to take first place, and they didn't miss a beat. Jeremy Smith, who failed to make the roster at the start of the season, replaced Mark Dekanich as starter and has the team two victories shy of the second round of the playoffs after winning the West Division. "It's tough when you lose your No.â=80=821 guy who was leading the league in save percentage," Milwaukee coach Lane Lambert said. "But our team is resilient."

http://bit.ly/hOkZNc

LUKOWICH GIVES STARS SOMETHING THEY REALLY NEED: EXPERIENCE - Austin American-Statesman

Brad Lukowich is pretty much a father figure for the other 24 players on the Texas Stars roster. Well, that's not totally true. With a birth certificate that verifies his age at 34 and an expansive resume that includes more than 650 National Hockey League games and two Stanley Cup trophies, he's actually more of a grandfather figure. Or so his teammates razz.

http://bit.ly/elpxeY

P-BRUINS OWNER ENJOYING HIS PRODUCT ON AND OFF THE ICE - Providence Journal

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to own a minor-league hockey team, but if you did, H. Larue Renfroe would probably have it covered. Renfroe is the founder and president of the Assurance Technology Corp., a Massachusetts company that researches and develops technology that is used in aircraft, satellites and spacecraft. He also owns the New England Sports Center, the sprawling six-rink complex in Marlboro, Mass. And, since 2006, Renfroe has been the majority owner of the Providence Bruins. Clearly, the man knows how to run a business.

http://bit.ly/ijr2pe

FROM CALDER TO STANLEY:

In yesterday's Stanley Cup Playoff action, 2003 Calder Cup finalist Michael Ryder netted a pair of goals - including the overtime winner - and added an assist as Boston evened its Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series at two games apiece with a 5-4 win at Montreal... Torrey Mitchell had a goal and an assist and Ryane Clowe scored twice in San Jose's 6-3 victory at Los Angeles, giving the Sharks a 3-1 lead in that first-round match-up... Behind a four-point effort from Duncan Keith (2-2-4) and a 36-save shutout by Corey Crawford, Chicago staved off elimination again with a 5-0 win at Vancouver in Game 5; 2009 AHL goaltender of the year Cory Schneider made his NHL playoff debut for the Canucks and turned aside 13 of 14 shots in relief.

BY THE NUMBERS:

115 - Entering this postseason, best-of-seven series in AHL history that have been tied 2-2... The Game 5 winner has gone on to win the series 91 times (79.1 percent).

ON THIS DATE:

April 22, 2009 - Logan Couture scores his first professional goal during a five-goal third period as Worcester evens its best-of-seven series with a 6-0 win over Hartford in Game 4.

April 22, 2007 - Corey Locke records a hat trick and Mikhail Grabovski scores 17 seconds into double overtime to give Hamilton a 5-4 win over Rochester in Game 3 of their division semifinal.

April 22, 2003 - Steve Maltais scores 80 seconds into overtime as Chicago defeats Hershey, 3-2, in their winner-take-all Game 5.

April 22, 1998 - Hershey scores seven power-play goals in a 10-3 win at Kentucky to complete a three-game sweep of their first-round series.

April 22, 1960 - The Springfield Indians defeat Rochester, 6-3, to win their first of three consecutive Calder Cup championships.

AHL LIVE:

Don't miss a step on the road to the 2011 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 April 22, 2011


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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