AHL American Hockey League

AHL Quick Hits

Published on April 9, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release


On Thursday, Hartford clinched the Atlantic Division title with a 5-2 win in Lowell... Mike Souza broke a scoreless tie with 2:39 left in regulation to lead Bridgeport past Norfolk, 2-0... Alexander Perezhogin had three goals and an assist for Hamilton in a 6-1 win over Manitoba... On Wednesday, Providence wrapped up a playoff berth with a 2-1 overtime win over Portland.

Wed 4/7
Hershey 4, ALBANY 2... CHICAGO 4, San Antonio 3... CLEVELAND 2, Cincinnati 2 (OT)... MANCHESTER 6, Springfield 1... PROVIDENCE 2, Portland 1 (OT)... Syracuse 5, ST. JOHN'S 4 (OT)... Rochester 4, TORONTO 3... Milwaukee 3, UTAH 1... WILKES-BARRE 2, Binghamton 2 (OT)... WORCESTER 5, Hartford 2

Thu 4/8
Hartford 5, LOWELL 2... BRIDGEPORT 2, Norfolk 0... Hamilton 6, MANITOBA 1

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LOOKING AHEAD:

The AHL's regular season winds down with 31 games this weekend, five playoff spots still up for grabs, and 17 of the 20 playoff seeds still waiting to be locked up. Lowell and Portland tangle in a home-and-home Friday (7:05 ET) and Saturday (7:00 ET), with the Pirates needing a win or a tie to secure the fifth and final berth in the Atlantic Division. The Lock Monsters have seen a five-point lead turn into a three-point deficit in just 13 days, thanks to a poorly-timed six-game losing streak (0-5-0-1) combined with Portland's six-game points streak (4-0-1-1). The Pirates are tied for the league lead with a record 17 shutouts this season; Lowell is the only AHL team without a whitewash.

Hershey enters the weekend one point behind Norfolk in the East, trying to avoid missing the postseason for the first time since 1993. The Bears host the Admirals on Saturday (7:00 ET), and their season could hinge on snapping an 11-game losing slide to Philadelphia on Sunday (5:00 ET). Hershey has allowed just three goals in four meetings with Norfolk at the Giant Center this season, and is 6-2-1-0 against the Admirals overall in 2003-04. Peter Budaj ended a personal 0-8-0 skid with W's in his last two games, giving the Bears their first back-to-back wins since February.

Hamilton and Syracuse are going down to the wire for the North Division title, with the Bulldogs needing just a point in Winnipeg on Saturday (7:30 CT, 8:30 ET) to wrap up a second straight first-place finish. But the Crunch, currently three points off the pace, can put all the pressure on the 'Dogs with wins in Rochester on Friday night (7:35 ET) and in Albany on Saturday afternoon (4:00 ET). Hamilton has won all seven meetings with Manitoba this season by a combined score of 32-8; Syracuse has been crushed by the Amerks, 24-5, in going 0-5-0 at the Blue Cross Arena.

Grand Rapids is battling Chicago for second place and home-ice advantage in the division semis, but the Griffins' weekend plans will also affect the bottom half of the West Division draw. Houston, Cincinnati and San Antonio are at odds for the final two spots in the West, with the Aeros visiting Cincy on Friday (7:35 ET, 6:35 CT) and the Rampage heading to West Michigan (7:30/6:30). Grand Rapids then finishes the weekend with games in Houston and San Antonio, while the Ducks try to stay afloat hosting Cleveland on Saturday. The Wolves, meanwhile, end with a home-and-home against Milwaukee, which is trying to wrap up both the division crown and first place in the AHL's overall standings.

(all times Eastern)
Fri 4/9
Toronto at St. John's, 6:05... Philadelphia at Albany, 7:00... Utah at Cleveland, 7:00... Norfolk at Binghamton, 7:05... Lowell at Portland, 7:05... Springfield at Providence, 7:05... Manchester at Worcester, 7:05... San Antonio at Grand Rapids, 7:30... Houston at Cincinnati, 7:35... Syracuse at Rochester, 7:35... Chicago at Milwaukee, 8:00

Sat 4/10
Syracuse at Albany, 4:00... Toronto at St. John's, 6:05... Norfolk at Hershey, 7:00... Portland at Lowell, 7:00... Rochester at Binghamton, 7:05... Philadelphia at Bridgeport, 7:05... Wilkes-Barre at Hartford, 7:05... Providence at Worcester, 7:05... Cleveland at Cincinnati, 7:35... Manchester at Springfield, 7:35... Milwaukee at Chicago, 8:00... Grand Rapids at Houston, 8:00... Utah at San Antonio, 8:00... Hamilton at Manitoba, 8:30

Sun 4/11
Providence at Hartford, 4:05... Springfield at Portland, 4:05... Philadelphia at Hershey, 5:00... Grand Rapids at San Antonio, 5:00... Bridgeport at Wilkes-Barre, 5:05... Worcester at Manchester, 6:05

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ALUMNI WATCH:

2003 AHL All-Star Niko Dimitrakos made his NHL playoff debut and scored in overtime to give San Jose a 1-0 win over St. Louis in Game 1... 1999 AHL All-Star Robert Esche made 37 saves for Philadelphia in a 3-2 Game 1 win over New Jersey... 1998 AHL All-Rookie forward Brendan Morrison had a goal and two assists in Vancouver's 5-3 win over Calgary in Game 1.

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AHL-TV:
Fri., Toronto at St. John's -- Rogers Cable 9 (STJ) -- 7:35 NT
Fri., Syracuse at Rochester -- Time Warner 98 (ROC) -- 7:35 ET
Fri., Chicago at Milwaukee -- Comcast Cable (CHI) -- 7:00 CT
Sat., Syracuse at Albany -- Time Warner 2/14 (ALB) -- 4:00 ET
Sat., Toronto at St. John's -- Rogers Cable 9 (STJ) -- 7:35 NT
Sat., Norfolk at Hershey -- WHTM-TV 27 (HER) -- 7:00 ET
Sat., Milwaukee at Chicago -- Comcast Cable (CHI) -- 7:00 CT

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American Hockey League Stories from April 9, 2004


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