Calder Cup Update
Published on April 20, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL) News Release
Hamilton begins its quest for the Calder Cup tonight with Game 1 of its North Division semifinal with Cleveland (7:00 ET). The Barons, fresh off an emotional come-from-behind triumph in their qualifying series with Toronto, split the 10-game season series with the Bulldogs, with each club posting a record of 5-4-0-1. Hamilton, idle since a 6-3 loss at Manitoba on Apr. 10, will be playing on home ice for the first time in 16 days; the Barons' .588 points percentage on the road in 2003-04 was tied for fourth in the AHL. Nolan Schaefer will man the crease for the Barons at Copps Coliseum, while up the QEW in Toronto, brother Peter and his Ottawa Senators take on the Maple Leafs in Game 7.
Hartford also drops the puck on its series tonight as Portland visits Connecticut's capital (7:05 ET) for Game 1 of their Atlantic Division semifnial series. The Pirates have just one win over the Wolf Pack in 12 meetings over the last three seasons, but are coming off a convincing two-game sweep of Providence in which they outscored the Bruins, 13-3. The new-found offense was sparked by rookie Alexander Semin, who tallied seven points in the qualifying series. Both teams boast top-notch defenses, and tied for the league lead with an AHL-record 17 shutouts apiece in the regular season.
In the other Atlantic semi, the road team has won each game heading into tonight's Game 4 between Worcester and Manchester (7:05 ET). The IceCats clawed their way to a series lead with a pair of one-goal wins, but the Monarchs answered with a 2-0 blanking on Sunday. Worcester has dropped seven of its last nine postseason outings at the Centrum Centre, and is 0-3-3 this year against Adam Hauser, who pitched the Game 3 shutout for Manchester. Pavel Rosa, who led the AHL in scoring in the regular season, has recorded a point on four of the Monarchs' five goals in the series; defenseman Jame Pollock has three points on the IceCats' five goals.
Wilkes-Barre hosts Bridgeport in Game 4 of what has been a thrilling East Division semifinal so far (7:05 ET). The first three meetings all went into overtime after the Penguins rallied to tie late in the third period each time, getting back into the series on Eric Meloche's OT goal in Game 3. The Pens have scored 11 goals in three games against the stingiest defense in AHL history, but the Sound Tigers have scored 12 of their own, paced by Rob Collins with six points. Bridgeport is 1-5-2 in its last eight road games; Wilkes-Barre is 5-1-2 in its last eight at home.
American Hockey League Stories from April 20, 2004
- Bulldogs Lead Series 1-0 - Hamilton Bulldogs
- 'Cats blanked in game four- Monarchs even series - Worcester IceCats
- All Square After Four! - Manchester Monarchs
- Sound Tigers Go Up Three Games To One - Bridgeport Islanders
- Cullen for Kids nets $3655 - Houston Aeros
- Grizzlies See Paid Attendance Grow During 2003-04 Season - Utah Grizzlies
- Calder Cup Update - AHL
- Calder Cup Update - AHL
- P-Bruins, Dunkin' Donuts jersey auction raises $10,000 for Hasbro Children's Hospital - Providence Bruins
- Crunch and SkyChiefs Announce Special Ticket Offer - Syracuse Crunch
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.
