Hamilton Tops Hershey in Game Five, 2-1
Published on June 7, 2007 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
HERSHEY'S reign at the top of the American Hockey League officially ended Thursday night with a 2-1 loss to the newly crowned Calder Cup Champion Hamilton Bulldogs. Hamilton wins the best-of-seven Calder Cup Final four games to one.
Neither team scored in the first period, but the BEARS killed off three Hamilton power plays, and came within a quarter inch of taking a lead on a power play of their own. Tomas Fleischmann hit the inside of the left post on a right circle shot against Hamilton's Carey Price, but couldn't find the back of the net. HERSHEY put six shots on goal to nine for the Bulldogs in the first 20 minutes.
A nailbiter into the second turned Hamilton's way first, but the BEARS would answer before intermission. Maxim Lapierre scored his seventh goal of the playoffs at 14:37 of the second to lift the Bulldogs into a 1-0 lead. With HERSHEY trailing 1-0 late in the period, Jakub Klepis again shone through for his fifth goal of the series and his seventh of the postseason. Klepis at 18:42 tied the game from Mike Green and Dave Steckel to send the game into the final 20 minutes tied at 1-1.
Both teams battled into the third period, but the Calder Cup in 2007 would be decided by a short-handed goal. Ajay Baines, longtime teammate of Quintin Laing with the Norfolk Admirals, scored a man down at 9:33 of the third to clinch Hamilton's first ever Calder Cup Title. The BEARS finished the game short-handed, and never mounted a serious challenge at the end.
Notes: Quintin Laing missed the game due to an undisclosed injury. Pete Vandermeer played in his second consecutive game, while Louis Robitaille re-entered the lineup. The 2007-08 schedule of opponents is already out, with HERSHEY playing all East Division opponents plus every team from the Atlantic Division except for Providence. The BEARS will also visit Winnipeg for the second consecutive season to face the Manitoba Moose, as well as the first-year Lake Erie Monsters. The 2007-08 schedule of opponents will be released by the American Hockey League in early August. The Bulldogs win the first-ever professional hockey championship in city history.
American Hockey League Stories from June 7, 2007
- Bulldogs Win Calder Cup Championship - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Calder Cup Champions! Hamilton Picks Up First AHL Title - Hamilton Bulldogs
- Hamilton Tops Hershey in Game Five, 2-1 - Hershey Bears
- AHL Morning Skate - AHL
- No Margin For Error: Bears In Game Five Thursday Night - Hershey Bears
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