AHL Manchester Monarchs

Race to the Calder Cup Report

Published on May 13, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Manchester Monarchs News Release


WEDNESDAY'S SCOREBOARD

Game 1 - HERSHEY 4, Manchester 2 (HER leads series 1-0)

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TONIGHT'S SCHEDULE (all times ET)

There are no games scheduled tonight.

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2010 CALDER CUP FINAL FOUR

Eastern Conference Final

Hershey Bears vs. Manchester Monarchs

Game 1 - Wed., May 12 - Hershey 4, Manchester 2

Game 2 - Sat., May 15 - Manchester at Hershey, 7:00 p.m.

Game 3 - Mon., May 17 - Hershey at Manchester, 7:00 p.m. (Fans will use ticket "J") Get Tickets!

Game 4 - Tue., May 18 - Hershey at Manchester, 7:00 p.m. (Fans will use ticket "K") Get Tickets!

*Game 5 - Thu., May 20 - Hershey at Manchester, 7:00 p.m. (Fans will use ticket "L") Get Tickets!

*Game 6 - Sat., May 22 - Manchester at Hershey, 7:00 p.m.

*Game 7 - Sun., May 23 - Manchester at Hershey, 5:00 p.m.

Western Conference Final

Hamilton Bulldogs vs. Texas Stars

Game 1 - Fri., May 14 - Texas at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.

Game 2 - Sun., May 16 - Texas at Hamilton, 2:00 p.m.

Game 3 - Wed., May 19 - Hamilton at Texas, 8:30 p.m.

Game 4 - Fri., May 21 - Hamilton at Texas, 8:30 p.m.

*Game 5 - Sat., May 22 - Hamilton at Texas, 8:00 p.m.

*Game 6 - Mon., May 24 - Texas at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.

*Game 7 - Wed., May 26 - Texas at Hamilton, 7:30 p.m.

* if necessary...All times Eastern.

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WEDNESDAY'S RECAP

The Manchester Monarchs late rally comeback fell short as the Hershey Bears took game one of the 2010 Calder Cup Eastern Conference Final, 4-2, at the Giant Center on Wednesday night. Centers Andrei Loktionov and Gabe Gauthier tried for a late comeback for the Monarchs but fell a couple of goals shy. Defenseman Sean Collins, right wing Andrew Gordon, center Steve Pinizzotto and defenseman Karl Alzner lit the lamp for the Bears. Monarchs goaltender Jonathan Bernier (8-3) took his third loss of the playoffs with 24 saves on 28 shots. Bears netminder Michal Neuvirth (7-0) earned his seventh win of the season stopping 24-of-26 shots. Manchester went 0-for-3 on the power play. Hershey was 1-for-5 with the man advantage.

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MORNING HEADLINES

Monarchs Get Rough Reception In Hershey - Union Leader

If the Manchester Monarchs could get a reprieve from AHL headquarters and replay the first 50 minutes of their Eastern Conference championship series opener, they might be the ones holding a 1-0 advantage. Unfortunately for the Monarchs, they'll have to live with last night's 4-2 loss to the Hershey Bears, a frustrating setback that put Mark Morris' club in an early 0-1 hole in a best-of-seven series that resumes Saturday night at Giant Center.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Monarchs+get+rough+reception+in+Hershey&articleId=926d4333-4ea4-41db-bb3e-d666f79b8dd1

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ALUMNI WATCH

Last night, the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins were knocked out of the playoffs by the Montreal Canadiens in game seven of the Eastern Conference semifinal series. Leading not only the Canadiens but the NHL with 12 goals in the post-season, former Monarchs center Michael Cammalleri has been an offensive force for the Canadiens and was credited with the game-winning goal last night to help his team advance to the Eastern Conference final.

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MONARCHS CALDER CUP FUN FACTS

A Look At Game One - The Monarchs record in game one of Calder Cup playoff series is 3-9. Out of the four playoff series the team has won in franchise history, they have won the first game of the series twice and battled from a 1-0 deficit to win the best-of-seven series twice. Most recently, the Monarchs dropped game one of the Atlantic Division final against the Worcester Sharks but were able to rebound and take the series four games to two.

Goalie Showdown - Monarchs goaltender Jonathan Bernier had the best professional season of his career with a 30-21-6 record, a 2.03 goals-against-average and a .936 save percentage in 58 games which earned him the AHL's Aldege "Baz" Bastien Award for outstanding goaltender. His post-season play has not disappointed either as he has an 8-3 record with a 1.71 goals-against-average and a .944 save percentage in 11 games. Through the first two rounds of the playoffs and last night's game against Hershey, Bernier has let in an average of 1.73 goals-against per game and has picked up two shutouts. On the flip side, the Bears have reigning Calder Cup MVP netminder Michal Neuvrith between the pipes. Neuvrith has seen action in seven games during this post-season and has won all seven of them. He has a 2.36 goals-against-average and a .895 save percentage in 433 minutes of playing time. Neuvrith has let in 17 goals in the playoffs compared to Bernier's 19. However, Bernier has played over 300 minutes more than Neuvrith which brings the Bears goaltender's average of goals-against per game to 2.43.

Top Players To Watch - Monarchs left wing Bud Holloway leads the AHL with six game-winning goals and was on a10-game point streak with 11 points (6-5=11) before he was held off the scoreboard against the Bears last night. Holloway's six game-winners tie the AHL's all-time game-winning goals record in one playoff season with right wing Darren Haydar who collected six during the 2006 Calder Cup playoffs with the Milwaukee Admirals. Bears center Keith Aucoin is looking to continue his point streak as he has 14 points (1-13=14) in 10 games. Hershey's left wing Alexandre Giroux leads the AHL in both points with 18 (10-8=18) and goals with 10 tallies. Bears right wing Andrew Gordon (10-5=15) also shares the AHL's goal scoring lead with Giroux.

Did You Know? - Monarchs General Manager Ron Hextall backstopped Hershey in the 1986 Calder Cup Final.

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MONARCHS VIEWING PARTY

Can't make it to Saturday's game in Hershey? Join the Monarchs at PJ O'Sullivans in Manchester for a Viewing Party! Watch all of the action in game two of the 2010 Calder Cup Eastern Conference Final on PJ O'Sullivans' 10-foot projection screen! The puck drops at 7:00 p.m.

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JOIN THE MONARCHS IN THE JUNGLE

Cheer on the Monarchs in the Jungle as they look to Bring It On Home! For special ticket packages to the 2010 Calder Cup Eastern Conference Final, log on to www.manchestermonarchs.com.



American Hockey League Stories from May 13, 2010


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