AHL Texas Stars

Stars And Bears To Meet In Hershey

Published on June 3, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Texas Stars News Release


The puck drops on the American Hockey League's 74th Calder Cup Finals tonight at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, as the Eastern Conference champion Hershey Bears host the Western Conference champion Texas Stars in Game 1. The Bears set an AHL record with 60 wins (60-17-0-3, 123 points) en route to winning the league's regular-season crown before dispatching Bridgeport (4-1), Albany (4-0), and Manchester (4-2) in the playoffs. The Stars have reached the Finals in their inaugural season - the first AHL team to accomplish that feat since Bridgeport and Chicago both did so in 2002 - after knocking off Rockford (4-0), Chicago (4-3), and Hamilton (4-3), clinching the latter two series with Game 7 victories on the road. Hershey is in the Finals for the fourth time in five years since beginning an affiliation with the NHL's Washington Capitals in 2005-06. The Bears are looking to become the AHL's first repeat champion since the 1990 and 1991 Springfield Indians. Hershey enters tonight's Game 1 with a 42-4-0-2 record on home ice this season, including an 8-0 mark in the playoffs.

Hershey has won 37 of 38 games at Giant Center since a 5-4 shootout loss to Adirondack on Nov. 28, 2009. A 2006 and 2009 Calder Cup champion with the Bears, Chris Bourque paces Hershey this postseason with 23 points (7-16-23) in 15 games, and he enters the Finals with a point in 10 of his last 11 outings (7-13-20). AHL MVP Keith Aucoin shows a league-best 18 assists (1-18-19) for the Bears and has recorded at least one helper in 14 of his first 15 playoff contests this spring. Alexandre Giroux, who led Hershey with six goals and eight points in the 2009 Calder Cup Finals vs. Manitoba, shows 12 goals and 21 points in 15 playoff games entering this year's championship round. Hershey goaltender Michal Neuvirth, the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs MVP, enters the Finals with a 10-2 record (2.13, .917) in 12 appearances this postseason. The Bears are 7-1 in the playoffs when they score the first goal; Texas has surrendered the first marker in ten straight games, but shows a 6-4 mark in those contests. Stars rookie sensation Jamie Benn leads all AHL postseason scorers with 14 goals and 24 points in 18 games, and his 14 goals are already tied for the most ever by an AHL rookie in the playoffs. Texas is 10-1 when Benn records at least a point and 2-5 when he doesn't.

Perttu Lindgren is coming off a three-point performance (1-2-3) in the Stars' 4-2 win at Hamilton in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. Lindgren's 14 points overall (6-8-14) are tied with Andrew Hutchinson (4-10-14) for second on the Stars. Texas goaltender Matt Climie is 5-3 (2.61, .924) in nine appearances since taking over in Game 6 of the division finals at Chicago after Brent Krahn was lost to injury. Texas' penalty-killing unit is clicking at only 74.0 percent (54-for-73) in the playoffs after ranking second in the league (behind Hershey) at 86.4 percent during the regular season. Since 2002, the higher seed has lost six of eight Calder Cup Finals, including four losses in five tries by the regular-season points champions.

SERIES SUBPLOTS.......

- The team that captures Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals has gone on to win the championship 56 of 73 times (76.7%) throughout AHL history, including 14 of the last 16.

- The team with home-ice advantage in the Finals has won the Calder Cup 49 of 73 times (67.1%).

- The team with home-ice advantage in the Finals has won Game One 55 of 73 times (75.3%).

Check out the Texas Stars Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from June 3, 2010


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