Getting Caught Up…

Hello May.

Time to get up to speed on how the postseason is going for the AHL and ECHL…

-Orlando saw its season come to an end on Monday, dropping Game 6 of their East Division Semifinal series to Florida 1-0 in overtime.  Ben Johnson played well after returning to the roster after Albany’s season ended, notching 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) and a +4 in 4 games.  Eric Baier scored a goal in Game 3 of the series, while Mike Keenan was held scoreless.  Alexandre Carrier did not make an appearance during the series, while Maxime Clermont managed to only make one relief appearance, stopping all 10 shots he faced in 24 minutes of work in Game 2.

-As for the Calder Cup playoffs?  Here’s where we stand after the first round:

Eastern Conference

(1) Manchester eliminated (8) Portland 3 games to 2

(2) Hershey eliminated (7) Worcester 3 games to 1

(3) Hartford eliminated (6) Providence 3 games to 2

(4) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton swept (5) Syracuse 3 games to 0

Unlike last year, when all 3 division winners were bounced after the first round, the top four seeds all advanced.

Manchester will face the Penguins while Hartford takes on Hershey in round 2, with both series beginning on Wednesday (both schedules can be found here).  You may notice that Hartford’s first two home games, Games 3 and 4 of the series, were moved to the DCU Center in Worcester.  Ringling Brothers is finishing up its run at the XL Center during that weekend, therefore the games had to be moved to another location.  It’s not the first time Hershey has had to play road games in a neutral location: back in the first round of the 2007 playoffs, the River Rats home games had to be moved to the Glens Falls Civic Center due to the same circus taking over the then Pepsi Arena.  If Albany had earned a spot this year, it may have run into the same scheduling conflict, as Ringling Brothers just finished its annual late April visit to the Times Union Center.

Western Conference

(1) Utica eliminated (8) Chicago 3 games to 2

(2) Grand Rapids eliminated (7) Toronto 3 games to 2

(6) Oklahoma City swept (3) San Antonio 3 games to 0

(4) Rockford swept (5) Texas 3 games to 0

With the Stars out of the running, that means we will again have a new Calder Cup champion come June.

And stick taps to the Griffins, who overcame a 2-0 deficit to win the final 3 games on home ice to move on.

Utica will take on the Barons starting on Thursday in New York while the Griffins will take on Rockford, their series begins Wednesday in Michigan (full schedule is here).

There is some local news, though:

-An interesting article out of the Daily Gazette popped up earlier this week about the economic impact the Devils have on the Capital Region.  It’s just one of the many factors to think about regarding the future of pro minor league hockey in the area.  Even though nothing has officially been signed for next season, it’s a safe bet that the Devils will at least be around for next year (I just finally renewed my season tickets if that’s any indication).