AHL Morning Skate: 6.8.19

Take a game-day spin around the AHL ice with latest news and notes from the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs in today’s AHL Morning Skate.

Playoff Brackets | Today’s Scoreboard | League Stats

@ 
Game 5 – Tonight, 8:00 ET,
(CHA leads series, 3-1)
TV: NHL Network, WCIU “The U Too”
Satellite Radio: NHL Network Radio (SiriusXM 91)
Follow @CheckersHockey Follow @Chicago_Wolves Tweet #CHAvsCHI

The Calder Cup will be in the house tonight as the Charlotte Checkers look to wrap up their first championship with a Game 5 victory over the Chicago Wolves… The Checkers earned their third win in a row on Thursday, scoring four unanswered goals in the final 21 minutes to take a 5-3 decision in Game 4… Nicolas Roy (6-9-15) scored twice in the third period and Aleksi Saarela (7-7-14) scored the winning goal with 7:08 to play… Saarela’s goal was his first in nine games, since recording a hat trick in Game 4 of the second round against Hershey on May 8… Martin Necas (5-8-13) added a goal and an assist, giving him a five-game scoring streak as well as a series-high six points (3-3-6) in the Finals… Dustin Tokarski (5-0, 1.74, .935) made 22 saves, improving to 12-0-0 in a Checkers uniform and 6-0 in his Calder Cup Finals career… For the second time in the series, Tokarski drew the start in the second half of back-to-back nights in place of Alex Nedeljkovic (9-4, 2.29, .918)… Nic Hague (4-7-11), Zac Leslie (2-4-6) and Brooks Macek (4-1-5) scored in Game 4 for the Wolves, who had been 43-1-0-0 during the regular season and playoffs when leading after two periods… Macek has scored in back-to-back games after going 12 games without finding the net… Oscar Dansk (10-8, 2.45, .912) stopped 18 shots in Game 4 and has lost three consecutive decisions for the first time this season… Chicago defensemen have contributed 12 points (4-8-12) through the first four games of the Finals; Wolves forwards have 7-11-18… Charlotte is 3-for-11 on the power play in the series; Chicago is 1-for-12… Charlotte has trailed after 40 minutes only twice all postseason, and they have come back to win both games (Game 4 vs. Chicago, Game 2 vs. Toronto)… Three teams in AHL history have won the Calder Cup after trailing three games to one in the Finals: the 1946 Buffalo Bisons (vs. Cleveland), the 1947 Hershey Bears (vs. Pittsburgh) and the 1949 Providence Reds (vs. Hershey)… Tonight’s game will air live on NHL Network and can be heard on NHL Network Radio (SiriusXM 91).

2019 Calder Cup Finals (best-of-7)
A1-Charlotte Checkers vs. C1-Chicago Wolves | Series Infographic
Game 1 – Sat., June 1 – Chicago 4, CHARLOTTE 3 (OT) | Recap/Highlights
Game 2 – Sun., June 2 – CHARLOTTE 5, Chicago 3 | Recap/Highlights
Game 3 – Wed., June 5 – Charlotte 4, CHICAGO 1 | Recap/Highlights
Game 4 – Thu., June 6 – Charlotte 5, CHICAGO 3 | Recap/Highlights
Game 5 – Sat., June 8 – Charlotte at Chicago, 8:00, AHLTV, NHL Network
*Game 6 – Thu., June 13 – Chicago at Charlotte, 7:00, AHLTV, NHL Network
*Game 7 – Fri., June 14 – Chicago at Charlotte, 7:00, AHLTV, NHL Network
*if necessary… All times Eastern

About the Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is named for Frank Calder, the first president of the NHL (1917-43) and one of the driving forces behind the formation of the American Hockey League.

While the AHL’s history dates back to the fall of 1936, the Calder Cup trophy was first awarded in 1938 to the Providence Reds for winning the second International-American Hockey League championship. (In 1996, George Parsons of the Syracuse Stars was presented the Calder Cup in a ceremony at the Onondaga County War Memorial; it is believed the Stars never received a trophy for their 1937 championship.)

In 2001, the trophy’s base was changed to include two tiers of plaques, which feature the rosters of each of the last 20 Calder Cup champions; the plaques from the first 62 champions are on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The entire trophy now stands 24 inches tall and weighs 25 pounds. The bowl, made of sterling silver, is 12 inches high and eight inches in diameter; the base is made of Brazilian mahogany.

Calder Cup Finals History
Last 20 Calder Cup Finals results and Jack Butterfield Trophy winners (playoff MVP):

2018 – Toronto Marlies 4, Texas Stars 3 (Andreas Johnsson, TOR)
2017 – Grand Rapids Griffins 4, Syracuse Crunch 2 (Tyler Bertuzzi, GR)
2016 – Lake Erie Monsters 4, Hershey Bears 0 (Oliver Bjorkstrand, LE)
2015 – Manchester Monarchs 4, Utica Comets 1 (Jordan Weal, MCH)
2014 – Texas Stars 4, St. John’s IceCaps 1 (Travis Morin, TEX)
2013 – Grand Rapids Griffins 4, Syracuse Crunch 2 (Tomas Tatar, GR)
2012 – Norfolk Admirals 4, Toronto Marlies 0 (Alexandre Picard, NOR)
2011 – Binghamton Senators 4, Houston Aeros 2 (Robin Lehner, BNG)
2010 – Hershey Bears 4, Texas Stars 2 (Chris Bourque, HER)
2009 – Hershey Bears 4, Manitoba Moose 2 (Michal Neuvirth, HER)
2008 – Chicago Wolves 4, W-B/Scranton Penguins 2 (Jason Krog, CHI)
2007 – Hamilton Bulldogs 4, Hershey Bears 1 (Carey Price, HAM)
2006 – Hershey Bears 4, Milwaukee Admirals 2 (Frederic Cassivi, HER)
2005 – Philadelphia Phantoms 4, Chicago Wolves 0 (Antero Niittymaki, PHI)
2004 – Milwaukee Admirals 4, W-B/Scranton Penguins 0 (Wade Flaherty, MIL)
2003 – Houston Aeros 4, Hamilton Bulldogs 3 (Johan Holmqvist, HOU)
2002 – Chicago Wolves 4, Bridgeport Sound Tigers 1 (Pasi Nurminen, CHI)
2001 – Saint John Flames 4, W-B/Scranton Penguins 2 (Steve Begin, SJN)
2000 – Hartford Wolf Pack 4, Rochester Americans 2 (Derek Armstrong, HFD)
1999 – Providence Bruins 4, Rochester Americans 1 (Peter Ferraro, PRO)

Alumni Watch
In Game 5 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night, Jordan Binnington, who spent the first half of the 2018-19 season with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage, made 38 saves as St. Louis beat Boston, 2-1, to take a 3-2 series lead… Game 6 is Sunday in St. Louis.