CHICAGO, Ill. — Sunday’s slate of four games had three Eastern Conference matchups and one in the West. Two games were decided in overtime and three teams got their first win in their respective series. There is only one game on Monday as the Houston Aeros meet the Rivermen in Peoria. FIRST ROUND Atlantic Division Semifinals PORTLAND vs. CONNECTICUT Portland leads series 2 – 1
Home cooking seems to be what it takes as the series switched to the XL Center Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Hartford, Connecticut. In a penalty filled game, 17 total penalties called, but only one of those penalties resulted in a score as Connecticut cut the series lead in half with a 3-1 victory.
Both teams exchanged goals in the first period with the Whale scoring first on left wing Tommy Grant’s goal 3:03 into the period. We had to wait till the last minute of the period for Portland’s only tally of the game as center Mark Voakes put the Pirates on the board.
Right winger Derek Couture scored the eventual game-winning goal in the second 16:23 in the period and center John Mitchell wrapped up the scoring in the third on the power play. Dov Grumet-Morris made 29 saves on 30 shots for the win while Portland’s David Leggio went 19 of 22.
The win for Connecticut was the team’s first against Portland after losing six in a row.
Game 1 – Thu Apr 14 7:00 PM PORTLAND 3, Connecticut 2 Game 2 – Sat Apr 16 7:00 PM PORTLAND 3, Connecticut 2 OT Game 3 – Sun Apr 17 6:00 PM CONNECTICUT 3, Portland 1 Game 4 – Tue Apr 19 7:00 PM Portland at Connecticut Game 5 – Thu Apr 21 7:00 PM * Connecticut at Portland Game 6 – Sat Apr 23 7:00 PM * Portland at Connecticut Game 7 – Mon Apr 25 7:00 PM * Connecticut at Portland Atlantic Division Semifinals MANCHESTER vs. BINGHAMTON Manchester leads series 2 – 1
For the second consecutive game, extra time was needed to decide the winner but this time it was the Manchester Monarchs who came out on top with a 5-4 win in overtime. Manchester right wing Bud Holloway scored the hattrick including the game-winning goal at the 1:43 mark in the overtime period. The Senators took a quick 3-0 lead in the first but the Monarchs kept chipping away at the lead.
Defenseman Andre Benoit and forwards Roman Wick and Colin Greening all scored for Binghamton in the first with Wick’s coming on the power play. In the second it was all Holloway with the two and only tallies in the second.
The Senators got one of those back as right wing Bobby Butler on the Justin Johnson penalty at 7:44 of the third. Defenseman Jake Muzzin brought the Monarchs within one on the man-advantage with a power play tally just minutes after Binghamton’s score. Dwight King finished the comeback with an assist from Holloway with 8:10 left in the period.
The Los Angeles Kings assigned Brayden Schenn, their first and fifth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft to Manchester and played in his first game for the Monarchs notching an assist on Holloway’s first goal of the game.
Jeff Zatkoff started the game for the Monarchs but was replaced at the start of the second by Jones Martin after giving up the first three goals of the game. Barry Brust played the complete game and suffered the loss stopping 27 shots of the 32 he faced.
Game 1 – Thu Apr 14 7:00 PM MANCHESTER 2, Binghamton 1 Game 2 – Fri Apr 15 7:00 PM Binghamton 4, MANCHESTER 3 OT Game 3 – Sun Apr 17 5:05 PM Manchester 5, BINGHAMTON 4 OT Game 4 – Tue Apr 19 7:05 PM Manchester at Binghamton Game 5 – Wed Apr 20 7:05 PM Manchester at Binghamton Game 6 – Fri Apr 22 7:00 PM * Binghamton at Manchester Game 7 – Sat Apr 23 7:00 PM * Binghamton at Manchester East Division Semifinals W-B/SCRANTON vs. NORFOLK Norfolk leads series 2 – 0
The series will now shift to Norfolk on Tuesday where the Admirals can win the series if the can take two out of the three at home.
Game 1 – Fri Apr 15 7:05 PM Norfolk 2, W-B/SCRANTON 1 Game 2 – Sat Apr 16 7:05 PM Norfolk 2, W-B/SCRANTON 0 Game 3 – Tue Apr 19 7:15 PM W-B/Scranton at Norfolk Game 4 – Wed Apr 20 7:15 PM W-B/Scranton at Norfolk Game 5 – Fri Apr 22 7:30 PM * W-B/Scranton at Norfolk Game 6 – Sat Apr 23 7:05 PM * Norfolk at W-B/Scranton Game 7 – Mon Apr 25 7:05 PM * Norfolk at W-B/Scranton East Division Semifinals HERSHEY vs. CHARLOTTE series tied 1 – 1
The Hershey Bears played their game the same way as they normally do but executed much better to hold the high scoring Charlotte Checkers to only two goals in a 4-2 victory to tie their East Division Semifinal series.
Hershey got on the board for the first two goals of the game as defenseman Patrick McNeill scored the only goal with a backhander in the first period. Left wing Andrew Kozek added to that goal with a shot from the point in the second at the 4:25 mark. Charlotte then placed a dent to any momentum gained from that goal as center Zac Dalpe scored just 35 seconds later.
And that is just how the rest of the game went, back and forth until time runs out. Hershey right wing Brian Willsie but the Bears back up with his second goal in as many games. But Dalpe one upped that number as he scored on the power play after Keith Aucoin was called for a trip. Hershey finished the scoring short one man as defenseman Sheldon Souray ripped a rocket in past Checkers goaltender Justin Pogge.
Pogge faced only 20 shots but was able to only stop 16. As for the winner, Braden Holtby went 22 for 24 in the win. The teams will now travel to Charlotte for three games starting on Tuesday.
Game 1 – Thu Apr 14 7:00 PM Charlotte 5, HERSHEY 4 Game 2 – Sun Apr 17 5:00 PM HERSHEY 4, Charlotte 2 Game 3 – Tue Apr 19 7:00 PM Hershey at Charlotte Game 4 – Wed Apr 20 7:00 PM Hershey at Charlotte Game 5 – Fri Apr 22 7:00 PM Hershey at Charlotte Game 6 – Sun Apr 24 5:00 PM * Charlotte at Hershey Game 7 – Mon Apr 25 7:00 PM * Charlotte at Hershey North Division Semifinals HAMILTON vs. OKLAHOMA CITY Hamilton leads series 2 – 0
The two teams will now cross the border stateside and play the next two to three games in Oklahoma City starting on Tuesday. The Bulldogs won the only appearance that they had there during the regular season.
Game 1 – Thu Apr 14 7:30 PM HAMILTON 5, Oklahoma City 2 Game 2 – Sat Apr 16 4:00 PM HAMILTON 2, Oklahoma City 1 Game 3 – Tue Apr 19 7:05 PM Hamilton at Oklahoma City Game 4 – Wed Apr 20 7:05 PM Hamilton at Oklahoma City Game 5 – Fri Apr 22 7:05 PM * Hamilton at Oklahoma City Game 6 – Sun Apr 24 4:00 PM * Oklahoma City at Hamilton Game 7 – Mon Apr 25 7:30 PM * Oklahoma City at Hamilton North Division Semifinals LAKE ERIE vs. MANITOBA series tied 1 – 1
The Manitoba Moose came back to tie the series at one with a 3-2 overtime victory where the series now travels to Manitoba on Tuesday for the next set of three games.
Both teams exchanged goals in the first as Manitoba forward Aaron Volpatti started it off with a marker at the 10:38 of the period. With 26 seconds left in the period though, Lake Erie right wing David Van der Guik scored on the power play.
Over a period and a half was gone before the Monsters took the lead 11:28 into the period as defenseman Julien Brouilette notch his first AHL playoff goal to place Lake Erie up by a goal. But with less than a minute left, center Marco Rosa scored his third goal of the playoffs to send the game into overtime.
In overtime, an unlikely scorer notched the game-winner as center Rick Rypien scored his first goal in more than a year. Manitoba’s win snapped a streak of nine games that the Moose have not won an overtime game in the playoffs.
John Grahame suffered the loss stopping 40 of 43 shots where across the rink Tyler Weiman was solid stopping 34 of 36 for the game.
Game 1 – Sat Apr 16 12:00 PM LAKE ERIE 6, Manitoba 4 Game 2 – Sun Apr 17 3:00 PM Manitoba 3, LAKE ERIE 2 OT Game 3 – Tue Apr 19 7:30 PM Lake Erie at Manitoba Game 4 – Thu Apr 21 7:30 PM Lake Erie at Manitoba Game 5 – Fri Apr 22 7:30 PM Lake Erie at Manitoba Game 6 – Sun Apr 24 4:00 PM * Manitoba at Lake Erie Game 7 – Tue Apr 26 7:00 PM * Manitoba at Lake Erie West Division Semifinals MILWAUKEE vs. TEXAS series tied 1 – 1
The series is now tied at one game apiece with the teams traveling to Texas for the next three games. Texas won five of the six matches in the regular season against Milwaukee where Texas was 2-1-0-0 and Milwaukee was 1-1-0-1. Rookie Gabriel Bourque currently leads all players in points at six in the playoffs for Milwaukee.
Game 1 – Thu Apr 14 7:00 PM MILWAUKEE 5, Texas 2 Game 2 – Sat Apr 16 7:00 PM Texas 3, MILWAUKEE 1 Game 3 – Tue Apr 19 7:30 PM Milwaukee at Texas Game 4 – Wed Apr 20 7:30 PM Milwaukee at Texas Game 5 – Fri Apr 22 7:30 PM Milwaukee at Texas Game 6 – Mon Apr 25 7:00 PM * Texas at Milwaukee Game 7 – Tue Apr 26 7:00 PM * Texas at Milwaukee West Division Semifinals HOUSTON vs. PEORIA Houston leads series 2 – 0
With the only game on Monday’s slate, the series travels to Peoria for the next two to three games as the Aeros have a two games to none lead. During the regular season the Aeros went 2-1-0-0 in Peoria but the Rivermen didn’t fare much better going 1-1-0-1.
Game 1 – Wed Apr 13 7:05 PM HOUSTON 4, Peoria 1 Game 2 – Fri Apr 15 7:35 PM HOUSTON 3, Peoria 2 OT Game 3 – Mon Apr 18 7:05 PM Houston at Peoria Game 4 – Tue Apr 19 7:05 PM Houston at Peoria Game 5 – Wed Apr 20 7:05 PM * Houston at Peoria Game 6 – Fri Apr 22 7:35 PM * Peoria at Houston Game 7 – Sun Apr 24 4:05 PM * Peoria at Houston (* if necessary)
Contact the author at matt.chin@prohockeynews.com
