Stars play Bulldogs for Western Conference title

CEDAR PARK, Texas — Seems like this would be a good time to start calling the Texas Stars the Cinderella team of the American Hockey League. After all, they did just eliminate their two ugly step-sisters from Illinois. And now they go after their ugly step-mother from Ontario, Canada, better known as the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Hamilton finished the regular season with a whopping 115 points (52, 17, 3, 8), scoring 271 goals while giving up on 182, making them the top defensive team in the entire league. Only the Hershey Bears had more points (123) and they are competing for the Eastern Conference Title against the Manchester Monarchs.
Hamilton’s path to the conference finals took them through Manatoba (four games to two) and Abbotsford (also four games to two). Texas sliced their way easily through Rockford (four game sweep), then had to hold on for dear life in an exciting seven-game series with the Chicago Wolves, that included three overtime games. Texas is the first AHL team to reach the conference finals in their inaugural season since the Binghamton Senators in 2003.
The playoffs have a way of sometimes leveling the playing field, or in this case, the ice surface. The two teams have performed similarly during the post season. Hamilton is 8-4, scoring 40 goals while giving up 32 in 12 games. Texas is 8-3, scoring 39 goals and giving up 29 in 11 games.
The series may very well hinge on the play of the goaltenders. Hamilton features two very strong netminders. Cedrick Desjardins and Curtis Sanford finished the regular season first and third respectively in goals against average, giving up just over two goals per game while making saves on 92% of shots faced.
Desjardins has gotten most of the starts in the playoffs (10) and is 6-4, giving up 2.6 goals per game and stopping 90% of the shots he faced. Sanford is perfect in two starts, giving up just two goals while stopping 97% of shots faced.

The Stars also feature two excellent netminders in Brent Krahn and Matt Clime. Krahn started every playoff game for the Stars until game seven against Chicago. He was forced to sit that one out after hitting his head on the goalpost in the previous game, suffering a possible concussion. Until his injury, Krahn was 7-3 with 2.3 goals against average and a 93% save percentage.
Clime saw very little action in the playoffs until Krahn’s injury. The rust showed as he gave up five goals on just 29 shots, but still came up the winner in one of the biggest games of his career. With Krahn’s status unknown, Clime may have to step up big against the Bulldogs, just like he did during the regular season when Krahn missed the entire middle of the season.
On the offensive side of the puck, the Bulldogs feature David Deshrnais, who leads the team with 13 points, Andre Benoit, who is first with eight assists and Mike Glumac, who has eight postseason goals.
The Stars feature rookie forward Jamie Benn who is tied for second in the AHL playoffs with 15 points (8, 7).
“It’s going to be another tough task (playing Hamilton),” Benn said. “Hopefully we can go in there and at least get a split, but we want to win every game and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
Benn and defenseman Maxime Fortunus lead the league with a plus ten rating. Another rookie, Travis Morin leads the team with eight assists.
“The games and the series get harder as you (progress),” Fortunus said. “Hamilton is a team that skates really hard and puts alot of pressure on you. They’re a well-balanced team. But again, it’s going to be all about us. We’re not focusing on what they’re doing, but on what we’re doing on the ice.”
If there’s one statistic to point to that might turn the series in either direction for the Stars, it would be their penalty kill. They gave up 11 power play goals on 45 shots (76% killed). So they either need to do a better job of killing off penalties, or stay out of the penalty box as much as possible.
The series is a battle of rookie AHL coaches as well. Guy Boucher, who won the Louis A. R. Pieri award is the Bulldog’s coach, while Glen Gulutzan leads the Stars.
“I wouldn’t say I’m looking forward to (playing Hamilton), but it will be a nice change,” Gulutzan said. “They’re another great team and we’ll have a lot on our hands.”
Both teams are defensive-minded clubs leaving one the impression that low scoring matches are to be expected.
“The team that plays closest to their identity is the one that will come out of this,” Gulutzan added.
The Bulldogs are in the conference finals for the fourth time in the past nine years and have to be considered the cream of the Western Conference crop. The Stars will have to bring their A-game night in and night out if they want to go to the ball and play for the glass slipper, otherwise known as the Calder Cup.
Western Conference Finals: 
Series Preview Game 1 – Fri., May 14 – Texas at Hamilton, 7:30 Game 2 – Sun., May 16 – Texas at Hamilton, 2:00 Game 3 – Wed., May 19 – Hamilton at Texas, 8:30 Game 4 – Fri., May 21 – Hamilton at Texas, 8:30 *Game 5 – Sat., May 22 – Hamilton at Texas, 8:00 *Game 6 – Mon., May 24 – Texas at Hamilton, 7:30 *Game 7 – Wed., May 26 – Texas at Hamilton, 7:30 *if necessary… All times Eastern
Contact mitch.cooper@prohockeynews.com