Story - Worcester Sharks

AHL Quick Hits is now the Morning Skate... Every morning, take a spin around the AHL ice with recaps and previews, news and notes, facts and figures, and the top headlines from around the American Hockey League.

1. Colin Murphy scored twice and added an assist as Toronto extended its season with a 6-1 win over Chicago in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

2. Stephen Dixon netted both goals for Portland as the Pirates took a 2-1 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.

3. Toronto goaltender Justin Pogge picked up the win with 30 saves on 31 shots in his first career playoff start.

Portland can secure its first Calder Cup Finals berth since 1996 tonight with a road victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference championship series at the Wachovia Arena... The Pirates took a 2-1 triumph in Wednesday's Game 5, tying the 2003 Houston Aeros' AHL record of 10 one-goal wins in a single postseason... Stephen Dixon scored twice for Portland in the Game 5 victory, matching his output from 22 playoff games as a Penguin in 2006 and 2007... Bobby Ryan assisted on one of the tallies to extend his scoring streak to four games (3-4-7)... Ryan also has a point in eight of his last nine outings (7-7-14) and leads all league rookies with 18 points in 14 playoff games overall (8-10-18)... Pirates goaltender Mike McKenna picked up his second win of the series on Wednesday with 27 saves on 28 shots, but he is 0-2 (5.21, .870) on the road this postseason... Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's Jonathan Filewich scored on the power play in the third period of Game 5 for his first goal of this postseason... The Penguins' top two playoff scorers, Tim Brent (10-8-18) and Alex Goligoski (3-13-16), have combined for just three points in the first five games of this series after totaling 31 points in 10 games during the first two rounds... Pens captain Nathan Smith paces Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with six points (3-3-6) against the Pirates, and he is the only Penguin to have scored more than one goal in the series... Portland is still without a first-period goal in the series; Wilkes-Barre has scored just two... The Pirates are 2-0 this postseason with a chance to eliminate an opponent, knocking out both Hartford and Providence on the road... The Penguins are 9-6 all-time when facing elimination, and they have twice rallied to win a best-of-seven series after trailing 3-2 (2004 and 2006, both vs. Bridgeport)... Portland is looking to become the second team in as many seasons to reach the Calder Cup Finals after finishing third in its division during the regular season (Hamilton, 2007).

Chicago takes a second crack at eliminating Toronto tonight as the Western Conference Finals shift back to Allstate Arena for Game 5... The Marlies, who had scored two goals in the first three games of the series, scored two in the first 4:40 of Game 4 on Wednesday and rolled to a 6-1 win to avoid the sweep... It was Toronto's fifth win this postseason when facing elimination, one shy of the AHL record held by the 2001 Providence Bruins... Colin Murphy paced the Marlies' offense in Game 4 with two goals and an assist in just his second game back after missing the previous eight due to injury... Murphy, Chris Harrington (2-1-3) and Alex Foster (1-2-3) are all tied with three points in the series against Chicago... Second-year goaltender Justin Pogge stopped 30 of 31 shots for Toronto on Wednesday to pick up the victory in his first professional playoff start... David Ling paces the Marlies with 14 points (3-11-14) in 16 games this postseason... Defenseman Joel Kwiatkowski scored for the third game in a row, providing the only Wolves offense in Game 4... Jason Krog picked up an assist and shows a point in eight straight games (9-6-15), marking his second-longest scoring streak all season... Darren Haydar also assisted on Kwiatkowski's goal to reach 115 points (50-65-115) for his Calder Cup Playoff career, four shy of Willie Marshall's record 119... Haydar still sits one goal back of the all-time playoff record of 51 held by Jody Gage... Including the regular season, the teams have met six times in 2007-08; Chicago has outscored Toronto 18-6 in four wins, while the Marlies have won twice by an aggregate score of 14-4... Eight of the Wolves' 11 postseason wins this year have been by three goals or more... Chicago is 14-5 all-time with a chance to close out a Calder Cup Playoff series, including 8-1 on home ice... Of the 109 teams in AHL history to fall behind 0-3 in a best-of-seven series, Toronto is looking to become just the 13th club to extend it to a sixth game.

All-Time Calder Cup Playoff Leaders
	Points		Goals		Assists
1. Willie Marshall	119	1. Jody Gage	51	1. Willie Marshall	71
2. Darren Haydar	115	2. Darren Haydar	50	2. Darren Haydar	65
3. Jody Gage	110	3(t). Willie Marshall	48	3. Mike Nykoluk	62
4. Fred Glover	104	3(t). Fred Glover	48	4. Domenic Pittis	61
5. Bob Solinger	92	5. Brad Smyth	46	5. Jody Gage	59
...		...
16. Jason Krog	72	25(t). Jason Krog	26	14. Jason Krog	46

Energy conservation and self-preservation give just about any playoff hockey team a boost this far into the postseason. But one more thing gave the Portland Pirates momentum as they headed back on the road for the conclusion of the American Hockey League's Eastern Conference finals: a 3-2 series lead. Portland will face Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in Game 6 at 7:05 tonight at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The Pirates are one win from reaching the Calder Cup finals for the first time since 1996. "It's definitely made it a lot easier on ourselves and we have a better feeling going into Wilkes-Barre up a game," said Stephen Dixon, who scored both goals Wednesday night for the Pirates in a 2-1 victory in Game 5. "It would definitely be tough to go in there and try to win two. I think we just put ourselves in a better position."

Was that an ear-to-ear grin that creased the playoff beard of the last player off the ice Wednesday night? "You better believe it," said Mike McKenna. "Anytime you help your team win a game in the playoffs, you've gotta feel good." He wears a goalie's mask to protect his face. When it came off, he didn't try to hide his feelings. Not with the crowd at the Cumberland County Civic Center cheering his exit. He slapped his goalie's stick on the ice, applauding them. The Portland Pirates beat the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in another one-goal AHL playoff game. This time the score was 2-1.

The good news for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins: They have home-ice advantage for Games 6 and 7 of their Eastern Conference finals series with the Portland Pirates. The bad news: There might not be a Game 7. Trailing three games to two, it's do or die for the Penguins tonight at the Wachovia Arena. "We played great (at home) all year," winger Jonathan Filewich said. "Hopefully we have great attendance. Fans will be loud. We'll forget about this road trip, go in there and win two games. That's gotta be our mentality." The Penguins dropped two of three on the road trip, including a 2-1 loss in Game 5 Wednesday night. It's been a closely contested series for the most part, with each game hinging on a critical play or two, but two match-ups that have gone Portland's way jump off the stat sheet.

They're out of wiggle room, but not out of optimism. Or, for that matter, the means to grab the two victories they'll need in the next two games to get past the Portland Pirates and advance to the Calder Cup Finals series. For the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the do-or-die effort commences tonight at the Wachovia Arena, when they'll host the Pirates in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals set. The Penguins trail the best of seven series, three game to two, after having dropped two of three games in Portland, Maine. They have to win tonight to force a Game 7 encounter on Saturday night.

Whether he's in a game, on the bench or at practice, Toronto Marlies goalie Justin Pogge just keeps smiling. "I'm always playing better when I'm having fun and joking around," Pogge said yesterday. "I've always been like that, I don't think it's going to change." It's that attitude that has kept Pogge on an even keel. From the high of backstopping Team Canada to gold at the world junior hockey championship in 2006, to the drudgery of backing up veteran Scott Clemmensen through the first 17 games of the Marlies playoff run, Pogge just smiles. He seemingly never feels the pressure of being the Leafs' top goaltending prospect. "I'm happy with my progress," said Pogge. "I had a great season this year. Scotty was playing good down the stretch, and that's why they went with him. That's pro hockey."

There is no Mats Sundin or Norris Trophy candidate among them, but several Maple Leafs prospects have demonstrated in the American Hockey League playoffs the organization's cupboard is not bone dry either. "It's the old story," Marlies general manager Mike Penny said. "When you run something like this, you have a lot of people nobody knows anything about. People say, 'Who are these guys?' And they find their way to the NHL. You follow the trail back, and surprise, surprise, they were right in your own backyard." Leafs interim GM Cliff Fletcher has stressed that the club will undergo an overhaul in the off-season. But if their performances in the playoffs are an indication, a few young Marlies will challenge for jobs when training camp opens in September.

After whipping the Toronto Marlies 4-1, 5-0 and 4-1 in the first three games of the American Hockey League's Western Conference championship series, it would be understandable if the Wolves started to take their opponent lightly. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff insists that wasn't the case, but the Wolves weren't the same team in Game 4. They took a 6-1 beating Wednesday night in Toronto, making Game 5 tonight at Allstate Arena their next chance to qualify for their third Calder Cup finals since 2002. "Internally we didn't feel that way after the first three games," Cheveldayoff said. "Nobody was as bold to say we'd win four straight. It's the playoffs. All you can do is take it one game at a time." While the Wolves will be playing at a familiar place, they might not have all their familiar faces in the lineup. Two of their top players, wingers Brett Sterling and Joe Motzko, sat out the game Wednesday.

Mike Keane is well aware of the fact it's been 15 years since he sipped from Lord Stanley's mug for the first time. Keane is also well aware he'll be turning 41 next Thursday, but that didn't prevent him from signing up to play a 21st season as a professional hockey player. The Manitoba Moose announced Keane had been re-signed to a one-year deal with the American Hockey League club yesterday and the captain stood proudly in front of his locker and spoke about why he's not ready to hang up the blades. "It feels like yesterday that I played in the NHL. It's been a long time but because it's so much fun, it goes by so fast," said Keane, who had eight goals and 16 points in 73 games with the Moose last season.

Logistics, front-office compatibility and on-ice success make the Hershey Bears-Washington Capitals affiliation a natural. And that affiliation is continuing. Hershey and Washington on Thursday announced a two-year affiliation extension, with an option for a third year, for a hockey marriage that began in 2005. "From Hershey's standpoint, we're excited about the opportunity to again affiliate with the Washington Capitals," Bears president-GM Doug Yingst said. "We never thought that there was any doubt whatsoever. The delay in the announcement had everything to do with the landscape of the American Hockey League changing; that being scheduling, where things potentially can happen."

The American Hockey League announced on Wednesday that the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic will take place on Sunday, January 25 and Monday, January 26, at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. Tickets for the 2009 AHL All-Star Classic are priced at $40 and $32, granting admission to both the AHL All-Star Skills Competition on Jan. 25 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) and the AHL All-Star Game on Jan. 26 at 7:00 p.m. (ET). Beginning June 1, season-ticket holders from throughout the AHL will have the opportunity to purchase ticket packages before they go on sale to the general public in October.

35.6 – Percentage of first-round games (16 of 45) that required overtime this postseason.

0 – Overtime games played so far in the 2008 conference finals... The AHL has not gone through an entire conference finals round without an OT contest since 1998 (Saint John def. Hartford, Philadelphia def. Albany).

May 23, 2006 – Tim Brent picks up a goal and an assist as Portland scores three times in the third period and defeats Hershey, 3-2, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

May 23, 2005 – Brad Boyes scores 14:08 into overtime as Providence gets in the win column with a 2-1 victory over Philadelphia in Game 3 of their conference final series.

May 23, 1997 – Chad Kilger caps Springfield's comeback from a three-goal deficit and sends the Falcons to a 4-3 win over Hershey and a 3-1 conference final series lead.

May 23, 1994 – Behind Olaf Kolzig's 37 saves, Portland defeats Moncton, 4-3, to take a 2-1 series lead in the Calder Cup Finals.

May 23, 1992 – Rob Pearson scores twice and Damian Rhodes makes 37 saves as the St. John's Maple Leafs take Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals with a 4-1 win at Adirondack.

May 23, 1987 – Rochester wins its fifth Calder Cup championship with a 4-2 victory at Sherbrooke in Game 7.

B2 Networks brings AHL action to your computer all season long with live video webcasts of every AHL game... Visit theahl.com for details.