Jason Krog's four-point night included his second hat trick of the postseason and propelled the Chicago Wolves to the American Hockey League's 2008 Calder Cup championship with a 5-2 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Allstate Arena on Tuesday night.
The Wolves, top development team of the National Hockey League's Atlanta Thrashers, defeated the Penguins four games to two to win their second AHL title and first since 2002.
Krog capped a magical season by winning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs, finishing with 12 goals and a league record-tying 26 assists for 38 points in 24 playoff games. Krog, who won his first championship after reaching the Calder Cup Finals with Bridgeport in 2002 and the Stanley Cup Finals with Anaheim in 2003, was also named the AHL MVP in the regular season after leading the league in goals (39), assists (73) and points (112) in 80 games played.
2007 AHL Rookie of the Year Brett Sterling and 2007 AHL All-Rookie defenseman Nathan Oystrick also scored for the Wolves in Game 6, and Ondrej Pavelec made 25 saves to become the fourth goaltender in AHL history to win 16 games in a single postseason.
John Anderson becomes the 12th head coach to win more than one Calder Cup championship, leading Chicago to its second title in seven seasons since joining the AHL. The Wolves won the West Division with a record of 53-22-2-3 (111 points) during the regular season, then got past the Milwaukee Admirals (4-2), Rockford IceHogs (4-3) and Toronto Marlies (4-1) before defeating the Penguins in the Finals.
Chicago's victory brings the curtain down on the AHL's 72nd season. In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 84 percent of today's NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and this season marked the seventh consecutive year in which more than 6 million fans attended AHL games across North America.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Chicago Wolves Capture 2008 Calder Cup Championship
Monday, June 9, 2008
Chicago Wolves Playoffs Update – June 9, 2008
Chicago Wolves – American Hockey League
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton staved off elimination for the second straight game with a 5-1 win in Game Five of Calder Cup Finals on Saturday night. Chicago still holds a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and will have a third chance to capture their second Calder Cup Championship at home on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Each of the remaining Calder Cup Finals games can be seen live on the NHL Network.
2008 Calder Cup Finals Finals (Best-of-Seven)
Gm. Date Location Result Series
1 5/29 Chicago 5-4 (CHI) 1-0 (CHI)
2 6/1 Chicago 4-2 (CHI) 2-0 (CHI)
3 6/4 W-B/S 6-1 (CHI) 3-0 (CHI)
4 6/6 W-B/S 3-2 (W-B/S) 3-1 (CHI)
5 6/7 W-B/S 5-1 (W-B/S) 3-2 (CHI)
6 6/10 Chicago
7* 6/12 Chicago
* if necessary
Game Five – June 7 – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 5, Chicago 1
After a scoreless first period rookie center Bryan Little gave the Wolves a 1-0 lead midway through the second period with his eighth goal of the postseason. Chicago was unable to capitalize on the lead and surrendered five unanswered goals to the Penguins in a 5-1 defeat. Jordan LaVallee and Brett Sterling picked up the assists on Little’s goal. Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec turned away 26 of 31 shots in the loss.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Chicago Wolves Playoffs Update – June 5, 2008
Chicago Wolves – American Hockey League
After a decisive 6-1 Game Three victory on Wednesday night, the Wolves hold a 3-0 series lead and can wrap up the Calder Cup Championship with one more win. Game Four will be played in Wilkes-Barre on Friday, June 6 at 7:35 p.m. Each of the remaining Calder Cup Finals games can be seen live on the NHL Network.
2008 Calder Cup Finals Finals (Best-of-Seven)
Gm. Date Location Result Series
1 5/29 Chicago 5-4 (CHI) 1-0 (CHI)
2 6/1 Chicago 4-2 (CHI) 2-0 (CHI)
3 6/4 W-B/S 6-1 (CHI) 3-0 (CHI)
4 6/6 W-B/S
5* 6/7 W-B/S
6* 6/10 Chicago
7* 6/12 Chicago
* if necessary
Game Three – June 4 – Chicago 6, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 1
After a sluggish first period which left Chicago down 1-0 and outshot 12-5, the Wolves rallied for a team-record five-goal second period en route to a 6-1 victory and a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Calder Cup Finals. Jesse Schultz led the Wolves with two goals, while Joel Kwiatkowski, Jordan LaVallee, Matt Anderson and Mike Hamilton each chipped in a goal apiece. Joey Crabb led the team with two assists in the win. Jason Krog and Darren Haydar each earned one assist to extend their point streaks to 12 and 11 games respectively. Goaltender Ondrej Pavelec backstopped the Wolves with 24 saves on 25 shots.
