BEARS OPEN EAST DIVISION FINALS SATURDAY AT 7:00 P.M.

April 24, 2010

The BEARS begin the 2010 East Division Finals Saturday night, hosting the Albany River Rats in Game 1 at Giant Center. It’s the second-ever playoff meeting between the two teams, who finished one-two in the 2009-10 regular season in the standings. Faceoff Saturday is at 7:00 p.m. The BEARS picked up goals from four different skaters and authored a defensive masterpiece in defeating the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in Game 5 of the East Division Semi-Finals Wednesday night, winning 4-1. Alexandre Giroux scored his AHL-leading sixth goal of the postseason Wednesday, while Karl Alzner, Kyle Wilson and Zach Miskovic also tallied lamp-lighters for the Chocolate and White. For Miskovic, it was his first career Calder Cup playoff goal in his first playoff game at the AHL level. HERSHEY’S defense, however, was the story. The BEARS allowed just seven shots on goal in the entire game, setting a new franchise record for the fewest shots allowed in a playoff game in postseason history. It was also the first time, regular season or postseason, that the BEARS ever allowed single-digit shots to an opponent in the 72-year history of the team. Goaltender Michal Neuvirth won his third postseason game of 2010, making a scant six saves in the effort. Albany won a playoff series for the first time since 1998 on Monday, defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins four games to none. Goaltender Justin Peters won all four games in net for the Rats, playing every minute of the series. Peters posted a 2.25 goals against average against the Penguins in round one, and he also won games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals while playing for Carolina late in the season. Albany lost six out of eight games played in 2009-10 against HERSHEY, and allowed 10 goals to the BEARS in a game at Times Union Center back on January 15. The Rats were also outscored in the first period 14-5 by the BEARS this season. Defenseman Jamie McBain is Albany’s leading goal scorer thus far in the 2010 Calder Cup playoffs, scoring four times. Forward Nick Dodge had three goals against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the first round, and AHL second-team all-star Jerome Samson had two goals against the Pens. The River Rats will move from New York’s Capital District at the end of the 2010 Calder Cup playoffs to become the Charlotte Checkers. The 2010 Atlantic Division Final gets underway this weekend, with the Manchester Monarchs and Worcester Sharks doing battle starting Sunday. The winner of the Monarchs and Sharks will face the winner of HERSHEY/Albany in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. Friday night, the Milwaukee Admirals won 5-4 in overtime at home against Chicago to force a Game 7 of that West Division Semi-Final. The winner of that series will face the Texas Stars in the West Division Finals. Texas completed a four-game sweep of the Rockford IceHogs Friday night with a 4-2 win at Rockford MetroCentre, the first-ever Calder Cup playoff series won by the Stars. Game 7 between the Wolves and Admirals is Monday night at Allstate Arena. The Manitoba Moose staved off elimination Friday night with a 5-2 win over the Hamilton Bulldogs at MTS Centre. The Moose now must win two games at Copps Coliseum Sunday and Tuesday, or the Bulldogs will advance to the North Division Finals. Hamilton won the North Division regular season title and had the most points of any team in the Western Conference. The other North Division Semi is not yet complete either, with the Rochester Americans leading the Abbotsford Heat three games to two. Game 6 of that best-of-seven series is Sunday, with a potential Game 7 Tuesday night at Blue Cross Arena. Abbotsford extended the series Friday night with a 3-1 win over the Amerks in British Columbia, forcing the series back to western New York. Saturday’s game can be heard via the BEARS Radio Network (100.1 FM and www.Sportsjuice.com) beginning at 6:40 p.m. John Walton, Ed Coffey and Jim Jones have the call of the action from Giant Center.