2009 Calder Cup playoffs explained

Calder Cup playoffs
Year:	2009
Dates:	April 15 – June 12, 2009
Num Teams:	16
Second:	Manitoba Moose
Prev Season:	2008
Next Season:	2010

The 2009 Calder Cup playoffs of the American Hockey League (AHL) began on April 15, 2009.^[1] The 16 teams that qualified, 8 from each conference, played best-of-seven series for division semifinals, finals and conference finals. The conference champions then played a best-of-seven series for the Calder Cup. The Hershey Bears defeated the Manitoba Moose four games to two in the finals to win the Calder Cup.

Playoff seeds

After the 2008–09 AHL regular season, 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The top four teams from each division qualified for the playoffs.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

1. Hartford Wolf Pack – 99 points
2. Providence Bruins – 94 points
3. Portland Pirates – 88 points
4. Worcester Sharks – 87 points

East Division

1. Hershey Bears – 106 points
2. Bridgeport Sound Tigers – 106 points
3. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – 104 points
4. Philadelphia Phantoms – 93 points

Western Conference

North Division

1. Manitoba Moose – 107 points
2. Hamilton Bulldogs – 102 points
3. Grand Rapids Griffins – 98 points
4. Toronto Marlies – 90 points

West Division

1. Milwaukee Admirals – 107 points
2. Peoria Rivermen – 92 points
3. Houston Aeros – 87 points
4. Rockford IceHogs – 86 points

Bracket

In each round, the team that earned more points during the regular season receives home ice advantage, meaning they receive the "extra" game on home-ice if the series reaches the maximum number of games. There is no set series format due to arena scheduling conflicts and travel considerations.^[2]

Statistical leaders

Skaters

These are the top ten skaters based on points.^[3]

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/–	PIM
	Hershey Bears	22	15	13	28	+3	22
	Houston Aeros	20	12	11	23	-9	32
	Manitoba Moose	22	8	15	23	+9	0
	Hershey Bears	21	5	18	23	+9	16
	Hershey Bears	22	5	16	21	+2	30
	Manitoba Moose	22	9	10	19	+7	12
	Manitoba Moose	20	10	7	17	+11	2
	Houston Aeros	20	8	9	17	-4	12
	Providence Bruins	16	5	11	16	-1	26
	Providence Bruins	16	7	8	15	-2	26

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes

All statistics as of: 08:54, 26 April 2010 (UTC)

Goaltending

These are the top five goaltenders based on both goals against average and save percentage with at least one game played (Note: list is sorted by goals against average).^[4]

Player	Team	GP	W	L	SA	GA	GAA	SV%	SO	TOI
Drew MacIntyre	Milwaukee Admirals	11	7	4	261	18	1.65	.931	1	655
Matt Climie	Houston Aeros	5	1	1	109	6	1.88	.945	0	191
Michal Neuvirth	Hershey Bears	22	16	6	633	43	1.92	.932	4	1346
Adam Berkhoel	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	6	3	2	189	12	2.12	.937	0	340
Cory Schneider	Manitoba Moose	22	14	7	600	47	2.15	.922	0	1315

GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes)

All statistics as of: 08:54, 26 April 2010 (UTC)

Division Semifinals

Note 1: All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4).

Note 2: Home team is listed first.

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

(A2) Providence Bruins vs. (A3) Portland Pirates

East Division

(E1) Hershey Bears vs. (E4) Philadelphia Phantoms

Due to scheduling issues, Philadelphia hosted the first two games of the series. These would be their last 2 games in Philadelphia, as the team would move to Adiriondack after the season.

(E2) Bridgeport Sound Tigers vs. (E3) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

• Note: First two games were played at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum due to scheduling issues.

Western Conference

North Division

(N2) Hamilton Bulldogs vs. (N3) Grand Rapids Griffins

West Division

(W2) Peoria Rivermen vs. (W3) Houston Aeros

Division Finals

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

(A2) Providence Bruins vs. (A4) Worcester Sharks

East Division

(E1) Hershey Bears vs. (E3) Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

Western Conference

North Division

(N1) Manitoba Moose vs. (N3) Grand Rapids Griffins

West Division

(W1) Milwaukee Admirals vs. (W3) Houston Aeros

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference

(E1) Hershey Bears vs. (A2) Providence Bruins

Western Conference

(N1) Manitoba Moose vs. (W3) Houston Aeros

Calder Cup Finals

(N1) Manitoba Moose vs. (E1) Hershey Bears

See also

• 2008–09 AHL season
• List of AHL seasons

Notes and References

1. http://www.theahl.com/calder/schedules/ 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs
2. http://www.theahl.com/theahl/faqs/ Frequently asked questions
3. Web site: Top Scorers - 2009 Playoffs - All Players . AHL . https://web.archive.org/web/20090228054653/http://stats.theahl.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=top_scorers . 2009-02-28 . dead . 2009-05-26 .
4. Web site: Top Goalies - 2009 Playoffs - Goals Against Average . AHL . 2009-05-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090227072932/http://stats.theahl.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=top_goalies&season_id= . 2009-02-27 . dead .