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2014 Calder Cup Playoffs Begin With Multiple Overtime Thrillers

On day two of the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs, five overtime thrillers took place across the league Friday night. Here’s a look at what happened:

Providence Bruins – Springfield Falcons:

The Providence Bruins beat the Springfield Falcons 2-1 in overtime to tie the series at one game apiece. Bruins prospect Matt Fraser notched the game winning goal with 3:54 remaining in the game. Fraser played 14 games with the Bruins this season, scoring one goal against the Nashville Predators on December 28 and again against the Los Angeles Kings on January 9. Fraser also played 15 games for the Dallas Stars before going to the Bruins system.

For the Falcons, 2013 first round draft pick Marko Dano tallied an assist, his third of the two games played so far in the series. Dano was the second first round pick for the Blue Jackets in the 2013 NHL entry draft. Dano has not scored more than 12 in 78 games for the Slovakian KHL team, HC Slovan Bratislava, but he was a top scorer in the World U20 Championship for Slvakia Jr., indicating that he could be able to develop into a more offensive forward, making up for his size- 5’11”, 183 lb.

On Wednesday, P-Bruins Davids Warsofsky had a two point game as well. Warsofsky is only 5’8”, an inch shorter than Tory Krug. Though he’s much smaller, Johnny Boychuk, Adam McQuaid and Kevan Miller were all promoted to Boston in their mid-twenties, and Warsofsky is turning 25 this May. Boston has shown that they like their offensive defensemen in Krug and Matt Bartkowksi. If one of those two latter mentioned is traded or injured, Warsofsky could get an opportunity.

Manchester Monarchs – Norfolk Admirals:

The Manchester Monarchs shut out the Norfolk Admirals in their game Friday night, beating their opponent 2-0. Brayden McNabb, a 22-year-old 2009 draft pick for the Kings, assisted the first goal. Aside from being considered a less than average skater, McNabb is a big defenseman at 6’4” with versatility. He gained experience captaining while playing with the WHL’s Kootenay Ice. Zach O’Brien also scored, giving the Monarch’s their first goal of the game.

St. John’s IceCaps – Albany Devils:

St. John’s IceCaps beat the Albany Devils 2-1 in game one of their series. 22-year-old Jets defenseman prospect Ben Chariot scored the game winning goal for St. John’s. A fourth-rounder from the 2009 draft, Chariot is heavy set at 6’3” and 215 lb. He had 12 points for the Ice Caps this season and played one game for Winnipeg.  26-year-old wing Devils prospect Joe Whitney scored a goal in spite of his team’s loss. Whitney led Albany in points this season, scoring 53 points in 73 games. Whitney played in one NHL game this season for the Devils.

Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins – Binghamton Senators:

The Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins beat the Binghamton Senators 3-2 Friday, but that doesn’t mean Ottawa shouldn’t be too down about the score sheet. Their 20-year-old, first round pick from the 2012 draft, Cody Ceci, scored the first goal of the night for the AHL Sens. While the NHL team was drowning losses this season, Ceci impressed with nine points in his 49 NHL games.

Rochester Americans – Chicago Wolves:

The Rochester Americans gave up a 3-2 lead and lost in overtime to the Chicago Wolves. For the Amerks, Sabres 21-year-old prospect Joel Armia scored first. Armia is the Sabres’ first round pick in the 2011 draft, 16th overall. The Fin scored 27 points in his first AHL season, 11 points down from his total the year before in Finland.

Scores Friday night also included the defending Calder Cup Champion Grand Rapids Griffins‘ 2-1 double overtime victory over the Abbotsford Heat and a 6-2 tromping by the Toronto Marlies over Milwaukee Admirals. Seven more AHL games take place tonight. Follow all the action on www.theahl.com.

Max Sullivan
I'm a journalism student working on my bachelor's degree at the University of New Hampshire. I've covered men's and women's UNH hockey. In addition to hockey, I wrote 40 stories on the Toronto Blue Jays' double-A affiliate, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, for Fox Sports' minor league affiliate, scout.com. I hate every team in the NHL that isn't the Bruins.
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