Flames in Adirondack: Friday notes

Glens Falls is now home to the Adirondack Flames, complete with something resembling the old Atlanta Flames logo. Clear victory. The buzz out of that press conference was that the Flames will wind up in the Western Conference with Utica et al. They made official as well that former Portland boss Brian Petrovek will run that team, which in a way reframes some of that “Portland’s poking around Glens Falls” chatter earlier in the season.

The Eastern Conference Final begins on the Rock: St. John’s finished off Gibsonless Norfolk, taking winning 5-2 in Game 6. (Jordan Hill sat out injured.) The Caps await either Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or Providence: but it’ll take a while. Cory Kane, late of Ferris State, scored at 6:31 of overtime — Peter Mannino apparently thought he had it covered; either Tom Chmielewski or Graham Skilliter or both disagreed — to win Game 4 for Providence after the Bruins tied it with 0.6 seconds left in regulation. Saturday in Providence, Monday/Wednesday* in Northeast Pennsylvania. (Edit: Here’s Jonathan’s postgameblog with the Pens’ thoughts on both goals.)

Out West, the Stars won Game 5 in overtime on Chris Mueller’s goal at 3:18 of overtime. They’ll go back to Austin on Sunday/Monday* needing just one to wrap it up. (Jack Campbell was hurt late in regulation and came out of the game for Texas; Justin Dowling was also hurt earlier, Owen Newkirk said on the broadcast.) Toronto finished a sweep with a 4-0 win over Chicago and awaits the Texas-Griffins winner.

The best to Providence College’s Drew Brown, diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma. (Discovered after an MRI for something else. You never know.)

Assorted links: Dane Byers re-signs with Hershey. Enlightening Dejan Kovacevic interview with Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle after they fired general manager Ray Shero; the Penguins-Islanders, Trevor Gillies/Micheal Haley/etc., brawl from 2011, and Lemieux’s take-my-ball-and-go-home(-again) letter comes up. Zenon Konopka was hit with a 20-game suspension for a substance-abuse violation. He says it’s an over-the-counter product that got him. Unnamed, though.

Westport’s David Speer is the unanimous Ivy League pitcher of the year. (Yes, I will be looking for a new excuse to tweet about Columbia baseball, back-to-back Ivy League champs, next year.)

Holy cro, astronomy.

And how fantastic was that “Jeopardy” Battle of the Decades tournament? About the perfect final. Down to the wire. Tuesday’s semi with Ken Jennings and Chuck Forrest, also down to the wire. Great entertainment.

*-If necessary. All times Eastern.

Michael Fornabaio