Final to the brink/Cro’s back: Monday notes

Texas is a win away from the Calder Cup after a huge comeback-slash-massive St. John’s collapse Monday. Travis Morin scored in overtime for the second game in a row, a 4-3 Stars win.

Morin, if I’ve updated lists accurately, becomes the 10th player in AHL history to score two overtime goals in the same series. Of those 10, he’s the fourth to do it in back-to-back games; of those 10, he’s the third to do it in a final (and the first of those to do it back-to-back).

St. John’s dominated the first half of the game, massively outshooting the Stars, and the IceCaps had a 3-0 lead on Kael Mouillierat’s goal; he’s got a goal in all four games. Texas came back and reversed it over the last 30 minutes of regulation, tying the game on Brett Ritchie’s goal with 2:09 left. Then Max Fortunus hit the crossbar at the end of regulation.

The Stars had a play ruled no goal earlier in the third period; would’ve tied it, and everyone on the IceCaps call thought the replays they saw showed “goal.” The overhead was apparently less conclusive, somehow, as the “no-goal” call on the ice stood. Didn’t need it.

Game 5, maybe the last game of the hockey season, is Tuesday night. There were at least three words wrong in the U.S. national anthem tonight, so I’m gonna say we’re owed an Ode to Newfoundland.

Closer to home, this morning the Islanders announced that Greg Cronin’s coming home, joining Jack Capuano’s staff as an assistant. Doug Weight was named assistant general manager to go with his assistant-coaching duties, and former NHL defenseman Bob Corkum, who’d been in player development and was around here a time or two, is also an assistant coach.

A change in Springfield, where, as Aaron Portzline had been reporting, Brad Larsen got called up to Columbus, and assistant Jared Bednar will replace him:

a-Former Abbotsford Heat and new Adirondack Flames.

And RIP, Casey Kasem and Tony Gwynn.