With four goals in the last 20:14, Winnipeg’s affiliate got its first playoff win since 2014: Manitoba knocked out the defending champs 5-1 tonight, moving on to face Rockford. Grand Rapids had won a first-round series five years in a row, bookended by its 2013 and 2017 Calder Cups.
So the second round is set, and of the teams that won first-round series last year, only two repeated, and they’ll meet in the division final for the second year in a row. Garret Sparks and the Marlies shut down Utica to move on and face Syracuse. Ben Birnell reported today as the Comets packed up that they’d lost 478 man-games to injury. 478. Even Bridgeport’s disastrous holy-cro 2010-11 season, when anyone and everyone went down, ended up at 376 plus four to illness. (Granted, the Big Club’s number approached 600.) The Sound Tigers have lost over 300 man-games twice more, back-to-back seasons, 2004-05 and 20050-06.
Elsewhere, Lou Lamoriello is out as Toronto’s general manager, which they say was planned and he’ll stay as an advisor.
The U.S. took silver at the Under-18 World Championships, with Darien’s Spencer Knight drawing good reviews in goal.
They’re making a movie about the Danbury Trashers. Hopefully Phil plays himself. At least redo his own play-by-play, like Al Michaels did for “Miracle.”
And our ol’ buddy Paul Ryan is married. Congrats to Paul and Sneha.