2019 Calder Cup Final Pits Charlotte versus Chicago

The American Hockey League's 2019 Calder Cup Final is set. The Eastern Conference champion Charlotte Checkers will take on the Chicago Wolves, winners of the Western Conference, beginning Saturday night at Bojangles' Coliseum in North Carolina.

The Checkers, who were the AHL's 2018-19 regular-season champion and are seeking their first-ever postseason league title, advanced to the Calder Cup Final by eliminating the defending Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies in six games. The Wolves, who won the Calder Cup in both 2002 and 2008 after previously winning two Turner Cup titles in the now-defunct International Hockey League, made it to the championship round this spring after ousting the San Diego Gulls, also in six contests.

Charlotte forward Andrew Poturalski (New Hampshire) leads all AHL players in Calder Cup scoring this season with 18 points on eight goals and 10 assists. Left wing Curtis McKenzie (Miami) is pacing Chicago in points this spring with eight goals and five assists for 13 points.

Blues Tie Stanley Cup Final with OT Victory

Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College) assisted on the tying goal late in the first period, and the St. Louis Blues went on to knot the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with a 3-2 overtime victory over the host Boston Bruins in Game Two on Thursday evening. It was the first win ever in the NHL's championship series for the Blues in 14 tries, dating back to their inaugural appearance in 1968.

Charlie Coyle (Boston University) opened the scoring on Thursday with a power-play goal for the Bruins, while Sean Kuraly (Miami) set up Boston's second goal that put the home team ahead briefly, 2-1. Game Three will be played Saturday night in St. Louis (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC).

Bruins Win Opener of 2019 Stanley Cup Final

A goal by Sean Kuraly (Miami) early in the third period stood up as the game-winner Monday night as the Boston Bruins defeated the visiting St. Louis Blues, 4-2 in Game One of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

After St. Louis forged a 2-0 lead one minute into the second period, Connor Clifton (Quinnipiac) and Charlie McAvoy (Boston University) scored to tie the contest, the latter on a power-play, before Kuraly completed the Bruins' comeback 5:21 into the final stanza with his goal at point-blank range.

Game Two of the NHL's best-of-seven championship series will be Wednesday night (8 p.m., NBC, CBC) at TD Garden in Boston.

Carr Boosts Chicago to Double-OT AHL Win

Daniel Carr (Union) scored 6:01 into the second overtime to boost the Chicago Wolves to a 2-1 victory over the host San Diego Gulls on Friday night in American Hockey League playoff action.

T.J. Tynan (Notre Dame) assisted on Carr's game-winning goal, while Kevin Boyle (Massachusetts/UMass Lowell) had 42 saves for the Gulls in defeat. The best-of-seven Calder Cup Western Conference Final is now tied at two games apiece, with Game Five slated for 10 p.m. ET tonight in San Diego.

Carr, 27, led Union to the school's first-ever NCAA Division's men's hockey national title in 2014 as a senior, with a team-leading and career-high 28 assists and 50 points. In four seasons with the Dutchmen, he recorded 78 goals and 79 assists for 157 points in 159 career collegiate outings. In 100 career NHL games with Montreal and Vegas, the Sherwood Park, Alta. native has collected 15-20—35 points, and this year he earned AHL Most Valuable Player accolades with 30-41—71 points in just 52 regular-season contests with Chicago.

St. Louis Advances to Stanley Cup Final

For the first time since 1970, the St. Louis Blues are headed to the Stanley Cup Final.

Tyler Bozak (Denver) scored a goal as the Blues defeated the San Jose Sharks, 5-1, in Missouri on Tuesday to clinch the best-of-seven Western Conference Final in six games. Dylan Gambrell (Denver) scored San Jose's only goal, the first of his NHL career.

The Blues will now face the Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins, including former St. Louis captain David Backes (Minnesota State), starting on Monday, May 27, for the Stanley Cup itself.

Canada Blanks U.S. at Worlds

Canada closed out round-robin play Tuesday at the 2019 IIHF World Championship with a 3-0 victory over the United States at Steel Arena in Kosice, Slovakia.

Kyle Turris (Wisconsin) had a goal and assist for Canada, while Dante Fabbro (Boston University) posted an assist. Corey Schneider finished with 33 saves for the Americans.

The win gave Canada first place in Group A, and a quarterfinal round date in Kosice on Thursday with Switzerland. The U.S. will face Russia in the quarterfinals on Thursday in Bratislava.

Schwartz Shoots Blues Past Sharks on Sunday

Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College) scored three goals and the St. Louis Blues moved within one game of the Stanley Cup Final with a 5-0 win at San Jose on Sunday. The Blues now lead the best-of-seven Western Conference Final series, three games to two, and can close out the Sharks in St. Louis on Tuesday.

Schwartz scored one goal in the first period to put the Blues up, 1-0, after 20 minutes, and then added the final two goals of the game in the third period for his second hat trick of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is the first player to tally two hat tricks in the same NHL postseason since 2008, and has now scored 12 goals in all this playoff year. St. Louis, which had the worst record in the league at the start of the calendar year, is now one win away from its first Stanley Cup Final since 1970.

Schwartz skated at Colorado College from 2010 to 2012, where he tallied 32 goals and 56 assists for 88 points in 60 career NCAA contests. As a freshman in 2011-12, he led the Tigers in scoring with career highs of 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in 30 outings in helping them to their most recent NCAA Tournament berth to date. He also led CC in scoring as a sophomore with 15-26—41 points, again in 30 appearances, before signing with St. Louis, which drafted him 14th overall in 2010.

Boyle Backstops Gulls to AHL Western Semifinal Win

Kevin Boyle (Massachusetts/UMass Lowell) backstopped the San Diego Gulls one step closer to the 2019 Calder Cup Final with a 3-0 shutout of the Chicago Wolves on Saturday. in the AHL's Western Conference semifinal. The best-of-seven series is now tied at one game apiece.

Boyle made 29 saves at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. for the win, while Kiefer Sherwood (Miami) set up two of the Gulls' three goals. Games 3, 4, and 5 of the series will be played in San Diego, from May 22-25.

Boyle skated two seasons at UMass (2011-12, 2012-13) before transferring to UMass Lowell in 2014 and sitting out one season due to NCAA rules. He fashioned an overall record of 16-17-6 in 41 outings with the Minutemen, before backstopping the River Hawks to the 2016 NCAA Tournament with a 24-10-5 mark and seven shutouts in 39 appearances. In 80 career college games, he finished
40-27-11 with a 2.34 goal-against average and eight shutouts.

Boyle, 26, from Manalapan, N.J., made his NHL debut with Anaheim earlier this season, playing in five games for the Ducks.

U.S. Doubles Up Great Britain at Worlds

Hockey East alumni helped power the United States to victory on Wednesday at the 2019 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia.

Clayton Keller (Boston University), Chris Kreider (Boston College) and James van Riemsdyk (New Hampshire) all scored in Team USA's 6-3 victory over Great Britain. Kreider's second-period score stood up as the game-winner, and he also posted an assist on the day.

Noah Hanifin (Boston College) and Ryan Suter (Wisconsin) had two assists apiece for the U.S., while Thatcher Demko (Boston College) made 23 saves in net and also assisted on Keller's tally. Brett Perlini (Michigan State) notched Great Britain's second goal.

The U.S. improved to 2-1-0-1 in the tournament, with three overall wins (including a shootout triumph) in four games. The Americans will next face Denmark on Saturday at Steel Arena.

Bruins Go Up Two Games on Canes

Matt Grzelcyk (Boston University) scored two goals, and Charlie Coyle (Boston University) and Torey Krug (Michigan State) tallied three assists apiece as the Boston Bruins pasted the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, 6-2, on Sunday afternoon in Game Two of the 2019 Eastern Conference Final. Boston now leads the best-of-seven series, two games to none.

The Bruins scored twice in each period, and held a 6-0 lead before Carolina scored two third-period goals. Connor Clifton (Quinnipiac) notched what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the second period, the first goal of both his NHL and Stanley Cup Playoff career, while Danton Heinen (Denver) collected a goal and an assist for Boston.

Game Three will be played on Tuesday night (8 p.m., NBCSN, CBC) in Raleigh, N.C.

ADDENDUM: Boston won the series in four games, by scores of 5-2, 6-2, 2-1 and 4-0.

Bruins Take Conference Opener Against Carolina

Steven Kampfer (Michigan) opened the scoring Thursday night at TD Garden with his first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff goal, and the Boston Bruins went on to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-2. Boston leads the best-of-seven 2019 Eastern Conference Final, one game to none.

Trailing 2-1 after two periods of play, the Bruins scored four goals in the final 20 minutes, including two power-play goals 28 seconds apart to take the lead for good. Charlie Coyle (Boston University) then tallied an empty-net goal to make it 4-2 for the Bruins, assisted by Sean Kuraly (Miami), before Chris Wagner (Colgate) notched the Bruins' fifth goal unassisted.

Game Two is set for Sunday in Boston (3 pm. ET, NBC TV).

Harvard's Fox Signs with NHL's Rangers

Adam Fox (Harvard) won’t be returning to college for his senior season after all.

The 5-foot-10 defenseman and three-time All-America selection, whose NHL rights were traded earlier this week from the Carolina Hurricanes to the New York Rangers, has signed an entry-level contact to skate on Broadway, according to multiple sources.

The Jericho, N.Y. native notched 22 goals and 94 assists for 116 points through 95 career collegiate outings for the Crimson. His totals as a junior in 2018-19 included nine goals and 39 assists for a career-high and team-leading 48 points in 33 outings as Harvard finished 19-11-3 overall. His accolades included ECAC Hockey Player of the Year, ECAC Hockey First Team, and Ivy League Player of the Year.

Fox played in his final collegiate contest in a 4-0 loss to UMass in an NCAA Northeast Regional semifinal in Manchester, N.H., on March 29. He was also one of three finalists for the 2019 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, annually bestowed upon the top player in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey, and won the 2019 Walter Brown Award as the top American-born player in New England college hockey.

Originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the third round of the 2016 NHL Draft, Fox’s rights were later traded to Carolina on June 23, 2018 as part of the Dougie Hamilton/Noah Hanifin deal.

A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Michigan, he helped the Americans to both gold and bronze medals in separate World Junior Championships. As a freshman at Harvard, he was named First Team ACHA/CCM All-America; First Team All-ECAC Hockey; First Team Ivy League; ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team; ECAC Hockey All-Tournament; NCAA East Regional All-Tournament, and; a Walter Brown Award semifinalist as the Crimson made the NCAA Frozen Four. As a sophomore, he earned First Team CCM/AHCA All-America, First Team All-ECAC Hockey and First Team All-Ivy League recognition.