Features

• Hershey’s Michal Neuvirth is bucking the notion that a team must have a proven veteran in goal to make it to the finals. (York Daily Record)

• Having been on the cusp of several major championships, Cory Schneider is looking to finally take home a trophy. (Faceoff.com)

• Schneider chats with AHL fans and credits teammate Mark Cullen as having the best playoff beard. (theAHL.com)

• Thomas McCollum has been told by the Red Wings to expect to spend 2-3 years in the AHL (Grand Rapids) before getting a shot with the big club. (USA Today)

Transactions

• Florida signed Finnish goalie Alexander Salák to an entry level contract Friday. The 22-year-old may end up in Rochester next season, though, as Let’s Go Amerks points out, this leaves some questions about who stays and who goes.

It’s been awfully quiet on the AHL goalie front, as the conference finals wrapped up and now the league waits until Saturday night to drop the puck on the Calder Cup Finals.

Game Reports

Just a quick recap on the Conference Finals:

• In the East, Michal Neuvirth and his Hershey Bears beat Tuukka Rask and the Providence Bruins after Providence won Game 1, but Hershey went on a 4 game streak to take the series.

• In the West, Cory Schneider and the Manitoba Moose beat Houston and its three different starting goalies (Anton Khudobin, Nolan Schaefer, and Matt Climie, who ended the Round 3 with the second-ranking playoff goaltending stats in the AHL) . The series started with 3 wins for Manitoba, but the Aeros rallied with 2 OT wins before heading back to Manitoba, who finished off the upstarts in Game 6.

Calder Cup Finals

• Neuvirth is proving he’s got game in his rookie season with the Hershey Bears. (Washington Times)

• Schneider will be tested, as he hasn’t faced an offense as prolific as Hershey’s in the post-season. (Hershey Bears Hockey)

The AHL is hosting a chat today with AHL Goalie of the Year, Cory Schneider.

Go here to send in your questions for the talented (and sure to be in the NHL next season) netminder.

Cory Schneider – Photo by Fred Trask

It’s been a busy day with mask artists today. Marlene Ross, who paints for Roberto Luongo amongst many others, got in touch with us and shared this shot of her with the mask she painted including the Captain’s C for Louie.

We’re working on a time to chat for inGoalMag – probably some time next week. If you have any questions you’d like me to ask, drop me a line and I’ll add a few in.