The Texas Stars (46-27-3-4, 12-6), coached by Glen Gulutzan come into the Calder Cup Finals after finishing second in the West Division in the AHL’s Western Conference, and finishing third overall in points standings in the West. They’re set to take on the Hershey Bears (60-17-0-3, 12-3), who are coached by Mark French, who finished atop the AHL setting records for points and wins.

How They Got Here

The Texas Stars faced the Rockford Ice Hogs in the first round, sweeping them out of the playoffs 4-0. In the second round, the Stars faced the Chicago Wolves, going the distance in seven games, coming out on top 4 games to 3. In the Western Conference Finals, Texas faced the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Bulldogs took the Stars to the brink of elimination too, with Texas coming out on top in their second Game 7 of the Cup playoffs.

The Hershey Bears opened up the 2010 Calder Cup playoffs against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, making quick work of them, and disposing of them in five games. In the second round, the Bears took on the Albany River Rats, sweeping them in four games, and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. In the EC Finals, the Bears took on the Manchester Monarchs, disposing of them in six games.

Their History

The Texas Stars are playing in their inaugural season in the AHL. Previously, the Dallas Stars were affiliated with the Iowa Stars, but during 2008, the Dallas Stars announced they would no longer be affiliated with the Iowa Stars, pending the completion of their new entertainment venue in Cedar Point, Texas for the Texas Stars.

Fun Fact: The AHL would only approve the Texas Stars membership into the AHL once their management team purchased the rights to an existing franchise. The Stars ownership purchased the Iowa Chops.

The Hershey Bears, on the flip side, are the oldest active franchise in the American Hockey League. Founded in 1938 in the AHL (previously associated with the ECHL), the Bears have played over 5,300 games. They have been affiliated with the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, and now the Washington Capitals.

Fun Fact: The Bears signed Don Cherry out of high school. In three seasons with the Bears, he totaled 15 goals. And 424 penalty minutes.

Players to Watch

For the Texas Stars, keep an eye on Jamie Benn, a 6-2 forward who leads the AHL in playoff scoring with 14 goals and 10 assists. Additionally, Aaron Gagnon racked up 58 points and Travis Morin had 52 points during the regular season. The Stars had four other players top the 40 point mark, including Lindgren (47), Rallo (44), Beaudoin (44) and Wathier (40).

For the Bears, ones to watch include Keith Aucoin and Alexandre Giroux who scored 106 and 103 regular season points, respectively. The Bears also had seven other players over 40 points (Gordon, Bourque, Wilson, Bouchard, Perreault, Kane and Pinizzotto). Pretty solid.

The Goalies

The Texas Stars have split the work evenly, with Brent Krahn and Matt Climie both getting 10 games (568 minutes for Krahn and 572 minutes for Climie – talk about even PT). Krahn has a playoff record of 7-3 with a Save Percentage of 0.928, while Climie is 5-3, 0.922.

The Bears will turn to reliable rookie Michal Neuvirth, who has appeared in 12 playoff games this season, going 10-2 with a Save Percentage of 0.917. Braden Holtby has seen action in 3 games, going 2-1, and a Save Percentage of 0.857.

Broadcast Info and Tickets

The AHL Calder Cup Finals are being broadcast on Sirius/XM’s NHL Home Ice (Channels 204ish-212ish… I think), and will be broadcast online on Sportsjuice.com. Tickets are on sale now for Games 1 and 2 at the GIANT Center Box Office, or by calling (717) 534-3911.