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Wolves Wed Jun 11 2008
Chicago claims Calder Cup
Ahh, home sweet home.
After failing to clinch the Calder Cup twice in Wilkes-Barre last weekend, the Chicago Wolves returned to the friendly environs of the Allstate Arena and, with the aid of a hat trick by Jason Krog, defeated the Penguins 5-2 to earn their 4th title in franchise history.
The Wolves had gone 10-2 throughout the playoffs at Allstate, and were in “good hands” in jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Nathan Oystrick and Jason Krog. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scrambled back to tie the game at 2-2 in the 2nd period, setting up a showdown in the third.
There, Krog took matters into his own hands. He netted his 2nd goal of the night at the 4:44 mark, off a pass from Jesse Schultz past a diving Penguin defenseman. With 4:37 left, Krog’s breakaway goal gave him a hat trick and gave the Wolves a healthy two-goal cushion as the countdown began. Winger Brett Sterling finished up the scoring two minutes later, and all that was left for the Wolves was to skate the hardware around the ice.
Krog, who was the AHL’s MVP in the regular season, added to his trophy tally by being named the Finals MVP after netting 10 points in the 6-game series, capped by his hat trick in Game 6. Krog also set a franchise postseason record with 38 points.
The title is the Wolves second Calder Cup, having also won in 2002. The team also won the Turner Cup in 1998 and 2000 in the now-defunct International Hockey League. And yes, that’s four titles in the franchise’s 14 years – one more than the Blackhawks have won in their history. Not that anyone’s counting. Congrats to the Wolves on a superb season, and for showing Chicago hockey fans that championships do exist.
