Chirps from Center Ice

So here we are in Week 8 of the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings, with a new number one.

It’s a bird! It’s a pla—, no literally, it’s a bird. The Springfield Falcons have won nine straight and are at the top of the Power Rankings this week.

There’s a team that I call the AHL’s yo-yo team. There’s a two horse race brewing in the Midwest Division. It’s a real battle in the West Division. There’s a team in the East Division I dub the best in the East Division that isn’t the Penguins or Bears.

Click through the jump if you didn’t link in from someplace else to see what I am talking about and to see where your favorite team ended up.

Read more of this post

In the Week 7 Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings, some teams are thankful.

If you are Adirondack, San Antonio or Rockford, you are thankful for a quick start and margin for error.

If you are Charlotte, Norfolk or Toronto, you don’t have much to be thankful for. You have no margin for error and are chasing teams in late November.

I couldn’t come up with anything else for this terrible lede, so be thankful that I am going to tell you that the St. John’s IceCaps are the biggest gainer this week, up 17 spots. Left for dead by the Politboro last week, St. John’s wins four straight this week to jump right back in the discussion in the Atlantic Division. The biggest drop this week belongs to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, down 12 spots. There were five teams that did not move up or down from last week, so you will have to jump through if you didn’t link in direct to see who.

Read more of this post

For the Week 6 Chirps from Center Ice Power Rankings, it’s all about the bottom.

That’s where this weeks number one team, the Adirondack Flames, started back on Week 1. The bottom. The Flames had just botched a mascot reveal badly and employed Trevor Gillies who was suspended 12 games for smashing an opponents head in the ice on the opening weekend.

But the Flames have risen to the top of this weeks rankings thanks to a five game road winning streak.

The teams at the bottom of this weeks Power Rankings were harder to put in line than the teams at the top. Sometime you get weeks like that.

The biggest jump up this week belonged to the Grand Rapids Griffins, up 14 spots to 13th after snapping their six game losing streak with winning three including a pair over the defending champion Texas Stars.

The biggest nose dive this week belonged to the Portland Pirates, down 14 spots to 18th after setting a personal record of mediocrity you will have to read in their capsule.

You know the drill by now. If you didn’t link in direct, hop through the jump to see where your favorite team ended up.

Read more of this post

A pig, a comet and a wolf all walk into a bar and say to the bartender, wearing a pirate costume, “why is that wolf taking a flame to that penguin wearing a tiger costume?”

You will get the point when you see who is at the top of the Week 5 Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings.

The biggest jump this week belongs to your Bridgeport Sound Tigers up 13 spots to 8th.

The biggest fall this week belongs to your Rochester Americans down 12 spots to 17th.

I could have kept going on my joke and maybe one day I will. That way you won’t have to click through the jump if you didn’t link in direct. I haven’t done it today, so please do so now….

Read more of this post

A week of practice for some worked wonders. For teams like Norfolk and Portland, a week of practice reared perfect weekends for these clubs and net gains made in Week Four of the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings.

There is a new number one this week, your Utica Comets, who are on fire and are the AHL’s top team as November begins in whole across the country.

The biggest gain this week belongs to your Portland Pirates, (up 18) Lake Erie Monsters (up 17) and your Norfolk Admirals (up 16) who exemplify the term, “practice makes perfect.”

The biggest loss belongs to your Lehigh Valley Phantoms, who are down 14 spots and could use some practice this week.

Click through the jump if you didn’t link in anyplace direct to see where everyone else ended up….

Read more of this post

A pair of Admirals bookend this weeks AHL Power Rankings.

The biggest movers are your Providence Bruins, up sixteen spots after not allowing a single goal this weekend.

The biggest free fall this weekend belongs to your Syracuse Crunch, down thirteen spots.

If you didn’t link in direct, please jump through to see where everyone else ended up this week.

Read more of this post

So how’d your team do this week, with a week of practice under them after last weekends opener?

Going through the shuffling this week, there really hasn’t been that much movement between teams in the second week of the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings.

The biggest gainer this week were your Hershey Bears, up 20 spots to 7th and…well, just read the capsules in the new look. Oh, wait, you missed last week and the new look? Well, better late than never!

The club in free fall this week were your Springfield Falcons, down 16 spots to 28th.

Click through the jump to see where your favorite team ended up this week…

Read more of this post