Chirps from Center Ice

A word on the Rankings, I am traveling over Thanksgiving and don’t know if Week 8 will be next Monday or the Monday after that. I guess stay tuned?

So, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WILL THE NUMBER ONE TEAM STAY THERE FOR A WEEK?

I tried it with Laval, who really should have been there for a few weeks but after a bad week the Rocket fall out of the top spot.

This week belongs to the Grand Rapids. Griffs, can ya stay there for longer than a week? Can ya?!?!?!?!//111/1/1

1. Grand Rapids Griffins

Record: 12-4-1
Last Week: 3rd (up 2)

Griffins could have opened up a 7 point lead on a suddenly stagnant Milwaukee team but lost to a surging Iowa team. I hope that’s not a precursor for next week.

2. Hershey Bears

Record: 13-4-2
Last Week: 4th (up 2)

Bears keep piling points after a good trip through the North Division. Laval visits Wednesday makes for a great pre-Thanksgiving matchup with two really good teams.

3. Cleveland Monsters

Record: 12-4-0-1
Last Week: 6th (up 3)

Pair of wins over Central leading Milwaukee have the Monsters knocking on the door of the North Division lead.

4. Laval Rocket

Record: 13-3-1
Last Week: 1st (down 3)

Rocket salvage their week with a win over the Senators after dropping one to Belleville the night before and Rochester midweek.

5. Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Record: 9-4-1
Last Week: 9th (up 4)

Light week for the Penguins who shutout the Islanders Friday. Division leading Laval and Hershey this weekend to see what this team is made of.

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So I don’t know if it’s a curse, or what, but I can’t get a team I put at the top of the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings to stay there all of a sudden.

Last week it was the Hershey Bears, but after a rough Friday they fall out of the top spot.

I think the most consistent team right now is the Laval Rocket, but you could have said that about Milwaukee or Rochester a few weeks ago but those teams had rough weeks and dropped. Will the Rocket stick around at the top again next week?

1. Laval Rocket

Last Week: 4th (up 3)
Record: 12-2

Rocket stay hot and get the dreaded top spot this week in the Power Rankings. Three straight wins this week and 9-1 in their last ten.

2. Calgary Flames

Last Week: 2nd (no change)
Record: 12-3-1

3 out of 4 points in San Jose. Flames had the Barracuda where they wanted them, but let them beat them in overtime. Trip to San Diego then over to Tucson.

3. Grand Rapids Griffins

Last Week: 8th (up 5)
Record: 11-3-1

Griffins put some distance on Milwaukee who they beat Saturday and sit comfortably atop the Central. 

4. Hershey Bears

Last Week: 1st (down 3)
Record: 11-4-1

Are the Bears vulnerable or was it a bad week? I am thinking it may have been the latter, because after a 6-1 drubbing by the Islanders, Hershey responds in kind and doubles up Lehigh Valley in Allentown the next night.

5. Bakersfield Condors

Last Week: 12th (up 7)
Record: 6-4-2-1

One game this week and boy was it a doozy against San Diego, an 8-7 shootout win. Condors have the next five at home.

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It’s the Bears. Again.

They may have company soon, inside their own division, but for now the Hershey Bears reclaim the number one spot from the Charlotte Checkers. The Checkers didn’t go far, though.

Here’s the whole list.

1. Hershey Bears

Last Week: 2nd (up 1)
Record: 9-3-1

 Sweep Springfield with a pair of 3-2 decisions and that Sunday one came via overtime where the Thunderbirds scored a pair in the final minute.

2. Calgary Wranglers

Last Week: 4th (up 2)
Record: 11-3

Pair of shutouts for the Wranglers, who are way out in front in the Pacific. Seven game road trip starts Saturday in San Jose.

 3. Charlotte Checkers

Last Week: 1st (down 2)
Record: 7-2-0-1

Split with the Marlies at home which keeps the Checkers in touch with the Penguins for second in the Atlantic.

4. Laval Rocket

Last Week: 3rd (down 1)
Record: 9-2

Finally got stopped by the Belleville Senators on Saturday. We think that the Rocket will be fine. Rochester, Syracuse, Rochester stop in this week.

5. Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Last Week: 6th (up 1)
Record: 8-3

Statement win against Rochester Saturday has the Penguins in the groove. 

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Well, last week I said that I thought the Hershey Bears would take residence at the top of the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings and after one week, I was wrong.

The team that came to Hershey this weekend is the new number one team this week but there is a hard charging 8-1 Laval team that has my attention.

Bears didn’t go far, though, as you will read below.

1. Charlotte Checkers

Last Week: 3rd (up 2)
Record: 6-1-0-1

Three out of four points isn’t bad for Charlotte, taking these points out of Hershey. Toronto swings by this weekend.

2. Hershey Bears

Last Week: 1st (down 1)
Record: 7-3-1-0

Bears salvage the week with a shootout win over Charlotte. This was a down week for the Bears with regulation losses to Lehigh Valley Wednesday and Charlotte on Saturday. Two with Springfield next.

3. Laval Rocket

Last Week: 10th (up 7)
Record: 8-1

Rocket are 8-1 and rocket (pun intended) up the rankings. There’s some daylight between them and Toronto and Belleville, too.

4. Calgary Wranglers

Last Week: 8th (up 4)
Record: 9-1

Wranglers are in the midst of an eight game home stand. Didn’t play this weekend but swept the Gulls last week.

5. Milwaukee Admirals

Last Week: 6th (up 1)
Record: 8-1

Sweep the Moose in Winnipeg which is exactly what you would expect from a good team like Milwaukee. Home and home with the Wolves this weekend. 

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There’s yet another team at the top of the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings and I get a sense that they will be staying here for a bit.

Yeah, it’s the Bears.

I’ll let the Rankings below explain myself. Again, if you disagree or whatever, the comments below are open and active. Here we go.

1. Hershey Bears

Last Week: 2nd (up 1)
Record: 6-1-1

Bears were featured on the AHL website this weekend as a target on everyone’s radar and documented their hellish three in three road trip through New England this weekend. Well, there’s a new number one in the Rankings this week as the Bears sweep the weekend and are picking up right where they left off last June. Don’t let this team get on a roll.

2. Toronto Marlies

Last Week: 1st (down 1)
Record: 6-0-0-1

Were finally handed a loss (shootout) against Belleville but are still near the top overall in the AHL. Just one with Cleveland this Saturday. 

3. Charlotte Checkers

Last Week: 5th (up 2)
Record: 5-1

Blew out the Islanders this past weekend and are looking very strong, very potent. We wonder if they have the dates scheduled with the Bears this week circled on their calendar.

4. San Jose Barracuda

Last Week: 6th (up 2)
Record: 5-1

The Barracuda are the only team to not make the expanded playoffs since its inception but are off to a good start as one of the two teams in the Pacific (Calgary) to hit double digit points in October. Not a bad start and with Iowa on the docket this weekend it looks to continue.

5. Grand Rapids Griffins

Last Week: 8th (up 3)
Record: 6-1

So far, the Griffins have swept through the Atlantic Division, taking down the Thunderbirds and sweeping the Phantoms. Midweek battle with the Wolf Pack before hosting Rockford and then traveling to Cleveland. Hell of a week of travel for Grand Rapids.

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Back for a second week in a row is the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings.

I think with these that as long as you get the top three and bottom three right, the middle is really insignificant. Maybe I am wrong.

Anyway, there are a few big swings after the first week with teams that impressed last week but put up duds this week. I didn’t drop the teams that far, but again, those teams aren’t my top or bottom three teams, so does it really matter?

I think I nailed the top three teams this week with Toronto, Hershey and Bakersfield as the top three. The Marlies are unbeaten, Hershey is at the top of the Atlantic and the Condors haven’t had a regulation loss yet.

Here’s the whole list for you. Let me know what you think about these so I don’t think I am talking to myself.

1. Toronto Marlies

Last Week: 3rd (up 2)
Record: 5-0

Last unbeaten team in the AHL gets you top billing in the Rankings after sweeping Rochester and shutting out Utica at the tail end of a three in three.

2. Hershey Bears

Last Week: 5th (up 3)
Record: 3-1-1

Rebounded nicely with a shutout win against the Wolves. Are the Bears picking up where they left off in June?

3. Bakersfield Condors

Last Week: 6th (up 3)
Record: 2-0-1

Took three points out of the weekend and are near the top of the Pacific in what’s shaping up to be a very competitive division. Condors close out October hosting the Wranglers then heading to Tucson.

4. Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Last Week: 9th (up 5)
Record: 3-1

Offense is potent, with 17 goals in four contests, and they are rounding into form on defense and in goal, where Filip Larsson made 41 saves for a shutout on Saturday. Home and home with Syracuse next for the Pens. 

5. Charlotte Checkers

Last Week: 1st (down 4)
Record: 3-1

Split with Cleveland at home and are off to a decent start in the family competitive Atlantic. What looks like a bad Bridgeport team drops by to close out the month.

Hit the jump below if you didn’t link in direct please and thanks!

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After a couple years hiatus, I decided to bring the Chirps from Center Ice AHL Power Rankings out of the mothballs.

Perhaps I am crazy, but I simplified it a ton as you will see below. No more more HTML! Just logo, number, name, where the team was last week (note, it is blank this week since this is week one) and the record. I try to make mention of what the team did last week with a look ahead of next week. If that doesn’t work for you, bookmark this page and use the drop down for your favorite team. It’s too much work for me to put scores from last week and schedules for next week for each team like I did in versions past. I want something quick and easy and here I think it is.

I am still up in the air on when I run these. I like Mondays for this but it is subject to change. Let’s see how Week 2 goes and go from there.

Enough bloviating, let’s get into it!

1. Charlotte Checkers

Last Week:
Record: 2-0

Two big road wins including a shutout have the Checkers at the top of the rankings after the first weekend. Charlotte opens next weekend at home in a big test against Cleveland. 

2. Manitoba Moose

Last Week:
Record: 2-0

Swept Iowa at home in two tight games and travel to Grand Rapids next weekend. A 2-0 start isn’t bad for a team that finished fifth in their division last season.

3. Toronto Marlies

Last Week:
Record: 2-0

Marlies sweep the San Diego Gulls in a pair up North and return to familiar opponent territory with a home and home with Rochester. 

4. Syracuse Crunch

Last Week:
Record: 2-0

Rounding out the 2-0 teams this weekend are the Crunch who obliterated blood rival Utica and picked up two points over Belleville. Top of the North for the Crunch who travel to Laval next weekend. 

5. Hershey Bears

Last Week:
Record: 1-1

Defending champs hung number 13 in the rafters at Giant Center but split a pair with the team they took out to get there in Cleveland. Trip to Bridgeport midweek then the Wolves invade the Bears den. 

Hit the jump if you didn’t link in direct to see teams 6-32 please and thanks.

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