CAVENDISH FARMS REPORT - 18.04.23

What a photo finish.
The Wranglers went on a 13-2-1 run to wrap up the regular season and it came down to the wire to determine where they'd finish in the standings. Locked in a battle for top spot in the AHL and Pacific Division standings for over a month, it wasn't until the final seconds of the Wranglers' last game of the season for it to be decided.

Things got tense for a moment - with two losses in three contests to finish the season - however, when the dust had settled, Calgary sat atop the Pacific Division and the American Hockey League with 106 points, capturing the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, a division title, and a first-round bye in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Not too shabby…

PREVIOUS RESULTS:

ROUNDING INTO FORM:

The Wranglers were the first team in the league to clinch a playoff spot this season (back on March 10) but regardless of punching an early ticket to the postseason, they never really had a chance to let their foot off the gas pedal.
In a tight race for top spot and a chance at a first-round bye, every point was critical down the stretch, and the Wranglers responded admirably under that added pressure. Calgary went 15-2-1 in the final two months of the season, including a stretch of 14 games in a row without a regulation loss. (13-0-1).
Playing every game down the stretch with a 'must win' mindset certainly helped the Wranglers get prepared for the style of play they'll face in the postseason.
They wanted to finish strong, said Wranglers head coach Mitch Love.
"We felt it was important for us to finish the season strong and try to put ourselves in the best situation possible to gain home ice advantage over the course of the playoffs," he explained. "The way the format works in our division, for us to be able to secure a first-round bye and get some rest, to get some of these nagging injuries - that plague any hockey team at this time of year - to subside and get some rest mentally too, get away from the game for a few days before we start to get back at it as a team, we felt it was very important."

WELL-EARNED ACCOLADES:

With the 2022-23 regular season wrapped up, the AHL began handing out their league awards and multiple Wranglers received some well-deserved recognition.
For the second season in a row, Mitch Love was awarded the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's outstanding coach. Under Love, the Wranglers posted a 51-17-3-1 record in 2022-23 - the ninth best regular season all-time (AHL) - with 106 points and a .736 points-percentage.
"It's obviously a tremendous honour to be voted amongst your peers and the media throughout the American Hockey League for the award," Love expressed. "But really, at the end of the day, this is a team award, a staff award for a consistent regular season. That's how I look at it."
"I'm fortunate to be able to surround myself with a great coaching staff and support staff that make sure our players are ready to compete each and every day."
Dustin Wolf received the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award for the 2022-23 season, presented to the goaltender(s) on the team which allows the fewest goals per game in the regular season. He led the league in every major statistical category - wins (42), save percentage (.932), goals-against average (2.09) and shutouts (seven) and was also named to the AHL First All-Star team on March 13.
Wolf is the front-runner for the Aledge 'Baz' Bastien Memorial trophy for the AHL Goalie of the Year, which will be announced on Wednesday.

ONE TIMERS:

QUOTABLES:

Mitch Love commented on the Wranglers capturing the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy:
"I'm proud of that, I'm proud of our group. We've got a little bit of time here to digest that and then hit the reset button and get ourselves ready for the playoffs, which is the most important part of our hockey season."