We'll start with the Houston Aeros, featuring former Silvertip (and KING 5 Hockey Blogger) Mitch Love in the lineup. The Minnesota Wild affiliate went into last night's game up 3-1 over the Milwaukee Admirals (Nashville Predators' AHL team). They had everything in their favor - momentum, strength, and a staunchly supportive home crowd at the Toyota Center. But the Admirals ratcheted their game up a notch, in a desperate attempt to stay alive. And it worked.

Houston took the early lead halfway through the first period, when Corey Locke scored on a pass from Maxime Noreau. But Milwaukee came right back, tying things up a minute later on a goal from Bryan Smolinski. Smolinski scored again about 8 minutes later, to put the Admirals up 2-1. And it went downhill for Houston from there. Milwaukee added two more goals in the second, one from Andreas Thuresson, the other from Kelsey Wilson, and it looked as though the Admirals had this wrapped up as they went to the third period with a commanding 3 goal lead.

But let us not forget that the Houston Aeros have an amazing ability to come from behind, especially when their backs are against the wall. Mitch Love got things going by scrapping with an Admiral whose name escapes me. He went to the box on a roughing penalty, as his signature song "Who Do You Love" blared so loudly, I could hear it on the internet broadcast. Then, with the crowd cheering behind them, the Aeros killed off that penalty. The Admirals' Hugh Jessiman got called for elbowing 13 minutes in, and the Aeros were ready. Just as the penalty was winding down, Cory Locke teamed up with Benoit Pouliot and former Silvertip John Lammers to find the net. Houston was now down 4-2, and they didn't stop. With just under 2 minutes left in regulation, Robbie Earl took advantage of another power play and scored on a rebound from Marco Rosa. With the score now 4-3, Houston pulled goalie Matt Climie in favor of an extra attacker. But just when it seemed that Houston would pull off a miracle finish and tie things up, time ran out.

So, the action moves back to Milwaukee for a pivotal Game 6. The puck drops at 7:00 Central time tomorrow (Monday, May 11). You can listen to Aeros hockey live online at www.aeros.com. If you're an Admirals fan, try their site: www.milwaukeeadmirals.com.

Two other AHL playoff games were played yesterday, including one featuring two more Everett Silvertips alumni. The Worcester Sharks (San Jose affiliate) and Providence Bruins (Boston's AHL team) faced off at the DCU Center in Worcester for Game 4 of the Atlantic Division Finals.

Former 'Tip Riley Armstrong notched an assist in the only goal of the game, scored by Tom Cavanagh. That was all the Sharks needed to win to fight back from a 0-2 deficit to even the series up at 2 games apiece. Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss stopped 26 shots to mark his second post-season shutout. Providence goalie Tuukka Rask has played strongly as well, and stopped 26 of 27 shots last night.

Riley Armstrong leads the Sharks in the post-season with 11 points (2 goals and 9 assists). He and his Worcester team now travel to Providence to face the Bruins and former Silvertip Zach Hamill for Game 5. The puck drops at 7:05 Eastern time. You can listen to this game live at either the Worcester Sharks' website: www.sharksahl.com or at the Providence Bruins site: www.providencebruins.com.

The third game on the AHL playoff card yesterday featured a mirror image of an NHL playoff matchup. Pittsburgh Penguins' affiliate, Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins faced off against the Washington Capitals' AHL team, the Hershey Bears. And amazingly, this playoff matchup also seems to be mirroring their NHL counterparts'!

The Penguins' backup goalie, Adam Berkhoel, has been playing stellar between the pipes and is considered a big reason the team is doing so well in this series. Last night, Berkhoel stopped 39 shots and held Hershey to just one goal as Wilkes-Barre took a 3 game to 2 lead with a 4-1 victory. According to the stat sheets, Berkhoel leads the AHL right now with a .946 save percentage in the post season. Not bad for a guy who was called up to fill in for one game, after starting netminder John Curry went down with an injury.

Four different Penguins scored in this game: Chris Minard, Luca Caputi, Nick Johnson and Jeff Taffe. Taffe, Johnson and Caputi also notched assists in the game, while Minard set a new team record by scoring his 17th career playoff goal with Wilkes-Barre.
The Penguins' penalty kill unit also stopped all eight Hershey power plays. Hershey's lone goal came in the second period, as Darren Reid snuck one past Berkhoel.

The team affectionately known as the "Baby Pens" will look for their 4th straight win against Hershey today, as they play their third game in three days. The puck drops at 5:00pm Eastern time. You can listen to the game from Wilkes-Barre's point of view here: www.wbspenguins.com. If you'd like to follow Hershey's play by play guys, click here: www.hersheybears.com. You can also watch the games online at the AHL's website: www.theahl.com. The league is offering special game packages at different prices.

Do you follow any of these AHL teams? Share your predictions with me! Will the Aeros pull of f a Game 6 victory to meet Manitoba Moose in the Western Conference Finals? Note: the Moose feature two former Silvertips: D-men Taylor Ellington and Shaun Heshka.)

Who will come out on top in the East? Who will end up playing in the Calder Cup Finals? Share your predictions and let's see if they come true!