SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — By virtue of the Hartford Wolf Pack's loss today to the Hershey Bears, the Springfield Thunderbirds have punched their ticket to the Calder Cup Playoffs for the third time in their last four seasons. The 2022 Eastern Conference Champions will begin their playoff run the week of April 21, with the opening round schedule coming out following the conclusion of the American Hockey League season on April 19. 

Led by first-year head coach Steve Konowalchuk and anchored by their captain Matthew Peca, the Thunderbirds secured their place in the postseason thanks to a 17-5-0-3 stretch from Jan. 4 to March 9, which catapulted Springfield back into playoff position. Peca has paced the Springfield offense with a career-high 30 goals and 62 points through Saturday's action. The 31-year-old sits fifth in the entire AHL in scoring.

Three Thunderbirds rookies have made tangible contributions offensively, with 19-year-old Dalibor Dvorsky (20 goals, 24 assists) representing Springfield in the AHL All-Star Classic in February, while Alek Kaskimaki (11 goals, 23 assists) and Dylan Peterson (13 goals, 9 assists) have made their mark on the St. Louis Blues' AHL affiliates. 

Springfield's goaltending has also produced at a high level, with Colten Ellis logging a career-high 22 victories and a .922 save percentage, good for sixth and fourth among AHL goaltenders, respectively. Vadim Zherenko has been integral to the T-Birds' recent success, logging back-to-back wins on the road against Providence on March 30 (35 saves on 37 shots) and Lehigh Valley on April 5 (38-save shutout). 

Springfield will continue to push to improve its seeding in the Atlantic Division playoff picture. The T-Birds enter the upcoming week in fifth place in the division. The top-2 seeds in the Atlantic will receive a bye to the Best-of-5 Atlantic Division Semifinals. The play-in round will feature a Best-of-3 series pitting the #3 seed against the #6 seed, while the #4 seed will face the #5 seed. A full explanation of the Calder Cup Playoff format can be found here.

Fans can now reserve their seats for the Calder Cup Playoffs with zero upfront cost through the Thunderbirds' Pay As We Play plan. More information on those packages can be found on the T-Birds app, by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625), or by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.