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Springfield Thunderbirds headed to Chicago for AHL championship

New England Public Media | By Alden Bourne
Published June 17, 2022 at 4:44 PM EDT
Teams warming up before the 2019 AHL All Star Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 2019.
Adam Frenier
/
NEPM
Teams warming up before the 2019 AHL All Star Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 2019.

The Springfield Thunderbirds will be in Illinois on Sunday for the start of the American Hockey League finals. That's after they won the eastern conference earlier this week.

The Thunderbirds will face the Chicago Wolves for the Calder Cup. It goes to the national champion of the AHL, which is the development league for the NHL.

The Thunderbirds are the first American Hockey League team from Springfield to make it to the finals in more than 30 years.

Season ticket holder and longtime fan Jean Canosa Albano, who lives in Springfield, said she plans to tune in.

Springfield Thunderbirds fan Jean Canosa Albano at a game in Springfield, Massachusetts, on May 11, 2022.
Courtesy of Jean Canosa Albano
Springfield Thunderbirds fan Jean Canosa Albano at a game in Springfield, Massachusetts, on May 11, 2022.

"I'll be watching the streamed games when they're playing in Chicago with some of my Thunderbirds gear on and my cowbell by my side, ringing it for every goal and stop by the goalie," she said.

On Wednesday night, Canosa Albano said she'll be in the stands, when the series returns to Springfield for game three.
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New England News Collaborative
Alden Bourne
Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.
See stories by Alden Bourne

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