AHL Western Finals to Start Friday

The Texas Stars needed overtime to eliminate the Chicago Wolves, perhaps ending the professional career of Wolves defenseman Chris Chelios. We should know more about that situation by the time hockey camps open in the fall.

For now, what we do know is that the Stars have a date with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the American Hockey League's Western Conference finals. The series, which is best of 7, begins Friday in Hamilton. The Bulldogs are the higher-seeded team. The winner of this series will face either the Hershey Bears or the Manchester Monarchs in the Calder Cup Finals.

The schedule for the Western Conference finals is as follows:

Hamilton Bulldogs vs. Texas Stars
Friday: Texas at Hamilton
Sunday: Texas at Hamilton
May 19: Hamilton at Texas
May 21: Hamilton at Texas
May 22: Hamilton at Texas, if needed
May 24: Texas at Hamilton, if needed
May 26: Texas at Hamilton, if needed