This day in Indianapolis hockey history: May 14

May 14 in Indianapolis hockey history
1990: A crowd of 6,003 roars for the entire final half of the third period as the Ice clinch the IHL's Turner Cup, sweeping Muskegon in four games by beating the Lumberjacks 2-1. Mike Eagles scores 5:43 into the second, and Sean Williams follows with another goal at 9:05. That would turn out to be the championship-winner, as the Lumberjacks would score later in the period. Jim Waite stops 33 of the 34 shots he sees, including all nine in the third period. The Ice have to kill off three power plays after taking a one-goal lead, and do so successfully. The championship celebration is legendary, as the Turner Cup ends up needing to be put back together after a night on the town in Indianapolis.

This day in Indianapolis hockey history: May 5

The 2000 Ice get an OT goal from Chris MacKenzie to take a lead in the Miron Cup Final, the 1990 Ice punch a ticket to the Turner Cup Final thanks to Brian Noonan's OT goal, and the Checkers drop a game to Dallas in the 1982 Adams Cup Final. Also, happy birthdays to fomer Capital Jim Conacher, Checkers Bruce Affleck and Tim Thomas, and Ice Mike Stapleton. 

This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 30

To close out April, we have the 1990 Ice staging a futile rally, who would win the next seven games to win a title. The 1982 and 1983 Checkers post championship-series wins, and the Racers get a shutout from Paul Hoganson in 1977. Also, birthday celebrations for former Racer Charles Constantin, Checker Dave Parro, IHL Ice Geoff Peters, and USHL Ice player Viktor
Shakhvorostov and coach Jeff Brown.

This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 15

April 15 in Indianapolis hockey history
2011: The Ice sweep the Waterloo Black Hawks in a best-of-3 series, winning 6-3 at the Coliseum. Sean Kuraly and Alex Barron score 1:36 apart late in the first, and Blake Coleman and David Johnstone both scored PPGs 1:16 apart in the second. Daniil Tarasov (G, 2A) and Brian Ferlin (3A) each had three-point games, and Casey DeSmith made 27 saves.
1991: Brian Noonan scores with 18 seconds left in regulation to give the Ice a 2-1 win and a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series. Sean Williams - who tied the game at 6:32 of the period - and Mike Peluso assisted on the goal.
1981: An epic playoff series between the Checkers and Wichita Wind needs overtime. However, Ron Roulston spoils the party at Market Square Arena, scoring at 14:42 of OT to complete a hat trick and send the Checkers to a 6-5 defeat in the deciding fifth game of the series. Monty Trottier had two goals and an assist, Charlie Skjodt three assists for the Checkers.

Happy birthday to ... 
Sergei Krivokrasov: A perennial Iceman, Krivokrasov was the 12th overall pick in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft, and immediately had a stellar rookie year, with 36 goals, 69 points and 157 PIMs for the Ice in 1992-93. He played 169 games for the Ice from 1992-96, with 71 goals, 79 assists and 374 PIMs. He split time between Indianapolis and Chicago throughout his Ice tenure, but stuck in the NHL in 1996-97. Krivo played 450 NHL games, with 86 goals and 195 points for Chicago, Nashville, Calgary, Minnesota and Anaheim through 2002, playing in the 1999 NHL All-Star Game, and won the silver medal with Russia in the 1998 Winter Olympics. He played six more seasons in Russia before retiring in 2008 and settling in Denver. A native of Angarsk, Russia, he is 40. 
Jim Waite: Another Ice mainstay, Waite is best-known for backstopping the Turner Cup championship team in 1990. He was the eighth overall pick by the Blackhawks in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft. Waite had a 2.53 GAA in 54 games with the Ice in the Turner Cup year, in which he won the James Norris Trophy as top goaltender. He also had a 3.47 GAA the following season in 49 games, in which he split net time with Hasek and Ray LeBlanc. Waite played briefly in 1991-92 before the Blackhawks dealt him to San Jose. He returned to the Ice in 1994-95 and played three more seasons with the team. His 215 games were the most ever played by an Ice goaltender. He also played 106 NHL games with the Blackhawks, Sharks and Coyotes between 1988-99. Waite played another decade in Germany before retiring in 2010. A native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, he is 45. 

This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 7

April 7 in Indianapolis hockey history
2001: The Ice are unable to defend their CHL title, as Memphis sweeps them out of the playoffs in three close games, this time by a 3-2 score in Memphis. Don Parsons scores the game-winner for the RiverKings.
1999: Bob Lachance tallies three assists as the Ice beat Kansas City 6-3 on the road. Dave Hymovitz scores twice and captain Mike Vukonich scores a goal and adds two assists.
1993: Sergei Krivokrasov and Brad Lauer score goals 10 seconds apart in the first period to give the Ice a 2-0 lead in an eventual 5-1 win at Kalamazoo. Lauer has two goals and an assist in the game. Shawn Byram had the first assist on both of the rapid-fire goals.
1991: The Ice beat the Kalamazoo Wings in a game that saw little defense - 10-7 in a regular season finale. The Ice jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first 11:01, but Kalamazoo tied it by th end of the period. Indy scored once in the second and five more in the third. Sean Williams had a five-point night with three goals and two assists to finish the year with 46 goals. Marty Nanne had three assists, while Jim Johansson had two goals and an assist. Brian Noonan and Owen Lessard had a goal and two assists each.
1990: The Ice score five times in the first period, including three in a span of 1:46, to beat Phoenix 8-4. Sean Williams (17:39), Jim Playfair (18:01) and Mike Stapleton (19:15) score in rapid succession to make it 5-0. Playfair scores twice. Mike McNeill, Dave Bassegio, Brian Noonan and Guy Phillips each tally a goal and an assist.
1985: The Checkers explode offensively for a 7-1 win over the Milwaukee Admirals. Lance Allen, a former star for the IU club team, scores the winner in front of Rob Holland's fine goaltending.
1982: The Checkers need overtime to beat Tulsa 3-2 and take a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series. Red Laurence scores at 5:08 of the second OT to clinch the victory. Glen Duncan and Lorne Stamler scored in the second to give the Checkers a lead, but the Oilers tied it in the third.
1980: The Checkers win their first playoff game, blanking Tulsa 4-0. Richard Brodeur made 28 saves for the Checkers, Kevin Devine got into a fight five seconds into the game, and Charlie Skjodt scored the Checkers' first playoff goal at 13:11 of the first period. Skjodt adds an assist, and Alex McKendry assists on two goals. 

Happy birthday to ... 
Eric Manlow: Left wing who had 14 goals and 22 assists in 135 games with the Ice from 1995-97, starting a 13-year playing career that took him through the ECHL, AHL and IHL. He did play 37 NHL games with the Bruins and Islanders between 2000-03. He was an AHL All-Star in 2001. Manlow retired from hockey in 2008 and became a police officer in Niagara Falls, Ontario. A native of Belleville, Ontario, he is 39.  

This date in Indianapolis hockey history: April 5

April 5 in Indianapolis hockey history
2008: A rare two-goalie shutout for the Ice, as the division champions blank the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets 7-0 in front of 5,328 at the Coliseum. Scott Darling plays the first and third periods and stops seven shots, while Matt Hoyle takes over for the second and stops eight. John Kemp (G, 3A) tallies a four-point night, while John Carlson and Will MacDonald each tally a goal and two assists. Ron Cramer puts the exclamation point on with a third-period penalty shot goal.
2000: The Ice take a 2-0 series lead over Tulsa with a 4-1 win. Dan Villeneuve scores the game-winner and Benoit Thibert posts his second straight win in goal.
1991: Sean Williams had two goals and two assists, with helpers on goals by Warren Rychel and Stephen Veilleux in the first 2:11 of the third to tie the game at 5-5. But Muskegon's Dave Michayluk scored with 1:38 left to give the Lumberjacks a 6-5 win in the L.C. Walker Arena.
1959: The Chiefs beat the Fort Wayne Komets 5-2 to stay alive in their Turner Cup semifinal series, but would be eliminated in the next game. Red Leger's game-winner for the Chiefs would mark the franchise's final playoff victory.
1950: The Capitals beat the Cleveland Barons 4-1 in the opening game of the Calder Cup Final. Terry Sawchuk makes 47 saves for the Caps, outdueling Cleveland's Johnny Bower. Seventeen years later, the two together would carry the Toronto Maple Leafs to a Stanley Cup. 
1942: The Indianapolis Capitals bring a championship to the Circle City. In their third season, the Caps beat Hershey 8-3 at the Fairgrounds Coliseum to clinch the title. Jack Keating, Sandy Ross and Joe Fisher score 51 seconds apart in the first period to give the Caps a 3-0 lead. Joe Turner makes 36 saves in what would be the final game of his career. Keating (9-8-17) and Les Douglas (8-9-17) each set AHL records with points in a playoff season. Teammate Roy Sawyer's 14 assists are also a new AHL record.

Happy birthday to ...
Bill Blackwood: Defenseman who played three games for the Racers in 1977-78 after finishing his career at Clarkson University - where he is in the school's Hall of Fame. He would go on to play two seasons with IHL Fort Wayne. A native of Sudbury, Ontario, he is 58.
Gerald Diduck: Defenseman who joined the Checkers for the 1984 playoffs and made an immediate impact, with a goal and six assists as the Checkers made a surprise run to the Adams Cup Finals. It was the start of a professional career that would span 18 seasons and feature 932 NHL games. He had 56 goals and 212 points with the Islanders, Canadiens, Canucks, Blackhawks, Whalers, Coyotes, Maple Leafs and Stars. He played in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final with Vancouver. He was the Islanders' first-round pick in 1983. A native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, he is 49.
Roy Sommer: Center who played 37 games for the Checkers in 1985-86, tallying nine goals, 10 assists and 118 PIMs. It was a later stop in a pro career that spanned from 1977-87. Sommer has made his mark as a coach, where he began as an assistant with Muskegon in 1987 -- the team he joined after playing for the Checkers. Earlier in 2014, he set the American Hockey League record for games coached, a stint that began in 1998 with the Kentucky Thoroughblades. He has coached the Worcester Sharks since 2006. Sommer won a championship in the ECHL with Richmond in 1995. A native of Oakland, California, he is 57.

Today in history: January 28

January 28 in Indianapolis hockey history

1950: In his first game after returning from a callup to Detroit, Caps goaltender Terry Sawchuk goes nuts against a Pittsburgh fan who waves a white handkerchief at him. Terry slashes at the glass with his stick, skates a few feet, then comes back and hinges himself on the glass at the fan. He had to be restrained by his teammate.

Birthdays

Sean Williams: One of the great players to lace up skates and represent Indianapolis, Williams played four full seasons with the Ice from 1989-93. He played 320 games with the Ice in those years, He had 130 goals and 156 assists, setting the IHL team records in games played and all scoring categories. His best year was a 46-52-98 season in 1990-91. He had 27 regular-season goals to lead the Ice to a division title in 1989-90, then tallied eight goals and five assists as they bulldozed their way through the Turner Cup playoffs en route to a championship. He also got a two-game callup with the Blackhawks in 1991-92. Williams' rookie year was with IHL Saginaw in 1988-89 -- then the Blackhawks' top affiliate -- and he left the Ice to play in Europe in 1993. He returned to play two more years with IHL Minnesota. Williams' No. 9 was retired by the Ice -- the lone skater from the IHL era to be so honored. A native of Oshawa, Ont., he is 44. 

Martin Desjardins: Ice center from 1990-92, with 19 goals and 49 assists in 107 games. He also had two goals in the 1991 first-round series against the Fort Wayne Komets. He played three seasons in the Montreal organization -- including eight games with the Canadiens in 1989-90 -- before joining the Ice. After his Ice stint, he played in Europe for several seasons. A native of Sainte-Rose, Quebec, he is 45.