CHICAGO – The Chicago Wolves won the final series of the American Hockey League by beating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Wolves’ top scorer Jason Krog stood out again with a hat-trick in the 5-2 win in game six. A goodbye present before leaving for Russia.

The Pittsburgh Penguins organization could have won the two most prestigious North American championships but after losing the Stanley Cup to the Detroit Red Wings, they also finished second with their farm team in the top development league, AHL. It was the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the Atlanta Thrashers, who won the AHL trophy, the Calder Cup.

The Wolves had a good start into the final series with three easy wins but the last one became the most difficult one. The Penguins won two straight games, prior to game six on Tuesday night in Chicago Allstate Arena, half full with 9,808 fans.

The first two periods with four goals from Canadians reflected the series. Wolves defenceman Nathan Oystrick opened the score in the first period and Jason Krog extended the lead to 2-0. Luca Carputi and Mark Ardelan equalised but it was the last Penguins comeback of the series.

Jason Krog became the man of the game by scoring two more goals, totalling three goals and one assists for the night. Jason Krog became the AHL’s top scorer in both the regular season and the playoffs. In 110 games, he had 63 goals and 83 assists. He has signed with Russian team Severstal Cherepovets for next season. After not making the NHL roster, he will have a second stint in Europe after having played in Austria, Sweden and Switzerland from 2004 to 2006.

Wolves netminder Ondrej Pavelec, one of four Czechs in the team with Boris Valabik, Karel Pilar and Tomas Pospisil, had 25 saves. The Wolves roster also includes Latvian Arturs Kulda and Bahamas-born André Deveaux.

It was the second Calder Cup for the Chicago Wolves after 2002 in the first AHL season for the club which was founded in 1994, playing in the defunct International Hockey League, where they also won the league title (Turner Cup) twice.