Sunday preview

If there's such a thing as a big but anticlimactic story, it's in the paper come the morning (possibly earlier on the Web). Substantial, but given the events of the past few months, probably no shock.

There's another story I enjoyed doing on Michael Benedosso, a West Point boxer from Milford. Nice kid.

So there'll be a Game 7 in Hartford Sunday night after Providence won Game 6 tonight. The winner will meet an odd foe, because believe it or not, the Monarchs have won a playoff round! The Monarchs have won a playoff round! The Monarchs have won a playoff round! Mike Iggulden's power-play redirection kept it going with 4:17 left in regulation, but it wasn't enough.(!) Iowa finished off first-place Omaha, setting up the first division-final matchup: Iowa-Chicago. Eric Manlow had an early goal as Hamilton knocked out Rochester.

Over in Russia, Canada needed Jamal Mayers' second goal to beat Uwe Krupp and Germany 3-2; anguished cries of "what's wrong with Canadian hockey?" rock the True North. Switzerland beat Latvia in a tuneup for Italy. Speaking of whom, Italy scored first against Sweden, and that seems to have ticked Sweden off; Dick Tarnstrom had three assists. Slovakia beat Norway, which isn't the same without Espen Knutsen.