AHL Calder Cup final between Utica, Manchester to stream online for free

The AHL’s Calder Cup final between the Utica Comets and Manchester Monarchs will be broadcast for free on the league’s streaming service, AHL Live. The Comets and Monarchs led their respective conferences in the regular season, but have not met this campaign. The series begins Saturday at 6 p.m.

Fans hoping to catch the Calder Cup final, and those simply looking to get their hockey fix on days the Stanley Cup final isn’t being broadcast, will be able to watch AHL action for free thanks to the league and broadcast partner NeuLion, Inc.

The AHL announced Wednesday that every game of the best-of-seven Calder Cup final pitting the Utica Comets against the Manchester Monarchs will be broadcast online through AHL Live, the minor league’s digital streaming service. Using the service will also be absolutely free, requiring those wishing to catch the action to merely sign up for an account and log-in to the service.

Once logged in, the league has provided an all-access pass to the final. All users need to do is enter the promo code CALDERCUP and select the broadcast of the game. Fans with the AHL Live app on their phone or tablet can also stream the game right to their mobile device.

The series itself is set up to be one of the best Calder Cup finals in recent memory as the Western Conference champion Comets and Eastern Conference champion Monarchs both topped their respective conferences in the regular season before making post-season runs to the final.

Manchester, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, posted the AHL’s best overall record. Over the course of the 76-game regular season, the Monarchs dropped fewer than 20 games in regulation and were the only club in the league to win 50 games. In the post-season, the Monarchs have only dropped three contests and swept the Hartford Wolf Pack in the Eastern final. However, Utica and Manchester did not meet in the regular season.

The Calder Cup final appearance for the Comets is their first in franchise history, coming in the team’s second year in existence. Last season the Comets missed the post-season, but were led in the regular season and throughout the playoffs by the goaltending of Jacob Markstrom. Utica topped the 2012-13 Calder Cup champion Grand Rapids Griffins in six games in the Western final.

Notable skaters on the Monarchs include Jordan Weal, Nick Shore and Brian O’Neill, while the Comets lineup includes future Canucks such as Sven Baertschi and first-round draft picks Hunter Shinkaruk and Jake Virtanen.

The series begins Saturday, June 6 at 6 p.m. ET. A complete schedule can be found here.