Hockey: Cup Finals are heating up and they're loving it in ... Milwaukee?

While the Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning are in a heated series at the NHL level, there is another cup that has seen a postseason that was just as exciting -- the AHL's Calder Cup Final.

The AHL is the top affiliate of the National Hockey League and is the home of many future stars.

It plays in smaller cities, usually smaller arenas and cheaper prices, but the quality of hockey is just as elite as the professionals, and this postseason has been no exception.

It is no surprise to see the Milwaukee Admirals coming out of the Western Conference as they were the Regular Season League Champions tied with Hartford at 102 points, but having two more wins.

They encountered a tough Cincinnati Mighty Ducks team in the first round who were ranked fifth in their division of seven, but did take the Admirals to seven games.

The next round was no easier, as they faced the 2002 Calder Cup Champion Chicago Wolves, who they disposed of in six games.

Surprisingly the Admirals' easiest series was in the Conference Finals where they defeated the Rochester Americans, who had swept their own regular season division winning Hamilton Bulldogs in four straight, in five.

Now, after winning two games at home, Milwaukee looks to capture the cup on the road this weekend.

The surprise came out of the East where they are represented by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Penguins' Journey has been no easier that that of Milwaukee's.

Only ranking third in their division with 86 points, their first task was to take on the 2002 Calder Cup Runner's Up, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

After losing the first two games in overtime, and being down 3-1 in the series, the Penguins fought back and won the seventh game 3-2 in overtime to move on to the East Division Finals.

There they faced state rivals, the Philadelphia Phantoms, which seemed less of a challenge as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead and finished off the Phantoms in six.

This set the stage for the regular season Eastern Conference Champion Hartford Wolf Pack, to face the East Division Champ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

It was a hard fought series, with lots of penalties, which helped decide Game 4, but in the end, once again in overtime, the Penguins won 2-1 in Game 7 to go to the Calder Cup Finals for the second time in their short, five-year history.

This set the stage for a defensive, clutch and grab, yet high powered kind of Finals, but already, in just two games, the series has been filled with lots of offense and drama.

Game 1 ended in overtime, with Milwaukee squeezing out a 2-1 victory.

The power play was the difference in the game, as Milwaukee scored two goals on four power-play opportunities, while the Penguins could not score in six tries.

Game 2 was more wide open, as the Admirals steamrolled the Penguins 8-4 in a shootout.

Specialty teams were again the difference as the Admirals scored two shorthanded goals, and four goals with the man advantage.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton actually scored first, but with just over a minute left, Andrew Hutchinson scored to end the first period.

The second period was the breaking point in which the Admirals erupted for five goals by Vernon Fiddler, Tony Hrkac, another by Hutchinson, Ray Schultz and Simon Gamache.

So far in the series, goaltender veteran Wade Flaherty has played much better than Penguins rookie sensation Andy Chiodo who was pulled at 3-1 in game two.

Going home may not be what the Penguins need, however, as they went 3-1 in Hartford yet struggled at home going 1-2 in the previous series.

Milwaukee is well rested from a relatively easy series and will be looking to make the Cup theirs before the Penguins get a chance to come back like they did against Bridgeport.

Milwaukee is new to championship runs, as the Admirals haven't been to a league championship since the early 1980s, and their fans I'm sure will be listening and watching closely to the games in Pennsylvania to see if Wisconsin can claim a sports championship.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton came close in 2001, but fell to the, now defunct, Saint John Flames in six games.

They will need at least that many if they are going to make this a series they can win, but being the underdog and coming back is exactly what they are used to doing this postseason.

The sold-out Wachovia Center will certainly be rocking for Game 3 as the Penguins look to turn the series around.

Minor league hockey has been growing in popularity as it is more economical and can keep small market cities in its leagues.

The Central Hockey League celebrated the championship of the Laredo Bucks as they were the first team in league history to come back in a seven game series from a 3-1 deficit to win.

The East Coast Hockey League saw their Idaho Steelheads take the Kelly Cup championship by beating the Florida Everblades in front of a record amount of people in both Idaho and Florida.

The good news for hockey next year is that no matter what the NHL does with their CBA, the AHL will still have a complete season.

This will give younger players the opportunity to stay active for their franchises while the bigheads sit out until a good deal is made.

As a native of Albany, this was good news as their will always be live hockey for those who want it, whether greedy professional players want to play or not.

The Calder Cup Final will be exciting to the finish and you can catch Games 3 and 4 on Fox Sports Net if you are in the Pittsburgh area.

You can also log onto Milwaukee (www.milwaukeeadmirals.com/) or Wilkes-Barre's (www.wbspenguins.com/) team web sites for a radio broadcast on the internet.