Manchester defeats Utica to win Calder Cup

Patrik Bartosak made 31 saves and the Manchester Monarchs won the American Hockey League's Calder Cup with a 2-1 win against the Utica Comets in Game 5 of the 2015 Calder Cup Finals in Utica, N.Y., on Saturday.

Manchester, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, won the best-of-7 series 4-1 in its final AHL season.

Adrian Kempe and Vincent LoVerde scored in the first period for the Monarchs.

Manchester forward Jordan Weal was named most valuable player of the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs. Weal, the Kings' third-round pick (No. 70) at the 2010 NHL Draft, had 10 goals and 12 assists in 19 playoff games.

“It’s awesome. We’ve been working so hard all year," Weal told LA Kings Insider. "We have such a great group of guys. To be able to win it with a group like this, it’s so much fun. We wanted this so bad; we wanted it real bad. ... We have so many competitors in our dressing room. Every practice, we’re battling against each other to make each other better, and that’s why we were the best."

Jacob Markstrom made 17 saves for Utica, the AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks.

Cal O'Reilly scored for Utica with 15 seconds remaining to ruin Bartosak's shutout. Utica had pulled Markstrom for an extra attacker.

The Monarchs defeated the Portland Pirates in the first round, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the second round, and the Hartford Wolf Pack in the Eastern Conference Final.

The Kings' top affiliate will play in Ontario, Calif., next season.