It was Hershey's first 3 games in 3 nights weekend of the season and they seemed to be feeling it a bit last night. After two very physical games against Philly and Syracuse the Bears came out a bit sluggish last night and found themselves down 2-0 1:30 into the game.
They came back from that with goals by Graham Mink (6), Chris Bourque (3), and Keith Aucoin (4) to take the lead 3-28 minutes into the second period. But the Pens got 2 more in the second to take a 4-3 lead and would add a 5th late in the third to take the lead for good. Alexandre Giroux (6) added one more for the Bears with 20 seconds to go.
Daren Machesney faced 25 shots and stopped 20 of them. He played in back to back games and it showed. He was regularly out of position and just didn't play very well all game.
The Penguins wanted this game more and they came out and played like it. Hershey was a little sluggish and it showed up on the score board this night.
My Three Stars of the Game:
- Chris Minard
- Keith Aucoin
- Adam Berkhoel
Grading the Performance:
Even Strength - C - Sloppy. Tired. Over-matched. That is how the Bears looked last night. They just didn't have any fire or determination in that game. A few positives though. They only gave up 3 power plays and they scored 3 even strength goals. If this is the worse they play I think they will be okay.
Power Play - B - They got one goal on 6 opportunities which is okay but not good. They seemed to struggle with getting set up and didn't really have any phenomenal opportunities. But they have enough talent to overshadow bad play typically and they did some good things last night. But overall they need more goals when you get 6 power plays.
Penalty Kill - B - Okay performance. They only had to come out on 3 different opportunities but they did give up a goal. This unit has yet to really impress and it needs to get better soon.
Overall - C+ - Not a very good game and it ended up costing them the game. But for as bad as they played to get to within a goal was very impressive. And if they go 2 for 3 every weekend I think they will be okay in the long run. Was it a good game....no. Was it terrible....no. The Bears showed that even when they are beaten down they aren't beaten.
notes:
- Tyler Sloan was called up to the Capitals after the game. He will be joining a road trip through a few Western Conference cities this week with the Caps. This call up has as much to do with rewarding a player as it does with salary cap issues. He is one of the cheapest options and the Caps are close to the cap. And he was impressive during camp this season.
- The Bears also recalled G Bobby Goepfert from South Carolina. Simeon Varlamov is injured currently and Hershey needed a replacement.
- By not calling up Neuvirth they pretty much confirmed that he WILL be loaned out soon. This way they can still recall him if there are injuries later this season or if he becomes a star and they want him back. If he dresses for the Bears he CANNOT come back THIS season.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!!!
1 comment:
Being able to hear Tyler Sloan talk about his journey to the NHL today, this is truly one of those rags to riches stories. A guy that was forgotten and lost among other prospects but happen to be discovered by the Hershey Bears a few years back. He's put in his time and it's great to see him get rewarded. Plus, he's making his debut in his hometown. This is the thing movies are made out of. Let's hope it has a happy ending.
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