Giroux passes Hull

If you read this blog with any consistency you probably wonder why I haven't mentioned Alexandre Giroux's goal scoring streak. I wanted to but I had a reason not to.

Have you ever watched a football game when the announcer says something like "he hasn't thrown an interception in 150 straight passes" and then the next pass gets picked off? Or during a not hitter you see the pitcher sitting by himself on the bench cause no one wants to talk to him? That's how I felt...even though I obviously am not on the bench with the team. I somewhat superstitious and didn't want to jinx Giroux by mentioning it. Which actually the team said they didn't mention it in the locker room either for the same reason.

But after last night's game Giroux has now scored a goal in 15 consecutive games. Which is a NEW AHL Record passing Brett Hull who had 14!! In that stretch he has scored 22 goals. 22 GOALS IN 15 GAMES!! Unbelievable. And to make it better he actually has a points streak that goes to 19 games. The Hershey Bears record for a point streak is 20 so Giroux can tie that record on Wednesday night. In his last 19 games he has 25 goals and 14 assists for 39 points. Which means that he has averaged OVER 2 POINTS PER GAME in the last 19 games. Absolutely remarkable.

The record setting goal was also the game tying goal late in the third period. The Bears trailed 2-0 after the first period and responded with 2 goals in the third period to force overtime before winning in the shootout over the visiting Worcester Sharks.

It was quite a 24 hours for the Sharks. They trailed the Norfolk Admirals 5-1 in the first period before coming back and winning the game in overtime. After the game the real fun began. They hopped on the bus to head to Hershey which shouldn't have been to big a deal. EXCEPT the bus driver apparently was a little tired because after stopping for something to eat at a convenience store the driver got back on the highway traveling in the WRONG direction back to Norfolk FOR AN HOUR!!!

In the end the Sharks did not arrive in Hershey until 7 in the morning to play a game at 5 that evening. While the team came out to play in the first period the Bears took over and controlled the play in the 2nd half of the game. The depth of the Bears proved to be the difference as they were much fresher and hungrier throughout the third period.


My Three Stars of the Game:

1. Alexander Giroux - record setting night earns him the first star
2. Michal Neuvirth - a solid regulation but a superior shootout as he stopped all 5 tries
3. Kyle Wilson - scored on the first try of the shootout to win the game

Grading the Performance:

• Offense - B - With the exception of the third period this team struggled to sustain and create pressure. In the first 2 periods the Bears mustered 18 shots, in the third period they had 19 shots. Not a single line created much pressure at even strength and shots were at a premium until the Sharks legs gave out in the third. The fact that Hershey can run 4 lines all game is a DISTINCT advantage over every other team in the league.
• Defense - B - They looked okay for most of the game. Obviously in the third they looked much better cause Worcester couldn't get out of their own zone. For the most part the positioning and play in their own zone was solid. Many blocked shots and plenty of intercepted passes throughout the game.
• Goaltending - B+ - I think both goals given up would have been tough for any goalie to stop but maybe he could have. The performance in the shootout was very good as he stopped all 5 shots from Worcester.
• Power Play - C - The 2 goals of the game came on the power play and they didn't get too many chances but they looked horrible in the first 2 periods. Worcester played a very aggressive penalty kill and the Bears didn't know what to do other than pass it around the perimeter. The shooting lanes weren't there either as the Sharks played in a box and blocked all the lanes.
• Penalty Kill - C - This unit allowed both Sharks goals within 44 seconds of each other in the first period as the Bears were down 2 guys and the Sharks scored on both chances. After that they got better as the Sharks got worse on the power play.
• Overall - B - A win is a win after another 4 in 5 the Bears got a win. I have said it before...the depth of this team will be a huge advantage as the season rolls along. Even if all the lines aren't scoring it keeps the ones that are fresh and ready to play. While most teams struggle to play 3 lines an entire game the Bears have trouble finding time for all 4 of their lines.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!