That's More Like It

Last night the Bears went up to Bridgeport and ended their 3 game slide by defeating the 2nd place Sound Tigers 5-3. It was an important game for Hershey. One that hopefully sets the tone and direction that the second half of the season takes.

It was a big game for Daren Machesney as well. He faced 39 shots and made 36 saves to get a big win and maybe gain some confidence going into the weekend. Over his last 4 games he hadn't been playing particularly well but that was a good effort.

The rookie line made it back to the scoresheet last night as all 3 members of the line got a goal. Oskar Osala started the night off with his 19th of the season just 2.5 minutes into the game. Mathieu Perrault scored an important goal (his 7th) later in the first as the Tigers had just scored to take a 2-1 lead and the Bears were hanging their heads a little. And Francois Bouchard added his 12th at around the 11 minute mark of the third period that put Hershey up 2.

That line has been playing much better so far in 2009 than they did in December. Early in the season teams had a hard time stopping the Bears because the MAG line and the rookie line were producing every night. Come playoff time that will be very important if Hershey hopes to win the Cup.

The defense redeemed themselves a little bit last night with solid physical play all night. I would say that they didn't play a great game however. Many times there were Tigers standing wide open in front of the net and just missed passes or lucky bounces kept them from scoring. Too many times I saw a defenseman go for the big hit instead of staying in position, especially on the penalty kill. It seems to me that when killing a penalty it is CRITICAL that the defense stay in their positions and control the passing lanes. There were multiple times of defensemen wandering around the zone looking for someone to hit on the penalty kill instead of maintaining their position. That could explain why Bridgeport managed to score 2 power play goals.

The effort and performance were BETTER than the previous 3 games. But it should not be thought of as a return to form because this team has played much better especially at the defensive end. But a win is a win and this was an important one. Now it is time to build on that success and regain the dominance that this team had earlier in the season.


My Three Stars of the Game:

1. Francois Bouchard - 1 goal and 2 primary assists and he also played the point on the power play
2. Mathieu Perrault - 1 goal and 1 assist but tremendous hustle all game long in both ends
3. Alexandre Giroux - 2 goals (30,31) including the game winner

Grading the Performance:

• Offense - B - The second half of the game was very good and very dominant. The first half looked like a high school team (or the team from last weekend). A lot of cute passes and nifty moves were attempted and not many were completed. But they hung in there are started to play much better late in the second and throughout the third period.
• Defense - C - I wasn't impressed. Tyler Sloan especially stood out as playing a little out of control. On one power play he was chasing a Sound Tiger around and when the player fell Sloan stood over him and pushed him again. That is fine if you are a little upset about something and trying to make a point but Sloan just forgot about the situation. He needed to be in position to help his fellow penalty killers and he wasn't.
• Goaltending - B - Cheese was all over the place tonight. Against another team maybe the Bears lose but Bridgeport has been struggling of late and they couldn't find the net. I didn't think Cheese played a great game as he was out of control and out of position often. But he managed to make 36 saves and that is all that was needed tonight.
• Power Play - A - This unit was dominant all night. They converted on 3 of 7 opportunities. The units looked different and I like the changes. Perrault took Mink's spot on the first unit and Bouchard played the point on the second unit with Osala on the wing. I think they earned the chance to remain on the power play even when Mink is healthy.
• Penalty Kill - C - Sporadic is how I would rate this unit. One penalty kill they would be dominant and the next you would have vigilantes out there on the ice. Positioning is key to a good power play and too often last night I saw guys skating well out of position. Aggressiveness is good at times but the struggles this team has killing penalties can be chalked up to TOO MUCH aggressive play in the defensive end.
• Overall - B- - A good important win against a very good Bridgeport team. But I think they got lucky to come out of there with a win. Lawson (Tigers goalie) looked flustered and let in multiple easy goals last night including 2 that went 5 hole including Perraults. If Perrault doesn't score that goal I think this is a totally different game. Hershey had their heads down and looked rejected as soon as Bridgeport went up 2-1. That needs to stop. This team can come back from anything but if you give up early you are done. A good win and something to build upon but they aren't where they need to be yet.

LET'S GO BEARS!!! GET 2 MORE Ws THIS WEEKEND!!