Bears dismantle Sens 8-1

Well coming off a game Friday night where the Bears were probably fortunate to get 2 points they sure responded well enough. Nothing went right for the Binghamton Senators after they scored the opening goal less then 3 minutes into the game. And even that wasn't anything to get too excited about as it wasn't a clean goal. The puck went off Patty McNeill's skate and past Hershey goalie Jason Bacashihua who was making his Hershey debut.

Apparently the Bears are not fond of trailing in any game. That was the first time this season that Hershey had trailed and it only lasted for 3 minutes when Alexandre Giroux scored his first goal of the game and season. He would add his second, the eventual game winner, with less then 30 seconds to go in the 1st period.

That goal was apparently devastating for the Sens and inspiring for the Bears as Hershey scored 4 goals in the second. They would add 2 more in the third on Sens #1 goaltender Mike Brodeur (he replaced starter Andy Chiodo after the 2nd).

Kyle Wilson scored his first 2 goals of the season while Darren Reid (2nd), Andrew Joudrey (1st), Steve Pinizzotto (1st), and Andrew Gordon (4th) scored the remaining goals for Hershey. Overall the Bears finished with 41 shots to Bingo's 33.

So far this season Hershey has defeated 3 East division opponents by a combined score of 14-2! And they have killed off all 14 power plays they have faced. AND they have scored on 5 of their 15 power plays for a 33% success rate.

Not a bad way to start off the season.


My Three Stars of the Game:

1. Alexandre Giroux - first 2 goals of the season got Hershey focused last night
2. Andrew Gordon - 1 goal and 2 assists
3. Jason Bacashihua - the scoresheet shows 32 saves but I am not convinced it was that many

Grading the Performance:

• Offense | A | 8 goals on 41 shots is pretty darn good. They controlled the puck for the first 40 minutes and would have controlled it for another 20 but they really called off the dogs and let Bingo have a chance. Crisp passing and great shooting. Bingo goalie was severely overmatched and it was obvious.
• Defense | A | This entire unit deserves accolades for last night and the season to date. Holding a Bingo team that had scored 11 goals in their previous 2 games to only 1 goal and 15 shots through 2 periods is pretty impressive.
• Goaltending | A | So far it has been an impressive display in net for the Bears this season. One goal allowed last night and it was deflected in off a Bear.
• Power Play | B | They converted 2 of 5 chances but did struggle to keep consistent pressure for much of the game. Overall a good job but room for improvement.
• Penalty Kill | A | What a difference a year makes. Last years penalty kill unit struggled mightily from game 1....this year dominant!
• Overall | A | Honestly it felt like the Bears were skating against a high school team out there last night. I am trying to remember something Bingo did that impressed me and I can't remember a single thing. If it wasn't for the scoresheet I am not sure you could convince me that Hershey actually played another team last night. They were THAT dominant.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!