The Bears started the weekend off pretty well...picking up a 5-3 regulation victory in Hartford against the Connecticut Whale.
Then things went downhill for a bit. They hosted the Baby Pens, who didn't have to travel the night before, to Giant Center and they subsequently defeated the Bears 4-2.
The 4-2 score makes it seem closer than it probably was. (I was unable to attend so I am going off of the score sheet and what I heard from a couple people). The Bears controlled the play for the first period and then took a 1-0 lead about midway through the 2nd period.
And that's when the Bears momentum ended and the Pens started. Over the next 12-13 minutes of game action, end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd, the Baby Pens scored 3 goals. They added an empty netter with about 2 minutes to play to make it 4-1. The Bears scored with 40 seconds to go to make it seem like a close game at the end.
So, Wilkes-Barre continues there dominance of Hershey in Central PA. More on that in a minute.
But Sunday saw the Bears rebound to pick up a 6-3 win over the Norfolk Admirals. Hershey scored 3 goals on the power play (6 chances) and picked up an empty net goal late to preserve the win.
Again, the final score doesn't tell the whole story. Hershey scored 4 in the first period and then Norfolk started playing better hockey. At the end of the 2nd it was 4-3 Bears and most people in attendance (myself included) would tell you that the outcome was still in doubt. It was again looking like a strong 1st period would be spoiled by weak 2nd and 3rd periods.
However, Tomas Kundratek (more on him soon) picked up his 4th of the season about 5 minutes into the 3rd and from then on there was little (less anyways) question as to who would win this one.
Norfolk managed only 6 shots in the 3rd period in what was perhaps Hershey's best late game performance this season.
After the weekend the Bears sit 2 points behind the Baby Pens with one game in hand on the flightless water-fowl. And 2 games coming up against them in a couple of weeks.
Unfortunately one of those games is in Hershey (12/28 if you were curious). The Bears have not beaten the Baby Penguins on Giant Center ice since March 27, 2010. That is the end of the 2009-2010 season when the Bears lost a total of 6 home games all season.
Wilkes-Barre and Hershey have faced off 8 times in Hershey since that game. The Bears are 0-6-2-0 in those games and have been outscored 34-17.
The Pens have failed to score less than 4 goals only twice in the last 8 at Giant Center. One was this year, the first meeting at GC back in October, and the other was a game last spring that went to overtime.
The Bears have failed to score more than 2 goals a whopping 6 times. They scored 4 earlier this season in an overtime loss and managed 3 in one game last spring.
That is fairly impressive domination.
Another note about this weekends games...
I mentioned before that Tomas Kundratek scored his 4th of the season on Sunday. With the Whale he played in only 7 games and recorded a measly 2 assists to start the season. Since joining Hershey he has played in 11 games and has 4 goals and 2 assists. Not too bad for a 3rd pairing defenseman.
Francois Bouchard, who was traded to Connecticut for Kundratek, has 2 goals and 2 assists in 14 games with his new team.
I think most in Hershey felt good about the trade considering Bouch's lack of production last season, but how many really expected Kundratek to actually be outscoring him a month later?
Bears get yet another 3 in 3 this upcoming weekend with games against Norfolk (Friday and Sunday) and Bridgeport. More coming later this week.
Showing posts with label Former Bears. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Former Bears. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
AHL Realignment and other news
The realignment of the AHL for the 2011-12 season is complete. Instead of the 4 divisions we have become used to the AHL will be mirroring the NHL and their 6 division format.
The biggest change is that Charlotte has been relocated to the Western Conference. And of course two new divisions were created (Northeast and Midwest). Below are the new divisions.
The division winners will get the top 3 seeds and the next 5 best teams will get into the playoffs. Gone are the days of trying to figure out if the 5th team from one division gets in over the 4th of another. That part I like.
The playoffs will be reseeded (just like the NHL) after the first round so that the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed. Again, I like this.
But overall I am not a fan of the new format. I liked the fact that the division opponents had to play each other in the playoffs every single year. Not playing each other is going to take away from the divisional rivalries that were created and fostered by the divisional playoffs of years past.
Sure the Bears and Penguins will still have a good rivalry but it will be diminished if they do not regularly face off in the playoffs. In years past you knew during the regular season that games against Wilkes-Barre were likely playoff previews...now they are just regular season games within the division.
The real deciding factor though will be in how they create the schedule. In years past the divisional opponents would play each other multiple times a season, sometimes as many as 12. And that worked because the playoffs were done divisionally.
Now that the playoffs are seeded by conference the schedule needs to be more balanced. I honestly don't think Hershey will play Wilkes-Barre 10 times this season. And if they do it is a huge mistake by the AHL.
Divisional opponents should play each other 6 times each. They should play the remaining conference opponents (10 teams) 4 times each. And each division should play each team from 1 division of the opposing Conference 2 times each. That is 74 games...4 more would need to be scheduled...fairly.
The AHL has not announced how the schedule will be created. And we might not know until late August when the schedule is typically announced. But if they don't create a balanced schedule where each team plays similar teams than it can't work.
Either way I am going to miss the divisional playoff format. Sure, rivalries will still be fierce in the East Division and regular season matchups will still be entertaining.
But a second round matchup against the Connecticut Whale just doesn't have the same emotion as an East Division final against the Baby Pens.
Player Movement News:
The Washington Capitals traded Eric Fehr to Winnipeg for a 4th round pick and Dannick Paquette. Paquette will likely start the season in Hershey and he brings a needed element to the team....agitator. Hockeysfuture.com describes him as
With the loss of Steve Pinizzotto this is exactly what the Bears needed. He likely won't be as offensively productive as Pinner was but apparently he has that ability. Last season in the ECHL he scored 13 goals and added 7 assists to go along with his 179 penalty minutes in 59 games.
Hershey still needs to add an enforcer but generally they can wait to do that until later in the summer as players of that nature don't get signed too early. Paquette is 6'1" 210lbs so he is not going to fill the role that Joel Rechlicz filled last season but he can surely scrap when necessary.
And Dannick is only just turning 21 so he is 6 years younger than Pinner. Which definitely makes him more valuable to the organization. He is signed for 2 more years so expect to see him in Hershey for the foreseeable future.
In other news...Brian Willsie has signed with Montreal/Hamilton for the upcoming season. With all the veteran spots already taken up in Hershey you knew he wasn't going to be back. He had a great season for Hershey last year and it is tough to see him go.
The biggest change is that Charlotte has been relocated to the Western Conference. And of course two new divisions were created (Northeast and Midwest). Below are the new divisions.
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | WESTERN CONFERENCE | ||||||||||
| Atlantic Division | North Division | ||||||||||
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| Northeast Division | Midwest Division | ||||||||||
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| East Division | West Division | ||||||||||
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The division winners will get the top 3 seeds and the next 5 best teams will get into the playoffs. Gone are the days of trying to figure out if the 5th team from one division gets in over the 4th of another. That part I like.
The playoffs will be reseeded (just like the NHL) after the first round so that the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed. Again, I like this.
But overall I am not a fan of the new format. I liked the fact that the division opponents had to play each other in the playoffs every single year. Not playing each other is going to take away from the divisional rivalries that were created and fostered by the divisional playoffs of years past.
Sure the Bears and Penguins will still have a good rivalry but it will be diminished if they do not regularly face off in the playoffs. In years past you knew during the regular season that games against Wilkes-Barre were likely playoff previews...now they are just regular season games within the division.
The real deciding factor though will be in how they create the schedule. In years past the divisional opponents would play each other multiple times a season, sometimes as many as 12. And that worked because the playoffs were done divisionally.
Now that the playoffs are seeded by conference the schedule needs to be more balanced. I honestly don't think Hershey will play Wilkes-Barre 10 times this season. And if they do it is a huge mistake by the AHL.
Divisional opponents should play each other 6 times each. They should play the remaining conference opponents (10 teams) 4 times each. And each division should play each team from 1 division of the opposing Conference 2 times each. That is 74 games...4 more would need to be scheduled...fairly.
The AHL has not announced how the schedule will be created. And we might not know until late August when the schedule is typically announced. But if they don't create a balanced schedule where each team plays similar teams than it can't work.
Either way I am going to miss the divisional playoff format. Sure, rivalries will still be fierce in the East Division and regular season matchups will still be entertaining.
But a second round matchup against the Connecticut Whale just doesn't have the same emotion as an East Division final against the Baby Pens.
Player Movement News:
The Washington Capitals traded Eric Fehr to Winnipeg for a 4th round pick and Dannick Paquette. Paquette will likely start the season in Hershey and he brings a needed element to the team....agitator. Hockeysfuture.com describes him as
a perfect example of a player that teams love to have on their own side, but hate to play against. Perhaps the only thing more agitating than his gritty style of play is the fact he also has the ability to bury the puck and make the opposition pay for their mistakes and indiscretions.
With the loss of Steve Pinizzotto this is exactly what the Bears needed. He likely won't be as offensively productive as Pinner was but apparently he has that ability. Last season in the ECHL he scored 13 goals and added 7 assists to go along with his 179 penalty minutes in 59 games.
Hershey still needs to add an enforcer but generally they can wait to do that until later in the summer as players of that nature don't get signed too early. Paquette is 6'1" 210lbs so he is not going to fill the role that Joel Rechlicz filled last season but he can surely scrap when necessary.
And Dannick is only just turning 21 so he is 6 years younger than Pinner. Which definitely makes him more valuable to the organization. He is signed for 2 more years so expect to see him in Hershey for the foreseeable future.
In other news...Brian Willsie has signed with Montreal/Hamilton for the upcoming season. With all the veteran spots already taken up in Hershey you knew he wasn't going to be back. He had a great season for Hershey last year and it is tough to see him go.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Welcome Danny Richmond...Former Bears sign elsewhere
First of all, another defenseman was added to the fold. Danny Richmond has been signed by Washington/Hershey to a one year contract. Richmond spent last season with the Toronto Marlies where he scored 3 goals and added 20 assists in 68 games. He also picked up 121 penalty minutes and finished the season a -12.
Richmond is a veteran which gives Hershey 6 veterans. All 6 can start however as Kyle Greentree falls into the 260-320 games played category while the remaining five (Richmond, Aucoin, Kane, Potulny, Bourque) have all played 320+.
Several 2010-11 Bears have signed deals to play elsewhere this past weekend and here is a brief recap:
Andrew Joudrey signed with Columbus/Springfield.
Andrew Gordon signed with Anaheim/Syracuse.
Steve Pinizzotto signed with Vancouver/Chicago.
Hopefully all of those guys get a legitimate shot at making the NHL. Gordon's contract is a 2-year deal with the 2nd year being an NHL one way deal so that is great news for him.
Alexandre Giroux has also signed with Columbus/Springfield so we could be seeing more of him this upcoming season instead of just the All-Star game.
Richmond is a veteran which gives Hershey 6 veterans. All 6 can start however as Kyle Greentree falls into the 260-320 games played category while the remaining five (Richmond, Aucoin, Kane, Potulny, Bourque) have all played 320+.
Several 2010-11 Bears have signed deals to play elsewhere this past weekend and here is a brief recap:
Andrew Joudrey signed with Columbus/Springfield.
Andrew Gordon signed with Anaheim/Syracuse.
Steve Pinizzotto signed with Vancouver/Chicago.
Hopefully all of those guys get a legitimate shot at making the NHL. Gordon's contract is a 2-year deal with the 2nd year being an NHL one way deal so that is great news for him.
Alexandre Giroux has also signed with Columbus/Springfield so we could be seeing more of him this upcoming season instead of just the All-Star game.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
More signings...Collins and...Bourque
Yes you read the title right...Chris Bourque has signed a one year deal with the Capitals. No word on if it is a two way deal or not but I am guessing it is.
Chris spent last season split between the KHL and the Swiss league, scoring 15 goals and 19 assists in 47 games.
The addition of Bourque gives the Bears 5 veteran forwards. So anyone hoping to see Giroux, Mink or Gordon return to the Bears is probably going to be disappointed. I won't say it can't happen but it isn't likely now.
In other news...everyone's favorite defenseman is back too. Sean Collins signed a one year deal with the organization as well. This time though it is a two way contract and won't cost the Caps too much if they send him down to Hershey. (The last 2 years were on NHL one way contracts for those that didn't know).
And a follow up to yesterday...the Ryan Potulny deal is, according to capgeek.com, a 2 year contract with the 2nd year an NHL one way deal.
Chris spent last season split between the KHL and the Swiss league, scoring 15 goals and 19 assists in 47 games.
The addition of Bourque gives the Bears 5 veteran forwards. So anyone hoping to see Giroux, Mink or Gordon return to the Bears is probably going to be disappointed. I won't say it can't happen but it isn't likely now.
In other news...everyone's favorite defenseman is back too. Sean Collins signed a one year deal with the organization as well. This time though it is a two way contract and won't cost the Caps too much if they send him down to Hershey. (The last 2 years were on NHL one way contracts for those that didn't know).
And a follow up to yesterday...the Ryan Potulny deal is, according to capgeek.com, a 2 year contract with the 2nd year an NHL one way deal.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Signings, Development Camp, and Other News
Lots of activity on the Washington/Hershey front this past week....
- Caps/Bears signed former Cap and Bear Brian Willsie, a right wing, to a one year two way contract. He is expected to play most of the season in Hershey but would likely be given a chance at a call up. Willsie played in Hershey for all or parts of 1998-2003 when the Colorado affiliation was in place. He then spent considerable time in the NHL playing for Colorado, Washington, and Los Angeles. Last season he spent almost the entire year with Lake Erie where he scored 26 goals and added 31 assists.
- Yesterday the Capitals announced that Andrew Gordon, Zach Miscovic, Patrick McNeill and Andrew Joudrey signed their qualifying offers and are back in the organization for another year. In addition Jay Beagle signed his qualifying offer which ties him up for 2 more years.
- Unfortunately Chris Bourque has made it official, he is off to Russia to play in the KHL. He declined to sign the Caps qualifying offer and apparently did not get any/much interest from other teams. He will make much more money playing there and then who knows...we might see him back in the States in a few years.
- Development camp is being held this week in Washington. Tomorrow morning is the end of week scrimmage so if you want to go down that is the time to do it...I think the scrimmage is at 10am. Marcus Johansson is apparently showing off some serious skill and it will definitely warrant a good look at training camp. He and Mathieu Perreault are the leading candidates for the #2 center position with the Caps.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Caps (Bears) sign 2, Bears add 1
The Washington Capitals and more likely the Hershey Bears signed 2 players this past week. One will likely fill Alexandre Giroux's spot at left wing on the top line and the other will likely fill one of the many defensive openings. And then the Bears signed another defensemen to an AHL only deal as well.
Kyle Greentree will be the left wing. Last season he played for Rockford in the AHL, totaling 25 goals and 20 assists in 64 games. That was his third season in the AHL and his least productive season. In 07-08 he played with the Philadelphia Phantoms where he had 24 goals and 24 assists in 72 games. In 08-09 he was with the Quad City Flames where he registered 39 goals and 37 assists in 76 games. He has also played in 4 NHL games although he does not have any points.
Greentree is not Giroux and he is not going to replace Giroux's 139 goals over the past 2 seasons. BUT players routinely have career years playing in Hershey and playing with Keith Aucoin. Before coming to Hershey in 06-07 Giroux had a career high of 36 goals in one season. Before playing with Aucoin, Graham Mink's career high in goals was 31 (he hit 32 with Coiner). Before playing with Aucoin this past season, Andrew Gordon's career high in goals was 21 (he scored 37 this year).
Greentree will likely at least come close to his career high of 39 goals and 37 assists. And if he does that he will be one of Hershey's top performers. I can actually see him scoring even more than that if he and Aucoin stay healthy.
The other addition from the Caps side was defenseman Brian Fahey. Fahey is an AHL veteran having played in the league since 03-04. He played 12 games for the Bears that year and has played for 5 other franchises. Most recently he played for the Lake Erie Monsters where he registered 11 goals, 14 assists and 97 penalty minutes in 71 games.
With the Bears losing Karl Alzner, John Carlson and Greg Amadio they are going to need defensemen to step in. Fahey has shown some offensive abilities throughout his career so he should help out in that regard as well.
Hershey also signed former Bear captain Lawrence Nycholat to a one year AHL only deal this week. He spent last season with the Manitoba Moose after spending 08-09 bouncing between the NHL and AHL.
He was a critical member of the 05-06 Calder Cup Championship team and was an important piece the following season before being traded. Like Fahey he will bring a solid offensive component to the table to help replace Carlson. He also brings a certain leadership quality that always helps in the locker room.
Surely the Bears are not done in free agency. For one thing there are still restricted free agents out there including Gordon and Beagle. Surely there will be plenty of news coming over the next couple of weeks.
The Capitals resigned a couple of their restricted free agents this week which closes the door to potential roster spots for Bears. Eric Fehr, Jeff Schultz and Boyd Gordon all signed contracts this past week and will be in Washington next season.
That means there are now 10 forwards and 7 defensemen on the Caps roster next season. Fleischmann is the last RFA that spent considerable time in Washington last season and I would expect to see him get a contract soon.
Obviously there is lots of time left before the opening of training camp and the season but the rosters are starting to take shape. I will have much more next week about the roster. Also the development camp rosters were announced so I will have something on that this weekend or early next week.
Kyle Greentree will be the left wing. Last season he played for Rockford in the AHL, totaling 25 goals and 20 assists in 64 games. That was his third season in the AHL and his least productive season. In 07-08 he played with the Philadelphia Phantoms where he had 24 goals and 24 assists in 72 games. In 08-09 he was with the Quad City Flames where he registered 39 goals and 37 assists in 76 games. He has also played in 4 NHL games although he does not have any points.
Greentree is not Giroux and he is not going to replace Giroux's 139 goals over the past 2 seasons. BUT players routinely have career years playing in Hershey and playing with Keith Aucoin. Before coming to Hershey in 06-07 Giroux had a career high of 36 goals in one season. Before playing with Aucoin, Graham Mink's career high in goals was 31 (he hit 32 with Coiner). Before playing with Aucoin this past season, Andrew Gordon's career high in goals was 21 (he scored 37 this year).
Greentree will likely at least come close to his career high of 39 goals and 37 assists. And if he does that he will be one of Hershey's top performers. I can actually see him scoring even more than that if he and Aucoin stay healthy.
The other addition from the Caps side was defenseman Brian Fahey. Fahey is an AHL veteran having played in the league since 03-04. He played 12 games for the Bears that year and has played for 5 other franchises. Most recently he played for the Lake Erie Monsters where he registered 11 goals, 14 assists and 97 penalty minutes in 71 games.
With the Bears losing Karl Alzner, John Carlson and Greg Amadio they are going to need defensemen to step in. Fahey has shown some offensive abilities throughout his career so he should help out in that regard as well.
Hershey also signed former Bear captain Lawrence Nycholat to a one year AHL only deal this week. He spent last season with the Manitoba Moose after spending 08-09 bouncing between the NHL and AHL.
He was a critical member of the 05-06 Calder Cup Championship team and was an important piece the following season before being traded. Like Fahey he will bring a solid offensive component to the table to help replace Carlson. He also brings a certain leadership quality that always helps in the locker room.
Surely the Bears are not done in free agency. For one thing there are still restricted free agents out there including Gordon and Beagle. Surely there will be plenty of news coming over the next couple of weeks.
The Capitals resigned a couple of their restricted free agents this week which closes the door to potential roster spots for Bears. Eric Fehr, Jeff Schultz and Boyd Gordon all signed contracts this past week and will be in Washington next season.
That means there are now 10 forwards and 7 defensemen on the Caps roster next season. Fleischmann is the last RFA that spent considerable time in Washington last season and I would expect to see him get a contract soon.
Obviously there is lots of time left before the opening of training camp and the season but the rosters are starting to take shape. I will have much more next week about the roster. Also the development camp rosters were announced so I will have something on that this weekend or early next week.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Bears being disassembled
Well the Hershey Bears won two Calder Cups with a lineup that most people would have agreed was deeper than any other teams. Consider that Jay Beagle was at times on the 4th line for the Bears and you can see how deep they were.
That is changing...drastically.
Honestly I thought this was going to happen last year but somehow the Bears managed to keep almost all the major players together. So far this week Hershey has lost Jason Bacashihua, Kyle Wilson, Alexandre Giroux, and Greg Amadio.
Obviously everyone sees that list and first notices Giroux's name as the biggest loss. When you score 139 goals in 181 games spread over 2 seasons you will be sorely missed.
But I think the player we will miss most on that list is Kyle Wilson. He wasn't the offensive stud that Giroux was obviously, with 'only' 122 goals over his 4 seasons in Hershey. But did you know that he played in almost every game Hershey played over the past 3 seasons? He missed 3 games this past season due to recall to Washington (where he played 2) over the last 3+ seasons.
He joined Hershey early in 06-07 and played in every game after that. Impressive considering the physical nature of the sport. Some guys (including the goalies now in Washington) struggle to get through 10 games at a time while Wilson played through everything.
He was a constant in Hershey. You knew he was going to be there and you knew he was going to play. Unfortunately he got caught in a numbers game with Washington. As a center he finds himself behind Aucoin, Perreault, Johansson, and maybe even guys like Eakin and Gustaffson on the Caps organizational depth chart.
How, I will never know but he has. Now he gets his chance in Columbus and I for one will be rooting hard to see him get his shot at a full time NHL job.
But back to why this hurts Hershey more than Giroux.
With the Caps not signing a 2nd line center (as of yet) it looks like Perreault could get his shot in the NHL next season. And with other players not resigned or getting picked up Washington could have a spot or two on its fourth line or for players to step in...which could mean Beagle would get an NHL spot too.
That would leave the Bears thin at center with Keith Aucoin and ........ who knows. Trevor Bruess is a center, but he couldn't crack the lineup in the playoffs. Jake Hauswirth is listed as a center but is he ready after one season in the ECHL? Anton Gustaffson will likely get a shot but again he couldn't crack the lineup.
Who is left? Obviously Hershey will be adding some players through free agency but can they compare to what they are going to be losing.
Oh and for those of you waiting for me to list Cody Eakin...he can't play in Hershey next year until his junior season ends. He is only 19 and in order to be eligible for the AHL he must be 20. So...not until 2011-12!
Now don't get me wrong...left wing is an issue too. With Giroux gone and Bourque not likely returning Hershey is very weak on the left side. But they could resign Michael Dubuc and give him a shot on the left side. He is a top talent goal scorer but his defensive end play is weak. But if he plays on the top line with Gordon and Aucoin he could score 30 goals and not have to play too much in his own end.
Any way you look at it Hershey's roster is going to be drastically different this season. So far 4 players have signed elsewhere and there are plenty of free agents left.
Do you all remember the 07-08 season? We all mentioned how 'young' it was all year with players like Wilson, Gordon and Joudrey playing lots of minutes.
The 10-11 Bears will look very similar to them. Guys like Hauswirth, Bruess and Gustaffson will get every chance to play. Add to that Dmitri Kugryshev and Stefan Della Rovere. And pay close attention to the developmental camp being held from July 12-17 in Washington. It would not be surprising to see a few of those players get signed to deals and play some in Hershey this season.
It is going to be a 'rebuilding' year in Hershey. They aren't going to be as deep as last year but you know what might make all the difference...
While the 07-08 veteran/star was Joe Motzko the 10-11 player that will fill that role...Keith Aucoin.
Not a bad presence to have on the top line.
***And good luck to Alexandre Giroux as well. He has played so well in Hershey leading the Bears to two straight Calder Cups it sucks to see him leave.
G, we are all pulling for you to make the Edmonton Oilers roster and get the chance to show the NHL what you can do!***
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Bears welcome Graham Mink and the Amerks
Last year Graham Mink played a critical role in helping the Bears to their 10th Calder Cup trophy. He scored 32 goals during the season and another 7 in the playoffs. He skated on the top line with Giroux and Aucoin and played his role perfectly. And then in the offseason he left the organization with the hopes of playing in the NHL.
Unfortunately that has yet to happen and he has spent the entire season with Rochester in the North division. But that hasn't been the worst as he is again playing for a division leading team and is the leading goal scorer for the team as well.
It is always good to see former Bears get a shot in the NHL. Dean Arsene got his shot earlier this year with Edmonton and hopefully Minker will get his shot this season with Florida. I think everyone in Hershey will give Mink a warm welcome tonight and we are all rooting for him to get to the top level.
But we still want to see the Bears win and for that to happen they need to show up. Rochester is a good team. Like I mentioned above they are leading the North division by 3 points and have a +22 goal differential. Rookie goaltender Alexander Salak is playing great this season with a 2.03 goals against average and a 15-2 record in 18 games. He is 4th in the league in save percentage with a .933 and is the league leader in wins with those 15.
Like the Bears this team is offensively balanced. 21 players have scored a goal this season and 14 of them have scored 3 or more with Mink's 10 goals leading the way. There doesn't appear to be a go to tandem that controls the offensive strings but they seem to get it done. They don't have a top line like Hershey's where they can just count on them to produce with regularity. No one on the team is producing at a point per game or better while Hershey has 4 such players.
But that doesn't make them any less dangerous. The Bears need to know how to beat this team though as their next 3 games are against them. Tonight and then next Friday in Rochester and next Saturday back in Hershey.
This is a great chance to make an impression against a good Western Conference team. Although of late the Amerks are struggling a bit having lost 2 of their last 3 road games and 3 of their last 4 overall.
Something has to give in these games tough...Rochester possesses the leagues #1 power play while Hershey boasts the leagues #1 penalty kill....which unit is truly the best? We start the discovery tonight.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 17-8-0-2 36 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-0 Loss @ Albany, 12/11
last 5 games ~ 3-2-0-0
home record ~ 8-3-0-2
goals for ~ 97
goals against ~62
power play ~ 16.3% (12th)
penalty kill ~ 93.0% (1st)
Rochester Americans
record ~ 19-6-1-0 39 points
standings ~ 1st in North Division
most recent game ~ 2-1 Loss vs Abbotsford, 12/11
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
home record ~ 9-5-0-0
goals for ~ 86
goals against ~ 64
power play ~ 22.7% (1st)
penalty kill ~ 86.0% (9th)
last time teams met - First of 4 meetings this season.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
LW Chris Bourque (17)- After spending the first couple months of the season in Pittsburgh with the Penguins he returned to Hershey last Saturday night and scored 3 goals and 2 assists in his two games last weekend.
LW Alexander Giroux (12) - No one played that well last night but Giroux had his chances but he couldn't get shots off. He needs to do better tonight.
G Braden Holtby (1) - Gets his 5th start of the season in Hershey and his first since November 21 as Michal Neuvirth is in Washington. Solid numbers to this point...1.23 goals against and a .953 save percentage...I would say those are pretty good numbers.
Amerks:
RW Graham Mink (21) - Leads the team with 10 goals and is tied for second with 20 points. He has 3 goals and an assist so far in 5 December games.
C Chris Taylor (12) - Leads the team in assists (16) and points (22) he hasn't produced in 2 straight games but does have a goal and 5 assists in the 4 games prior to that.
RW Michael Repik (26) - Tied for second on the team in goals with 9 and has 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 6 games.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Unfortunately that has yet to happen and he has spent the entire season with Rochester in the North division. But that hasn't been the worst as he is again playing for a division leading team and is the leading goal scorer for the team as well.
It is always good to see former Bears get a shot in the NHL. Dean Arsene got his shot earlier this year with Edmonton and hopefully Minker will get his shot this season with Florida. I think everyone in Hershey will give Mink a warm welcome tonight and we are all rooting for him to get to the top level.
But we still want to see the Bears win and for that to happen they need to show up. Rochester is a good team. Like I mentioned above they are leading the North division by 3 points and have a +22 goal differential. Rookie goaltender Alexander Salak is playing great this season with a 2.03 goals against average and a 15-2 record in 18 games. He is 4th in the league in save percentage with a .933 and is the league leader in wins with those 15.
Like the Bears this team is offensively balanced. 21 players have scored a goal this season and 14 of them have scored 3 or more with Mink's 10 goals leading the way. There doesn't appear to be a go to tandem that controls the offensive strings but they seem to get it done. They don't have a top line like Hershey's where they can just count on them to produce with regularity. No one on the team is producing at a point per game or better while Hershey has 4 such players.
But that doesn't make them any less dangerous. The Bears need to know how to beat this team though as their next 3 games are against them. Tonight and then next Friday in Rochester and next Saturday back in Hershey.
This is a great chance to make an impression against a good Western Conference team. Although of late the Amerks are struggling a bit having lost 2 of their last 3 road games and 3 of their last 4 overall.
Something has to give in these games tough...Rochester possesses the leagues #1 power play while Hershey boasts the leagues #1 penalty kill....which unit is truly the best? We start the discovery tonight.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 17-8-0-2 36 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-0 Loss @ Albany, 12/11
last 5 games ~ 3-2-0-0
home record ~ 8-3-0-2
goals for ~ 97
goals against ~62
power play ~ 16.3% (12th)
penalty kill ~ 93.0% (1st)
Rochester Americans
record ~ 19-6-1-0 39 points
standings ~ 1st in North Division
most recent game ~ 2-1 Loss vs Abbotsford, 12/11
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
home record ~ 9-5-0-0
goals for ~ 86
goals against ~ 64
power play ~ 22.7% (1st)
penalty kill ~ 86.0% (9th)
last time teams met - First of 4 meetings this season.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
LW Chris Bourque (17)- After spending the first couple months of the season in Pittsburgh with the Penguins he returned to Hershey last Saturday night and scored 3 goals and 2 assists in his two games last weekend.
LW Alexander Giroux (12) - No one played that well last night but Giroux had his chances but he couldn't get shots off. He needs to do better tonight.
G Braden Holtby (1) - Gets his 5th start of the season in Hershey and his first since November 21 as Michal Neuvirth is in Washington. Solid numbers to this point...1.23 goals against and a .953 save percentage...I would say those are pretty good numbers.
Amerks:
RW Graham Mink (21) - Leads the team with 10 goals and is tied for second with 20 points. He has 3 goals and an assist so far in 5 December games.
C Chris Taylor (12) - Leads the team in assists (16) and points (22) he hasn't produced in 2 straight games but does have a goal and 5 assists in the 4 games prior to that.
RW Michael Repik (26) - Tied for second on the team in goals with 9 and has 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 6 games.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Bears on a roll
The last time I wrote here (sorry about the lack of posts) I asked if the Bears were going to answer after their deflating performance against Portland.
They did.
Following that game in Portland they traveled to Manchester (1st in Atlantic) and dominated them. Then they went to Providence and dominated there.
Not bad. Dominated teams from the Atlantic division that they will see only 2 times a year. But how would they do against a team they play against 8+ times a season.
Well they got the chance to prove themselves again this past weekend in Hershey. And they passed that test as well.
Norfolk (4th in East) came to town Friday night and jumped out to a 1 goal lead just over a minute into the game. But Hershey answered and continued answering on their way to a 5-3 win.
Then Wilkes-Barre came to town Saturday (currently in 2nd in division) hoping to end the Bears run. They couldn't. I didn't get to see it but it sounds like it was a somewhat fluky win but a wins a win and the Bears are up 6 points in the division.
6 points is nice but lets face it...its early. There are lots of games to play and injuries to come. Mathieu Perreault remains on recall to Washington and very well could remain there for much of the season. Although Keith Aucoin could return to Washington as well for a time. Who knows.
Either way...the Bears have played a quarter of their road games and are 7-3 with 39 goals scored. They have scored (almost) an entire goal more per road game than home game this season. (5-2 with 21 goals for at home)
Two more things before I am done....
1. Michal Neuvirth has played extremely well the past 2 weekends. He has played in all 4 games since the Portland loss and has obviously won all 4. In those games...he has a .946 save percentage and about a 1.50 goals against average. And since the start of November he is 5-0 with a .942 save percentage and a 1.60 goals against average. Nice!
2. Dean Arsene was called up to Edmonton for the game yesterday in Atlanta. Unfortunately for Deano he was a healthy scratch and did not make his pro debut but hopefully he will get his chance soon enough. Congrats Deano on getting the call up...we are all pulling for you to get a game with the Oilers soon!!
They did.
Following that game in Portland they traveled to Manchester (1st in Atlantic) and dominated them. Then they went to Providence and dominated there.
Not bad. Dominated teams from the Atlantic division that they will see only 2 times a year. But how would they do against a team they play against 8+ times a season.
Well they got the chance to prove themselves again this past weekend in Hershey. And they passed that test as well.
Norfolk (4th in East) came to town Friday night and jumped out to a 1 goal lead just over a minute into the game. But Hershey answered and continued answering on their way to a 5-3 win.
Then Wilkes-Barre came to town Saturday (currently in 2nd in division) hoping to end the Bears run. They couldn't. I didn't get to see it but it sounds like it was a somewhat fluky win but a wins a win and the Bears are up 6 points in the division.
6 points is nice but lets face it...its early. There are lots of games to play and injuries to come. Mathieu Perreault remains on recall to Washington and very well could remain there for much of the season. Although Keith Aucoin could return to Washington as well for a time. Who knows.
Either way...the Bears have played a quarter of their road games and are 7-3 with 39 goals scored. They have scored (almost) an entire goal more per road game than home game this season. (5-2 with 21 goals for at home)
Two more things before I am done....
1. Michal Neuvirth has played extremely well the past 2 weekends. He has played in all 4 games since the Portland loss and has obviously won all 4. In those games...he has a .946 save percentage and about a 1.50 goals against average. And since the start of November he is 5-0 with a .942 save percentage and a 1.60 goals against average. Nice!
2. Dean Arsene was called up to Edmonton for the game yesterday in Atlanta. Unfortunately for Deano he was a healthy scratch and did not make his pro debut but hopefully he will get his chance soon enough. Congrats Deano on getting the call up...we are all pulling for you to get a game with the Oilers soon!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
2 Signings for Hershey, 1 out of Hershey
The Hershey Bears today announced the signings of Darren Reid and Tommy Maxwell for the upcoming season.
Darren Reid comes to Hershey after playing the last 2 seasons with the Philadelphia Phantoms where he totaled 24 goals and 27 assists in 84 games the past 2 seasons. He also totaled 3 points in 9 playoff games last season for Philly.
Tommy Maxwell was with Hershey last season but only played in 9 games due to an injury. But in those 9 games he totaled 44 penalty minutes. And he added 28 penalty minutes in 9 games with South Carolina, giving him 72 penalty minutes in 18 games last season. He is healthy and is expected to help fill the enforcer role for Hershey this season.
I think both signings are good. Darren shows some scoring potential but hasn't managed to get on the ice for a full season as of yet. In 06-07 he totaled 16 goals and 14 assists in 43 games, which is his best season as a pro. He does bring with him 21 games of NHL experience though. He has been around the league for a few seasons now but still isn't a veteran due to his short seasons.
Maxwell is going to combine with a few other guys to replace Louis Robitaille as the main enforcer on the team. I like having a forward enforcer so that if he gets tossed it doesn't hurt the team as much as a defenseman getting tossed would. Grant McNeill is the other main enforcer and if he gets tossed out of a game then they have to skate with 5 defensemen. So this is a really good signing for the Bears.
And as I mentioned Louis Robitaille will not play for the Bears this season. He has signed with Cortina, a team in Italy according to their website hockeycortina.org. Louis was a very good player for Hershey the past couple seasons and played his role perfectly. There are a lot of people on the Bears forum on PennLive that don't seem to like Louis but I am not one of them. I think he served his purpose for the team and set the tone in many games. He may have taken some dumb penalties or avoided some fights but he still played his role well, coaxing other players into the penalty box with him. And he even managed to score a few goals last season.
Good Luck Louis! Hope to at least see you back in the Hershey community in the future!
Darren Reid comes to Hershey after playing the last 2 seasons with the Philadelphia Phantoms where he totaled 24 goals and 27 assists in 84 games the past 2 seasons. He also totaled 3 points in 9 playoff games last season for Philly.
Tommy Maxwell was with Hershey last season but only played in 9 games due to an injury. But in those 9 games he totaled 44 penalty minutes. And he added 28 penalty minutes in 9 games with South Carolina, giving him 72 penalty minutes in 18 games last season. He is healthy and is expected to help fill the enforcer role for Hershey this season.
I think both signings are good. Darren shows some scoring potential but hasn't managed to get on the ice for a full season as of yet. In 06-07 he totaled 16 goals and 14 assists in 43 games, which is his best season as a pro. He does bring with him 21 games of NHL experience though. He has been around the league for a few seasons now but still isn't a veteran due to his short seasons.
Maxwell is going to combine with a few other guys to replace Louis Robitaille as the main enforcer on the team. I like having a forward enforcer so that if he gets tossed it doesn't hurt the team as much as a defenseman getting tossed would. Grant McNeill is the other main enforcer and if he gets tossed out of a game then they have to skate with 5 defensemen. So this is a really good signing for the Bears.
And as I mentioned Louis Robitaille will not play for the Bears this season. He has signed with Cortina, a team in Italy according to their website hockeycortina.org. Louis was a very good player for Hershey the past couple seasons and played his role perfectly. There are a lot of people on the Bears forum on PennLive that don't seem to like Louis but I am not one of them. I think he served his purpose for the team and set the tone in many games. He may have taken some dumb penalties or avoided some fights but he still played his role well, coaxing other players into the penalty box with him. And he even managed to score a few goals last season.
Good Luck Louis! Hope to at least see you back in the Hershey community in the future!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sami gets game winner
Here is an update on some Bears and some former Bears in the world championships.
http://dumpnchase.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/sami-does-in-uncle-sam/
I will post whenever there is something to post about, which may be few and far between until July. I will try to find something every week though.
http://dumpnchase.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/sami-does-in-uncle-sam/
I will post whenever there is something to post about, which may be few and far between until July. I will try to find something every week though.
Monday, April 14, 2008
A W to End the Season
It took some work but the Bears managed to win their final game of the regular season last night. Despite being outshot 43 to 23 including 16-2 in the 2nd period the Bears won in overtime 6-5. Neither team seemed to thrilled to be there. The play was sloppy from the start for Bingo and in the 2nd and 3rd for Hershey. The Bears came out strong and finished weak but got the win.
Those 2 shots in the second period were goals by Louis Robitaille and Ryan Flinn. Other goal scorers for the Bears were Kyle Wilson (30th of the year), Alexandre Giroux (33rd), Andrew Joudrey scored the game winner (11), and Francois Bouchard scored his first career AHL goal in the first period.
Freddie Cassivi got the win in goal last night. At times he was brilliant and at others he was soft. On a couple of the goals it looked like Freddie was just practicing out there.
Next up for the Bears is the playoffs. Wednesday in Hershey they face the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Coach Woods has not named a starting goalie for game 1 yet. Best guess would say Freddie though. He has given him the bulk of the work down the stretch. Almost every weekend Freddie got 2 starts and Cheese got 1.
Just one prospect note. The other week Mathieu Perrault was signed by the Caps to a entry level contract. His season ended last night as his team lost in game 6 of the quarter-finals in the QMJHL playoffs. Expect to see him in Hershey soon to be part of the Black Aces practice squad and possibly even see some time depending on injuries.
Those 2 shots in the second period were goals by Louis Robitaille and Ryan Flinn. Other goal scorers for the Bears were Kyle Wilson (30th of the year), Alexandre Giroux (33rd), Andrew Joudrey scored the game winner (11), and Francois Bouchard scored his first career AHL goal in the first period.
Freddie Cassivi got the win in goal last night. At times he was brilliant and at others he was soft. On a couple of the goals it looked like Freddie was just practicing out there.
Next up for the Bears is the playoffs. Wednesday in Hershey they face the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Coach Woods has not named a starting goalie for game 1 yet. Best guess would say Freddie though. He has given him the bulk of the work down the stretch. Almost every weekend Freddie got 2 starts and Cheese got 1.
Just one prospect note. The other week Mathieu Perrault was signed by the Caps to a entry level contract. His season ended last night as his team lost in game 6 of the quarter-finals in the QMJHL playoffs. Expect to see him in Hershey soon to be part of the Black Aces practice squad and possibly even see some time depending on injuries.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Bears win in Philly!!
The Bears pulled out a 4-2 win in Philly last night on the shoulders of Chris Bourque and Freddie Cassivi. The game didn't start so well for Hershey when a shot deflected in off the body of a Phantom player and got by Freddie.
Chris Bourque scored his 27th of the season about 3 minutes later to tie the game at 1-1 after one period. The only goal in the second was scored by Phantoms forward Ryan Potulny. Going into the third the Bears were down 2-1 and had not looked good most of the game. The Bears only had 5 shots on goal in the second period and listening on the radio they sounded like they were having trouble keeping anything in the zone.
And then a 5-3 power play changed the momentum in the Bears favor early in the third period. Bourque scored his 2nd of the game and 28th of the year on that power play attempt 3 minutes into the period. Kyle Wilson scored his 29th of the year about 3 minutes later to give the Bears a lead they would not lose. Alexandre added his 32nd on an empty netter to seal the deal.
Freddie had a solid game making 31 saves including one on a Kyle Greentree breakaway.
Andrew Joudrey returned to the lineup after missing about 2 weeks of action. Sami Lepisto and Tyler Sloan returned from Washington in time to play. But Sami left in the first with a groin injury and is listed as day to day. No word on if he will play tonight or not.
Bourque is on a serious roll right now. In his last 6 games he has scored 8 goals and assisted on 6 others. Wilson is also hot right now. In the same 6 games he has 4 goals and 5 assists. Andrew Gordon is the other player on that line and he has been playing sharp as well with 4 points in those games.
With the win the Bears eliminated the Binghamton Senators from playoff contention. Bridgeport however remains in contention as they picked up a win over Lowell last night. But all the Bears need is one point and they are in the playoffs. One point in 2 games, Lets Get It!!
It was a good day for the Caps/Bears organizations as both teams beat their Philadelphia rivals as the Caps won game 1 5-4. Mike Green had 2 goals and David Steckel scored 1 for the Caps.
Chris Bourque scored his 27th of the season about 3 minutes later to tie the game at 1-1 after one period. The only goal in the second was scored by Phantoms forward Ryan Potulny. Going into the third the Bears were down 2-1 and had not looked good most of the game. The Bears only had 5 shots on goal in the second period and listening on the radio they sounded like they were having trouble keeping anything in the zone.
And then a 5-3 power play changed the momentum in the Bears favor early in the third period. Bourque scored his 2nd of the game and 28th of the year on that power play attempt 3 minutes into the period. Kyle Wilson scored his 29th of the year about 3 minutes later to give the Bears a lead they would not lose. Alexandre added his 32nd on an empty netter to seal the deal.
Freddie had a solid game making 31 saves including one on a Kyle Greentree breakaway.
Andrew Joudrey returned to the lineup after missing about 2 weeks of action. Sami Lepisto and Tyler Sloan returned from Washington in time to play. But Sami left in the first with a groin injury and is listed as day to day. No word on if he will play tonight or not.
Bourque is on a serious roll right now. In his last 6 games he has scored 8 goals and assisted on 6 others. Wilson is also hot right now. In the same 6 games he has 4 goals and 5 assists. Andrew Gordon is the other player on that line and he has been playing sharp as well with 4 points in those games.
With the win the Bears eliminated the Binghamton Senators from playoff contention. Bridgeport however remains in contention as they picked up a win over Lowell last night. But all the Bears need is one point and they are in the playoffs. One point in 2 games, Lets Get It!!
It was a good day for the Caps/Bears organizations as both teams beat their Philadelphia rivals as the Caps won game 1 5-4. Mike Green had 2 goals and David Steckel scored 1 for the Caps.
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