And so it continues. Another stellar performance by Philip Grubauer. Another goal by Stan Galiev, yet an overall lack of team offense. Despite being evenly matched against the Crunch last night, 3 goals in the last 5 minutes of the game were Hershey's undoing. Oh yeah, and Syracuse only had 4 total shots in the third period. So far this season, the Bears are 0-3 against Syracuse and have been outscored 13-3.
Stan Galiev now has 8 goals on the season and is second on the team behind Kris Newbury's 10. It seems like Galiev is becoming Hershey's version of Ovechkin. Just as long as he keeps putting up goals like he's has. On the power play setup, Troy Mann has plugged Galiev into the "Ovi spot".
And it payed off with the Bears only goal last night. Galiev's one-timer from right above the left face-off dot powered its way past the Syracuse goaltender's glove to make it 1-0 Bears.Philip Grubauer was again superb in net once more facing at least 30 shots in a game. Even though he gave up 3 goals and an empty netter, Grubauer was especially sharp in the 2nd and 3rd periods when the Crunch held extended offensive pressure in the Bears' zone.
The second period saw Grubauer fight off 14 shots by the Crunch including a late period 2-on-1 in which the rebound just rolled past the left post to keep it tied 1-1.
The effort of the night came from Liam O'Brien who fought Dalton Smith early in the 3rd period. Both are pretty evenly matched in size and weight. While O'Brien got in some really good shots, he took a couple big hits from Smith and was bloodied up quite a bit. About half way through you could tell O'Brien was dazed from a few punches from Smith, but O'Brien battled and threw some good ones of his own.
Showing posts with label Syracuse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Syracuse. Show all posts
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Monday, March 4, 2013
3 games. 6 points.
The Bears played a 3 in 3 this weekend and managed to come away with 3 wins, 6 points, and the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference.
Most of this season has seen a Bears show up like gangbusters one night only to come out flat the next game. The Jekyll and Hyde approach.
That same approach was in play this weekend as well. But instead of taking the time between games to transform, the Bears made the transformation in game.
Against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday night the Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. They dominated the first 10 minutes and it ended up winning them the game.
However, from reading some accounts of the game (I wasn't there) it sounds like the Bears returned to hibernation for the remaining 50 minutes of play. They transformed from dominant to non-existent mid-period:
First 10 minutes...7 shots for, 3 goals scored, 2 shots against, 0 goals against.
Remaining 50 minutes...8 shots for, 0 goals scored, 32 shots against, 2 goals against.
Winning is winning though and the Bears returned from Northeast PA with 2 points in their pocket.
Saturday night the Bears hosted Norfolk at the Giant Center. Again, I wasn't there, but from some first-hand accounts it didn't sound like Hershey looked "impressive" against the Admirals.
The Admirals took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Coming into the weekend the Bears had gone 0-11-0-2 when trailing after 1, and the two shootout loses came recently.
Hershey managed to tie it up in the 2nd before Norfolk scored early in the 3rd to take a 2-1 lead. Things seemed bleak until Ryan Stoa scored his 11th of the season with about 2:30 to go and the Bears seemed destined for another overtime game.
Then Ryan Potulny scored his 12th of the season, and 4th in as many games, with less than a minute to go to give the Bears a 3-2 win on home ice.
Based on the scoresheet it didn't seem like the Bears were outplayed as bad as the night before, but according to people at the game, it wasn't a great performance either.
But...winning is winning and the Bears sent Norfolk packing and collected 2 more points on the weekend.
By the way...this weekend was the FIRST TIME ALL SEASON that Hershey had won Friday and Saturday night of the same weekend.
Sunday. The East leading Syracuse Crunch (tied with Springfield as of this morning) came to Giant Center. The Crunch entered the game having lost 2 straight after winning 8 in a row. Still dangerous.
Hershey started out well enough, scoring the first goal just before the 7 minute mark of the first period. But things went downhill from there as Syracuse scored twice, including with under 30 seconds to go in the period, to take a 2-1 lead into intermission.
Now, I know the Bears won the night before after trailing after 1 period, but they were still only 1-11-0-2 in that position. A 2-1 deficit against one of the best teams in the league is tough.
And the Bears surely didn't make things any easier in the 2nd period. Less than 2 minutes in the score became 3-1 and starting goalie Dany Sabourin was on his way to the showers.
The rest of the period was definitive Jekyll and Hyde. Hershey managed 4 shots in the frame and were thoroughly dominated for much of the period. I was in attendance and there were more than a few 'boos' coming from the stands.
Fortunately for the Bears, Syracuse goalie Cedrick Desjardins wasn't the sharpest as Jeff Taffe scored on 2 of the Bears 4 shots to make the game 3-3 entering the 2nd intermission.
During the third period, the Bears transformation was complete and they outplayed the Crunch for the full 20 minutes. Casey Wellman and Cameron Schilling scored the goals and the Bears left Giant Center last night in 6th place in the conference and finishing their first 3-in-3 sweep of the season.
The question we all want to know is, which team is the real team and which team will be showing up going forward? There is the team that played the last 50 minutes in Wilkes-Barre, most of Saturday, and the 2nd period last night. That team was thoroughly dominated and has made numerous appearances all season.
Then there is the team that played the first 10 minutes against the Pens, the final few minutes against Norfolk, and the 3rd period last night. I am convinced that this version of the Bears could and should be fairly competitive come late spring. But they only show up for short bursts it seems.
The good news is that the 'good' Bears are making more appearances of late. They have won plenty of close games and, despite not always playing great, have forced overtimes and gotten points in games they didn't deserve. That, to me, is a sign of a team that doesn't give up and wants to win.
However, if the 'bad' Bears show up too often this spring one of two things will end up happening...either they will miss the playoffs completely or it will be a 3rd straight year of an early playoff exit.
3/4 of the season is over now. 19 games remain for the Bears and it is still unknown what kind of team this is.
Lots of winnable games remain on the schedule. 10 of the last 19 games are against teams currently not in the playoffs. (Interesting note...the Bears will play 12 of the other 14 Eastern Conference teams over their last 19. Only missing Springfield and St. John's.) Unfortunately, only 6 of the remaining 19 games are on home ice and road trips all over New England are on tap for March and April.
A run for the division crown isn't necessarily out of the realm of possibility but it is a (very) long-shot.
Most of this season has seen a Bears show up like gangbusters one night only to come out flat the next game. The Jekyll and Hyde approach.
That same approach was in play this weekend as well. But instead of taking the time between games to transform, the Bears made the transformation in game.
Against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday night the Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes. They dominated the first 10 minutes and it ended up winning them the game.
However, from reading some accounts of the game (I wasn't there) it sounds like the Bears returned to hibernation for the remaining 50 minutes of play. They transformed from dominant to non-existent mid-period:
First 10 minutes...7 shots for, 3 goals scored, 2 shots against, 0 goals against.
Remaining 50 minutes...8 shots for, 0 goals scored, 32 shots against, 2 goals against.
Winning is winning though and the Bears returned from Northeast PA with 2 points in their pocket.
Saturday night the Bears hosted Norfolk at the Giant Center. Again, I wasn't there, but from some first-hand accounts it didn't sound like Hershey looked "impressive" against the Admirals.
The Admirals took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Coming into the weekend the Bears had gone 0-11-0-2 when trailing after 1, and the two shootout loses came recently.
Hershey managed to tie it up in the 2nd before Norfolk scored early in the 3rd to take a 2-1 lead. Things seemed bleak until Ryan Stoa scored his 11th of the season with about 2:30 to go and the Bears seemed destined for another overtime game.
Then Ryan Potulny scored his 12th of the season, and 4th in as many games, with less than a minute to go to give the Bears a 3-2 win on home ice.
Based on the scoresheet it didn't seem like the Bears were outplayed as bad as the night before, but according to people at the game, it wasn't a great performance either.
But...winning is winning and the Bears sent Norfolk packing and collected 2 more points on the weekend.
By the way...this weekend was the FIRST TIME ALL SEASON that Hershey had won Friday and Saturday night of the same weekend.
Sunday. The East leading Syracuse Crunch (tied with Springfield as of this morning) came to Giant Center. The Crunch entered the game having lost 2 straight after winning 8 in a row. Still dangerous.
Hershey started out well enough, scoring the first goal just before the 7 minute mark of the first period. But things went downhill from there as Syracuse scored twice, including with under 30 seconds to go in the period, to take a 2-1 lead into intermission.
Now, I know the Bears won the night before after trailing after 1 period, but they were still only 1-11-0-2 in that position. A 2-1 deficit against one of the best teams in the league is tough.
And the Bears surely didn't make things any easier in the 2nd period. Less than 2 minutes in the score became 3-1 and starting goalie Dany Sabourin was on his way to the showers.
The rest of the period was definitive Jekyll and Hyde. Hershey managed 4 shots in the frame and were thoroughly dominated for much of the period. I was in attendance and there were more than a few 'boos' coming from the stands.
Fortunately for the Bears, Syracuse goalie Cedrick Desjardins wasn't the sharpest as Jeff Taffe scored on 2 of the Bears 4 shots to make the game 3-3 entering the 2nd intermission.
During the third period, the Bears transformation was complete and they outplayed the Crunch for the full 20 minutes. Casey Wellman and Cameron Schilling scored the goals and the Bears left Giant Center last night in 6th place in the conference and finishing their first 3-in-3 sweep of the season.
The question we all want to know is, which team is the real team and which team will be showing up going forward? There is the team that played the last 50 minutes in Wilkes-Barre, most of Saturday, and the 2nd period last night. That team was thoroughly dominated and has made numerous appearances all season.
Then there is the team that played the first 10 minutes against the Pens, the final few minutes against Norfolk, and the 3rd period last night. I am convinced that this version of the Bears could and should be fairly competitive come late spring. But they only show up for short bursts it seems.
The good news is that the 'good' Bears are making more appearances of late. They have won plenty of close games and, despite not always playing great, have forced overtimes and gotten points in games they didn't deserve. That, to me, is a sign of a team that doesn't give up and wants to win.
However, if the 'bad' Bears show up too often this spring one of two things will end up happening...either they will miss the playoffs completely or it will be a 3rd straight year of an early playoff exit.
3/4 of the season is over now. 19 games remain for the Bears and it is still unknown what kind of team this is.
Lots of winnable games remain on the schedule. 10 of the last 19 games are against teams currently not in the playoffs. (Interesting note...the Bears will play 12 of the other 14 Eastern Conference teams over their last 19. Only missing Springfield and St. John's.) Unfortunately, only 6 of the remaining 19 games are on home ice and road trips all over New England are on tap for March and April.
A run for the division crown isn't necessarily out of the realm of possibility but it is a (very) long-shot.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Bears looking to get back on track
Thankfully last weekend is over and behind us. It was not a complete loss, but it sure wasn't good either.
It was a weekend full of different emotions for the Bears and their fans. On Friday night everyone was shocked (and a little sad or angry too) as the Bears gave up a 3-0 lead in the 3rd period in Wilkes-Barre. Saturday was filled with frustration (and definite anger) as the Bears didn't appear ready to play against the visiting Whale. And then on Sunday everyone was happy (and somewhat relieved) as the Bears finally beat the rival Penguins on Giant Center ice.
Last weekend is just a memory now and the Bears get set for their 2nd of 3 straight three in three weekends. With the playoffs about 2 months away this is the time that championship teams start to figure things out and come together.
This team still has immense questions about it heading into the final third of the season. After 47 games the Bears find themselves in pretty good shape. They have a 26-14-4-3 record and are currently the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference for the fast approaching playoffs.
But things don't feel right. We all see the talent on this team and I am sure most of us feel that they should be performing better.
Sure, roster attrition has been a factor, but all teams deal with that. Worcester, who comes to town on Saturday, is missing their top 2 goal scorers currently. Wilkes-Barre, Sunday's opponent, has dealt with incredible roster flux for the second year in a row.
To be honest the Bears have had a pretty steady season as far as roster moves goes. There were some injuries early and there have been a few call-ups throughout the year, but nothing that should have a tremendous impact on the team.
So what is the problem? I can't be sure. I have some theories that I will surely share with you over the next couple of months, but for now I will allow the team to prove me wrong.
29 games to go. The Bears, as a whole, need to figure out their weaknesses and work at fixing them. This weekend offers a good start.
The Bears play 3 this weekend and the opponents span 3 different parts of the standings.
Tonight the Bears play the Syracuse Crunch. Syracuse currently sits in 14th in the Eastern Conference. This game features a team from the bottom of the conference.
They are an offensive team (3.24 goals per game) that can't stop anyone (3.36 goals allowed per game).
Hershey is getting them at a decent time too. The Crunch have lost 4 straight and are only 1-6 in their last 7 games. In those 7 games they have managed to keep their opponents under 4 goals only 2 times.
So the weekend starts off with a team that Hershey SHOULD beat.
Saturday night sees the Worcester Sharks visit Giant Center for their first and only visit this season. The Sharks are currently the 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, so this game features a team from the middle of the conference.
Worcester has gone 2-5 in their last 7 games. And the majority have been close, low(er) scoring affairs. In those 7 games, 5 of them finished with a score of 3-2...4 of those were Shark losses. The other 2 games were 4-2 scores. To translate...in their last 7 games the Sharks have scored 3 or fewer goals 6 times while allowing 3 or few goals 6 times.
Nothing if not consistent.
The Sharks are 4-0-0-0 against the East Division so far in 2011-12. Before anyone gets worried...those games are against Binghamton (twice), Syracuse, and Wilkes-Barre. The 3 wins against Bingo and the Crunch are hardly something to get excited about as they are currently the two last place teams in the conference.
Worcester is a better defensively than they are at producing offense. They are 5th in the league in goals allowed per game but only rank 23rd in goals scored per game.
A good chunk of that can be attributed to their goalie Tyson Sexsmith. Currently he sits in 4th place in the AHL with a goals against average of 2.15. And he is 6th in save % at .925. Obviously a very solid goaltender.
While Worcester is a better team than Syracuse, this is still a game the Bears SHOULD win.
Sunday brings the Baby Pens back to Giant Center. This is the game that will truly indicate where our Bears are at this point in the season. Sure, they just beat them last weekend, but they also blew a 3-0 lead last Friday night to this team.
The Pens are playing well right now. They are 1st in the division (4 pts up on Hershey) and are currently 2nd in the conference. They are 9-3 in their last 12 games (although only 2-2 in their last 4) and have scored at least 3 goals in 14 straight games. 8 of those game saw 4 or more goals go in for the Pens.
Goaltender Brad Thiessen is also playing better of late. In his last 9 starts he has gone 7-2 with one loss coming in relief of Scott Monroe. He was a stud last season, carrying the Pens to the division title, and is regaining his form at the right time this year.
The Pens are a great road team too. In fact they are better at home than on the road this season. At home they are 10-9-2-2, but on the road they are 18-4-0-3. 4 regulation losses. 4. Not too shabby.
And one more thing to keep in mind. Sure the Bears power play is vaunted...1st in the league. And yes, the Pens PK is basically average (18th in the league overall...15th on the road). But the Baby Pens have scored a whopping 10 shorthanded goals on the road this year. Best in the league.
Why is that important...
The Bears have allowed 4 shorties on home ice...4th most in the league. Not a huge number, but something that should keep the Bears power play on their toes and maybe slightly less aggressive come Sunday evening.
Whereas Friday and Saturday see games that the Bears SHOULD win, Sunday sees a game that the Bears NEED to win. They need to show themselves, the Pens, and the rest of the league that they are able to beat their arch rival on a consistent basis when points are at a premium. They need to show that they can be the best team in the division.
It was a weekend full of different emotions for the Bears and their fans. On Friday night everyone was shocked (and a little sad or angry too) as the Bears gave up a 3-0 lead in the 3rd period in Wilkes-Barre. Saturday was filled with frustration (and definite anger) as the Bears didn't appear ready to play against the visiting Whale. And then on Sunday everyone was happy (and somewhat relieved) as the Bears finally beat the rival Penguins on Giant Center ice.
Last weekend is just a memory now and the Bears get set for their 2nd of 3 straight three in three weekends. With the playoffs about 2 months away this is the time that championship teams start to figure things out and come together.
This team still has immense questions about it heading into the final third of the season. After 47 games the Bears find themselves in pretty good shape. They have a 26-14-4-3 record and are currently the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference for the fast approaching playoffs.
But things don't feel right. We all see the talent on this team and I am sure most of us feel that they should be performing better.
Sure, roster attrition has been a factor, but all teams deal with that. Worcester, who comes to town on Saturday, is missing their top 2 goal scorers currently. Wilkes-Barre, Sunday's opponent, has dealt with incredible roster flux for the second year in a row.
To be honest the Bears have had a pretty steady season as far as roster moves goes. There were some injuries early and there have been a few call-ups throughout the year, but nothing that should have a tremendous impact on the team.
So what is the problem? I can't be sure. I have some theories that I will surely share with you over the next couple of months, but for now I will allow the team to prove me wrong.
29 games to go. The Bears, as a whole, need to figure out their weaknesses and work at fixing them. This weekend offers a good start.
The Bears play 3 this weekend and the opponents span 3 different parts of the standings.
Tonight the Bears play the Syracuse Crunch. Syracuse currently sits in 14th in the Eastern Conference. This game features a team from the bottom of the conference.
They are an offensive team (3.24 goals per game) that can't stop anyone (3.36 goals allowed per game).
Hershey is getting them at a decent time too. The Crunch have lost 4 straight and are only 1-6 in their last 7 games. In those 7 games they have managed to keep their opponents under 4 goals only 2 times.
So the weekend starts off with a team that Hershey SHOULD beat.
Saturday night sees the Worcester Sharks visit Giant Center for their first and only visit this season. The Sharks are currently the 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, so this game features a team from the middle of the conference.
Worcester has gone 2-5 in their last 7 games. And the majority have been close, low(er) scoring affairs. In those 7 games, 5 of them finished with a score of 3-2...4 of those were Shark losses. The other 2 games were 4-2 scores. To translate...in their last 7 games the Sharks have scored 3 or fewer goals 6 times while allowing 3 or few goals 6 times.
Nothing if not consistent.
The Sharks are 4-0-0-0 against the East Division so far in 2011-12. Before anyone gets worried...those games are against Binghamton (twice), Syracuse, and Wilkes-Barre. The 3 wins against Bingo and the Crunch are hardly something to get excited about as they are currently the two last place teams in the conference.
Worcester is a better defensively than they are at producing offense. They are 5th in the league in goals allowed per game but only rank 23rd in goals scored per game.
A good chunk of that can be attributed to their goalie Tyson Sexsmith. Currently he sits in 4th place in the AHL with a goals against average of 2.15. And he is 6th in save % at .925. Obviously a very solid goaltender.
While Worcester is a better team than Syracuse, this is still a game the Bears SHOULD win.
Sunday brings the Baby Pens back to Giant Center. This is the game that will truly indicate where our Bears are at this point in the season. Sure, they just beat them last weekend, but they also blew a 3-0 lead last Friday night to this team.
The Pens are playing well right now. They are 1st in the division (4 pts up on Hershey) and are currently 2nd in the conference. They are 9-3 in their last 12 games (although only 2-2 in their last 4) and have scored at least 3 goals in 14 straight games. 8 of those game saw 4 or more goals go in for the Pens.
Goaltender Brad Thiessen is also playing better of late. In his last 9 starts he has gone 7-2 with one loss coming in relief of Scott Monroe. He was a stud last season, carrying the Pens to the division title, and is regaining his form at the right time this year.
The Pens are a great road team too. In fact they are better at home than on the road this season. At home they are 10-9-2-2, but on the road they are 18-4-0-3. 4 regulation losses. 4. Not too shabby.
And one more thing to keep in mind. Sure the Bears power play is vaunted...1st in the league. And yes, the Pens PK is basically average (18th in the league overall...15th on the road). But the Baby Pens have scored a whopping 10 shorthanded goals on the road this year. Best in the league.
Why is that important...
The Bears have allowed 4 shorties on home ice...4th most in the league. Not a huge number, but something that should keep the Bears power play on their toes and maybe slightly less aggressive come Sunday evening.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Bears Enter Holiday Break on High Note
Entering last nights game the Bears were 2-0-0-1 against the Syracuse Crunch this season. They had outscored them a collective 13-4 in those 3 games.
Make that 3-0-0-1 and the score is now 18-6.
Kyle Greentree scored a goal in his first game back in the lineup and the Bears earned their 8th victory of December and officially took over the #1 spot in the East Division.
Now the Bears get a short holiday break as they won't practice until Monday and don't play again until Tuesday night in Wilkes-Barre.
For the first time since the middle of October the forward lineup looked like the one we all expected to see coming out of camp. Cody Eakin returned to the lineup on Sunday and Greentree returned from a broken wrist last night.
Due to that pesky veterans rule, Graham Mink was the healthy scratch last night. With that move the Bears ran with 3 lines that are probably best referred to as 1A, 1B, and 1C.
The lines last night were:
Greentree - Aucoin - Bourque
Micflikier - Potulny - Ford
Kane - Eakin - Hanson
Mitchell - Carroll - Rechlicz
(Thanks to the folks over at Sweetest Hockey on Earth for providing the lines)
Looks like a deep talented lineup.
Combined the top line has 26 goals and 69 assists on the season. And Greentree has played in 5 games.
Combined the 2nd line has 24 goals and 51 assists this season. And Potulny has only played in 16 games.
Combined the 3rd line has 17 goals and 19 assists this season. And Eakin has only played in 12 games.
That's 67 goals and 139 assists amongst Hershey's top 9 forwards.
Oh and that doesn't include Mink's 11 goals and 14 assists.
67 goals. By 9 guys. (If you add Mink you have 78 goals by 10 guys.)
The Hamilton Bulldogs have 60 in 28 games. The San Antonio Rampage have 66. Albany and Lake Erie have 70. Chicago and last seasons Calder Cup Champion Binghamton Senators have 72.
Yes, those numbers are for entire teams.
Overall the Bears have scored 111 goals. Good for 2nd place in the AHL behind only the Norfolk Admirals.
The offense is solid. One of the best in the league...no question about it.
The defense...not so solid. The Bears have allowed more goals (88) than 21 other teams in the AHL. 21. That means that there are only 8 teams that have given up more goals than Hershey so far this season. All but one of them has more regulation losses than wins.
The lone team with more goals allowed than Hershey AND a winning record...
The Eastern Conference leading St. John's Icecaps. They have allowed 89 and have scored 106.
Make that 3-0-0-1 and the score is now 18-6.
Kyle Greentree scored a goal in his first game back in the lineup and the Bears earned their 8th victory of December and officially took over the #1 spot in the East Division.
Now the Bears get a short holiday break as they won't practice until Monday and don't play again until Tuesday night in Wilkes-Barre.
For the first time since the middle of October the forward lineup looked like the one we all expected to see coming out of camp. Cody Eakin returned to the lineup on Sunday and Greentree returned from a broken wrist last night.
Due to that pesky veterans rule, Graham Mink was the healthy scratch last night. With that move the Bears ran with 3 lines that are probably best referred to as 1A, 1B, and 1C.
The lines last night were:
Greentree - Aucoin - Bourque
Micflikier - Potulny - Ford
Kane - Eakin - Hanson
Mitchell - Carroll - Rechlicz
(Thanks to the folks over at Sweetest Hockey on Earth for providing the lines)
Looks like a deep talented lineup.
Combined the top line has 26 goals and 69 assists on the season. And Greentree has played in 5 games.
Combined the 2nd line has 24 goals and 51 assists this season. And Potulny has only played in 16 games.
Combined the 3rd line has 17 goals and 19 assists this season. And Eakin has only played in 12 games.
That's 67 goals and 139 assists amongst Hershey's top 9 forwards.
Oh and that doesn't include Mink's 11 goals and 14 assists.
67 goals. By 9 guys. (If you add Mink you have 78 goals by 10 guys.)
The Hamilton Bulldogs have 60 in 28 games. The San Antonio Rampage have 66. Albany and Lake Erie have 70. Chicago and last seasons Calder Cup Champion Binghamton Senators have 72.
Yes, those numbers are for entire teams.
Overall the Bears have scored 111 goals. Good for 2nd place in the AHL behind only the Norfolk Admirals.
The offense is solid. One of the best in the league...no question about it.
The defense...not so solid. The Bears have allowed more goals (88) than 21 other teams in the AHL. 21. That means that there are only 8 teams that have given up more goals than Hershey so far this season. All but one of them has more regulation losses than wins.
The lone team with more goals allowed than Hershey AND a winning record...
The Eastern Conference leading St. John's Icecaps. They have allowed 89 and have scored 106.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Weekend Preview: Bears get 3 in 3
This weekend the Bears get 3 games in 3 nights for the first time since the last weekends of October. And they better get used to them as they have them the following 2 weekends as well.
Yesterday I talked about the goalie issues surrounding this team right now which are obviously making it hard for this team to win on a consistent basis.
Even with that being considered though the Bears are in decent shape. Remember...I said DECENT.
The Situation: Hershey currently sits in 8th position in the Eastern Conference...a playoff spot.
The Good News: They are only 4 points back from 1st in the division and only 5 points back from the top spot in the Conference.
The Bad News: They are only 7 points from being in dead last in the division/conference.
This weekend is a good chance to start moving up and stop the downward slide they have found themselves in since their first 3 in 3. They had managed 11 points in 7 games heading into their first 3 in 3 of the season. Since then they have lost 9 games and won 4, earning 12 of a possible 26 points.
Not good.
Tonight they visit Syracuse...a team below them in the standings. A team they destroyed 7-0 back in October and a team they took to a shootout just a couple weeks ago. This is a game the Bears SHOULD win.
Tomorrow night they welcome Portland...a team below them in the standings. A team that is playing very well right now. They have collected at least a point in 7 straight games and have won 6 of them. This is a game that teams with Calder Cup aspirations SHOULD win.
Sunday they visit Bridgeport (at 3 in the freaking afternoon)...a team directly ahead of them in the standings. A team that has only one twice in their last 6 games. A team that only has a 5-4-2-0 record on home ice. This is a game the Bears SHOULD get a point in. (seriously...traveling 4 hours after a 7:00 game for a 3:00 game on the back end of a 3 in 3...getting a point would be a win)
So at the end of the weekend the Bears should be sitting with at least 28 points and in a better position then they entered it.
We shall see.
If you are watching, listening, or attending the games this weekend here are some names to keep in mind. (oh and the Bridgeport game will be on TV if you get the channels...I do not).
For Hershey:
For the Connecticut game this past week Matt Ford took Boyd Kane's place on the top line and I was excited to see how it would work out going forward. Well, Kane is back on the top line and Ford is back to the second line.
Graham Mink was moved to the 3rd line in an attempt to balance out the scoring from the top two lines. I like the shuffling and the trying to get more offense but I think the wrong guys are being moved. But I will wait until after the weekend to pass too much judgement.
Keith Aucoin has 9 assists...9!...in his last 4 games. Nice.
Chris Bourque has a point in 8 straight games, collecting 5 goals and 9 assists in those contests.
The player I am most looking forward to seeing is Matt Pope. He was brought back on his pro tryout after Sjogren took his ball and went back to Sweden. Down in South Carolina he has 7 goals and 12 assists in 15 games...he should be able to produce something in Hershey if given the opportunity.
And of course there are the goalies, which I discussed yesterday. Dany Sabourin is expected to get the start tonight, Braden Holtby tomorrow, and then Sunday's starter is TBD but I would suspect Sabourin considering the travel scenario.
For Syracuse:
Kyle Palmeiri (12-6-18) and Patrick Maroon (8-11-19) are the leading scorers for the Crunch.
Nick Bonino has a 5 game point streak in which he has 3 goals and 4 assists.
Rookie Peter Holland has 2 goals and 4 assists in his last 3 games.
Jean-Francois Jacques has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 3 games.
For Portland:
Dean Arsene will make his triumphant return to Giant Center on Saturday night. This will be Deano's first game back in Hershey since departing after the 2008-09 season. It will be good to see him and I am sure the crowd will show their appreciation during introductions.
Andy Miele is the AHL's top rookie for November and team leading scorer with 7 goals and 13 assists on the season. In November he had 4g and 9a in only 10 games. 2 goals and 3 assists have come in his last 2 games.
Matt Watkins has 3 goals and 4 assists in his last 4 games.
For Bridgeport:
Tim Wallace is the team leader in points (9-9-18) and had all 9 of his goals during the month of November...including 5 goals in his last 5 games.
Rookie Scott Howes has only played in 4 games for the Sound Tigers but he has 3 goals and an assist in those games.
Enjoy the games...
Yesterday I talked about the goalie issues surrounding this team right now which are obviously making it hard for this team to win on a consistent basis.
Even with that being considered though the Bears are in decent shape. Remember...I said DECENT.
The Situation: Hershey currently sits in 8th position in the Eastern Conference...a playoff spot.
The Good News: They are only 4 points back from 1st in the division and only 5 points back from the top spot in the Conference.
The Bad News: They are only 7 points from being in dead last in the division/conference.
This weekend is a good chance to start moving up and stop the downward slide they have found themselves in since their first 3 in 3. They had managed 11 points in 7 games heading into their first 3 in 3 of the season. Since then they have lost 9 games and won 4, earning 12 of a possible 26 points.
Not good.
Tonight they visit Syracuse...a team below them in the standings. A team they destroyed 7-0 back in October and a team they took to a shootout just a couple weeks ago. This is a game the Bears SHOULD win.
Tomorrow night they welcome Portland...a team below them in the standings. A team that is playing very well right now. They have collected at least a point in 7 straight games and have won 6 of them. This is a game that teams with Calder Cup aspirations SHOULD win.
Sunday they visit Bridgeport (at 3 in the freaking afternoon)...a team directly ahead of them in the standings. A team that has only one twice in their last 6 games. A team that only has a 5-4-2-0 record on home ice. This is a game the Bears SHOULD get a point in. (seriously...traveling 4 hours after a 7:00 game for a 3:00 game on the back end of a 3 in 3...getting a point would be a win)
So at the end of the weekend the Bears should be sitting with at least 28 points and in a better position then they entered it.
We shall see.
If you are watching, listening, or attending the games this weekend here are some names to keep in mind. (oh and the Bridgeport game will be on TV if you get the channels...I do not).
For Hershey:
For the Connecticut game this past week Matt Ford took Boyd Kane's place on the top line and I was excited to see how it would work out going forward. Well, Kane is back on the top line and Ford is back to the second line.
Graham Mink was moved to the 3rd line in an attempt to balance out the scoring from the top two lines. I like the shuffling and the trying to get more offense but I think the wrong guys are being moved. But I will wait until after the weekend to pass too much judgement.
Keith Aucoin has 9 assists...9!...in his last 4 games. Nice.
Chris Bourque has a point in 8 straight games, collecting 5 goals and 9 assists in those contests.
The player I am most looking forward to seeing is Matt Pope. He was brought back on his pro tryout after Sjogren took his ball and went back to Sweden. Down in South Carolina he has 7 goals and 12 assists in 15 games...he should be able to produce something in Hershey if given the opportunity.
And of course there are the goalies, which I discussed yesterday. Dany Sabourin is expected to get the start tonight, Braden Holtby tomorrow, and then Sunday's starter is TBD but I would suspect Sabourin considering the travel scenario.
For Syracuse:
Kyle Palmeiri (12-6-18) and Patrick Maroon (8-11-19) are the leading scorers for the Crunch.
Nick Bonino has a 5 game point streak in which he has 3 goals and 4 assists.
Rookie Peter Holland has 2 goals and 4 assists in his last 3 games.
Jean-Francois Jacques has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 3 games.
For Portland:
Dean Arsene will make his triumphant return to Giant Center on Saturday night. This will be Deano's first game back in Hershey since departing after the 2008-09 season. It will be good to see him and I am sure the crowd will show their appreciation during introductions.
Andy Miele is the AHL's top rookie for November and team leading scorer with 7 goals and 13 assists on the season. In November he had 4g and 9a in only 10 games. 2 goals and 3 assists have come in his last 2 games.
Matt Watkins has 3 goals and 4 assists in his last 4 games.
For Bridgeport:
Tim Wallace is the team leader in points (9-9-18) and had all 9 of his goals during the month of November...including 5 goals in his last 5 games.
Rookie Scott Howes has only played in 4 games for the Sound Tigers but he has 3 goals and an assist in those games.
Enjoy the games...
LET'S GO BEARS!!!!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Bears Drop 2 in Shootouts
The Bears entered this weekend having not participated in a shootout in the 2011-12 season to date. They left the weekend 0-2 in shootouts.
Friday they lost to Syracuse in Syracuse. Wasn't there, didn't watch, didn't listen. Here are a couple links if you want more on that game:
Tim Leone
Sweetest Hockey on Earth
Saturdays game was back at Giant Center and I was unlucky enough to attend. Just so we start this out right let me give you the facts:
By the end of the game the crowd was "cheering" every time Braden made a save and yelling as soon as he touched the puck or, in some cases, even started to leave the crease.
For those of you not in attendance let me recap the 3 plays:
The last play was just unlucky. Should he have cleared the puck faster? Yes, I will agree with that. But it wasn't like his defensemen were giving him anywhere to go with it. They were standing damn near right beside him the entire time. It was a bad play, but it did not decide the game.
From that point on it seemed the crowd was against Mr. Holtby. The three goals that followed that sure didn't help.
But let's explore those for a second:
And the last goal...unbelievable. It wasn't even a penalty kill...nope this was 5 on 5 (read: everyone should be covered) hockey and the 2 defenseman on the ice at the time (McNeill and Wellar according to the score sheet) were honestly just standing on either side of Sestito. Both could have touched him if they reached over there and yet neither did.
To blame Holtby for any of those goals is ludicrous. Two of them were impossible to stop tip ins that probably shouldn't have happened, but in truth they were both nice plays by Albany. The last one...that was just plain poor defense.
So while I know it is easy to blame a goalie when a team gives up 5 goals it was surely not all Braden's fault in this one.
I have much more I want to say about the goaltending situation (among other things) in Hershey this season but I will save it for another day when I have more time. Obviously the situation is lacking right now, but I have a theory that I want to look into before I offer an opinion.
In addition to that...there is a Wednesday game this week. Preview coming soon.
Friday they lost to Syracuse in Syracuse. Wasn't there, didn't watch, didn't listen. Here are a couple links if you want more on that game:
Tim Leone
Sweetest Hockey on Earth
Saturdays game was back at Giant Center and I was unlucky enough to attend. Just so we start this out right let me give you the facts:
- Hershey lost 6-5 in the shootout to Albany,
- Hershey took a 2-0 lead in the first 12 minutes,
- Hershey came back from 1 goal deficits 3 times,
- Hershey went 3 for 5 on the power play,
- Hershey killed off 3 of 4 penalty kills,
- Hershey finished with 33 shots...same as Albany.
By the end of the game the crowd was "cheering" every time Braden made a save and yelling as soon as he touched the puck or, in some cases, even started to leave the crease.
For those of you not in attendance let me recap the 3 plays:
- Braden makes an ill-advised pass from the end line across his crease to a defenseman on the opposite side...no goal resulted,
- Braden makes an ill-advised attempted clear up the middle and hits a Devil player in the chest...no goal resulted,
- Braden plays the puck behind the Bears net and gets trapped by two Devils forwards before turning it over...and the Devils scored.
The last play was just unlucky. Should he have cleared the puck faster? Yes, I will agree with that. But it wasn't like his defensemen were giving him anywhere to go with it. They were standing damn near right beside him the entire time. It was a bad play, but it did not decide the game.
From that point on it seemed the crowd was against Mr. Holtby. The three goals that followed that sure didn't help.
But let's explore those for a second:
- Albany player skates down the wing throws a pass to the front and it is deflected in by a Devil's forward (Gelinas according to the score sheet),
- Albany player skates down the wing (sound familiar yet) throws a pass to the front and it is deflected in by a Devil's forward (Bernier according to the score sheet),
- Albany player gets the puck beyond the end line and passes to a WIDE OPEN Tim Sestito standing at the tip of the goal crease.
And the last goal...unbelievable. It wasn't even a penalty kill...nope this was 5 on 5 (read: everyone should be covered) hockey and the 2 defenseman on the ice at the time (McNeill and Wellar according to the score sheet) were honestly just standing on either side of Sestito. Both could have touched him if they reached over there and yet neither did.
To blame Holtby for any of those goals is ludicrous. Two of them were impossible to stop tip ins that probably shouldn't have happened, but in truth they were both nice plays by Albany. The last one...that was just plain poor defense.
So while I know it is easy to blame a goalie when a team gives up 5 goals it was surely not all Braden's fault in this one.
I have much more I want to say about the goaltending situation (among other things) in Hershey this season but I will save it for another day when I have more time. Obviously the situation is lacking right now, but I have a theory that I want to look into before I offer an opinion.
In addition to that...there is a Wednesday game this week. Preview coming soon.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Weekend Preview...Bears visit Crunch, host Devils
Last weekend was not a good one for the Bears as they dropped both games (one in OT) and looked a little lost on the ice.
This weekend sees two more games in an attempt to right the ship and get the W-L record tilting in the right direction again.
The Bears started the season 5-1-1-0. That was almost a month ago now. A increasingly distant memory. In the 7 games since the Bears are only 2-3-2 and currently reside in 3rd place in the East Division. Not exactly what many anticipated.
But that's ok. You don't win championships in November. There is plenty of time to make up points and move back towards the top of the standings.
This weekend is a good chance to begin that move.
Friday night brings a trip up to Syracuse to face the 4th place Crunch. Syracuse will be looking for some retribution after getting embarrassed 7-0 at Giant Center last month. In fact, the Syracuse game was the 7th game of the season and the 5th win before things started to unravel for the Bears.
Like the Bears, the Crunch has struggled since that game going 3-4-1-0 in their 8 games since their visit to Hershey. At this point in the season neither team is where they want, or expected, to be in the standings. The Crunch were thought to be a strong contender in the East Division, but have so far failed to meet expectations.
There is plenty of talent on the team though. Four players are averaging over a point per game including Kyle Palmieri who has 9 goals in 9 games and Patrick Maroon who leads the team with 15 points in 13 games.
Goaltender Iiro Tarkki seems to have found his game since getting pulled in Hershey back in October. Since then he has posted a 2.13 goals against average and a .931 save percentage while going 3-3-0 since then. While it is no guarantee that Tarkki starts against the Bears it would seem to make sense to me to give the kid a chance to redeem himself.
The Bears will have to work hard for a victory against the Crunch. Something they have struggled to do consistently of late.
Saturday night welcomes the Bears back to Giant Center against the Northeast Division leading Albany Devils. This will be the 2nd of 4 meetings between the former East Division rivals in 2011-12. Hershey won in Albany 4-1 back on October 21.
While the Crunch has struggled since the Bears beat them, the Devils have gone the opposite route. They went into the first game against Hershey with a 1-4-0-0 record and pretty much played like that record against the Bears.
However, since that game the Devils are 7-1-1-1. Surprisingly their only regulation loss during that stretch came against the bottom-dwelling Binghamton Senators. Otherwise they have either won or at least gotten a point in every game they have played since losing at home to the Bears in October.
Now, while that is impressive let me rain on Albany's parade a bit...5 of those wins came on home ice. Only 3 of their 10 games (and only 4 of their 16 overall) have been played on the road this season. In those games they are only 2-2-0-0 with one of the wins coming in overtime. On the road they have been outscored 12-7.
So this isn't an experienced road team at this point in the season. Whether that means they are a bad road team or not remains to be seen since it is such a small sample size, but it is the perfect chance for Hershey to take advantage.
The Devils will not have played since last Sunday at game time Saturday night. So, on one side of the argument they will be well rested and won't have traveled the night before...like the Bears will have to do. However, on the other side of the argument...they will possibly be a little reserved and a little rusty for the beginning of the game.
Either way the Bears need to be ready to play. The Devils don't appear to have a "go-to" scorer, but they seem to have some decent balance. Rookie Joe Whitney leads the team in goals, 5, and points, 10. After that you have 10 guys with 2 or more goals and another 5 with 1.
Back in October Jeff Frazee got the start in goal against the Bears. His numbers on the season aren't exactly wonderful (3.10 gaa, .882 save %) and it would appear that the Devils are currently looking for someone else to step up. Recently rookie Keith Kincaid has been the option in net. He has started 4 of the last 6 games including 2 last weekend. And he has been impressive in those games...going 3-1-0-0 with a 1.74 gaa and a .945 save percentage.
For the Bears....
Dany Sabourin is expected to start in Syracuse with Braden Holtby getting the start Saturday at home. Neither goalie has stood out at this point in the season, but neither has looked dreadful either. One of them needs to step up and become the "number 1" option.
Defensively, it appears that Sean Collins is still injured and will not play this weekend. Tomas Kundratek made his Hershey debut last weekend and looked pretty good for a guy who just joined the team and learned the system. Expect to see familiar faces on the blue-line for the games this weekend.
Offensively we all know who the big scorers are and they know that they need to do more. But there are a couple of names that haven't been thought of in the offensive light so far this season that need to become more of a scoring threat.
Mattias Sjogren has shown flashes of offensive brilliance but his 3rd/4th line role has prevented him from making that more consistent. Similarly, Andrew Carroll has shown offensive flashes this year and in previous years, but his role as agitator and pest (which he does very well) has limited his offensive upside. (Very similar to former Bear Steve Pinizzotto actually.) And Matt Pope, just signed to a pro tryout contract (25 game deal that doesn't commit the Bears for any length of time), has been solid for South Carolina in the ECHL this season with 6 goals and 11 assists in only 13 games.
Typically when scorers get recalled from South Carolina there is some hesitation to give them too big a role in Hershey due to possible defensive limitations (do the names Travis Morin or Michael Dubuc ring any bells) so the jury is still out on how this will work. However, Pope has played in the AHL before and has been featured in a more defensive role with those AHL teams. In fact, he hasn't played regularly at the ECHL level since 08-09 and has been an AHL regular since then.
Those 3 players, Carroll, Pope, and Sjogren now make up Hershey's third line and are expecting to bring a more offensive mindset to the game this weekend.
I for one am excited to see a 3rd offensive line because the top two aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard of late.
Should be two tough games this weekend for the Bears. But two games that they should (I repeat...SHOULD) win. We shall see if they can.
This weekend sees two more games in an attempt to right the ship and get the W-L record tilting in the right direction again.
The Bears started the season 5-1-1-0. That was almost a month ago now. A increasingly distant memory. In the 7 games since the Bears are only 2-3-2 and currently reside in 3rd place in the East Division. Not exactly what many anticipated.
But that's ok. You don't win championships in November. There is plenty of time to make up points and move back towards the top of the standings.
This weekend is a good chance to begin that move.
Friday night brings a trip up to Syracuse to face the 4th place Crunch. Syracuse will be looking for some retribution after getting embarrassed 7-0 at Giant Center last month. In fact, the Syracuse game was the 7th game of the season and the 5th win before things started to unravel for the Bears.
Like the Bears, the Crunch has struggled since that game going 3-4-1-0 in their 8 games since their visit to Hershey. At this point in the season neither team is where they want, or expected, to be in the standings. The Crunch were thought to be a strong contender in the East Division, but have so far failed to meet expectations.
There is plenty of talent on the team though. Four players are averaging over a point per game including Kyle Palmieri who has 9 goals in 9 games and Patrick Maroon who leads the team with 15 points in 13 games.
Goaltender Iiro Tarkki seems to have found his game since getting pulled in Hershey back in October. Since then he has posted a 2.13 goals against average and a .931 save percentage while going 3-3-0 since then. While it is no guarantee that Tarkki starts against the Bears it would seem to make sense to me to give the kid a chance to redeem himself.
The Bears will have to work hard for a victory against the Crunch. Something they have struggled to do consistently of late.
Saturday night welcomes the Bears back to Giant Center against the Northeast Division leading Albany Devils. This will be the 2nd of 4 meetings between the former East Division rivals in 2011-12. Hershey won in Albany 4-1 back on October 21.
While the Crunch has struggled since the Bears beat them, the Devils have gone the opposite route. They went into the first game against Hershey with a 1-4-0-0 record and pretty much played like that record against the Bears.
However, since that game the Devils are 7-1-1-1. Surprisingly their only regulation loss during that stretch came against the bottom-dwelling Binghamton Senators. Otherwise they have either won or at least gotten a point in every game they have played since losing at home to the Bears in October.
Now, while that is impressive let me rain on Albany's parade a bit...5 of those wins came on home ice. Only 3 of their 10 games (and only 4 of their 16 overall) have been played on the road this season. In those games they are only 2-2-0-0 with one of the wins coming in overtime. On the road they have been outscored 12-7.
So this isn't an experienced road team at this point in the season. Whether that means they are a bad road team or not remains to be seen since it is such a small sample size, but it is the perfect chance for Hershey to take advantage.
The Devils will not have played since last Sunday at game time Saturday night. So, on one side of the argument they will be well rested and won't have traveled the night before...like the Bears will have to do. However, on the other side of the argument...they will possibly be a little reserved and a little rusty for the beginning of the game.
Either way the Bears need to be ready to play. The Devils don't appear to have a "go-to" scorer, but they seem to have some decent balance. Rookie Joe Whitney leads the team in goals, 5, and points, 10. After that you have 10 guys with 2 or more goals and another 5 with 1.
Back in October Jeff Frazee got the start in goal against the Bears. His numbers on the season aren't exactly wonderful (3.10 gaa, .882 save %) and it would appear that the Devils are currently looking for someone else to step up. Recently rookie Keith Kincaid has been the option in net. He has started 4 of the last 6 games including 2 last weekend. And he has been impressive in those games...going 3-1-0-0 with a 1.74 gaa and a .945 save percentage.
For the Bears....
Dany Sabourin is expected to start in Syracuse with Braden Holtby getting the start Saturday at home. Neither goalie has stood out at this point in the season, but neither has looked dreadful either. One of them needs to step up and become the "number 1" option.
Defensively, it appears that Sean Collins is still injured and will not play this weekend. Tomas Kundratek made his Hershey debut last weekend and looked pretty good for a guy who just joined the team and learned the system. Expect to see familiar faces on the blue-line for the games this weekend.
Offensively we all know who the big scorers are and they know that they need to do more. But there are a couple of names that haven't been thought of in the offensive light so far this season that need to become more of a scoring threat.
Mattias Sjogren has shown flashes of offensive brilliance but his 3rd/4th line role has prevented him from making that more consistent. Similarly, Andrew Carroll has shown offensive flashes this year and in previous years, but his role as agitator and pest (which he does very well) has limited his offensive upside. (Very similar to former Bear Steve Pinizzotto actually.) And Matt Pope, just signed to a pro tryout contract (25 game deal that doesn't commit the Bears for any length of time), has been solid for South Carolina in the ECHL this season with 6 goals and 11 assists in only 13 games.
Typically when scorers get recalled from South Carolina there is some hesitation to give them too big a role in Hershey due to possible defensive limitations (do the names Travis Morin or Michael Dubuc ring any bells) so the jury is still out on how this will work. However, Pope has played in the AHL before and has been featured in a more defensive role with those AHL teams. In fact, he hasn't played regularly at the ECHL level since 08-09 and has been an AHL regular since then.
Those 3 players, Carroll, Pope, and Sjogren now make up Hershey's third line and are expecting to bring a more offensive mindset to the game this weekend.
I for one am excited to see a 3rd offensive line because the top two aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard of late.
Should be two tough games this weekend for the Bears. But two games that they should (I repeat...SHOULD) win. We shall see if they can.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Bears Handle Crunch
At one point in the 2nd period I looked up at the scoreboard and saw Hershey, Shots - 14.
The score was 5-0 Bears at that point. It was that kind of night.
The game finished up 7-0 Hershey as the Bears picked up their first shutout of the season and their first until late January of last season.
It started out close as the Bears were up only 2-0 at the end of the first and the Crunch had actually outshot the Bears 11-7 at that point. The 2nd goal came with less than 4 seconds remaining in the period and it seemed to be a critical point for the Crunch last night.
Seven different Bears scored goals last night. Dmitry Orlov, Julien Brouillette, and Mattias Sjogren all picked up their first goals of the season (it was Sjogren's first North American goal) while Jacob Micflikier, Keith Aucoin, and Christian Hanson picked up their 3rd goals of the season and Chris Bourque scored his team leading 5th.
Bourque, Micflikier, and Brouillette also added 2 assists, as did Cody Eakin. And while Andrew Carroll only recorded an assist it was his attempting to fight an entire line of Crunch players that endeared him to the crowd last night. Midway through the 2nd there was a minor scuffle behind the Bears net after a whistle and I am pretty sure that Carroll managed to punch all 5 Crunch players. It was impressive.
As for the rest of the game, once that first period ended there seemed to be little the Bears could do wrong and little the Crunch could do right. Penalties, turnovers, and questionable goaltending doomed Syracuse over the final 40 minutes.
The Bears had 6 power play opportunities (all in the final 40 minutes) and they converted 4 of those. In turn they gave the Crunch 7 power plays and kept them from scoring on all of them (obviously).
It was good to see this type of performance from the Bears after the game Saturday night. I know that the Crunch aren't the Baby Pens, at least in terms of rivalry, but they are a good team. Kyle Palmieri, Patrick Maroon, and Nick Bonino came into the game with 13 goals in only 5 games this season. Hershey held them to zero.
Dany Sabourin was a big reason why. He got the start in goal after being reassigned by the Capitals earlier in the day. He faced 36 shots and stopped them all. While I wouldn't say it was a particularly hard night for Dany, many of the saves he made were important and impressive.
Overall the Bears, as a team, played very well. Considering they came into the game winless at home this season it was good to finally see a (mostly) complete effort from the team.
But don't let last night fool you. Just like the Caps 7-1 win over Detroit on Saturday night is an indication on how good the Red Wings are, last night does not mean the Crunch are an easy opponent. They will be good this year and I expect the remaining 5 games between the clubs to be very good games between two very talented teams.
The score was 5-0 Bears at that point. It was that kind of night.
The game finished up 7-0 Hershey as the Bears picked up their first shutout of the season and their first until late January of last season.
It started out close as the Bears were up only 2-0 at the end of the first and the Crunch had actually outshot the Bears 11-7 at that point. The 2nd goal came with less than 4 seconds remaining in the period and it seemed to be a critical point for the Crunch last night.
Seven different Bears scored goals last night. Dmitry Orlov, Julien Brouillette, and Mattias Sjogren all picked up their first goals of the season (it was Sjogren's first North American goal) while Jacob Micflikier, Keith Aucoin, and Christian Hanson picked up their 3rd goals of the season and Chris Bourque scored his team leading 5th.
Bourque, Micflikier, and Brouillette also added 2 assists, as did Cody Eakin. And while Andrew Carroll only recorded an assist it was his attempting to fight an entire line of Crunch players that endeared him to the crowd last night. Midway through the 2nd there was a minor scuffle behind the Bears net after a whistle and I am pretty sure that Carroll managed to punch all 5 Crunch players. It was impressive.
As for the rest of the game, once that first period ended there seemed to be little the Bears could do wrong and little the Crunch could do right. Penalties, turnovers, and questionable goaltending doomed Syracuse over the final 40 minutes.
The Bears had 6 power play opportunities (all in the final 40 minutes) and they converted 4 of those. In turn they gave the Crunch 7 power plays and kept them from scoring on all of them (obviously).
It was good to see this type of performance from the Bears after the game Saturday night. I know that the Crunch aren't the Baby Pens, at least in terms of rivalry, but they are a good team. Kyle Palmieri, Patrick Maroon, and Nick Bonino came into the game with 13 goals in only 5 games this season. Hershey held them to zero.
Dany Sabourin was a big reason why. He got the start in goal after being reassigned by the Capitals earlier in the day. He faced 36 shots and stopped them all. While I wouldn't say it was a particularly hard night for Dany, many of the saves he made were important and impressive.
Overall the Bears, as a team, played very well. Considering they came into the game winless at home this season it was good to finally see a (mostly) complete effort from the team.
But don't let last night fool you. Just like the Caps 7-1 win over Detroit on Saturday night is an indication on how good the Red Wings are, last night does not mean the Crunch are an easy opponent. They will be good this year and I expect the remaining 5 games between the clubs to be very good games between two very talented teams.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
GameDay Preview: Bears vs Crunch
Well last night sucked. It felt just like 2010-11 as the Baby Pens came into Hershey, controlled the play, and left with a solid victory.
Hershey couldn't solve Pens goalie Brad Thiessen, 27 saves, until late in the 3rd period when the game was pretty much over. The Pens solved Braden Holtby early as they scored 3 times in the first 31 minutes on their way to a 3-1 victory.
Considering the Bears couldn't beat the Penguins on home ice last year it was a tough game to watch. Hershey did manage two victories over the Pens in 2010-11 but both came on the road (one in Pittsburgh and another in Wilkes-Barre).
Boyd Kane picked up the lone Bears goal on a night that all in Hershey are hoping to not see again.
But enough about last night...what's done is done. Let's turn our focus to tonight's tilt against the Syracuse Crunch. By the end of the season the Crunch could be Hershey's biggest obstacle to an East Division crown.
Last season the Crunch finished 6th in the East Division, 15 points out of the final playoff spot. Last season the Crunch struggled to both score goals (2.71 per game, 24th in AHL) and keep them out of their own net (3.11 per game, 23rd).
They were a young team last season when 4 rookies finished in the top 6 in team scoring. Many of those players and some additional youngsters are expected to take the next step.
Kyle Palmieri, Nicolas Deschamps, and Nick Bonino were rookies in 2010-11 and all finished in the top 5 in scoring on the team. Peter Holland and Rick Schofield were late season additions after juniors and college, respectively, who both produced while in Syracuse. Holland had 3 goals and 3 assists in his 3 games while Schofield had 3 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. Add to that group rookie Kevin King, a teammate of Cody Eakin's last season with Kootenay, and you have a very young lineup ready to make some noise.
Patrick Maroon is also on the team. And surprisingly he is still just a young prospect. It feels like he has been around for years, but while he is already in his 4th AHL season he is only 23 years old as he was drafted out of the NAHL and not a CHL league making him AHL eligible immediately. Maroon, after coming over from the Phantoms early in the season, scored 21 goals and added 27 assists in 58 games last year.
Add to that Dan Sexton, 9 goals and 8 assists in only 17 games, and Matt Beleskey, 11 goals and 13 assists in only 27 games, and you have another group of players that only spent partial seasons in Syracuse but are definitely offensive forces.
And they didn't rest on these players in the offseason either. They added veterans Mark Bell, a former 25 goal scorer in the NHL, Nathan Smith, Troy Bodie, and Jean-Francois Jacques to an already deep forwards core.
Defensively they also added pieces...and good ones.
Kyle Cumiskey, the NHL veteran, Bryan Rodney, Charlotte's captain last year, and Mathieu Carle, from Hamilton, were all brought in to the fold. They join young Mat Clark and veteran Nate Guenin to make a fairly formidable blue line.
Goaltending is probably the biggest question mark for this team. Last season Jean-Philippe Levasseur and Timo Pielmeier manned the pipes for most of the season. Neither goalie had a goals against average under 3 and their save percentages were barely over .900.
Enter Iiro Tarkki and Jeff Drouin-Deslaurius for 2011-12. Last season Tarkki spent the season playing in the Finnish Elite League and compiled a 22-22-9 record, a 2.44 gaa, and a .919 save percentage in 58 games. Drouin-Deslaurius was in Oklahoma City, going 17-13-4 with a 2.81 gaa and .906 save %. Both players could be considered upgrades from 2010-11.
The Crunch have not made the playoffs since 2007-08 but appear determined to do so in 2011-12. The lineup might lack the depth of some of the other division rivals but the talent is definitely there. It will be an exciting game tonight and an exciting 5 more between the clubs this season.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 4-1-1-0 | 9 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-1 Loss vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 10/22
last 5 games ~ 3-1-1-0
home record ~ 0-1-1-0
goals for ~ 22
goals against ~ 19
power play ~ 28.1% (6th)
road penalty kill ~ 87.5% (6th)
Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 3-0-1-1 | 8 points
standings ~ 3rd in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-2 OT Loss vs Lake Erie, 10/22
last 5 games ~ 3-0-1-1
road record ~ 1-0-0-1
goals for ~19
goals against ~15
road power play ~23.5% (9th)
home penalty kill ~ 82.6% (14th)
Hershey couldn't solve Pens goalie Brad Thiessen, 27 saves, until late in the 3rd period when the game was pretty much over. The Pens solved Braden Holtby early as they scored 3 times in the first 31 minutes on their way to a 3-1 victory.
Considering the Bears couldn't beat the Penguins on home ice last year it was a tough game to watch. Hershey did manage two victories over the Pens in 2010-11 but both came on the road (one in Pittsburgh and another in Wilkes-Barre).
Boyd Kane picked up the lone Bears goal on a night that all in Hershey are hoping to not see again.
But enough about last night...what's done is done. Let's turn our focus to tonight's tilt against the Syracuse Crunch. By the end of the season the Crunch could be Hershey's biggest obstacle to an East Division crown.
Last season the Crunch finished 6th in the East Division, 15 points out of the final playoff spot. Last season the Crunch struggled to both score goals (2.71 per game, 24th in AHL) and keep them out of their own net (3.11 per game, 23rd).
They were a young team last season when 4 rookies finished in the top 6 in team scoring. Many of those players and some additional youngsters are expected to take the next step.
Kyle Palmieri, Nicolas Deschamps, and Nick Bonino were rookies in 2010-11 and all finished in the top 5 in scoring on the team. Peter Holland and Rick Schofield were late season additions after juniors and college, respectively, who both produced while in Syracuse. Holland had 3 goals and 3 assists in his 3 games while Schofield had 3 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. Add to that group rookie Kevin King, a teammate of Cody Eakin's last season with Kootenay, and you have a very young lineup ready to make some noise.
Patrick Maroon is also on the team. And surprisingly he is still just a young prospect. It feels like he has been around for years, but while he is already in his 4th AHL season he is only 23 years old as he was drafted out of the NAHL and not a CHL league making him AHL eligible immediately. Maroon, after coming over from the Phantoms early in the season, scored 21 goals and added 27 assists in 58 games last year.
Add to that Dan Sexton, 9 goals and 8 assists in only 17 games, and Matt Beleskey, 11 goals and 13 assists in only 27 games, and you have another group of players that only spent partial seasons in Syracuse but are definitely offensive forces.
And they didn't rest on these players in the offseason either. They added veterans Mark Bell, a former 25 goal scorer in the NHL, Nathan Smith, Troy Bodie, and Jean-Francois Jacques to an already deep forwards core.
Defensively they also added pieces...and good ones.
Kyle Cumiskey, the NHL veteran, Bryan Rodney, Charlotte's captain last year, and Mathieu Carle, from Hamilton, were all brought in to the fold. They join young Mat Clark and veteran Nate Guenin to make a fairly formidable blue line.
Goaltending is probably the biggest question mark for this team. Last season Jean-Philippe Levasseur and Timo Pielmeier manned the pipes for most of the season. Neither goalie had a goals against average under 3 and their save percentages were barely over .900.
Enter Iiro Tarkki and Jeff Drouin-Deslaurius for 2011-12. Last season Tarkki spent the season playing in the Finnish Elite League and compiled a 22-22-9 record, a 2.44 gaa, and a .919 save percentage in 58 games. Drouin-Deslaurius was in Oklahoma City, going 17-13-4 with a 2.81 gaa and .906 save %. Both players could be considered upgrades from 2010-11.
The Crunch have not made the playoffs since 2007-08 but appear determined to do so in 2011-12. The lineup might lack the depth of some of the other division rivals but the talent is definitely there. It will be an exciting game tonight and an exciting 5 more between the clubs this season.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 4-1-1-0 | 9 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-1 Loss vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 10/22
last 5 games ~ 3-1-1-0
home record ~ 0-1-1-0
goals for ~ 22
goals against ~ 19
power play ~ 28.1% (6th)
road penalty kill ~ 87.5% (6th)
Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 3-0-1-1 | 8 points
standings ~ 3rd in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-2 OT Loss vs Lake Erie, 10/22
last 5 games ~ 3-0-1-1
road record ~ 1-0-0-1
goals for ~19
goals against ~15
road power play ~23.5% (9th)
home penalty kill ~ 82.6% (14th)
last time teams met - This is the first of 6 meetings between the teams this season. In 2010-11 the teams split their 6 games with the road team winning each game.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
LW Chris Bourque (17)
- the team leader in goals (4) and points (10) needs to come ready to play tonight.
LW Boyd Kane (12) - the captain and veteran is being asked to step into a bigger role with Greentree and Potulny out of the lineup. He has 2 goals this season, both on the power play.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - he sits at 2nd on the team in points (9) and leads the team in assists with 7.
LW Boyd Kane (12) - the captain and veteran is being asked to step into a bigger role with Greentree and Potulny out of the lineup. He has 2 goals this season, both on the power play.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - he sits at 2nd on the team in points (9) and leads the team in assists with 7.
Crunch:
RW Kyle Palmieri (21) - leading the team and the AHL in goals with 8 in only 5 games.
LW Patrick Maroon (19) - second on team in goals with 4 and 3rd in points with 8.
C Nick Bonino (13) - leads the AHL and the team with 8 assists and is 2nd on the team in points with 9.
C Nick Bonino (13) - leads the AHL and the team with 8 assists and is 2nd on the team in points with 9.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
2011-12 Bears Preview: East Division
For a long time I said that one way to boost interest in the NHL was to go to a division based schedule and playoff format much like the AHL has done recently. Playing the same teams in the playoffs year after year helps to build animosity and rivalries which fuel hockey.
So it is kind of funny that with the NHL finally considering this approach (realignment is coming after the current season) the AHL has switched to the current NHL model of 6 divisions with 5 teams in each.
Yes the new format allows for more "fairness" as the best teams from each conference will get in and it won't be so weighted to a teams divisional strength.
Obviously that kind of situation can occur even with 8 team divisions due to teams struggling to compete (as the Phantoms have of late), but going to the conference format instead of the divisional format will help to diminish some rivalries.
Doesn't have quite the same intensity, does it?
Ok, now that I got that off my chest, let's take a brief look at the teams Hershey will see the most this season...their East Division Rivals.
Home games are played at the War Memorial at Oncenter in downtown Syracuse, which seats a little over 6,000 fans.
The Bears and Crunch played 6 times last season and were very even in those games. Each team won 3 games (road team won every single game) and each team scored 17 goals in the season series. The interesting part is that the games weren't that close. Syracuse outscored Hershey 13-5 in their wins while the Bears outscored them 12-4 in theirs. There was a single one goal game which Hershey won and the rest were all 2 or more.
The Crunch are affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks which is the new home of Andrew Gordon. Good news for Gordo...he made the Ducks out of camp and is expected to play on their 3rd line.
Last season the Crunch had 8 players with double digit goals during the regular season. Of those players 5 or 6 are anticipated to see time in Syracuse, including Patrick Maroon and Kyle Palmieri who combined for 50 goals while they both played for the Crunch last season (Maroon started the season in Adirondack).
Binghamton Senators - 8 games
The Binghamton Senators finished last season 5th in the East Division with a 42-30-3-5 record and 91 points. While they didn't make the East Division playoffs they did finish with more points than the 3rd place team in the Atlantic and crossed over to play in the Atlantic Division playoffs as the #3 seed.
Eventually they made it all the way through and won the Calder Cup over the Houston Aeros. They had missed the playoffs the previous 5 seasons.
They play their home games at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in downtown Binghamton which seats a little over 4,000 fans for hockey games.
Last season the Bears and B-Sens played 8 times with Hershey winning the season series 5-3-0-0. Hershey went 3-1-0-0 on home ice and the teams split 2-2-0-0 when playing in Binghamton. Hershey outscored the Sens 34-18 on the season and of the 3 one goal games Hershey went 2-1-0-0.
The Senators are affiliated with (surprise) the Ottawa Senators and is the previous home to current Bear Ryan Potulny. The B-Sens had 10 players that scored 10+ goals while playing for the team last season (Potulny only scored 3 during the regular season for the Sens). Leading point producers Corey Locke (86 points in 69 games) and Jim O'Brien (24 goals and 56 points) are both expected back in the AHL this season.
Norfolk Admirals - 10 games
The Admirals finished 4th in the East Division last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07. They compiled a record of 39-26-9-6 (93 points) during the regular season last year. They proceeded to win the first 2 games against the East Division Champion Baby Pens but dropped the next 4 to end their season.
They play their home games at Norfolk Scope which seats a little about 8,700 fans for hockey games.
Like the Sens, the Admirals played 8 games against the Bears last season. And similarly, they lost the season series...although it wasn't as close. Hershey won the season series 6-1-0-1. Surprisingly though the games were closer or at least the goals scored were. Hershey outscored the Admirals 24-20 overall but the games in Norfolk were split 14-14 despite Hershey winning 3 of the 4. Like Bingo, 3 of the games were one goal games with Hershey winning 2 of them.
The Ads are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning. 10 different players scored double digit goals last season for the Ads. Of those 10 it appears that only 3 will be Admirals for 2011-12. James Wright, Matt Fornataro, and Mike Angelidis will be in the lineup. Also joining the Ads this season is Dana Tyrell, who spent the entire 2010-11 campaign with the Lightning (scored 6 goals and added 9 assists) and 2009 1st round pick Carter Ashton, who begins his first pro season this weekend.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins - 12 teams
The Baby Pens finished #1 in the AHL during the regular season last year only to lose to the Charlotte Checkers in the East Division finals. The Bears and Pens will play a ridiculous 12 games against each other this season.
Last year the Pens finished with 117 points after a 58-21-0-1 regular season. The made the playoffs for the 9th consecutive year. During that span they have made 2 Calder Cup finals (winning neither) and have only been eliminated in the 1st round one time.
The Bears and Pens played 10 times last year and most Bears fans would just as soon forget them all. Hershey finished the season 2-6-1-1 against the Baby Penguins including a record of 0-4-1-0 in Hershey. Overall the Pens outscored the Bears 36-19 including 21-10 at Giant Center. The only saving grace is that 6 of the games were decided by one goal and Hershey managed to go 2-2-1-1 in those games.
The Baby Pens are affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins (I am sure you didn't know that) and are again prepared to make a run at the Calder Cup. Last season the Baby Pens had 12 different players score 10+ goals and 7 of those players return. However, only 2 of the top 5 point producers from last season are still in the organization and only 1 of those (Ryan Craig) is expected to start the season in Wilkes-Barre.
They did add some other scorers though including Alexandre Giroux's former teammate Colin McDonald who scored 42 last season for the Oklahoma City Barons. And just today the Penguins signed Niko Dimitrakos to a professional tryout. Dimitrakos has spent the last 2 seasons playing in Europe where he has scored 34 goals over those seasons. In his most recent AHL seasons (06-07 and 07-08) he totaled 39 goals and 43 assists.
So there you have it. The divisional race will be a little less interesting this season as the top 8 teams from the overall conference will make the playoffs. The 3 division winners are locked in and then it is the next best 5 based on points and a series of complicating tiebreakers.
Hershey plays a combined 36 of their 76 games against their divisional opponents so we will get to know these teams more. In fact the first 3 games of the season (all on the road) are against Binghamton, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Norfolk. And the fist game against Syracuse is later this month.
The season is almost here...
So it is kind of funny that with the NHL finally considering this approach (realignment is coming after the current season) the AHL has switched to the current NHL model of 6 divisions with 5 teams in each.
Yes the new format allows for more "fairness" as the best teams from each conference will get in and it won't be so weighted to a teams divisional strength.
But you could lose some of the animosity that highlights the local rivalries. Due to the shear number of games you still play against your divisional opponents this should be avoided for the most part but rivalries are built in the playoffs. Would we care about the Baby Pens games as much if the two teams never faced off in the playoffs? No. It would be more like the Bears/Admirals rivalry...sometimes intense but in the end just another game.
Even the Bears/Phantoms rivalry has subsided in recent years due to the teams rarely facing off in the playoffs.
There is a legitimate possibility that the Bears and Baby Pens will go multiple seasons without playing in the playoffs. Hershey could play series against the hated Whale or the rival Monarchs.
In the same breath however you can always say this...the Bears could face the Baby Pens in the Eastern Conference finals now with a trip to the Calder Cup finals on the line. Previously they could only meet in the Division Finals.
So that would make up for it a little bit.
Anyways, I understand the move I just think it is funny that the NHL is going to the AHL set up while the AHL is adapting the NHL set up.
Ok, now that I got that off my chest, let's take a brief look at the teams Hershey will see the most this season...their East Division Rivals.
Syracuse Crunch - 6 games
The Bears will play the Crunch only 6 times which is the fewest of any team in the division. Last year the Crunch finished the season 6th in the East Division with a record of 35-38-3-4 (77 points) and missed the playoffs for the 3rd straight season.
The Bears and Crunch played 6 times last season and were very even in those games. Each team won 3 games (road team won every single game) and each team scored 17 goals in the season series. The interesting part is that the games weren't that close. Syracuse outscored Hershey 13-5 in their wins while the Bears outscored them 12-4 in theirs. There was a single one goal game which Hershey won and the rest were all 2 or more.
The Crunch are affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks which is the new home of Andrew Gordon. Good news for Gordo...he made the Ducks out of camp and is expected to play on their 3rd line.
Last season the Crunch had 8 players with double digit goals during the regular season. Of those players 5 or 6 are anticipated to see time in Syracuse, including Patrick Maroon and Kyle Palmieri who combined for 50 goals while they both played for the Crunch last season (Maroon started the season in Adirondack).
Binghamton Senators - 8 games
Eventually they made it all the way through and won the Calder Cup over the Houston Aeros. They had missed the playoffs the previous 5 seasons.
They play their home games at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in downtown Binghamton which seats a little over 4,000 fans for hockey games.
Last season the Bears and B-Sens played 8 times with Hershey winning the season series 5-3-0-0. Hershey went 3-1-0-0 on home ice and the teams split 2-2-0-0 when playing in Binghamton. Hershey outscored the Sens 34-18 on the season and of the 3 one goal games Hershey went 2-1-0-0.
The Senators are affiliated with (surprise) the Ottawa Senators and is the previous home to current Bear Ryan Potulny. The B-Sens had 10 players that scored 10+ goals while playing for the team last season (Potulny only scored 3 during the regular season for the Sens). Leading point producers Corey Locke (86 points in 69 games) and Jim O'Brien (24 goals and 56 points) are both expected back in the AHL this season.
Norfolk Admirals - 10 games
They play their home games at Norfolk Scope which seats a little about 8,700 fans for hockey games.
Like the Sens, the Admirals played 8 games against the Bears last season. And similarly, they lost the season series...although it wasn't as close. Hershey won the season series 6-1-0-1. Surprisingly though the games were closer or at least the goals scored were. Hershey outscored the Admirals 24-20 overall but the games in Norfolk were split 14-14 despite Hershey winning 3 of the 4. Like Bingo, 3 of the games were one goal games with Hershey winning 2 of them.
The Ads are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning. 10 different players scored double digit goals last season for the Ads. Of those 10 it appears that only 3 will be Admirals for 2011-12. James Wright, Matt Fornataro, and Mike Angelidis will be in the lineup. Also joining the Ads this season is Dana Tyrell, who spent the entire 2010-11 campaign with the Lightning (scored 6 goals and added 9 assists) and 2009 1st round pick Carter Ashton, who begins his first pro season this weekend.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins - 12 teams
Last year the Pens finished with 117 points after a 58-21-0-1 regular season. The made the playoffs for the 9th consecutive year. During that span they have made 2 Calder Cup finals (winning neither) and have only been eliminated in the 1st round one time.
The Bears and Pens played 10 times last year and most Bears fans would just as soon forget them all. Hershey finished the season 2-6-1-1 against the Baby Penguins including a record of 0-4-1-0 in Hershey. Overall the Pens outscored the Bears 36-19 including 21-10 at Giant Center. The only saving grace is that 6 of the games were decided by one goal and Hershey managed to go 2-2-1-1 in those games.
The Baby Pens are affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins (I am sure you didn't know that) and are again prepared to make a run at the Calder Cup. Last season the Baby Pens had 12 different players score 10+ goals and 7 of those players return. However, only 2 of the top 5 point producers from last season are still in the organization and only 1 of those (Ryan Craig) is expected to start the season in Wilkes-Barre.
They did add some other scorers though including Alexandre Giroux's former teammate Colin McDonald who scored 42 last season for the Oklahoma City Barons. And just today the Penguins signed Niko Dimitrakos to a professional tryout. Dimitrakos has spent the last 2 seasons playing in Europe where he has scored 34 goals over those seasons. In his most recent AHL seasons (06-07 and 07-08) he totaled 39 goals and 43 assists.
So there you have it. The divisional race will be a little less interesting this season as the top 8 teams from the overall conference will make the playoffs. The 3 division winners are locked in and then it is the next best 5 based on points and a series of complicating tiebreakers.
Hershey plays a combined 36 of their 76 games against their divisional opponents so we will get to know these teams more. In fact the first 3 games of the season (all on the road) are against Binghamton, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Norfolk. And the fist game against Syracuse is later this month.
The season is almost here...
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Bears lose twice at home
That was not a good weekend. It started out well with a convincing win against Springfield on Friday night and expectations were that the run would continue with players like Andrew Gordon, Steve Pinizzotto, and Braden Holtby returning to the lineup.
Well if you expected a good showing this weekend then you left disappointed.
Saturday night's game I already discussed briefly over here. Portland is a good team so I wasn't sure what to expect there. I thought with Holtby the Bears would continue with their recent play and they did for much of the game but still dropped the decision in overtime.
Sunday night I definitely expected more. Hershey was welcoming the Syracuse Crunch to Hershey. A team that resides in the bottom of the East Division and a team that Hershey had already beaten 3 times, in 4 games, this season.
What happened?
Let's start with the controversy. Late in the 2nd period with the Bears on a power play Syracuse forward, Nick Bonino, took a pass, out waited Holtby, and roofed the puck. The puck (it is believed) bounced off the water bottle and back out of the goal instantly. Referee Francis Charron immediately signaled goal despite the red light never turning on and the call stood. He saw the water bottle pop a few inches in the air and called it right away.
My seats are in section 103 so I had a solid look at it. And I think it was a goal. Some people would argue that the water bottle was resting on the crossbar and the puck hit the bar and that caused the bottle to jump. I don't think that is possible. It would take quite a shot to cause that kind of movement to the bottle through the crossbar and it wasn't that hard a shot.
The other theory, comes straight from Braden Holtby:
So I think it was a goal.
And honestly what difference did it make??? Sure, if they don't score there it is a whole different game but the Hershey defense was a joke most of the night anyhow.
Here is my bigger issue with that goal....WHERE WERE THE 5 SKATERS?????
It was a power play, a Crunch player stole the puck and Brian Willsie chased him to the corner. Good play so far. 1 Bear accounted for.
Then 2 more Bears (Patrick McNeill and I think Kyle Greentree) come into the zone and to the corner....leaving Bonino WIDE FREAKING OPEN in the middle of the ice.
How does that happen?
And it didn't get better. Syracuse responded in the 3rd period with goals on defensive letdowns by the Bears.
In Hershey's defense the offense was good but the Syracuse goalie, Levasseur, was better. He made some incredible saves early on as Hershey outshot the Crunch 26-11 in the first 2 periods to keep Syracuse in the game.
Overall for Hershey the offense was good. Maybe not productive but I thought they made good passes, good shots and challenged Levasseur but he got the best of them. Add to that the fact that Syracuse blocked a ton of shots and I think any team would have struggled to score.
But the real problem for Hershey was at the defensive end. Guys standing around, chasing too much, and failing to pick up the open players.
For a team that has prided itself on defense much of the season it was an ugly performance against one of the worst offenses in the league.
Hershey has a few more days to work on their problems before a trip to Glens Falls on Friday to face the Phantoms. Then they return home to Hershey to play Albany and Wilkes-Barre. Hopefully those home games turn out a little better than the past 2.
And don't think for a second that these games aren't important...Norfolk is only 7 points behind Hershey with 4 games in hand. In theory if Norfolk were to win all those games they would be 1 point IN FRONT of Hershey.
So while the odds of making the playoffs are still very good (6 points from clinching) the race for the #2 spot is just heating up.
Well if you expected a good showing this weekend then you left disappointed.
Saturday night's game I already discussed briefly over here. Portland is a good team so I wasn't sure what to expect there. I thought with Holtby the Bears would continue with their recent play and they did for much of the game but still dropped the decision in overtime.
Sunday night I definitely expected more. Hershey was welcoming the Syracuse Crunch to Hershey. A team that resides in the bottom of the East Division and a team that Hershey had already beaten 3 times, in 4 games, this season.
What happened?
Let's start with the controversy. Late in the 2nd period with the Bears on a power play Syracuse forward, Nick Bonino, took a pass, out waited Holtby, and roofed the puck. The puck (it is believed) bounced off the water bottle and back out of the goal instantly. Referee Francis Charron immediately signaled goal despite the red light never turning on and the call stood. He saw the water bottle pop a few inches in the air and called it right away.
My seats are in section 103 so I had a solid look at it. And I think it was a goal. Some people would argue that the water bottle was resting on the crossbar and the puck hit the bar and that caused the bottle to jump. I don't think that is possible. It would take quite a shot to cause that kind of movement to the bottle through the crossbar and it wasn't that hard a shot.
The other theory, comes straight from Braden Holtby:
My stick hits the net and bounces the water bottle in the air, and the ref thinks the puck hits it.Maybe that is what happened. I didn't see it. Holtby was down and beaten when the shot went off and I don't think he got near it or the bottle. Maybe I am wrong...I didn't see a replay other than one's shown at the arena.
So I think it was a goal.
And honestly what difference did it make??? Sure, if they don't score there it is a whole different game but the Hershey defense was a joke most of the night anyhow.
Here is my bigger issue with that goal....WHERE WERE THE 5 SKATERS?????
It was a power play, a Crunch player stole the puck and Brian Willsie chased him to the corner. Good play so far. 1 Bear accounted for.
Then 2 more Bears (Patrick McNeill and I think Kyle Greentree) come into the zone and to the corner....leaving Bonino WIDE FREAKING OPEN in the middle of the ice.
How does that happen?
And it didn't get better. Syracuse responded in the 3rd period with goals on defensive letdowns by the Bears.
In Hershey's defense the offense was good but the Syracuse goalie, Levasseur, was better. He made some incredible saves early on as Hershey outshot the Crunch 26-11 in the first 2 periods to keep Syracuse in the game.
Overall for Hershey the offense was good. Maybe not productive but I thought they made good passes, good shots and challenged Levasseur but he got the best of them. Add to that the fact that Syracuse blocked a ton of shots and I think any team would have struggled to score.
But the real problem for Hershey was at the defensive end. Guys standing around, chasing too much, and failing to pick up the open players.
For a team that has prided itself on defense much of the season it was an ugly performance against one of the worst offenses in the league.
Hershey has a few more days to work on their problems before a trip to Glens Falls on Friday to face the Phantoms. Then they return home to Hershey to play Albany and Wilkes-Barre. Hopefully those home games turn out a little better than the past 2.
And don't think for a second that these games aren't important...Norfolk is only 7 points behind Hershey with 4 games in hand. In theory if Norfolk were to win all those games they would be 1 point IN FRONT of Hershey.
So while the odds of making the playoffs are still very good (6 points from clinching) the race for the #2 spot is just heating up.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
They got a point...it's better than nothing, right?
Hershey entered play last night with a record of 29-0-0-3 when leading after 2 periods. After 2 periods last night Hershey led the Portland Pirates 3-2.
They are now 29-0-1-3 when leading after 2. An overtime goal by Mark Parrish ended the game with about 2 minutes to go in the extra frame.
It surely wasn't the outcome that the Bears and the fans were hoping for as Hershey fielded its most complete lineup in a couple of months.
Braden Holtby returned from Washington early in the day and made 27 saves in the loss. Andrew Gordon skated on Giant Center ice for the first time since February 5 and picked up his 23rd goal of the season. Steve Pinizzotto played for the first time since March 2 and he accrued 14 penalty minutes.
But in the end it wasn't enough. Portland is a good team and when you fail to convert on a 5 on 3 that lasted almost 2 minutes and a 5 minute major then you are probably not going to win the game.
The loss was Hershey's 2nd to Portland in extra time in the last 2 weeks. On March 8 the Bears lost in a shootout up in Maine.
Hershey played a solid game but it wasn't enough. And it surely wasn't their best effort.
Here is an interesting thought....Holtby has played 4 games with the Bears since February 19. And he has played 5 games with the Capitals in that span.
In the Hershey games he has allowed 15 goals on 120 shots. A save percentage of 87.5.
In the Caps games he has allowed 6 goals on 140 shots. A save percentage of 97.1.
At first thought maybe you would say that he is playing harder with the Caps than he is in Hershey. Maybe but I doubt it.
The 2nd thought would be maybe the speed of the game is that much different and making the change from fast to middle of the pack is throwing off his timing. Probably a little but not that much.
Or maybe the defenses in front of him are playing at a different level when he is in the game.
When a backup goalie has to make a few starts you can usually see a difference in the effort level of a defense. They are more eager to block shots, they position better, and they flat out play better. They know that the goalie behind them is maybe not as good as their #1 and they need to do more to get a win.
When the #1 goalie comes back then it would make sense that the absolute is at least a little true. The defense trusts the goalie more so they will take more chances then usual. They jump up more or chase to the corner more because they feel confident that the #1 will bail them out if necessary.
Obviously that is hard to statistically prove but one example might be this...we already mentioned that Braden has faced 120 shots in his last 4 games. Nolan Schaefer has faced only 107 in his last 4.
Is that just because of the competition? Or is it because the defense plays better and blocks more shots?
There really isn't any way to figure that out definitively. But I think there could be something there.
Hopefully the defense plays better tonight so Hershey can get the win against Syracuse. The Crunch come to town for the 3rd game of their 3 in 3. So far they have 2 wins at home during the stretch including a 6-1 win over Charlotte last night.
The Crunch and Bears have played 4 times this season with Hershey winning 3 of them. They haven't played since New Year's Eve when the Crunch came to Hershey and won 4-2.
Syracuse isn't what you would call an offense juggernaut. They rank 28th in the AHL with only 2.44 goals per game. And they aren't that much better defensively as they give up 3.10 goals per game which is good for 22nd in the league.
Their leading goal scorer, Patrick Maroon, has only 19 goals and they only have 5 active players with double digit goals.
Hershey's has 4 players with more than 20 goals and 7 players with double digit goals.
Should be...I stress SHOULD BE...a win for the Bears tonight. If Hershey wants the #2 seed in the East Division they better beat the 7th place team on home ice!
Hershey Bears
record ~ 42-22-2-5 | 91 points
standings ~ 2nd in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-3 OT Loss vs Portland, 3/19
last 5 games ~ 3-0-1-1
home record ~ 20-11-1-3
goals for ~ 227
goals against ~ 184
road power play ~ 22.2% (3rd)
home penalty kill ~ 85.1% (10th)
Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 26-35-3-4 | 59 points
standings ~ 7th in East Division
most recent game ~ 6-1 Win vs Charlotte, 3/19
last 5 games ~ 3-2-0-0
road record ~ 11-20-1-2
goals for ~166
goals against ~211
road power play ~16.8% (17th)
home penalty kill ~ 81.0% (21st)
Hershey entered play last night with a record of 29-0-0-3 when leading after 2 periods. After 2 periods last night Hershey led the Portland Pirates 3-2.
They are now 29-0-1-3 when leading after 2. An overtime goal by Mark Parrish ended the game with about 2 minutes to go in the extra frame.
It surely wasn't the outcome that the Bears and the fans were hoping for as Hershey fielded its most complete lineup in a couple of months.
Braden Holtby returned from Washington early in the day and made 27 saves in the loss. Andrew Gordon skated on Giant Center ice for the first time since February 5 and picked up his 23rd goal of the season. Steve Pinizzotto played for the first time since March 2 and he accrued 14 penalty minutes.
But in the end it wasn't enough. Portland is a good team and when you fail to convert on a 5 on 3 that lasted almost 2 minutes and a 5 minute major then you are probably not going to win the game.
The loss was Hershey's 2nd to Portland in extra time in the last 2 weeks. On March 8 the Bears lost in a shootout up in Maine.
Hershey played a solid game but it wasn't enough. And it surely wasn't their best effort.
Here is an interesting thought....Holtby has played 4 games with the Bears since February 19. And he has played 5 games with the Capitals in that span.
In the Hershey games he has allowed 15 goals on 120 shots. A save percentage of 87.5.
In the Caps games he has allowed 6 goals on 140 shots. A save percentage of 97.1.
At first thought maybe you would say that he is playing harder with the Caps than he is in Hershey. Maybe but I doubt it.
The 2nd thought would be maybe the speed of the game is that much different and making the change from fast to middle of the pack is throwing off his timing. Probably a little but not that much.
Or maybe the defenses in front of him are playing at a different level when he is in the game.
When a backup goalie has to make a few starts you can usually see a difference in the effort level of a defense. They are more eager to block shots, they position better, and they flat out play better. They know that the goalie behind them is maybe not as good as their #1 and they need to do more to get a win.
When the #1 goalie comes back then it would make sense that the absolute is at least a little true. The defense trusts the goalie more so they will take more chances then usual. They jump up more or chase to the corner more because they feel confident that the #1 will bail them out if necessary.
Obviously that is hard to statistically prove but one example might be this...we already mentioned that Braden has faced 120 shots in his last 4 games. Nolan Schaefer has faced only 107 in his last 4.
Is that just because of the competition? Or is it because the defense plays better and blocks more shots?
There really isn't any way to figure that out definitively. But I think there could be something there.
Hopefully the defense plays better tonight so Hershey can get the win against Syracuse. The Crunch come to town for the 3rd game of their 3 in 3. So far they have 2 wins at home during the stretch including a 6-1 win over Charlotte last night.
The Crunch and Bears have played 4 times this season with Hershey winning 3 of them. They haven't played since New Year's Eve when the Crunch came to Hershey and won 4-2.
Syracuse isn't what you would call an offense juggernaut. They rank 28th in the AHL with only 2.44 goals per game. And they aren't that much better defensively as they give up 3.10 goals per game which is good for 22nd in the league.
Their leading goal scorer, Patrick Maroon, has only 19 goals and they only have 5 active players with double digit goals.
Hershey's has 4 players with more than 20 goals and 7 players with double digit goals.
Should be...I stress SHOULD BE...a win for the Bears tonight. If Hershey wants the #2 seed in the East Division they better beat the 7th place team on home ice!
Hershey Bears
record ~ 42-22-2-5 | 91 points
standings ~ 2nd in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-3 OT Loss vs Portland, 3/19
last 5 games ~ 3-0-1-1
home record ~ 20-11-1-3
goals for ~ 227
goals against ~ 184
road power play ~ 22.2% (3rd)
home penalty kill ~ 85.1% (10th)
Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 26-35-3-4 | 59 points
standings ~ 7th in East Division
most recent game ~ 6-1 Win vs Charlotte, 3/19
last 5 games ~ 3-2-0-0
road record ~ 11-20-1-2
goals for ~166
goals against ~211
road power play ~16.8% (17th)
home penalty kill ~ 81.0% (21st)
last time teams met - This will be the 5th meeting of the season between the Crunch and Bears. So far Hershey has gone 3-1-0-0 against Syracuse outscoring the Crunch 14-8.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Hershey struggles against Syracuse, welcomes Norfolk back
Well New Years Eve didn't go so well did it? Was anybody that surprised by the 4-2 loss? I wasn't. Any team in any sport in any league on any level would have struggled in that game. Football teams have a week in between games and they would have struggled with a similar situation.
It happens all the time. Big rivalry game on the road and a return home for a game against a team that isn't having a great season and that you have personally beaten easily already. You are usually going to see teams struggle in those situations.
So it wasn't surprising. Disappointing...of course. You could just see in the effort that Hershey didn't have it. They weren't getting to loose pucks, they weren't taking the body as often, and they flat out weren't playing well at either end.
Dany Sabourin got the start and honestly didn't look terrible but he didn't look good either. A couple of the goals were surely the fault of the defense and I don't believe Coach French pulled Sabs because of his play. I honestly think he was just trying to spark the team and give them some energy.
It didn't work.
Hershey only started playing with intensity and desire late in the 3rd period. They managed to record 47 shots in the game, 21 of them in the 3rd period. I would argue that half of those shots could have been stopped by a high school kid playing goal but 47 shots is 47 shots.
Again, I was not surprised by the outcome. Not saying I was expecting it but the writing was on the wall. The players even acknowledged afterwards that they just didn't have the energy or the effort that they had the previous evening in Pittsburgh.
That win over Wilkes-Barre was big. It took a team effort and it was obviously an emotionally and physically draining contest.
But now the Bears have had a couple days to rest. Which is good because the high scoring Norfolk Admirals visit Giant Center tonight and they will be looking to avenge last Sunday's 3-1 loss in Hershey.
They haven't won since before that game having lost twice to Charlotte at home this past week and they lost last night against the Pens.
That's a tough week of games. You start off Sunday at the 2 time defending Calder Cup Champs, follow that up with 2 home games on Tuesday and Thursday against 3rd place Charlotte, then you head back to Pennsylvania for a New Year's night game in Wilkes Barre against the league leading Pens before finishing the stretch with an evening matchup back in Hershey where it all started.
The Admirals are going to be looking to make a statement tonight. This week they have lost 4 straight to teams they are competing with for the division.
They will not want that streak to reach 5.
Hershey better be ready tonight.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 20-13-0-1 39 points
standings ~ 4th in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-2 Loss vs Syracuse, 12/31
last 5 games ~ 4-1-0-0
home record ~ 10-8-0-0
goals for ~ 117
goals against ~ 85
power play ~ 20.6% (7th)
penalty kill ~ 83.2% (15th)
Norfolk Admirals
record ~ 18-8-6-2 44 points
standings ~ 2nd in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-3 Loss @ Wilkes-Barre, 1/1
last 5 games ~ 1-4-0-0
road record ~ 13-6-2-0
goals for ~ 130
goals against ~ 100
power play ~ 17.7% (14th)
penalty kill ~ 84.5% (9th)
last time teams met - This is the 2nd meeting of the season and the 2nd in the last 8 days. Hershey won 3-1 last Sunday at Giant Center.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
RW Andrew Gordon (10) - Hasn't scored in 2 games since returning from Washington but does have 2 assists. The scoring should return soon.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Has a goal in 4 straight games and is averaging an amazing 1.59 points per game on the year. 5 goals and 3 assists in his last 4 games.
LW Kyle Greentree (37) - Has started to find his scoring touch again having registered 4 goals and 2 assists in his last 5 games.
Norfolk:
C Mark-Antoine Pouliot (78) - Team leader in points with 28 he had a goal and 2 assists last night against the Pens.
C James Wright (16) - Second on the team in points with 26 he has 4 goals and 5 assists in his last 7 games.
LW Chris Durno (25) - One of 8 skaters with 20+ points (he has 23) he has 2 goals and 5 assists in his last 6 games.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
It happens all the time. Big rivalry game on the road and a return home for a game against a team that isn't having a great season and that you have personally beaten easily already. You are usually going to see teams struggle in those situations.
So it wasn't surprising. Disappointing...of course. You could just see in the effort that Hershey didn't have it. They weren't getting to loose pucks, they weren't taking the body as often, and they flat out weren't playing well at either end.
Dany Sabourin got the start and honestly didn't look terrible but he didn't look good either. A couple of the goals were surely the fault of the defense and I don't believe Coach French pulled Sabs because of his play. I honestly think he was just trying to spark the team and give them some energy.
It didn't work.
Hershey only started playing with intensity and desire late in the 3rd period. They managed to record 47 shots in the game, 21 of them in the 3rd period. I would argue that half of those shots could have been stopped by a high school kid playing goal but 47 shots is 47 shots.
Again, I was not surprised by the outcome. Not saying I was expecting it but the writing was on the wall. The players even acknowledged afterwards that they just didn't have the energy or the effort that they had the previous evening in Pittsburgh.
That win over Wilkes-Barre was big. It took a team effort and it was obviously an emotionally and physically draining contest.
But now the Bears have had a couple days to rest. Which is good because the high scoring Norfolk Admirals visit Giant Center tonight and they will be looking to avenge last Sunday's 3-1 loss in Hershey.
They haven't won since before that game having lost twice to Charlotte at home this past week and they lost last night against the Pens.
That's a tough week of games. You start off Sunday at the 2 time defending Calder Cup Champs, follow that up with 2 home games on Tuesday and Thursday against 3rd place Charlotte, then you head back to Pennsylvania for a New Year's night game in Wilkes Barre against the league leading Pens before finishing the stretch with an evening matchup back in Hershey where it all started.
The Admirals are going to be looking to make a statement tonight. This week they have lost 4 straight to teams they are competing with for the division.
They will not want that streak to reach 5.
Hershey better be ready tonight.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 20-13-0-1 39 points
standings ~ 4th in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-2 Loss vs Syracuse, 12/31
last 5 games ~ 4-1-0-0
home record ~ 10-8-0-0
goals for ~ 117
goals against ~ 85
power play ~ 20.6% (7th)
penalty kill ~ 83.2% (15th)
Norfolk Admirals
record ~ 18-8-6-2 44 points
standings ~ 2nd in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-3 Loss @ Wilkes-Barre, 1/1
last 5 games ~ 1-4-0-0
road record ~ 13-6-2-0
goals for ~ 130
goals against ~ 100
power play ~ 17.7% (14th)
penalty kill ~ 84.5% (9th)
last time teams met - This is the 2nd meeting of the season and the 2nd in the last 8 days. Hershey won 3-1 last Sunday at Giant Center.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
RW Andrew Gordon (10) - Hasn't scored in 2 games since returning from Washington but does have 2 assists. The scoring should return soon.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Has a goal in 4 straight games and is averaging an amazing 1.59 points per game on the year. 5 goals and 3 assists in his last 4 games.
LW Kyle Greentree (37) - Has started to find his scoring touch again having registered 4 goals and 2 assists in his last 5 games.
Norfolk:
C Mark-Antoine Pouliot (78) - Team leader in points with 28 he had a goal and 2 assists last night against the Pens.
C James Wright (16) - Second on the team in points with 26 he has 4 goals and 5 assists in his last 7 games.
LW Chris Durno (25) - One of 8 skaters with 20+ points (he has 23) he has 2 goals and 5 assists in his last 6 games.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Hershey headed home with a win
Hershey finally beat the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last night. I didn't get to see the game live but Keith Aucoin's goal with about 30 seconds to play in the 2nd period proved to be enough as Hershey won 1-0.
It was Hershey's first 1-0 victory since the 09 Calder Cup playoffs against the Philadelphia Phantoms.
Braden Holtby got the victory, his 9th this season and 3rd shutout, with a 25 save effort over the East division leading Pens.
Now Hershey has to come down from that emotional high and be ready to play against the Syracuse Crunch tonight in Hershey. And it is a 5:00 start too which makes it harder.
The Bears have won 4 straight and have only allowed 2 goals in their last 3 games. Looking back a little further and you see that Hershey has only allowed 10 goals in their last 6 games. Pretty good for a team that was sitting at about .500 a few weeks ago.
Hershey is now only 3 points out of 2nd in the East division although they still trail the Pens by 9 points.
Tonight Syracuse comes to Hershey for a New Years Eve showdown. The Crunch sit in 7th place with 26 points and have lost 3 in a row and 6 of their last 8.
But they have an advantage. Hershey just finished playing a huge rival in a special setting. And the Bears have to make the trip back to Hershey and be ready to play an evening game in front of their home fans.
There are enough veterans on the team to believe that Hershey will come out ready to play but it is a tough thing to ask of them. The Crunch did not play last night and getting up for playing the 2 time defending champs is tough.
And don't think that Syracuse can't win just because they are struggling this season. One of those 2 wins over the past 8 games was against the Baby Pens.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 20-12-0-1 39 points
standings ~ 4th in East Division
most recent game ~ 1-0 Win @ Wilkes-Barre, 12/30
last 5 games ~ 4-1-0-0
home record ~ 10-7-0-0
goals for ~ 115
goals against ~ 81
power play ~ 20.5% (6th)
penalty kill ~ 83.4% (12th)
Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 11-18-1-3 26 points
standings ~ 7th in East Division
most recent game ~ 5-0 Loss @ Wilkes-Barre, 12/29
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
road record ~ 5-11-0-1
goals for ~ 77
goals against ~ 113
power play ~ 16.3% (21st)
penalty kill ~ 80.1% (24th)
last time teams met - This is the 4th meeting between the clubs this season but the first in Hershey. Hershey is 3-0-0-0 against the Crunch this season and has outscored them 12-4 in the 3 games. Most recently Hershey won 5-1 on November 26.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
RW Andrew Gordon (10) - The team leader in goals (16) and points (31) has 3 goals and 3 assists against Syracuse this season.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Scored the only goal last night which gives him 4 goals in his last 3 games. He has also moved up to 4th on Hershey's scoring list with 25 points.
G Dany Sabourin (35) - Has started all 3 games against Syracuse this season and has made a combined 86 saves in the meetings.
Crunch:
LW Josh Green (12) - 4th on the team in points with 14 points but he has had an impressive December with points in 8 of his 12 games this month.
RW Dan Sexton (23) - Has only played in 11 games for the Crunch this season but he has 6 goals and 5 assists in those games including 4 goals and 2 assists in his last 6 games.
C Trevor Smith (18) - Team leader in assists (13) and points (20). Has 5 goals and 3 assists in 12 December games.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
It was Hershey's first 1-0 victory since the 09 Calder Cup playoffs against the Philadelphia Phantoms.
Braden Holtby got the victory, his 9th this season and 3rd shutout, with a 25 save effort over the East division leading Pens.
Now Hershey has to come down from that emotional high and be ready to play against the Syracuse Crunch tonight in Hershey. And it is a 5:00 start too which makes it harder.
The Bears have won 4 straight and have only allowed 2 goals in their last 3 games. Looking back a little further and you see that Hershey has only allowed 10 goals in their last 6 games. Pretty good for a team that was sitting at about .500 a few weeks ago.
Hershey is now only 3 points out of 2nd in the East division although they still trail the Pens by 9 points.
Tonight Syracuse comes to Hershey for a New Years Eve showdown. The Crunch sit in 7th place with 26 points and have lost 3 in a row and 6 of their last 8.
But they have an advantage. Hershey just finished playing a huge rival in a special setting. And the Bears have to make the trip back to Hershey and be ready to play an evening game in front of their home fans.
There are enough veterans on the team to believe that Hershey will come out ready to play but it is a tough thing to ask of them. The Crunch did not play last night and getting up for playing the 2 time defending champs is tough.
And don't think that Syracuse can't win just because they are struggling this season. One of those 2 wins over the past 8 games was against the Baby Pens.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 20-12-0-1 39 points
standings ~ 4th in East Division
most recent game ~ 1-0 Win @ Wilkes-Barre, 12/30
last 5 games ~ 4-1-0-0
home record ~ 10-7-0-0
goals for ~ 115
goals against ~ 81
power play ~ 20.5% (6th)
penalty kill ~ 83.4% (12th)
Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 11-18-1-3 26 points
standings ~ 7th in East Division
most recent game ~ 5-0 Loss @ Wilkes-Barre, 12/29
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
road record ~ 5-11-0-1
goals for ~ 77
goals against ~ 113
power play ~ 16.3% (21st)
penalty kill ~ 80.1% (24th)
last time teams met - This is the 4th meeting between the clubs this season but the first in Hershey. Hershey is 3-0-0-0 against the Crunch this season and has outscored them 12-4 in the 3 games. Most recently Hershey won 5-1 on November 26.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
RW Andrew Gordon (10) - The team leader in goals (16) and points (31) has 3 goals and 3 assists against Syracuse this season.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Scored the only goal last night which gives him 4 goals in his last 3 games. He has also moved up to 4th on Hershey's scoring list with 25 points.
G Dany Sabourin (35) - Has started all 3 games against Syracuse this season and has made a combined 86 saves in the meetings.
Crunch:
LW Josh Green (12) - 4th on the team in points with 14 points but he has had an impressive December with points in 8 of his 12 games this month.
RW Dan Sexton (23) - Has only played in 11 games for the Crunch this season but he has 6 goals and 5 assists in those games including 4 goals and 2 assists in his last 6 games.
C Trevor Smith (18) - Team leader in assists (13) and points (20). Has 5 goals and 3 assists in 12 December games.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Bears playing well this weekend
2 down 1 to go for this 3 in 3 weekend. Personally I think the team has played very well this weekend. Obviously the 3-0 win in Syracuse last night shows that. But the 3-2 loss on Friday doesn't.
You know that feeling when you are trying to say something and you just can't figure out the word you are looking for. Or when you are watching a movie or tv show and an actor comes on and you know you have seen them before but you can't quite remember it. The answer is just at the tip of your tongue....
That's how the Bears played on Friday night. The plays were there, partially made. And then something would go wrong. Either an errant pass, an unlucky bounce, or just a good play from Toronto.
Things just didn't work out for 2.5 periods. You could feel the change though. Just before they scored I felt like bounces had started going their way, the Toronto goalie had started to give up some rebounds, and Hershey was making the passes.
Then the first goal...then the second goal.
And then...ouch. A play that goes fine 99 out of 100 times didn't work out. The bounce went Toronto's way. Sabourin played the puck behind the Hershey net but feeling pressure from behind he rushed the pass and it went directly to a Marlie who put it in the net before Sabs could get back in position.
But don't blame Dany for the loss. If anything you can celebrate him for keeping Hershey in the game. The first 2 goals would have been scored on damn near any goalie in hockey. Great plays by the Marlies and poor defensive positioning led to both.
Sabs kept Hershey in the game with 2 other great 1 on 1 saves in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Without those saves it would have 4-0 before Hershey got on the board.
If you want to blame someone for the loss...blame the defense. They didn't play with any consistency that game.
Or blame the centers...they were dominated in the faceoff circle for much of that game. Whether in the offensive or defensive zone it seemed that the Marlies won all the big faceoffs. Hershey has a 5 on 3 power play...can't win a draw to keep the puck in the zone. Hershey has a big draw when on the penalty kill...the Marlies win and keep possession.
In my opinion Hershey didn't play great on Friday but they did outplay the Marlies. Those games will even themselves out over the course of the season as Hershey will get all the bounces in some games.
The fact that Hershey overcame the tough luck and miscues to tie the game up with a legitimate chance to win says how good this team is.
They rebounded nicely on Saturday night as they out shot the Crunch 40 to 24 and outscored them 3-0. Sabourin made all the saves to pick up Hershey's first shutout of the season. Willsie and Gordon continued their good play picking up their 7th and 8th on the season respectively. And Ashton Rome scored his 4th after being a healthy scratch on Friday.
Tonight Hershey is back home at Giant Center serving host to the Binghamton Senators. In one game against Bingo this year, October 15th in Bingo, Hershey won 7-1 as 6 different Bears scored in that game.
Semyon Varlamov is expected to get the start for Hershey as he prepares to return to the Washington lineup. Varly hasn't played in Hershey since last February 28th in another conditioning assignment. And he hasn't played at all since October 21 when he got the start and the loss in a 4-1 loss in Boston. He has only appeared in 2 games for the Caps this year so rust could be an issue tonight.
Binghamton comes to town at the tail end of a 4 in 5 weekend. They beat Wilkes-Barre on Friday on the road before losing last night to Toronto at home. They haven't scored fewer than 3 goals in their last 5 games but have dropped 2 of those games.
Rookie Bobby Butler is leading the league in goals this season as he has 12 goals in 15 games. 7 of those have come in the last 5 games. And Corey Locke leads the league with 22 points this season as well.
Bingo currently resides in 5th place in the East division, one point behind the Bears. They are 3-2-0-1 on the road this year and 7-6-1-1 overall. Their power play on the road is 24th in the league while their penalty kill is #2 on the road. To compare, Hershey has the 10th best power play at home and the 16th ranked penalty kill at home.
Should be a good one at the GC tonight.
You know that feeling when you are trying to say something and you just can't figure out the word you are looking for. Or when you are watching a movie or tv show and an actor comes on and you know you have seen them before but you can't quite remember it. The answer is just at the tip of your tongue....
That's how the Bears played on Friday night. The plays were there, partially made. And then something would go wrong. Either an errant pass, an unlucky bounce, or just a good play from Toronto.
Things just didn't work out for 2.5 periods. You could feel the change though. Just before they scored I felt like bounces had started going their way, the Toronto goalie had started to give up some rebounds, and Hershey was making the passes.
Then the first goal...then the second goal.
And then...ouch. A play that goes fine 99 out of 100 times didn't work out. The bounce went Toronto's way. Sabourin played the puck behind the Hershey net but feeling pressure from behind he rushed the pass and it went directly to a Marlie who put it in the net before Sabs could get back in position.
But don't blame Dany for the loss. If anything you can celebrate him for keeping Hershey in the game. The first 2 goals would have been scored on damn near any goalie in hockey. Great plays by the Marlies and poor defensive positioning led to both.
Sabs kept Hershey in the game with 2 other great 1 on 1 saves in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Without those saves it would have 4-0 before Hershey got on the board.
If you want to blame someone for the loss...blame the defense. They didn't play with any consistency that game.
Or blame the centers...they were dominated in the faceoff circle for much of that game. Whether in the offensive or defensive zone it seemed that the Marlies won all the big faceoffs. Hershey has a 5 on 3 power play...can't win a draw to keep the puck in the zone. Hershey has a big draw when on the penalty kill...the Marlies win and keep possession.
In my opinion Hershey didn't play great on Friday but they did outplay the Marlies. Those games will even themselves out over the course of the season as Hershey will get all the bounces in some games.
The fact that Hershey overcame the tough luck and miscues to tie the game up with a legitimate chance to win says how good this team is.
They rebounded nicely on Saturday night as they out shot the Crunch 40 to 24 and outscored them 3-0. Sabourin made all the saves to pick up Hershey's first shutout of the season. Willsie and Gordon continued their good play picking up their 7th and 8th on the season respectively. And Ashton Rome scored his 4th after being a healthy scratch on Friday.
Tonight Hershey is back home at Giant Center serving host to the Binghamton Senators. In one game against Bingo this year, October 15th in Bingo, Hershey won 7-1 as 6 different Bears scored in that game.
Semyon Varlamov is expected to get the start for Hershey as he prepares to return to the Washington lineup. Varly hasn't played in Hershey since last February 28th in another conditioning assignment. And he hasn't played at all since October 21 when he got the start and the loss in a 4-1 loss in Boston. He has only appeared in 2 games for the Caps this year so rust could be an issue tonight.
Binghamton comes to town at the tail end of a 4 in 5 weekend. They beat Wilkes-Barre on Friday on the road before losing last night to Toronto at home. They haven't scored fewer than 3 goals in their last 5 games but have dropped 2 of those games.
Rookie Bobby Butler is leading the league in goals this season as he has 12 goals in 15 games. 7 of those have come in the last 5 games. And Corey Locke leads the league with 22 points this season as well.
Bingo currently resides in 5th place in the East division, one point behind the Bears. They are 3-2-0-1 on the road this year and 7-6-1-1 overall. Their power play on the road is 24th in the league while their penalty kill is #2 on the road. To compare, Hershey has the 10th best power play at home and the 16th ranked penalty kill at home.
Should be a good one at the GC tonight.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Bears visit Crunch to kick off 3 in 3
Well it has been an interesting week in regards to call ups and injuries for Hershey. Braden Holtby, Brian Fahey, and Mathieu Perreault are on recall to Washington while Sheldon Souray and Joel Rechlicz are out with injuries.
Rechlicz had his nose broken in a fight while Souray broke his hand in a fight. Hopefully it heals quickly as he broke his right hand last December and then proceeded to miss the remainder of the season due to an infection in that hand. Rechlicz has begun skating on his own again so a return is expected sooner than later. Souray is expected to remain sidelined for a couple of weeks.
Who knows what will happen in Washington. Semyon Varlamov is injured again so Holtby is getting a chance. He is expected to get a start on the Caps current 3 game road trip.
The Caps were having enough problems on defense this week that Lawrence Nycholat was down practicing with the team. He is not under contract with the Caps so it was likely more of a tryout than anything. But that shows that the Caps are struggling with injuries on the blueline right now and might be in need of more bodies soon.
Perreault has played well since his call up with 2 assists in 2 games played so far. (As of this moment he has no points in 2 periods of the game against the Wild). I know the team would love to keep him up there but once Marcus Johansson is healthy it is expected that Perry will return to Hershey.
Dylan Yeo was recalled from South Carolina and Todd Ford remains in Hershey to help the Bears fill out their roster. Expect both to get in some time this weekend. Dany Sabourin will likely start 2 of the 3 games this weekend with Ford getting the other start. And Yeo will likely rotate through the defensive lineup this weekend.
This will be Hershey's second 3 in 3 in as many weeks and many of the guys were feeling some aches and pains after a rough back to back against the Phantoms. The week off was surely welcome to rest before this weekends games.
First up is Syracuse. Last year Hershey went 5-1 against the Crunch but that was a completely different team. Thanks to the AHL going to 30 teams the Crunch are now affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks. Last year the Ducks did not have an official affiliate as they sent players to multiple teams.
And they have surely stocked the Crunch will some young talent. Let's put it in perspective...Syracuse has 25 players listed on their AHL.com roster. 14 of those players were born in 1988 or later. Hershey also has 25 players on their roster...only 2 of them (Francois Bouchard and Dmitry Kugryshev) were born in 1988 or later.
Of those 14 Crunch players that are 22 or younger, 10 of them are forwards and 4 of them are in the top 6 on the team in scoring. The other 2 in the top 6 are defensemen and 1 of them is younger than 22. The only player over the age of 22 in the top 6 in scoring on the team is D Brett Festerling and he is 24. Festerling is still younger than 19 Bears!
So it is young vs veteran Friday night in Syracuse. Should be a good one!
Hershey Bears
record ~ 4-2-0-1 9 points
standings ~ 3rd in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-2 Win vs Adirondack, 10/24
last 5 games ~ 3-2-0-0
road record ~ 2-2-0-0
goals for ~ 27
goals against ~17
power play ~ 26.3% (4th)
penalty kill ~ 81.1% (19th)
Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 3-3-0-1 7 points
standings ~ 5th in East Division
most recent game ~ 5-4 Loss @ Hamilton, 10/27
last 5 games ~ 3-2-0-0
home record ~ 2-0-0-1
goals for ~ 16
goals against ~ 16
power play ~ 16.7% (14th)
penalty kill ~ 93.9% (2nd)
last time teams met - First of six meetings this season. Hershey went 5-1 against the Crunch last year including 2-1 on the road. Hershey outscored Syracuse 26-12 in those games.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
RW Andrew Gordon (10) - Leads Hershey and is tied for 2nd in the league with 6 goals this season. Also tied for 4th in the league in scoring with 11 points.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Leads the Bears and the league in scoring with 13 points this season. He has 3 goals and 10 assists.
RW Ashton Rome (26) - 3 goals and an assist in the last 2 games.
Syracuse:
RW Kyle Palmieri (26) - 2009 1st round draft pick is leading team in goals with 5 and in points with 6. Had a hat trick Wednesday night against Hamilton.
LW Nicolas Deschamps (16) - Second on the team in points with 5 and goals with 3. Currently on a 4 game point streak with all of his points (3g, 2a) coming in those 4 games.
LW Brandon McMillan (15) - The 3rd rookie on this list he is also second on the team in goals with 3 but unlike Deschamps he has no assists this season.
Rechlicz had his nose broken in a fight while Souray broke his hand in a fight. Hopefully it heals quickly as he broke his right hand last December and then proceeded to miss the remainder of the season due to an infection in that hand. Rechlicz has begun skating on his own again so a return is expected sooner than later. Souray is expected to remain sidelined for a couple of weeks.
Who knows what will happen in Washington. Semyon Varlamov is injured again so Holtby is getting a chance. He is expected to get a start on the Caps current 3 game road trip.
The Caps were having enough problems on defense this week that Lawrence Nycholat was down practicing with the team. He is not under contract with the Caps so it was likely more of a tryout than anything. But that shows that the Caps are struggling with injuries on the blueline right now and might be in need of more bodies soon.
Perreault has played well since his call up with 2 assists in 2 games played so far. (As of this moment he has no points in 2 periods of the game against the Wild). I know the team would love to keep him up there but once Marcus Johansson is healthy it is expected that Perry will return to Hershey.
Dylan Yeo was recalled from South Carolina and Todd Ford remains in Hershey to help the Bears fill out their roster. Expect both to get in some time this weekend. Dany Sabourin will likely start 2 of the 3 games this weekend with Ford getting the other start. And Yeo will likely rotate through the defensive lineup this weekend.
This will be Hershey's second 3 in 3 in as many weeks and many of the guys were feeling some aches and pains after a rough back to back against the Phantoms. The week off was surely welcome to rest before this weekends games.
First up is Syracuse. Last year Hershey went 5-1 against the Crunch but that was a completely different team. Thanks to the AHL going to 30 teams the Crunch are now affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks. Last year the Ducks did not have an official affiliate as they sent players to multiple teams.
And they have surely stocked the Crunch will some young talent. Let's put it in perspective...Syracuse has 25 players listed on their AHL.com roster. 14 of those players were born in 1988 or later. Hershey also has 25 players on their roster...only 2 of them (Francois Bouchard and Dmitry Kugryshev) were born in 1988 or later.
Of those 14 Crunch players that are 22 or younger, 10 of them are forwards and 4 of them are in the top 6 on the team in scoring. The other 2 in the top 6 are defensemen and 1 of them is younger than 22. The only player over the age of 22 in the top 6 in scoring on the team is D Brett Festerling and he is 24. Festerling is still younger than 19 Bears!
So it is young vs veteran Friday night in Syracuse. Should be a good one!
Hershey Bears
record ~ 4-2-0-1 9 points
standings ~ 3rd in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-2 Win vs Adirondack, 10/24
last 5 games ~ 3-2-0-0
road record ~ 2-2-0-0
goals for ~ 27
goals against ~17
power play ~ 26.3% (4th)
penalty kill ~ 81.1% (19th)
Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 3-3-0-1 7 points
standings ~ 5th in East Division
most recent game ~ 5-4 Loss @ Hamilton, 10/27
last 5 games ~ 3-2-0-0
home record ~ 2-0-0-1
goals for ~ 16
goals against ~ 16
power play ~ 16.7% (14th)
penalty kill ~ 93.9% (2nd)
last time teams met - First of six meetings this season. Hershey went 5-1 against the Crunch last year including 2-1 on the road. Hershey outscored Syracuse 26-12 in those games.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
RW Andrew Gordon (10) - Leads Hershey and is tied for 2nd in the league with 6 goals this season. Also tied for 4th in the league in scoring with 11 points.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Leads the Bears and the league in scoring with 13 points this season. He has 3 goals and 10 assists.
RW Ashton Rome (26) - 3 goals and an assist in the last 2 games.
Syracuse:
RW Kyle Palmieri (26) - 2009 1st round draft pick is leading team in goals with 5 and in points with 6. Had a hat trick Wednesday night against Hamilton.
LW Nicolas Deschamps (16) - Second on the team in points with 5 and goals with 3. Currently on a 4 game point streak with all of his points (3g, 2a) coming in those 4 games.
LW Brandon McMillan (15) - The 3rd rookie on this list he is also second on the team in goals with 3 but unlike Deschamps he has no assists this season.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Bears welcome Crunch to Hershey tonight
The Syracuse Crunch are newcomers to the East division this season after spending last season in the Western Conferences' North division. And they are not being welcomed warmly.
Currently the Crunch sit in 6th place just 2 points ahead of last place Norfolk in the division. Although surprisingly that is only 4 points out of a playoff spot. This is not exactly the East division of old right now.
With the exception of the Hershey Bears. In the last 2 games they have scored 17 goals and pretty much embarrassed the two teams closest to them in the division standings, Albany and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
For only the second time this season Hershey will welcome the Crunch to Hershey while the Bears will return the favor and head to New York 3 times in the last few weeks of the season. This is the 2nd of 6 meetings this year and the last until March 20th in Syracuse.
Syracuse comes into the game as a poor road team overall with a record of 7-14-2-2 this season on the road. They have to be getting used to the road lately as this will be their 10th road game in the last 12 games. They seem to be getting better though as they have won their last 4 road games and are 5-2-1-1 during this latest road game streak.
I would expect to see Braden Holtby back in net for Hershey while Dan LaCosta gets his second consecutive start for the Crunch tonight. LaCosta played in the previous matchup between the teams, a 4-1 Hershey win the day after Christmas.
LaCosta and the Crunch are coming off a big loss at home last night to rival Rochester. It was the 8th meeting between the teams and the 8th win for Rochester. It was described as a playoff atmosphere in Syracuse between the teams but the Crunch couldn't quite get the win.
That should serve as a plus for Hershey as losing a close game in front of an inspired crowd is usually a tough thing to come back from instantly....especially when headed on the road to face the league's best offense.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 31-9-0-2 64 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 7-2 Win vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 1/16
last 5 games ~ 4-1-0-0
home record ~ 16-3-0-2
goals for ~ 169
goals against ~94
power play ~ 20.3% (3rd)
penalty kill ~ 91.4% (1st)
Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 16-20-3-3 38 points
standings ~ 6th in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-3 Loss vs Rochester, 1/16
last 5 games ~ 4-1-0-0
road record ~ 7-14-2-2
goals for ~ 111
goals against ~ 152
power play ~ 13.9% (22nd)
penalty kill ~ 81.8% (18th)
last time teams met - Hershey won 4-1 at home on December 26th. 4 more games to be played at the end of the season between the two teams.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
LW Alexander Giroux (12)- What else can he do? 5 goals and 3 assists in the last 2 games, a 10 game point streak in which he has 8 goals and 9 assists and yet he still trails Aucoin for the points lead by 3.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Almost as impressive as Giroux with 2 goals and 5 assists in the last 2 games and he too has a 10 game point streak with 7 goals and 14 assists.
C Kyle Wilson (18) - His streak shrinks in comparison to the aforementioned Coiner and Giroux but he does have a 4 game goal streak with 5 goals during that span.
Syracuse:
C Jared Aulin (10) - The former Bear is leading the team in goals (11) and points (25). Has scored 3 goals and 6 assists in 7 January games.
D Brendan Bell (9) - Came over from Peoria during the season he is tied for the team lead in points with 25 (only 8 with Syracuse). Worst plus/minus on the team at -19. But does have a goal and 5 assists in his last 5 games.
C Tomas Kana (5) - The rookie has only played 17 games with the Crunch this season (all since the beginning of December) but he has 8 goals and 4 assists in those games including 3 goals and 3 assists in 7 January games.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Currently the Crunch sit in 6th place just 2 points ahead of last place Norfolk in the division. Although surprisingly that is only 4 points out of a playoff spot. This is not exactly the East division of old right now.
With the exception of the Hershey Bears. In the last 2 games they have scored 17 goals and pretty much embarrassed the two teams closest to them in the division standings, Albany and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
For only the second time this season Hershey will welcome the Crunch to Hershey while the Bears will return the favor and head to New York 3 times in the last few weeks of the season. This is the 2nd of 6 meetings this year and the last until March 20th in Syracuse.
Syracuse comes into the game as a poor road team overall with a record of 7-14-2-2 this season on the road. They have to be getting used to the road lately as this will be their 10th road game in the last 12 games. They seem to be getting better though as they have won their last 4 road games and are 5-2-1-1 during this latest road game streak.
I would expect to see Braden Holtby back in net for Hershey while Dan LaCosta gets his second consecutive start for the Crunch tonight. LaCosta played in the previous matchup between the teams, a 4-1 Hershey win the day after Christmas.
LaCosta and the Crunch are coming off a big loss at home last night to rival Rochester. It was the 8th meeting between the teams and the 8th win for Rochester. It was described as a playoff atmosphere in Syracuse between the teams but the Crunch couldn't quite get the win.
That should serve as a plus for Hershey as losing a close game in front of an inspired crowd is usually a tough thing to come back from instantly....especially when headed on the road to face the league's best offense.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 31-9-0-2 64 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 7-2 Win vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 1/16
last 5 games ~ 4-1-0-0
home record ~ 16-3-0-2
goals for ~ 169
goals against ~94
power play ~ 20.3% (3rd)
penalty kill ~ 91.4% (1st)
Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 16-20-3-3 38 points
standings ~ 6th in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-3 Loss vs Rochester, 1/16
last 5 games ~ 4-1-0-0
road record ~ 7-14-2-2
goals for ~ 111
goals against ~ 152
power play ~ 13.9% (22nd)
penalty kill ~ 81.8% (18th)
last time teams met - Hershey won 4-1 at home on December 26th. 4 more games to be played at the end of the season between the two teams.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
LW Alexander Giroux (12)- What else can he do? 5 goals and 3 assists in the last 2 games, a 10 game point streak in which he has 8 goals and 9 assists and yet he still trails Aucoin for the points lead by 3.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Almost as impressive as Giroux with 2 goals and 5 assists in the last 2 games and he too has a 10 game point streak with 7 goals and 14 assists.
C Kyle Wilson (18) - His streak shrinks in comparison to the aforementioned Coiner and Giroux but he does have a 4 game goal streak with 5 goals during that span.
Syracuse:
C Jared Aulin (10) - The former Bear is leading the team in goals (11) and points (25). Has scored 3 goals and 6 assists in 7 January games.
D Brendan Bell (9) - Came over from Peoria during the season he is tied for the team lead in points with 25 (only 8 with Syracuse). Worst plus/minus on the team at -19. But does have a goal and 5 assists in his last 5 games.
C Tomas Kana (5) - The rookie has only played 17 games with the Crunch this season (all since the beginning of December) but he has 8 goals and 4 assists in those games including 3 goals and 3 assists in 7 January games.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A Win is a Win
I didn't see or hear any of last nights game so I won't tell you how the team looked or anything like that.
But judging from the write up in the Patriot and looking at the scoresheet I would say that this wasn't a game to get too excited about.
The good part of the game is that Hershey managed to come from behind 2 different times and ended up winning it late in the third. That hasn't happened in a while.
My biggest concern was that they didn't get their first shot of the game until Bourque's goal almost 13 minutes into the first. Not sure if it was a lack of timing or effort but for whatever reason they didn't generate much pressure for the first period. After that though they seemed to have woken up and started firing shots again since they finished with 29.
Like I said I didn't see it so maybe it was just bad luck that they didn't get many shots. If you had any opinions or thoughts on their performance please leave them in the comments.
But a win is a win no matter how it comes. Hopefully the Bears can build on this good come from behind road win and get a few more this weekend.
But judging from the write up in the Patriot and looking at the scoresheet I would say that this wasn't a game to get too excited about.
The good part of the game is that Hershey managed to come from behind 2 different times and ended up winning it late in the third. That hasn't happened in a while.
My biggest concern was that they didn't get their first shot of the game until Bourque's goal almost 13 minutes into the first. Not sure if it was a lack of timing or effort but for whatever reason they didn't generate much pressure for the first period. After that though they seemed to have woken up and started firing shots again since they finished with 29.
Like I said I didn't see it so maybe it was just bad luck that they didn't get many shots. If you had any opinions or thoughts on their performance please leave them in the comments.
But a win is a win no matter how it comes. Hopefully the Bears can build on this good come from behind road win and get a few more this weekend.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A Dominating Performance
Now that was a hockey game.
For the first time this season the Bears played a full 60 minutes of hockey and destroyed their opponent. Syracuse was never in this game as they finished with 1 goal on 29 shots against Daren Machesney.
Hershey came out firing from the start and finished with 7 goals on 41 shots against a rookie goaltender starting his first career AHL game in Sebastian Dahm. He never stood a chance in this one. Hershey finished 2 for 7 on the power play and controlled the play from the drop of the puck.
The teams were in a fighting mood last night as their were 3 different fights and 3 10 minute misconduct penalties during the game. Grant McNeill took on Syracuse tough guy Jon Mirasty and held his own mostly because of his size advantage. Grant held Mirasty at arm's length so he couldn't get any shots. Maybe a draw but Mirasty probably won....but not convincingly. Darren Reid then fought twice. In the first one against Adam Pineault he was beaten easily. In the second one against Nick Holden he actually picked up the W in my opinion.
I am looking forward to the next meeting in February and so is the Crunch announcer. I listened to his end of game call and he was pretty upset that the Bears weren't just laying down and letting the Crunch score. He said that when the Bears come up to Syracuse that someone is going to get laid out and that there will only be chocolate syrup left. He was complaining because the Bears were still finishing their checks and, god forbid, playing hockey at the end of the third.
But this game was very well played by the Bears. 6 different Bears scored, Andrew Gordon (4), Graham Mink (5), Alexandre Giroux (4,5), Keith Aucoin (3), Francois Bouchard (2), and Sami Lepisto (1), while 10 different Bears had points. Specifically the MAG line dominated with 9 combined points among the 3 players as each had 3 points this game.
A complete game from the Bears showed what they are capable of.
My Three Stars of the Game:
Grading the Performance:
Even Strength - B+ - The only problem with their performance tonight was how many shots they allowed. You can't allow 29 shots each game and expect to win so easily. Cheese came up HUGE in net for this team numerous times with many excellent saves. The team stood up for themselves against the Crunch and it showed throughout the game. They controlled the play and didn't really allow the Crunch to have any sustained attack.
Power Play - A - They only finished 2 for 7 but they scored a goal right after a power play in the second period. They had multiple chances on each and every power play to score. The Bears had the puck in the offensive zone for almost all of their power play time it seemed. Andrew Gordon played very well in Bourque's role on the point.
Penalty Kill - B+ - They allowed a goal which is really the only bad spot from this group. They killed off 8 of the 9 power plays that Syracuse accumulated during the game. This was by far their best performance of the season. Once in a while they would allow a good shot on goal but not very often.
Overall - A - The best game to date this season....EASILY. Hershey dominated and can do this more often if they show up to play each night. With over 8000 fans in attendance they seemed to feed off the crowd and played great hockey. I am looking forward to seeing where the MAG line goes this year as they dominated again with 4 goals and 5 assists. Awesome performance from the Bears.
Chris Bourque was sent back down to Hershey late last night and could play tonight against the Pens.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!!
For the first time this season the Bears played a full 60 minutes of hockey and destroyed their opponent. Syracuse was never in this game as they finished with 1 goal on 29 shots against Daren Machesney.
Hershey came out firing from the start and finished with 7 goals on 41 shots against a rookie goaltender starting his first career AHL game in Sebastian Dahm. He never stood a chance in this one. Hershey finished 2 for 7 on the power play and controlled the play from the drop of the puck.
The teams were in a fighting mood last night as their were 3 different fights and 3 10 minute misconduct penalties during the game. Grant McNeill took on Syracuse tough guy Jon Mirasty and held his own mostly because of his size advantage. Grant held Mirasty at arm's length so he couldn't get any shots. Maybe a draw but Mirasty probably won....but not convincingly. Darren Reid then fought twice. In the first one against Adam Pineault he was beaten easily. In the second one against Nick Holden he actually picked up the W in my opinion.
I am looking forward to the next meeting in February and so is the Crunch announcer. I listened to his end of game call and he was pretty upset that the Bears weren't just laying down and letting the Crunch score. He said that when the Bears come up to Syracuse that someone is going to get laid out and that there will only be chocolate syrup left. He was complaining because the Bears were still finishing their checks and, god forbid, playing hockey at the end of the third.
But this game was very well played by the Bears. 6 different Bears scored, Andrew Gordon (4), Graham Mink (5), Alexandre Giroux (4,5), Keith Aucoin (3), Francois Bouchard (2), and Sami Lepisto (1), while 10 different Bears had points. Specifically the MAG line dominated with 9 combined points among the 3 players as each had 3 points this game.
A complete game from the Bears showed what they are capable of.
My Three Stars of the Game:
- Daren Machesney
- Keith Aucoin
- Alexandre Giroux
Grading the Performance:
Even Strength - B+ - The only problem with their performance tonight was how many shots they allowed. You can't allow 29 shots each game and expect to win so easily. Cheese came up HUGE in net for this team numerous times with many excellent saves. The team stood up for themselves against the Crunch and it showed throughout the game. They controlled the play and didn't really allow the Crunch to have any sustained attack.
Power Play - A - They only finished 2 for 7 but they scored a goal right after a power play in the second period. They had multiple chances on each and every power play to score. The Bears had the puck in the offensive zone for almost all of their power play time it seemed. Andrew Gordon played very well in Bourque's role on the point.
Penalty Kill - B+ - They allowed a goal which is really the only bad spot from this group. They killed off 8 of the 9 power plays that Syracuse accumulated during the game. This was by far their best performance of the season. Once in a while they would allow a good shot on goal but not very often.
Overall - A - The best game to date this season....EASILY. Hershey dominated and can do this more often if they show up to play each night. With over 8000 fans in attendance they seemed to feed off the crowd and played great hockey. I am looking forward to seeing where the MAG line goes this year as they dominated again with 4 goals and 5 assists. Awesome performance from the Bears.
Chris Bourque was sent back down to Hershey late last night and could play tonight against the Pens.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!!
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