While the two games against Norfolk displayed the Bears excellent play in the first period, last night's game in Springfield, MA was all about the 3rd. The first and second periods were pretty uneventful despite Casey Wellman scoring in each.
Actually, it seemed like most of the action was taking place with the rowdy crowd that was sitting directly below the press box and really giving to the Bears and refs. Scott Stuccio noted it all game long and hilariously stated in the early third period that they should close the concession stands; "and not the ones where everyone can buy something."
The Bears played a very strong defensive game in those periods and didn't allow many scoring chances (only 8 shots in the 1st and 7 in the 2nd). However, the Bears did allow too many odd man rushes; with 2-on-1's for the Falcons way too prevalent. Luckily, Springfield wasn't able to generate much from those opportunities. Even with those chances, Philip Grubauer wasn't tested a whole lot and was well positioned and strong for the few times he needed to be.
The great puck movement of the team is really a bright spot this early in the season. And it especially showed on the power play in the first when Tim Kennedy took a pass from Kris Newbury and then needled a pass between a Falcon's defenders legs to Casey Wellman for the tap-in goal.
The third period really broke loose and opened up after Springfield finally scored their first goal of the game. Both teams traded scoring chances and power play opportunities in end-to-end action that didn't have many stoppages. The teams were pretty much evenly matched with only a slight edge going to the Falcons because of the momentum from their goal. And up until Philip Cornet's goal with about 7 minutes left, the Bears best scoring chance came from Joel Broda's short handed breakaway.
Philip Cornet, who received a nice backhand pass from Caleb Herbert, showed great patience in front of Falcon's goalie Anton Forsberg as he was able to sneak the puck up under Forsberg's arm on the blocker side. Really glad to see Cornet get his first of the year in a Bears' jersey. Let's hope he reaches that 20 goal mark like he did back in 2011-12 when he was with Oklahoma City and an AHL All-Star.
Next the Bears move on to Hartford where they'll face former Hershey hero Chris Bourque, former Bear Ryan Potulny and the Wolf Pack, who are 2-0-0 to start the season.
Showing posts with label Springfield. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Springfield. Show all posts
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Monday, March 5, 2012
Bears get 4 points!
One piece of business before I get into the weekend...if my partial season ticket holding neighbor Kiss Cam Mike is reading this...please email me (hersheybearshockey(at)gmail.com)...I have a question for you.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled post...
Coming into the weekend the Bears were riding a 5 game losing streak and falling further and further behind in the East Division.
One of things was remedied with the two home games this weekend. The Bears won both and therefore aren't in the midst of a losing streak.
Unfortunately, it would appear as though the race for the East Division is all but over. The Norfolk Admirals have won 12 straight games and have an 8-point lead over 2nd place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and 10-point lead over 3rd place Hershey. Obviously there is still hockey to be played...anywhere from 16-18 games for each of the teams, but an 8 point deficit (and 10 points for the Bears) is a very difficult one to make up this late in the season.
But we all know that the East Division crown means nothing more than home ice in the playoffs. Which, of course, would be nice, but 100% not necessary to win the Calder Cup. Just ask Ryan Potulny. Last year, his Binghamton Senators only got in thanks to the divisional crossover rule which allowed the 5th place team in the East (Binghamton) to cross over and play in the Atlantic Division's playoffs.
They won 4 series, 16 games, and the Calder Cup. And I am pretty sure they didn't have home ice advantage for any of those series.
The more important standings information for Bears fans is this...Hershey is 5th in the conference, 2 points back of 4th place Wilkes-Barre. And maybe even more importantly...10 points ahead of 9th place Manchester.
So, the Bears are in solid footing in regards to the playoffs.
Now, to the weekend...
That might have been the sorriest 4 point weekend of the season. On Saturday night the Bears played host to a group of individuals that apparently confiscated the Binghamton Senators jerseys and decided to give ice hockey a try.
I have seen bad games from teams before, but the Senators performance on Saturday might have been the worst ever. Just a complete lack of focus, effort, and skill. It was bad. It has been a bad season for the Senators, but if that is how they typically play, I wouldn't show up to any home games as a fan.
Let me give the Bears their due though...they played well. I didn't think they dominated the play so much as they were the better team in that one. Although, I am pretty sure Lebanon Valley College could have taken down the Sens on Saturday.
The Graham Mink, Ryan Potulny, and Kyle Greentree line was clicking on this night as they each scored a goal giving Hershey a 3-0 win on the night.
Braden Holtby made 17 saves to pick up the shutout.
To explain how bad the Senators played and how easy a game Braden really had just consider that he was NOT a star of the game. Mink, Potulny, and Greentree took home those honors.
I think Braden had one, maybe 2, big saves...the rest were easier than shots he faces in warmups.
But a win is a win and considering how the Bears have been playing of late...a game against a team like Binghamton was perfect to get back on track.
The Springfield Falcons entered Sunday's game having given up 10 goals to Norfolk on Friday and Saturday night. 5 goals each night, both losses.
On the season the Falcons are 24th in the AHL in goals allowed, with over 3 goals per game scored against them. The Falcons goalie last night, Paul Dainton, was playing in his 3rd straight game and was pulled in Saturday night's game in Norfolk. On the season he has a 2.92 goals against average.
The Bears scored 2.
2.
That isn't good enough. The Falcons entered the contest 13th in the conference. The Falcons were coming off of 2 straight road losses, were involved in a pre-game fight Saturday night, drove almost 6 hours for a 5pm faceoff, and were without their leading goal scorer.
And the Bears allowed them to get a point in the standings and hang around for 60+ minutes of hockey.
Again, a win is a win and the Bears needed a weekend like this to gain some confidence. But Sunday night was not an impressive victory. It was a team with more talent, hanging on long enough to get an extra point in the standings.
Matt Pope and Potulny got the Bear goals. Dany Sabourin got the start thanks to Braden's recall to Washington and made some big saves to pick up the win.
But the effort wasn't there from the team. According to the score sheet Hershey managed 26 shots. 14 of those were in the third period and overtime.
12 shots in the first two periods?
The Bears had a 5 on 3 for almost a full minute and couldn't hit the net. Until the final goal they had gone 0 for 5 with the man advantage and looked bad doing it.
At the end of the day 2 points is still 2 points. And the Bears are learning to play close, low-scoring games. Which is good, because that is what wins in the playoffs.
The Bears have 2 more games against Binghamton this year...hopefully they aren't still looking for confidence when those game arrive.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled post...
Coming into the weekend the Bears were riding a 5 game losing streak and falling further and further behind in the East Division.
One of things was remedied with the two home games this weekend. The Bears won both and therefore aren't in the midst of a losing streak.
Unfortunately, it would appear as though the race for the East Division is all but over. The Norfolk Admirals have won 12 straight games and have an 8-point lead over 2nd place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and 10-point lead over 3rd place Hershey. Obviously there is still hockey to be played...anywhere from 16-18 games for each of the teams, but an 8 point deficit (and 10 points for the Bears) is a very difficult one to make up this late in the season.
But we all know that the East Division crown means nothing more than home ice in the playoffs. Which, of course, would be nice, but 100% not necessary to win the Calder Cup. Just ask Ryan Potulny. Last year, his Binghamton Senators only got in thanks to the divisional crossover rule which allowed the 5th place team in the East (Binghamton) to cross over and play in the Atlantic Division's playoffs.
They won 4 series, 16 games, and the Calder Cup. And I am pretty sure they didn't have home ice advantage for any of those series.
The more important standings information for Bears fans is this...Hershey is 5th in the conference, 2 points back of 4th place Wilkes-Barre. And maybe even more importantly...10 points ahead of 9th place Manchester.
So, the Bears are in solid footing in regards to the playoffs.
Now, to the weekend...
That might have been the sorriest 4 point weekend of the season. On Saturday night the Bears played host to a group of individuals that apparently confiscated the Binghamton Senators jerseys and decided to give ice hockey a try.
I have seen bad games from teams before, but the Senators performance on Saturday might have been the worst ever. Just a complete lack of focus, effort, and skill. It was bad. It has been a bad season for the Senators, but if that is how they typically play, I wouldn't show up to any home games as a fan.
Let me give the Bears their due though...they played well. I didn't think they dominated the play so much as they were the better team in that one. Although, I am pretty sure Lebanon Valley College could have taken down the Sens on Saturday.
The Graham Mink, Ryan Potulny, and Kyle Greentree line was clicking on this night as they each scored a goal giving Hershey a 3-0 win on the night.
Braden Holtby made 17 saves to pick up the shutout.
To explain how bad the Senators played and how easy a game Braden really had just consider that he was NOT a star of the game. Mink, Potulny, and Greentree took home those honors.
I think Braden had one, maybe 2, big saves...the rest were easier than shots he faces in warmups.
But a win is a win and considering how the Bears have been playing of late...a game against a team like Binghamton was perfect to get back on track.
The Springfield Falcons entered Sunday's game having given up 10 goals to Norfolk on Friday and Saturday night. 5 goals each night, both losses.
On the season the Falcons are 24th in the AHL in goals allowed, with over 3 goals per game scored against them. The Falcons goalie last night, Paul Dainton, was playing in his 3rd straight game and was pulled in Saturday night's game in Norfolk. On the season he has a 2.92 goals against average.
The Bears scored 2.
2.
That isn't good enough. The Falcons entered the contest 13th in the conference. The Falcons were coming off of 2 straight road losses, were involved in a pre-game fight Saturday night, drove almost 6 hours for a 5pm faceoff, and were without their leading goal scorer.
And the Bears allowed them to get a point in the standings and hang around for 60+ minutes of hockey.
Again, a win is a win and the Bears needed a weekend like this to gain some confidence. But Sunday night was not an impressive victory. It was a team with more talent, hanging on long enough to get an extra point in the standings.
Matt Pope and Potulny got the Bear goals. Dany Sabourin got the start thanks to Braden's recall to Washington and made some big saves to pick up the win.
But the effort wasn't there from the team. According to the score sheet Hershey managed 26 shots. 14 of those were in the third period and overtime.
12 shots in the first two periods?
The Bears had a 5 on 3 for almost a full minute and couldn't hit the net. Until the final goal they had gone 0 for 5 with the man advantage and looked bad doing it.
At the end of the day 2 points is still 2 points. And the Bears are learning to play close, low-scoring games. Which is good, because that is what wins in the playoffs.
The Bears have 2 more games against Binghamton this year...hopefully they aren't still looking for confidence when those game arrive.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Last week I was playing roller hockey and our team went up 7-2 or something like that just after halftime. As expected, we let our guard down and started goofing around too much only to see the other team come back and get 3 goals to make it 7-5. Luckily we steadied out and finished off with an 8-5 win.
It would appear last night that the Bears fell into a similar situation. Midway through the 2nd period the Bears found themselves up 3-0 after goals by Chris Bourque, Garrett Mitchell, and Jacob Micflikier.
And then they apparently stopped playing their game. I am sure they weren't goofing around like we were, but over the next 30 minutes they gave up 3 power play goals and eventually lost in overtime 4-3 against the Springfield Falcons.
Obviously the Falcons had a plan and stuck with it. I didn't see the game or listen to it but based on the game sheet you can gather that the Falcons were likely running Braden Holtby throughout the game. He ended up with 2 roughing calls in the 3rd period. The tying goal came on the 2nd one.
Overall the Falcons took advantage of the Bears miscues. Hershey gave them 5 power plays (all after they opened up a 3-0 lead) and Springfield took advantage.
Now its on to Glens Falls to face off against the Adirondack Phantoms.
The Phantoms are coming off consecutive home losses (to Norfolk and Connecticut) and are finishing up a brief 3 game home stand against the Bears tonight.
The baby Flyers are 5-3-0-1 on the season and are currently sitting in 2nd place in the Northeast Division with 11 points.
Tonight is the first of 4 meetings between the recent division rivals with the next game coming outside at Citizens Bank Park on January 6th. It will be different not seeing the Phantoms so much each season now that the clubs are in different divisions.
So far this season the Phantoms boast a solid offensive team. They have scored the same number of goals as Hershey, 33, albeit in one additional game. 33 goals puts the teams tied for second in the AHL, behind only Norfolk's 40 goals.
Denis Hamel leads the team in goals, 7, and points, 11. 2 other players, Eric Wellwood, and rookie Harry Zolnierczyk (how the hell do you pronounce that) are averaging over a point per game as well. Braydon Schenn was averaging 2 points a game but has since been recalled to Philadelphia.
Unfortunately for the Phantoms they have also allowed 28 goals on the season. And that is somewhat surprising considering they have Michael Leighton and Jason Bacashihua in net. Leighton has seen the majority of the action, playing in 7 games compared to 3 for Cash, but both guys are solid veterans. Leighton got the start last night so I wouldn't be surprised if Cash is in net tonight to face the Bears.
At the opposite end, Dany Sabourin, will get his 4th start of the season, looking to go 4-0 on the young season.
The Bears will surely be looking to return to Hershey with a win tonight. Hopefully they can make it 3 straight home losses for the Phantoms.
It would appear last night that the Bears fell into a similar situation. Midway through the 2nd period the Bears found themselves up 3-0 after goals by Chris Bourque, Garrett Mitchell, and Jacob Micflikier.
And then they apparently stopped playing their game. I am sure they weren't goofing around like we were, but over the next 30 minutes they gave up 3 power play goals and eventually lost in overtime 4-3 against the Springfield Falcons.
Overall the Falcons took advantage of the Bears miscues. Hershey gave them 5 power plays (all after they opened up a 3-0 lead) and Springfield took advantage.
Now its on to Glens Falls to face off against the Adirondack Phantoms.
The Phantoms are coming off consecutive home losses (to Norfolk and Connecticut) and are finishing up a brief 3 game home stand against the Bears tonight.
The baby Flyers are 5-3-0-1 on the season and are currently sitting in 2nd place in the Northeast Division with 11 points.
Tonight is the first of 4 meetings between the recent division rivals with the next game coming outside at Citizens Bank Park on January 6th. It will be different not seeing the Phantoms so much each season now that the clubs are in different divisions.
So far this season the Phantoms boast a solid offensive team. They have scored the same number of goals as Hershey, 33, albeit in one additional game. 33 goals puts the teams tied for second in the AHL, behind only Norfolk's 40 goals.
Denis Hamel leads the team in goals, 7, and points, 11. 2 other players, Eric Wellwood, and rookie Harry Zolnierczyk (how the hell do you pronounce that) are averaging over a point per game as well. Braydon Schenn was averaging 2 points a game but has since been recalled to Philadelphia.
Unfortunately for the Phantoms they have also allowed 28 goals on the season. And that is somewhat surprising considering they have Michael Leighton and Jason Bacashihua in net. Leighton has seen the majority of the action, playing in 7 games compared to 3 for Cash, but both guys are solid veterans. Leighton got the start last night so I wouldn't be surprised if Cash is in net tonight to face the Bears.
At the opposite end, Dany Sabourin, will get his 4th start of the season, looking to go 4-0 on the young season.
The Bears will surely be looking to return to Hershey with a win tonight. Hopefully they can make it 3 straight home losses for the Phantoms.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!!
Friday, October 28, 2011
GameDay Preview: Bears @ Springfield Falcons
The Hershey Bears are in Springfield, Mass tonight for the first game of another 3 games in 3 nights that will see them travel about 800 miles this weekend. Tonight will be the Bears only game in Springfield for 2011-12, unless of course the teams meet in the postseason. After tonight the Bears travel to Glens Falls, NY to face the Phantoms before returning home to Hershey for a Sunday evening matchup with the Senators.
Former Bears Andrew Joudrey and Alexandre Giroux are both members of the Springfield Falcons. Although, Giroux has spent the majority of the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was on the opening night roster with Springfield and played in 2 games before getting recalled to the NHL. He hasn't been back since and he has played in 5 games with one goal so far for the Jackets. Joudrey has played in all 9 games for the Falcons and has one assist on the season.
The Falcons have been a bit Jekll and Hyde this season. They started the season going 3-2 with 21 goals for and 19 goals against. But over their last 4 games they are only 1-3 and have scored a combined 4 goals. They have done better defensively though, allowing only 10 goals in those games.
Who knows which team shows up this weekend.
Goaltending was obviously a concern after the first few games and it was addressed. The Falcons started the season with rookies Allen York and Paul Dainton as their netminders. That didn't work out so well. Manny Legace and Danny Taylor have started the last 5 games and have allowed a total of 13 goals in those 5. Taylor is the star right now. He has 3 starts, is 2-1, and boasts a 2.00 gaa and a .941 save percentage.
Unfortunately for the Falcons the improved goaltending and defensive play hasn't translated to wins. And that is possibly because of recalls to the NHL. Giroux only played in 2 games before getting recalled, Cody Bass, the former Binghamton Senator, played in the first 5 games (when the team scored 21 goals) before getting recalled to Columbus, and defenseman John Moore played in the first 4 games before being recalled for a couple stints.
None of those players are back in Springfield as of right now.
Hershey comes into the game having not played for 4+ days. Not since they put up 7 on the Syracuse Crunch last Sunday evening at Giant Center.
But despite the time off, they still have injury concerns heading into the weekend.
Due to an injury to Mike Green, defenseman Sean Collins was recalled by the Capitals and won't be available for the weekend as he traveled with the club on a road trip across Western Canada that runs into the weekend. In response to that the Bears recalled Paul Baier from South Carolina.
Otherwise Graham Mink and Danny Richmond are all listed as day to day while Ryan Potulny and Kyle Greentree are listed as week to week at best. None of those players are expected to travel with the team for the games this weekend.
The one thing you don't see here though is any goaltending injuries to discuss (quick...knock on wood). Both goalies in Washington are healthy, which means both Dany Sabourin and Braden Holtby will be dressed in Chocolate and White this weekend. Braden is expected to start tonight in Springfield with Sabourin getting the go tomorrow night. As of now the Sunday starter is to be determined, but I would imagine Braden will get the start.
So far this season the Bears are 4-0-0-0 on the road while their opponent tonight is only 1-3-0-0 at home. Just sayin'.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 5-1-1-0 | 11 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
road record ~ 4-0-0-0
goals for ~ 30
goals against ~ 19
power play ~ 34.2% (2nd)
penalty kill ~ 89.7% (5th)
Springfield Falcons
record ~ 4-5-0-0 | 8 points
standings ~ 3rd in Northeast Division
most recent game ~ 2-1 Win @ Manchester, 10/26
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
home record ~ 1-3-0-0
goals for ~ 25
goals against ~ 29
power play ~15.2% (20th)
penalty kill ~ 80.4% (17th)
last time teams met - This is the first of 2 meetings between the teams this season. The Falcons will visit Giant Center on March 4, 2012.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
LW Chris Bourque (17) - he continues to lead the team in goals (5) and points (13) and is tied for the team lead in assists now too (8). He has recorded a point in every game so far this season.
RW Matthew Ford (23) - he wasn't at practice Thursday but is expected to meet the team in Springfield today. He is expected to take Mink's top line spot so he may benefit from playing with Bourque and Aucoin and expand on his 3 goals and 2 assists.
F Jacob Micflikier (18) - he started out slow (kind of) as he didn't register a point in the first 2 games. Since then (5 games) he has 3 goals and 5 assists.
Falcons:
LW Nick Drazenovic (10) - leads the team in assists (8) and points (10). He also has 2 goals this season. 9 of his 10 points came in the first 5 games of the season.
C Martin St. Pierre (39) - leads the team in goals (4) and is second in points (7). He has scored in each of the last 2 games.
LW Dane Byers (34) - tied for second on the team in goals with 3.
The Falcons have been a bit Jekll and Hyde this season. They started the season going 3-2 with 21 goals for and 19 goals against. But over their last 4 games they are only 1-3 and have scored a combined 4 goals. They have done better defensively though, allowing only 10 goals in those games.
Who knows which team shows up this weekend.
Goaltending was obviously a concern after the first few games and it was addressed. The Falcons started the season with rookies Allen York and Paul Dainton as their netminders. That didn't work out so well. Manny Legace and Danny Taylor have started the last 5 games and have allowed a total of 13 goals in those 5. Taylor is the star right now. He has 3 starts, is 2-1, and boasts a 2.00 gaa and a .941 save percentage.
Unfortunately for the Falcons the improved goaltending and defensive play hasn't translated to wins. And that is possibly because of recalls to the NHL. Giroux only played in 2 games before getting recalled, Cody Bass, the former Binghamton Senator, played in the first 5 games (when the team scored 21 goals) before getting recalled to Columbus, and defenseman John Moore played in the first 4 games before being recalled for a couple stints.
None of those players are back in Springfield as of right now.
Hershey comes into the game having not played for 4+ days. Not since they put up 7 on the Syracuse Crunch last Sunday evening at Giant Center.
But despite the time off, they still have injury concerns heading into the weekend.
Due to an injury to Mike Green, defenseman Sean Collins was recalled by the Capitals and won't be available for the weekend as he traveled with the club on a road trip across Western Canada that runs into the weekend. In response to that the Bears recalled Paul Baier from South Carolina.
Otherwise Graham Mink and Danny Richmond are all listed as day to day while Ryan Potulny and Kyle Greentree are listed as week to week at best. None of those players are expected to travel with the team for the games this weekend.
The one thing you don't see here though is any goaltending injuries to discuss (quick...knock on wood). Both goalies in Washington are healthy, which means both Dany Sabourin and Braden Holtby will be dressed in Chocolate and White this weekend. Braden is expected to start tonight in Springfield with Sabourin getting the go tomorrow night. As of now the Sunday starter is to be determined, but I would imagine Braden will get the start.
So far this season the Bears are 4-0-0-0 on the road while their opponent tonight is only 1-3-0-0 at home. Just sayin'.
Hershey Bears
record ~ 5-1-1-0 | 11 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
road record ~ 4-0-0-0
goals for ~ 30
goals against ~ 19
power play ~ 34.2% (2nd)
penalty kill ~ 89.7% (5th)
Springfield Falcons
record ~ 4-5-0-0 | 8 points
standings ~ 3rd in Northeast Division
most recent game ~ 2-1 Win @ Manchester, 10/26
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
home record ~ 1-3-0-0
goals for ~ 25
goals against ~ 29
power play ~15.2% (20th)
penalty kill ~ 80.4% (17th)
last time teams met - This is the first of 2 meetings between the teams this season. The Falcons will visit Giant Center on March 4, 2012.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
LW Chris Bourque (17) - he continues to lead the team in goals (5) and points (13) and is tied for the team lead in assists now too (8). He has recorded a point in every game so far this season.
RW Matthew Ford (23) - he wasn't at practice Thursday but is expected to meet the team in Springfield today. He is expected to take Mink's top line spot so he may benefit from playing with Bourque and Aucoin and expand on his 3 goals and 2 assists.
F Jacob Micflikier (18) - he started out slow (kind of) as he didn't register a point in the first 2 games. Since then (5 games) he has 3 goals and 5 assists.
Falcons:
LW Nick Drazenovic (10) - leads the team in assists (8) and points (10). He also has 2 goals this season. 9 of his 10 points came in the first 5 games of the season.
C Martin St. Pierre (39) - leads the team in goals (4) and is second in points (7). He has scored in each of the last 2 games.
LW Dane Byers (34) - tied for second on the team in goals with 3.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Hershey wins in Springfield, 5-1...welcomes back Gordon
Welcome back Andrew Gordon! Gordon played in his first game since February 5th last night...21 games he missed total.
In that span Hershey scored more than 4 goals twice. Once in the first game he was out (against Manitoba) and once against AHL bottom dwelling Bridgeport. 2 games.
In fact Hershey only scored more than 3 a total of 4 times over that span.
Gordon's first game back....5 goals for the Bears.
Was it a coincidence...maybe. Gordon didn't score at all. Aucoin and Perreault didn't play. So maybe it was just Hershey's night.
Or maybe just having Gordon in the lineup gives the team more confidence and makes the other team have to play differently.
Time will tell which it is but last night the Bears rolled to a 5-1 win over the Springfield Falcons in their first game of a 3 in 3.
The goals were picked up by Brian Willsie (27 and 28 on the year), Andrew Kozek (8 and 9, 1st 2 as a Bear), and Kyle Greentree (26).
Gordon picked up one assist as he joined Willsie and Greentree on the top line while Willsie also picked up an assist on the Greentree goal.
Nolan Schaefer made 29 saves as Hershey picked up the win and held their ground in the East Division.
Tonight Hershey returns to Giant Center to take on one of the #2 team in the Atlantic Division...the Portland Pirates.
Last week Hershey visited the Pirates and left Maine with a 3-2 shootout loss. The Bears will surely be looking for a different outcome tonight.
Getting a more complete lineup on the ice should surely help. Gordon wasn't the only player to return to the lineup last night. Steve Pinizzotto also played for the first time since March 2.
That was all for player returns last night but more could be on the way.
There is still an outside chance that Keith Aucoin plays this weekend. I doubt it happens as it doesn't make sense to rush him since it was some sort of head/neck injury. But they say it could happen.
Mathieu Perreault missed last nights game due to illness so he should (in theory) be back sometime this weekend.
And while there has been no official word (that I have seen anyway) I would think Braden Holtby might return sooner than later. Semyon Varlamov was healthy enough to serve as the backup to Michal Neuvirth last night. So if Varly is ready to come back the general thinking would be that Braden would make his return to the Bears.
But again...nothing is certain.
Until that happens though this team is surely better with Gordon on the ice. Whether or not he scores he has an influence.
We saw it last night. It's good to have him back!
Hershey Bears
record ~ 42-22-1-5 90 points
standings ~ 2nd in East Division
most recent game ~ 5-1 Win @ Springfield, 3/18
last 5 games ~ 3-1-0-1
home record ~ 20-11-0-3
goals for ~ 224
goals against ~ 180
road power play ~ 21.7% (5th)
home penalty kill ~ 86.1% (6th)
Portland Pirates
record ~ 41-18-5-2 89 points
standings ~ 2nd in Atlantic Division
most recent game ~ 3-2 Win @ Binghamton, 3/18
last 5 games ~ 4-1-0-0
road record ~ 18-13-1-1
goals for ~238
goals against ~ 191
road power play ~13.6% (26th)
home penalty kill ~ 82.7% (17th)
LW Andrew Kozek (21) - I wasn't convinced that he would help much offensively when Yingst made the move but so far I have been wrong. He has 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 games with the Bears so far and you can see the energy he plays with. Why do I ever doubt Yingst??
C Brian Willsie (18) - Leads the team in goals (28) and 2nd in points (62) and has played in just about every role on the team this season. Easily the team MVP at this point. He had 2 more goals and an assist last night.
Pirates:
C Mark Voakes (27) - Has 4 goals and 2 assists in his 6 games with Portland this season. All those games have come in March including 1 goal against Hershey last week.
C Luke Adam (39) - Didn't have to face the Pirates leading active scorer last week as he was on recall. He has 25 goals on the season (7 behind team leader Mark Mancari who is on recall still). He has 8 goals and 7 assists in his last 8 games.
D Marc-Andre Gragnani (17) - Leads the team in assists with 43, current leader in points with 54 (10 behind Mancari), and he has 11 goals this season. 2 goals and 12 assists in 8 March games so far.
In that span Hershey scored more than 4 goals twice. Once in the first game he was out (against Manitoba) and once against AHL bottom dwelling Bridgeport. 2 games.
In fact Hershey only scored more than 3 a total of 4 times over that span.
Gordon's first game back....5 goals for the Bears.
Was it a coincidence...maybe. Gordon didn't score at all. Aucoin and Perreault didn't play. So maybe it was just Hershey's night.
Or maybe just having Gordon in the lineup gives the team more confidence and makes the other team have to play differently.
Time will tell which it is but last night the Bears rolled to a 5-1 win over the Springfield Falcons in their first game of a 3 in 3.
The goals were picked up by Brian Willsie (27 and 28 on the year), Andrew Kozek (8 and 9, 1st 2 as a Bear), and Kyle Greentree (26).
Gordon picked up one assist as he joined Willsie and Greentree on the top line while Willsie also picked up an assist on the Greentree goal.
Nolan Schaefer made 29 saves as Hershey picked up the win and held their ground in the East Division.
Tonight Hershey returns to Giant Center to take on one of the #2 team in the Atlantic Division...the Portland Pirates.
Last week Hershey visited the Pirates and left Maine with a 3-2 shootout loss. The Bears will surely be looking for a different outcome tonight.
Getting a more complete lineup on the ice should surely help. Gordon wasn't the only player to return to the lineup last night. Steve Pinizzotto also played for the first time since March 2.
That was all for player returns last night but more could be on the way.
There is still an outside chance that Keith Aucoin plays this weekend. I doubt it happens as it doesn't make sense to rush him since it was some sort of head/neck injury. But they say it could happen.
Mathieu Perreault missed last nights game due to illness so he should (in theory) be back sometime this weekend.
And while there has been no official word (that I have seen anyway) I would think Braden Holtby might return sooner than later. Semyon Varlamov was healthy enough to serve as the backup to Michal Neuvirth last night. So if Varly is ready to come back the general thinking would be that Braden would make his return to the Bears.
But again...nothing is certain.
Until that happens though this team is surely better with Gordon on the ice. Whether or not he scores he has an influence.
We saw it last night. It's good to have him back!
Hershey Bears
record ~ 42-22-1-5 90 points
standings ~ 2nd in East Division
most recent game ~ 5-1 Win @ Springfield, 3/18
last 5 games ~ 3-1-0-1
home record ~ 20-11-0-3
goals for ~ 224
goals against ~ 180
road power play ~ 21.7% (5th)
home penalty kill ~ 86.1% (6th)
Portland Pirates
record ~ 41-18-5-2 89 points
standings ~ 2nd in Atlantic Division
most recent game ~ 3-2 Win @ Binghamton, 3/18
last 5 games ~ 4-1-0-0
road record ~ 18-13-1-1
goals for ~238
goals against ~ 191
road power play ~13.6% (26th)
home penalty kill ~ 82.7% (17th)
last time teams met - 2nd and final meeting between the teams during the regular season. Portland won 3-2 in a shootout on March 8 in Portland.
Players to watch:Hershey:
RW Andrew Gordon (10) - returned to the lineup last night for the first time since Feb 5. Had an assist in that game and still sits 3rd on the team in goals (22) and 4th in points (47) despite only playing in 41 games.LW Andrew Kozek (21) - I wasn't convinced that he would help much offensively when Yingst made the move but so far I have been wrong. He has 2 goals and 2 assists in 4 games with the Bears so far and you can see the energy he plays with. Why do I ever doubt Yingst??
C Brian Willsie (18) - Leads the team in goals (28) and 2nd in points (62) and has played in just about every role on the team this season. Easily the team MVP at this point. He had 2 more goals and an assist last night.
Pirates:
C Mark Voakes (27) - Has 4 goals and 2 assists in his 6 games with Portland this season. All those games have come in March including 1 goal against Hershey last week.
C Luke Adam (39) - Didn't have to face the Pirates leading active scorer last week as he was on recall. He has 25 goals on the season (7 behind team leader Mark Mancari who is on recall still). He has 8 goals and 7 assists in his last 8 games.
D Marc-Andre Gragnani (17) - Leads the team in assists with 43, current leader in points with 54 (10 behind Mancari), and he has 11 goals this season. 2 goals and 12 assists in 8 March games so far.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Bears escape with 4-3 victory over Springfield
The game started off well enough. Hershey jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and at the 8 minute mark in the 2nd period it was 3-1. The Bears were creating turnovers and scoring chances every single shift for the first half of the game.
And then they took their foot off the gas while the Falcons started playing with more urgency. For the final 30 minutes Hershey was routinely stuck in their own zone fighting in the corners and turning the puck over each time they touched it.
Hershey recorded 23 shots in the game, 6 of which came in the third period. You can see how the game went by the shots...9 in the first period, 8 in the second, and only 6 in the third. A slow but steady falloff which almost resulted in a lost point.
Springfield on the other hand struggled mightily early on. They turned it over in their own end, couldn't complete passes in any zone, and looked overmatched by the Bears. But they got better as the game went on. 8 shots in the first, 9 in the second, and 11 in the third as they made a strong push for the win.
They got close.
John Moore scored midway through the 3rd period to make it 3-2 and Springfield was controlling the play.
But Steve Pinizzotto wouldn't let it go. He took a pass from Brian Willsie, stickhandled to the center of the ice, and waited long enough before shooting and scoring what would end up as the game winning goal. It was Pinner's 11th goal of the season.
The goal happened about 30 seconds after the Falcons goal and Springfield never really recovered. Sure, Kyle Wilson added a goal while 6 on 5 after Dany Sabourin whiffed on a shot at the empty net but Hershey managed to keep control of their zone for the finishing minutes.
Andrew Gordon (21), Willsie (18), and Sean Collins (3) also scored for the Bears while Sabourin made 25 saves on 28 shots to pick up the win.
It was an important win for the Bears as they are now tied for 2nd place in the East division as the Norfolk Admirals have dropped 3 straight.
But the games get tougher tonight and tomorrow. Sure, Springfield is a good team but it isn't a rivalry game (there was almost no animosity all night long) and they aren't a playoff team at this point.
Tonight the Binghamton Senators are on the schedule for the Bears while tomorrow brings the Charlotte Checkers to Hershey for an afternoon game before the All-Star festivities.
A 2pm game to finish up a 3 in 3...not an easy weekend. But both teams are chasing the Bears for the 2nd spot in the East. Charlotte sits in 4th, 2 points back while the Senators sit in 5th, only 6 points back. A loss in either game likely means a move in the standings.
No time for rest.
My Three Stars of the Game:
Grading the Performance:
And then they took their foot off the gas while the Falcons started playing with more urgency. For the final 30 minutes Hershey was routinely stuck in their own zone fighting in the corners and turning the puck over each time they touched it.
Hershey recorded 23 shots in the game, 6 of which came in the third period. You can see how the game went by the shots...9 in the first period, 8 in the second, and only 6 in the third. A slow but steady falloff which almost resulted in a lost point.
Springfield on the other hand struggled mightily early on. They turned it over in their own end, couldn't complete passes in any zone, and looked overmatched by the Bears. But they got better as the game went on. 8 shots in the first, 9 in the second, and 11 in the third as they made a strong push for the win.
They got close.
John Moore scored midway through the 3rd period to make it 3-2 and Springfield was controlling the play.
But Steve Pinizzotto wouldn't let it go. He took a pass from Brian Willsie, stickhandled to the center of the ice, and waited long enough before shooting and scoring what would end up as the game winning goal. It was Pinner's 11th goal of the season.
The goal happened about 30 seconds after the Falcons goal and Springfield never really recovered. Sure, Kyle Wilson added a goal while 6 on 5 after Dany Sabourin whiffed on a shot at the empty net but Hershey managed to keep control of their zone for the finishing minutes.
Andrew Gordon (21), Willsie (18), and Sean Collins (3) also scored for the Bears while Sabourin made 25 saves on 28 shots to pick up the win.
It was an important win for the Bears as they are now tied for 2nd place in the East division as the Norfolk Admirals have dropped 3 straight.
But the games get tougher tonight and tomorrow. Sure, Springfield is a good team but it isn't a rivalry game (there was almost no animosity all night long) and they aren't a playoff team at this point.
Tonight the Binghamton Senators are on the schedule for the Bears while tomorrow brings the Charlotte Checkers to Hershey for an afternoon game before the All-Star festivities.
A 2pm game to finish up a 3 in 3...not an easy weekend. But both teams are chasing the Bears for the 2nd spot in the East. Charlotte sits in 4th, 2 points back while the Senators sit in 5th, only 6 points back. A loss in either game likely means a move in the standings.
No time for rest.
My Three Stars of the Game:
- Brian Willsie - picked up a goal and an assist to extend his goal scoring streak to 4 games.
- Kyle Wilson - he looked like the best player on the ice last night. It was good to see him back in Hershey and based on the way he played I would say the Caps and Bears are disappointed that they don't have him now.
- Dany Sabourin - yeah he allowed 3 goals but he made some huge saves as his defense couldn't get the puck out of the zone.
Grading the Performance:
- Offense | B- | It started out great. 2 goals in the first period while controlling play in the neutral zone. And then it all changed. Puck possession was at a premium last night and the Hershey forwards struggled to keep the puck on their sticks a majority of the time throughout the 2nd and 3rd periods. 4 goals on 23 shots is still pretty impressive.
- Defense | B | Solid for portions of the game but struggled mightily in the 2nd and 3rd periods when Springfield got the puck in the zone. They managed to keep play along the perimeter but some questionable passes and positioning allowed too many good opportunities for the Falcons.
- Goaltending | B | The 2nd goal was just a perfect shot and the 3rd was definitely a mistake on Dany's part (which he would likely admit to anyone) but other than that he was very good all night and probably deserves a majority of the credit for the win.
- Power Play | B | Only had 2 chances but on the one PP goal they held the puck in the offensive zone for about 1:30 before scoring. They controlled the play on that power play and it resulted in a goal.
- Penalty Kill | C | Is it just me or does it seem that 1) Andrew Joudrey is taking too many penalties lately and 2) whenever he is in the box the other team scores? He took an offensive zone penalty at 18:38 of the 1st and 10 seconds later it was 2-1.
- Overall | B- | Not the best game but definitely not the worst either. 4 goals will win the majority of games considering the goalies Hershey has. But you have to be able to get the puck out of the zone better than they did during the 2nd and 3rd periods.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Bears welcome Springfield Falcons to Giant Center
Tomorrow night the Bears will face off against the Springfield Falcons and former Bear Kyle Wilson for the first time this season.
The Falcons currently sit in 6th place in the Atlantic division (tied for 5th and last) with 44 points. This is the first of a 5 game road stretch that takes to Norfolk, Providence, and Bridgeport before returning to Springfield after the All-Star break.
The Bears are finishing up a 4 game homestand that has seen them outscore the opposition 18-5 in 3 wins.
Dany Sabourin has been the star of the show the past 3 games as he has stopped almost all of the shots he has faced. He will likely get another game in against Springfield as Braden Holtby is not expected back in Hershey until after the weekend (although I would imagine the Caps would reassign him so he could partake in the All-Star game but I am not sure).
Hershey ran through most teams on their way to the Calder Cup in 2009-10 but Springfield is one team they couldn't entirely figure out. In 2 games against the Falcons last season Hershey couldn't pick up a win. They did pick up 2 points in the games but lost both in shootouts, 3-2 and 5-4.
So this years team will be looking to do something that last years team couldn't do (and that is not something they get to say much)...beat the Springfield Falcons.
A few more notes on the game tonight:
Hershey Bearsrecord ~ 26-14-1-2 55 points
standings ~ 3rd in East Division
most recent game ~ 5-1 Win vs Adirondack, 1/23
last 5 games ~ 3-1-0-1
home record ~ 14-8-0-1
goals for ~ 150
goals against ~ 102
power play ~ 21.6% (5th)
penalty kill ~ 84.0% (12th)
Springfield Falconsrecord ~ 20-21-1-3 44 points
standings ~ 6th in Atlantic Division
most recent game ~ 4-2 Win vs Bridgeport, 1/23
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
road record ~ 11-9-0-2
goals for ~ 135
goals against ~ 148
power play ~ 15.0% (23rd)
penalty kill ~ 84.2% (11th)
last time teams met - This is the first of two meetings this season (Hershey visits Springfield in March). Last year Springfield won both matchups in shootouts, 3-2 in Hershey and 5-4 in Springfield.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Mr. Consistent is doing it again. He has recorded a point in 5 straight games for the 3rd time this season (previous streaks ended at 10 and 6 games). He has 2 goals and 6 assists in his last 5 games.
RW Andrew Gordon (10) - Making incredible passes and continuing to score. Currently sits 7th in the league with 21 goals and 8th in points with 40. He has 2 goals and 3 assists in the last 3 games.
F Brian Willsie (18) - Currently 2nd on the team in points (40) and goals (17). He had 4 goals and 2 assists this past weekend.
Falcons:C Kyle Wilson (29) - The former Bear has only played in 2 games for the Falcons this season as he spent 31 games (4 goals 7 assists) with Columbus in the NHL. He has a goal and 3 assists in 2 games.
LW Nikita Filatov (24) - #1 prospect in the Columbus system has played in 14 games for the Falcons this season after starting the season in the NHL. He has 3 goals and 6 assists in those 14 games.
LW Dane Byers (34) - 2nd on the team in points with 28 and 6th in goals with 10. He has 2 goals and 3 assists in his last 5 games.
The Falcons currently sit in 6th place in the Atlantic division (tied for 5th and last) with 44 points. This is the first of a 5 game road stretch that takes to Norfolk, Providence, and Bridgeport before returning to Springfield after the All-Star break.
The Bears are finishing up a 4 game homestand that has seen them outscore the opposition 18-5 in 3 wins.
Dany Sabourin has been the star of the show the past 3 games as he has stopped almost all of the shots he has faced. He will likely get another game in against Springfield as Braden Holtby is not expected back in Hershey until after the weekend (although I would imagine the Caps would reassign him so he could partake in the All-Star game but I am not sure).
Hershey ran through most teams on their way to the Calder Cup in 2009-10 but Springfield is one team they couldn't entirely figure out. In 2 games against the Falcons last season Hershey couldn't pick up a win. They did pick up 2 points in the games but lost both in shootouts, 3-2 and 5-4.
So this years team will be looking to do something that last years team couldn't do (and that is not something they get to say much)...beat the Springfield Falcons.
A few more notes on the game tonight:
Hershey Bearsrecord ~ 26-14-1-2 55 points
standings ~ 3rd in East Division
most recent game ~ 5-1 Win vs Adirondack, 1/23
last 5 games ~ 3-1-0-1
home record ~ 14-8-0-1
goals for ~ 150
goals against ~ 102
power play ~ 21.6% (5th)
penalty kill ~ 84.0% (12th)
Springfield Falconsrecord ~ 20-21-1-3 44 points
standings ~ 6th in Atlantic Division
most recent game ~ 4-2 Win vs Bridgeport, 1/23
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
road record ~ 11-9-0-2
goals for ~ 135
goals against ~ 148
power play ~ 15.0% (23rd)
penalty kill ~ 84.2% (11th)
last time teams met - This is the first of two meetings this season (Hershey visits Springfield in March). Last year Springfield won both matchups in shootouts, 3-2 in Hershey and 5-4 in Springfield.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Mr. Consistent is doing it again. He has recorded a point in 5 straight games for the 3rd time this season (previous streaks ended at 10 and 6 games). He has 2 goals and 6 assists in his last 5 games.
RW Andrew Gordon (10) - Making incredible passes and continuing to score. Currently sits 7th in the league with 21 goals and 8th in points with 40. He has 2 goals and 3 assists in the last 3 games.
F Brian Willsie (18) - Currently 2nd on the team in points (40) and goals (17). He had 4 goals and 2 assists this past weekend.
Falcons:C Kyle Wilson (29) - The former Bear has only played in 2 games for the Falcons this season as he spent 31 games (4 goals 7 assists) with Columbus in the NHL. He has a goal and 3 assists in 2 games.
LW Nikita Filatov (24) - #1 prospect in the Columbus system has played in 14 games for the Falcons this season after starting the season in the NHL. He has 3 goals and 6 assists in those 14 games.
LW Dane Byers (34) - 2nd on the team in points with 28 and 6th in goals with 10. He has 2 goals and 3 assists in his last 5 games.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Okay start to 6 games in 10 days
Friday night in Binghamton the Bears continued their dominance in New York beating the Senators 5-2 for their third win in that building this season. Everything appeared to be going well as they started a 6 games in 10 days stretch with the Springfield Falcons coming to Hershey Saturday night.
But unfortunately Springfield goaltender Devan Dubnyk managed to control the game by making 29 saves during play and then another 5 in the shootout to give the Falcons a 3-2 shootout win.
It was Hershey's first shootout of the season and only the second game that even made it to overtime. Last season the Bears played in 17 overtime or shootout games and were 7-6 in 13 shootouts. Maybe it is just me but I never feel like Hershey (or Washington for that matter) is any good in the shootouts. Last season was better with Varlamov and Neuvirth in net but when Freddie or Cheese was in there I always felt the Bears were at a disadvantage.
Luckily though shootouts don't exist in the playoffs and eventually another shot would have gotten past Dubnyk. And it wasn't like the Springfield offense was bringing much as they only finished with 18 shots (1 for the shootout win).
Any way you look at it the Bears finished last weekend with 3 of 4 points and have the chance at 8 more points this weekend with 3 home games and a trip to Adirondack.
Tomorrow night in the lone Wednesday night home game of the season the Bears welcome in the (last place) Providence Bruins. Hershey beat the Bruins in Providence 5-1 an November 8th so the Bruins will be looking to get one back.
Hershey welcomes back defenseman John Carlson and forward Andrew Gordon from Washington as the Caps are finally starting to get healthy.
Looking forward to a nice 4-win holiday weekend.
But unfortunately Springfield goaltender Devan Dubnyk managed to control the game by making 29 saves during play and then another 5 in the shootout to give the Falcons a 3-2 shootout win.
It was Hershey's first shootout of the season and only the second game that even made it to overtime. Last season the Bears played in 17 overtime or shootout games and were 7-6 in 13 shootouts. Maybe it is just me but I never feel like Hershey (or Washington for that matter) is any good in the shootouts. Last season was better with Varlamov and Neuvirth in net but when Freddie or Cheese was in there I always felt the Bears were at a disadvantage.
Luckily though shootouts don't exist in the playoffs and eventually another shot would have gotten past Dubnyk. And it wasn't like the Springfield offense was bringing much as they only finished with 18 shots (1 for the shootout win).
Any way you look at it the Bears finished last weekend with 3 of 4 points and have the chance at 8 more points this weekend with 3 home games and a trip to Adirondack.
Tomorrow night in the lone Wednesday night home game of the season the Bears welcome in the (last place) Providence Bruins. Hershey beat the Bruins in Providence 5-1 an November 8th so the Bruins will be looking to get one back.
Hershey welcomes back defenseman John Carlson and forward Andrew Gordon from Washington as the Caps are finally starting to get healthy.
Looking forward to a nice 4-win holiday weekend.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Bears Drop Another
Here are the 3 key things you need to know from last night's shootout loss at home vs Springfield.
1. Simeon Varlamov is the ONLY reason the Bears got 1 point out of the game. He made many great saves and the two goals weren't totally his fault.
2. The offense was okay but needs to be much better. 2 goals against a bad team at home is not enough. Sure the goalie made big saves but the forwards didn't seem to be interested in playing the way they need to play.
3. The defense was TERRIBLE! If that wouldn't have been for Varly the score could have been 7-2 Falcons. It was horrible.
I have done my fair share of complaining over the past month about the defense and the struggles of this team is not all on them. For instance, Alexandre Giroux, what the hell were you doing in the third period last night? You had 2 horrible plays. The first was a 3 on 1 and you waited way too long to make a pass and you guys didn't even get a shot. Either pass or shoot but you have to do it before you get to the goalie. And the other problem was on the power play. You were WAY out of position. If you were over around the faceoff dot where you are supposed to be you would have had a goal. But instead you are hanging out between the circles with the defensemen causing confusion. TERRIBLE!
Now back to the defense. Tyler Sloan was horrible last night. The first goal happened cause Sloan had NO idea there was a guy skating in behind him. Tyler, watch Brian Pothier play or Karl Alzner, they ALWAYS know where the opposition is and where they are going.
Oh and to Sami Lepisto and Sloan, why are you going deep into the corners with the puck in the offensive zone? Let me give you guys a piece of advice if you EVER want to last in the NHL....NEITHER of you is Mike Green or Tom Poti. DO NOT CARRY THE PUCK DEEP!! And don't jump into the play when you are skating 4 on 4 in overtime either. Sami jumped in last night and forced Coiner to take a penalty cause our defense isn't doing its job.
My advice and opinion is that unless the defense shapes up and starts playing better this team will be golfing before the conference championships. I don't know who is responsible for the defense but here are my recommendations:
The six defensemen that should be playing every night in the playoffs are (assuming Alzner is in Washington):
~ Greg Amadio - he isn't going to do much at the offensive end but he knows EXACTLY where to be at the end he plays in and that is crucial right now.
~ Sean Collins - he has had some bad moments this season but has been one of the steadier players in my opinion.
~ Patrick McNeill - same as Collins. Struggled at times but has been much more consistent than some others.
~ Staffon Kronwall - so far he has shown me nothing but good things. And he can help with the power play too.
~ Sami Lepisto - maybe getting less ice time will help his play cause it hasn't been spectacular this season.
~ Bryan Helmer - still the captain so he needs to be on the list but he has struggled against some of the top players of other teams.
Top Bench Guys:
~ Patrick Wellar - I would feel comfortable with him over Sami and Helmer.
~ Dean Arsene - Much like Amadio he is going to play well in his own end but he has struggled with his play and health again this season.
And Here are the Pairings for these Players:
~ Amadio - Lepisto: This way when Sami jumps up we know there is a good player back.
~ Kronwall - Helmer: Kronwall is a much better skater than Helmer so he will compliment him well
~ Collins - McNeill: They have been solid all season so keep them in and play them together.
You will notice that Sloan is not on this list. I think the team would be much better if he was not on the ice. But since that isn't likely I would HIGHLY recommend playing him alongside either Kronwall or Amadio but NOT Sami or Helmer.
If those things happen than MAYBE this team can improve their defensive zone play. If Woods and French keep the same defensive pairings for the playoffs the offense and goalie's are going to have to carry this team. And I am not sure they can do that.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Good Start
Hershey opened up their 5 game road trip this afternoon in Springfield. It was a good opening game as the Bears earned 2 points in the standings with a 2-0 victory.
Simeon Varlamov made 30 saves to earn his second career shutout while Steve Pinnizzotto (2nd of the season) and Mathieu Perrault (5th) scored for the Bears.
Varly looked very good earning his first shutout since November 7 against Albany. He was always in position and played every angle perfectly. He seemed a little less aggressive this afternoon than usual. He wasn't found out of position on many shots like he can at times.
The one thing Bruce Boudreau had said was that he needed to be a little less active in net to be in Washington permanently. It would seem that Varly is taking that to heart and is working on that cause that's how he played today.
Fortunately for the Bears, Springfield seemed less enthused with the game than the Bears or Hershey probably would have lost. They now have a little time off before heading to Providence for Friday night. Hopefully they can find some motivation so they are ready to go for that game.
Many times today the players seemed to get caught flat footed and standing around which against a good team might have cost them. But the Falcons weren't interested in playing this game so Hershey got away with it.
My Three Stars of the Game:
Grading the Performance:
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Simeon Varlamov made 30 saves to earn his second career shutout while Steve Pinnizzotto (2nd of the season) and Mathieu Perrault (5th) scored for the Bears.
Varly looked very good earning his first shutout since November 7 against Albany. He was always in position and played every angle perfectly. He seemed a little less aggressive this afternoon than usual. He wasn't found out of position on many shots like he can at times.
The one thing Bruce Boudreau had said was that he needed to be a little less active in net to be in Washington permanently. It would seem that Varly is taking that to heart and is working on that cause that's how he played today.
Fortunately for the Bears, Springfield seemed less enthused with the game than the Bears or Hershey probably would have lost. They now have a little time off before heading to Providence for Friday night. Hopefully they can find some motivation so they are ready to go for that game.
Many times today the players seemed to get caught flat footed and standing around which against a good team might have cost them. But the Falcons weren't interested in playing this game so Hershey got away with it.
My Three Stars of the Game:
- Simeon Varlamov - many of his 30 saves were very good
- Keith Aucoin - he was all over the ice doing everything for the team
- Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers - kept his team in this game the whole time
Grading the Performance:
- Offense - C+ - Not the most impressive performance of the season from this group. The group as a whole had opportunities that they wasted because of trying to either make one to many passes or not making a pass. I know that sounds like I expect perfection but some players (Aucoin and Perrault) need to shoot more and stop always looking to make the extra pass and some others (Osala and Wilson) need to look for the open guy a little more.
- Defense - B+ - Solid. Nothing flashy which is good. A couple of missteps during the game but nothing that isn't forgive able. A couple times I saw defensemen standing in front of Varly instead of getting the player with the puck behind the net. That seemed odd considering there were no players in front of the goal. Nothing major though.
- Goaltending - A - Many good saves from Varly today. He was in position for every single shot that came at him. His rebound control was also very good. He seemed a bit more focused and determined today.
- Power Play - B - 1 for 5 isn't bad but they should have had more. They had a 5 on 3 for over a minute and got like 1 shot on net. When you have those opportunities you need to convert more often.
- Penalty Kill - A - Very good job today. I don't think the Falcons had any even decent look while on the power play. They seemed a little extra aggressive today which wasn't bad today but might be costly some other time.
- Overall - B - A good game all around but definitely room for improvement. I thought there was a lot of standing around and the Bears escaped with a victory against a team that is struggling right now. The same effort WILL NOT work Friday in Providence.
LET'S GO BEARS!!!
Bears @ Falcons Preview, 12/31
Hershey Bears
record ~ 23-8-0-1 47 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 5-3 Win vs Albany, 12/28
last 5 games ~ 3-2-0-0
road record ~ 9-5-0-1
goals for ~ 128
goals against ~86
power play ~ 16.5% (16th)
penalty kill ~ 82.9% (16th)
Springfield Falcons
record ~ 12-16-4-1 29 points
standings ~ Last in Atlantic Division
most recent game ~ 4-2 Loss @ Manchester, 12/28
last 5 games ~ 0-4-1-0
home record ~ 7-8-0-0
goals for ~ 81
goals against ~ 106
power play ~ 15.8% (18th)
penalty kill ~ 78.5% (29th)
last time teams met - First meeting this season.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
LW Oskar Osala (36)- Finally got back on the score sheet last game with a goal and an assist.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - 2 goals and 2 assists in the last 2 games. Hopefully he can continue to produce those numbers even while his linemates change.
G Simeon Varlamov (31) - He has been sent up and down from Washington multiple times over the past couple weeks. Is he focused and ready for a road trip?
Springfield:
C Ryan Potulny (17) - Leading the team in points with 27. During the month of December he has played in 10 games and has 6 goals and 5 assists.
LW Rob Schremp (44) - Not a goal scorer, he only has 2 this season, but he gets assists regularly. In 24 games he has at least 1 assist in 16 of them. 66%...not too bad.
G Devan Dubnyk (40) - Really he is their only goaltender. He has appeared in 32 games out of the 33 they have played. He has a 3.07 goals against average and a .901 save percentage.
News and notes:
record ~ 23-8-0-1 47 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 5-3 Win vs Albany, 12/28
last 5 games ~ 3-2-0-0
road record ~ 9-5-0-1
goals for ~ 128
goals against ~86
power play ~ 16.5% (16th)
penalty kill ~ 82.9% (16th)
Springfield Falcons
record ~ 12-16-4-1 29 points
standings ~ Last in Atlantic Division
most recent game ~ 4-2 Loss @ Manchester, 12/28
last 5 games ~ 0-4-1-0
home record ~ 7-8-0-0
goals for ~ 81
goals against ~ 106
power play ~ 15.8% (18th)
penalty kill ~ 78.5% (29th)
last time teams met - First meeting this season.
Players to watch:
Hershey:
LW Oskar Osala (36)- Finally got back on the score sheet last game with a goal and an assist.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - 2 goals and 2 assists in the last 2 games. Hopefully he can continue to produce those numbers even while his linemates change.
G Simeon Varlamov (31) - He has been sent up and down from Washington multiple times over the past couple weeks. Is he focused and ready for a road trip?
Springfield:
C Ryan Potulny (17) - Leading the team in points with 27. During the month of December he has played in 10 games and has 6 goals and 5 assists.
LW Rob Schremp (44) - Not a goal scorer, he only has 2 this season, but he gets assists regularly. In 24 games he has at least 1 assist in 16 of them. 66%...not too bad.
G Devan Dubnyk (40) - Really he is their only goaltender. He has appeared in 32 games out of the 33 they have played. He has a 3.07 goals against average and a .901 save percentage.
News and notes:
- Tyler Sloan was recalled to Washington for Tuesday night's game against Buffalo due to Karl Alzner not being able to go. He is expected back with the Bears this week yet.
- Both Alexander Giroux and Chris Bourque (or one or the other) could return to the Bears lineup this weekend but not for today's afternoon game.
- Springfield comes into this game with a 6 game losing streak. Beyond that they have lost 9 of 10 and 14 of 17.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
A Victory Against Atlantic Divison Foe
Saturday night brought out the physical play for the Springfield Falcons and Hershey Bears. The teams combined for only 7 power plays but there were 20 different penalties called. Almost all the penalties came in the second period and none in the third period. At one point in the second the Falcons had 5 guys in the penalty box and the Bears had 6 in. 11 players in the penalty box at one time! Must have been a good period to watch.
Kyle Wilson tallied a hat trick and Grant Potulney and Scott Barney added a goal each as the Bears cruised to a 5-1 victory at The Giant Center in Hershey. Wilson also added an assist for a 4 point night. Joe Motzko assisted on all of Wilson's goals. Freddie Cassivi got his first win since December 19 with a 24 save effort.
Jay Beagle returned to the lineup and ended the game with a shot on goal.
Next up for the Bears are the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tonight in Hershey.
Go BEARS!!!!
Kyle Wilson tallied a hat trick and Grant Potulney and Scott Barney added a goal each as the Bears cruised to a 5-1 victory at The Giant Center in Hershey. Wilson also added an assist for a 4 point night. Joe Motzko assisted on all of Wilson's goals. Freddie Cassivi got his first win since December 19 with a 24 save effort.
Jay Beagle returned to the lineup and ended the game with a shot on goal.
Next up for the Bears are the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tonight in Hershey.
Go BEARS!!!!
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