That's 11!!!

YOUR 2010 CALDER CUP CHAMPION
HERSHEY BEARS!!!!!

Wow...what a game, what an atmosphere!!

11,002 fans in the building tonight and it sure sounded like it. I have never heard that building that loud and I have seen musical acts in there too!

Earlier today I was talking to my dad and I said it would be 3-0 after 1 period and I wasn't far off. In 05-06 and in 08-09 they jumped out to big leads and took much of the suspense away.

Thankfully they did that again tonight. Not sure how many of us would have liked seeing a close game. It was perfect just how it was.

4 goals...all by defensemen (Alzner, Carlson and 2 for McNeill)! Neuvirth was amazing yet again making 22 saves and earning his FIRST shutout of the postseason in the biggest game of the postseason!

Without question that was the most dominating performance of the postseason for the Bears. From the opening faceoff they controlled the play and honestly the outcome was rarely in question. In the first period alone Hershey outshot the Texas Stars 17-4!

This was the same team on the same ice that 9 days ago couldn't get 3 shots in the first period of game 1!!

I would challenge anyone to recall a game this entire SEASON where the Bears dominated like they did in period 1 tonight. And to do it in the biggest game, with all the emotion in the building and the expectations.....unreal!

Getting to see the Cup given to Helmer on home ice was special. Seeing all the players pass it around and spend time with their families...awesome!

This team just completed the unquestioned single greatest season in AHL history!!

Let that sink in for a while.....

Congrats to the Bears!!! Enjoy the celebration!!!

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!

**I will have plenty more analysis, celebration, and pictures in the coming days...between my wife and I we took something like 500 pictures so there will be plenty to sort through**

What a game!

Now that was playoff hockey! If you watched game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals and enjoyed the 6-5 game then you probably didn't like last night's game too much. But personally a great 1-1 game with back and forth action, big shots, big saves, and big hits is much more entertaining.

And that is what last night produced. Hershey trailed yet again in the first period 1-0 and while they were getting a good number of shots they couldn't seem to get anything by Matt Climie. Then in the 2nd coming out of a power play, Francois Bouchard beat Climie to tie the game up at 1.

From then on it was back and forth hockey. Both teams sustained pressure, both teams got some good chances, and both goalies came up huge on more than one occasion.

Hershey seemed to be getting more and many times better chances throughout the third period but couldn't quite get the winner.

The teams played into overtime for the first time this series where Hershey was actually out shot 9-6 but ended up getting the winner from Alexandre Giroux.

Honestly I thought Giroux was forcing things too much this series...trying to beat guys with skating and stick handling instead of getting shots or getting the puck deep. I think this explains why he has been held scoreless against a goaltender.

Until last night.

A puck bouncing around and knocked up in the air twice was corralled by the winger as he came in uncovered and put the puck through Climie's 5-hole for the game winner.

Awesome goal...Awesome game.

The Bears are now 8-1 in overtime games this postseason and their 8 game winning goals have been scored by 8 different players. Giroux, Andrew Joudrey, Chris Bourque, Kyle Wilson, Mathieu Perreault, Jay Beagle, and Francois Bouchard are the 8 guys with game winners in OT.

That is impressive.



Now the series shifts back to Hershey on Monday night with both teams trying to complete historic series wins.

If the Bears win the Cup they will be the 1st team in AHL history to lose the first 2 games of a Finals at home and still come back to win.

If the Stars are to win the Cup they will become only the 2nd team in AHL history to lose a game 5 when the series is tied 2-2 and still manage to win the Cup.

Who knows. Both teams have a shot. So far every game in the series has been won by the road team which favors Texas. Hershey is not your typical home team having only lost 3 times at Giant Center since November but Texas obviously isn't worried about that as they are responsible for 2 of those.

The Stars have been in this situation before. In the Western Conference Finals they were trailing 3 games to 2 when the series shifted to Hamilton for games 6 and 7. Well they obviously managed to win those 2 games because they are here now.

Can they do it again...this time for the Calder Cup? Or will Hershey win their 11th Cup?

All I know is that last Saturday's home game in Hershey was probably the quietest sold out crowd ever in that building.

Do you think it will be louder this Monday?

Hershey has a chance to do what they haven't done since 1980...win the Calder Cup on home ice in front of their home fans.

The past 4 games of the series have seen new records for attendance at each building. Last Saturday stands as the highest attendance in Giant Center and each of the 3 games in Texas was a new record.

I am pretty sure you can count on a new record on Monday. EVERYONE will be there.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!

How important is game 5?

What makes a game big? Aren't they all big in the Finals? And what makes a game 'must win'?

Why are some games considered more important than others?

Obviously the current status of the series is a deciding factor. If a team is down 3-0 then game 4 is obviously must win.

But I think the main deciding factor has been the urgency of any particular game.


Coming into the series Hershey was confident. They had home ice and had only lost 1 time at home since 2009. They had just beaten a good Manchester team that gave them fits. And they surely read all the previews and paid attention to what was being said.

They thought they could win.

Texas came into the series knowing how good Hershey was. They knew Hershey was great at home. But they also knew that they had beaten 2 very good teams in Chicago and Hamilton.

So both teams wanted to win. Both teams knew it was a big game.

But the urgency level was higher for Texas. They knew that in order to win the series they are going to have to do what few other teams have done this season...win in Hershey.

Winning game 1 was vital to their success in the series. They did it too. And they looked damn good doing it, shutting down the Bears vaunted offense in Hershey.

So then we moved on to game 2. In this game the 'urgency' should have been higher for Hershey. No one wants to go down 0-2 in a series, especially when both those games are being played at your home arena.

But remembering back to the game I still think the Stars treated the game with more urgency. Hershey came into the game saying things like...we didn't win 60 games for nothing; if we play the way we need to we will be okay...and feeling confident because, like all the fans, they knew they hadn't lost 2 at home since November.

Texas though knew all that too and came out strong and won game 2.

So now the series was 2-0 and headed to Texas. There were plenty of Bears fans leaving Giant Center last Saturday saying goodbye to ushers and saying Hershey was done...by the way I hope none of you that were confident the series was over are coming to game 6 on Monday.

All of a sudden the 'urgency' was the feeling Hershey finally had. Last year they had this feeling in the Wilkes Barre series when they lost 3 straight and needed to win 2 games at home to advance. Up until they were down 2 games to none I don't think Hershey was playing with 'urgency'.

At the same time Texas was sitting comfortably. They were up 2-0 in the series and had the next 3 at home. The 'urgency' was gone.

Hershey won game 3.

And heading into game 4 the urgency was still there for Hershey as they couldn't go down 3-1.

So they won again.

But now the question is...who has more urgency to win game 5?

Hershey has some because they would love to put this series away as soon as possible but they also know that they have 2 games at home if needed.

Texas has a lot of confidence that they can win in Hershey but they have to be worried about having to win 2 there when facing elimination.

I would have to say that Texas definitely has more urgency tonight. If they lose this game then they have to win both games in Hershey. Not impossible but surely not optimum.

No matter what it will be an interesting game tonight. If Hershey can pull out the win, Giant Center will be rocking on Monday night in hopes of seeing the Bears win the Cup on home ice for the first time since 1980. If Texas wins there will be some worried fans in Hershey throughout the weekend and Monday.

One thing I do know...I won't use the word 'urgency' again in this post.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

Bears win creates a best of 3

So basically what you are telling me is the first 4 games of this series have meant....nothing.

We are right back where we started. Series tied. Bears have home ice.

The only differences now are...it's a 3 game series and game 1 is in Texas. Oh and Texas is questioning their game a bit now while Hershey has found theirs.


Let's look back at last nights game for a second though...

First...the good:

French kept the lines the same and it worked again. Not quite as well as Monday night but 4 goals is still better than what they were doing. In addition to Bourque and Giroux still switched French also inserted Cody Eakin into the lineup. My only problems with that move were that it was for Ashton Rome and that Eakin disappeared from the ice after the 2nd period. But it worked out for the Bears.

The power play was great for the first time in a long time. 3 goals on 5 chances will stymie any defense and it definitely happened to the Stars last night. Texas is now the team taking questionable penalties and it cost them last night.

Much of last nights game was pretty even I thought. Hershey got on the board first, Texas answered with 2 goals before Beagle tied it up late in the second period. Then a too many men on the ice call gave Hershey a power play with less then 3 minutes to play in regulation. Hershey didn't squander the opportunity. John Carlson scored his first goal of the playoffs to give Hershey the win.

But not everything Hershey did was good...

Too many bad penalties still. What the hell was Amadio thinking on the interference call in front of Neuvy in the 2nd? I was watching on AHL Live and there wasn't a replay but Walton and Gregg Mace sure agreed with the call.

The too many men on the ice call almost cost them dearly but they overcame that thanks to bad Texas penalties. Pinizzotto took another useless penalty early in the game as well.

Overall it was better but still not perfect. If the Bears could manage to not take one bad penalty in a game they would likely win 4-1 against Texas. But that seems to be to difficult at this point.

The only other thing that seems to be hurting the Bears is the defensemen jumping up too much. This has been less of a problem in the last 2 games but guys are still getting caught. Last night I saw Amadio, Helmer, McNeill, and Carlson all get caught up ice at least once. Carlson does it multiple times a game and it cost him in game 3 but usually he can get back.

I like their aggressiveness and many of the goals are the result of guys keeping the puck in the zone but if you are going to make the play you better not miss. And Hershey blueliners miss a little too much.

It is like a good cornerback in the NFL...if he goes for the pick when the receiver runs the 10 yard out pattern he better at least get part of the ball. Because if he doesn't....the other team is dancing in the endzone.

Calculated risks. It is good to take them some times but you have to be careful. Now that we are down to a first team to 2 wins series a play like that can cost you the Cup.


Now a brief not about game 5. Hershey's fans are expecting a win. The Giant Center sold out of tickets for game 6 in less than 5 hours!! Why...because people are hoping (expecting) to see the Bears clinch the Cup on Monday night.

But don't count your chickens before they hatch. Hershey is back in control of this series and Texas has found themselves again backed into a corner. This has to be considered a must win for the Stars. Sure they won the first 2 in Hershey but the odds of them winning games 6 and 7 in Hershey are slim.

So Texas will give Hershey everything they have in game 5. And let's be honest...the last 2 games weren't nearly as important for them. Texas didn't HAVE to have those wins....Hershey did. But now Hershey doesn't HAVE to have game 5...Texas does.

Hershey needs to be ready for everything in game 5. Texas is going to push for some goals which could turn into some odd man rushes for the Bears but I have seen possible odd man rushes turn into defensive zone turnovers by Hershey this series...too many of those will see Hershey returning home having to win 2 for the cup.

The Bears have to be on their best behavior (Pinner that is for you) and they have to be cautious with their passes. Not to the point that they don't push the limit but make sure you are ready if it doesn't work.

I think they will be okay!

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!

Relax...Bears aren't out of woods yet

I just read Tim Leone's write up in the Patriot News from last nights game and he seems to think that Hershey will win the next 3 games and end this series in 6 games. It surely is possible but I would say that is a long way off.

Remember...this series can still end in Texas this week.

Yes the Bears won 6-3 after trailing 3-1 after one period. Yes they dominated the last 3o minutes of the game. Yes Hershey seems to have found their legs and scoring ability.

But there are still 2 games in Texas and Hershey is still down 2 games to 1. Texas still dominated the first 30 minutes last night. And Hershey still has players who insist on taking bad penalties.

Things aren't that much different as they were after game 2 in my opinion. I didn't think Hershey was that far from winning games 1 and 2. But last night had to affect both teams confidence levels.


Ask any hockey person and they will tell you that the worst lead in hockey is a 2 goal lead.

Why? Because the team in the lead relaxes just a bit and the team trailing throws caution to the wind and goes for broke.

That could have been part of things last night. Texas was up 3-1 after the first period and you know their confidence level was through the roof at that point. And Hershey was down 3-1 and on the verge of going down 3-0 in the series so you know they were putting it all on the line.

Was that the only reason Hershey won? Absolutely not. The Bears have more talent and offensive ability than any other team in the league, no one can argue that. The biggest problem Hershey faced in games 1 and 2, as well as the first period of game 3, was their own stubborness. They insisted on doing things their way instead of doing things the BEST way.

They seem to have figured that out.


I never stopped believing after game 2 so I still believe Hershey can (and will) win the series but I also think it is a mistake to think Hershey has definitely turned the corner. My main fear now is that their confidence grew so much in the last 2 periods that they will lighten up going into game 4 and give Texas hope.

Sure they made the necessary line changes...Bourque to the top line and Giroux down to the 2nd and Rome to the 3rd line...but Texas will be ready to go Wednesday night. Hershey has to stick with what is working....get the puck in deep and get it to the middle.

Leone did make one excellent point in his piece this morning...Texas has to get tired at some point. They are coming off of two 7 game series and are in a physical battle with Hershey. Are they at that point like Leone suggested? I am not convinced but they are surely approaching it. Once they hit that point Hershey should have full control of the series. Was that last night? We will see on Wednesday.

Hershey still needs to work hard and be more disciplined. No more bad penalties. Amadio was taking them last night as was Helmer and Pinner. It is time to stop. You can't win this series if you are sitting in the penalty box.

The line changes made after the first period last night MUST REMAIN. You can't put them back unless there is an injury. Bourque adds a level of energy to the top line that they didn't have before and Giroux adds a scoring element that didn't exist on the second line before.

Sure Gordon and Perreault capitalized last night and they weren't part of the changes. So you might think that it had nothing to do with the line changes. And if you think that, you haven't been paying attention.

Goals scored with original lines = 5 in 7 periods
Goals scored with new lines = 5 in 2 periods

The energy and styles of both lines changed when French switched Bourque and Giroux. By far the best (and probably toughest) decision he has made this season.


Game 4 is still a must win for the Bears though. They win that and they regain home ice advantage as the series turns into a best of 3 with 2 games in Hershey.

Tim Leone thinks Hershey could actually win both remaining games in Texas and I agree. But they better play like they did in the 3rd period of last nights game...no silly penalties and no frills hockey.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!

Hawks did it...How About Hershey?

Read yesterday's post by clicking here before reading this.

Last night I watched the Flyers/Hawks game and couldn't help but think...that is EXACTLY what the Bears need to do.

The Hawks were struggling in Philly to get much offense going until the 3rd period of game 4 when they adjusted all their lines.

They decided that they didn't want to have their Stanley Cup dreams end without trying everything. So they took their top line and broke them up. And they didn't just switch a player here or there...they took Byfuglien, Kane, and Toews and put them on 3 separate lines.

And guess what....IT WORKED!

The other strategy they employed was what the Hershey players can't seem to execute...getting the puck in deep. When you cross the red line fire it in around the boards and go get it.

That does 2 things. 1, it gives you the chance to get the puck deep in the zone and create. And 2, it pulls the Stars out of the middle of the ice which opens up passing and shooting lanes.

Chicago used those approaches perfectly last night in their 7-4 win in game 5. They had the advantage of actually winning their home games before being dominated in 2 games on the road.

But Hershey was not dominated by any stretch. They were in both games until the end and honestly had chances to win the games.

Will line changes work for the Bears? Who knows. Will keeping the lines the same work? Maybe.

The benefit of switching the lines is, because of lack of playing time as a unit, you force them to go back to basics. Get the puck in deep, shoot more, crash the net.

Right now Hershey's problem is that guys like Aucoin and Giroux have been playing together for so long (2 seasons) that they know what each one does well. The problem....Texas knows that too and they are built to stop it.

Hershey is up against it now. They have to win at least 2 in Texas over the next 5 days or they will be golfing by the weekend.

No team in AHL history has a team lost games 1 and 2 at home in the Calder Cup Finals and still won the cup. None.

Hershey has been rewriting the record books all season. Whose ready for one more?

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

Bears lose game 1

Well that didn't go according to plan. Hershey managed just 2 shots in the first period, struggled for much of the game offensively, and lost 2-1 to the Texas Stars.

And if it wasn't for Michal Neuvirth making some big saves the game likely would have been much more lopsided.

Overall I would say that Hershey underestimated the Stars a bit. They came out slow in the first period and continued the unsuccessful attempts at cross ice passes for the entire game. The Stars defense is very good positionally and at blocking shots but the shots that were getting through were creating rebounds. Yet Hershey didn't try to shoot when they had open looks...they waited until a Stars player was standing in front of them.

I understand the idea of getting a screen in front of the goalie. And that did work for parts of the game but for the first 30-40 minutes Matt Climie looked very uncomfortable in net. He wasn't seeing the puck well and was giving up rebound after rebound. Unfortunately Hershey couldn't get the puck past him.

And then the physicality started. And it started with Climie. In the 2nd period there was a minor collision with the Stars goalie who took the contact personally. Can't remember who exactly was involved but I am pretty sure Alexandre Giroux had a part in it. Either way Climie was a better goalie after that happened.

Then the 3rd period came and emotions picked up more. Andrew Gordon threw what looked to me anyways to be a fairly questionable hit on Stars defenseman Andrew Hutchinson at the Stars bench. Hutchinson had his back to Gordon and was slightly bent over when Gordon plowed into him sending the Stars defenseman into the boards awkwardly.

No penalty was called on Gordon for the play which did not sit well with the Stars. And I can't blame them one bit, that hit occurs on John Carlson or Karl Alzner and fans might have rushed the ice in Hershey...it was a little dirty.

Matt Stephenson tried to take matters into his own hands. He almost immediately left the bench (not sure if there was a legal change or not) and him, along with the other Stars on the ice, were making a beeline for Gordo. And the Bears knew it was coming too. All the Hershey players on the ice formed a wall between the Stars and Gordon which caused a 10 player scrum for a few minutes.

It doesn't seem to take long for bad blood to surface during a Calder Cup Finals series and it surely didn't take long last night. Even though these teams have never faced off against each other there is plenty of animosity to go around.

Now let's get back to what Hershey did wrong...

Too much passing and stick handling. Every time down the ice they wanted to make the perfect pass instead of shooting. I am not one to yell shoot at the players but last night it would have made sense. And the stick handling complaint goes mainly to one player but plenty had a problem with it. Chris Bourque played phenomenally at both ends of the ice for much of the game but on MORE THAN ONE OCCASION he passed up a shot and tried to make a move around a guy only to get the puck poke checked away. The other players would have been Giroux, Mathieu Perreault, Karl Alzner, and John Carlson.

Defensemen getting greedy. More so than at any other time during the playoffs I thought the Hershey defensemen jumped into the offensive zone too much. Texas is an opportunistic team with good speed and excellent positioning. When a player like Carlson or Patty McNeill jump into the play and turn the puck over it leads to an odd man rush. The game winning goal was scored because Sean Collins tried to jump up into the play but missed the puck and it was a turnover going the other way. Stay back and stay in position, keep pucks in the zone, and take shots at the net when you receive passes at the point.

Trying to skate puck into the zone. One of the most frustrating offensive styles to watch is the dump and chase method but it can be effective. Hershey last night tried almost every time to skate the puck through the neutral zone and get it deep while in possession of the puck. The problem was that Texas either stood them up at the blue line or poke checked the puck away as they were skating to the dots. The times when Hershey actually played dump and chase they seemed to be successful. In the Manchester series this style didn't work because Jonathon Bernier was an excellent puck handling goalie but Climie does not seem to be as talented. Get the puck deep, start cycling, get shots from the point and be ready for the rebounds.

Honestly I thought Texas played outstanding hockey last night. But they aren't Manchester. I know the Stars fans and Tim Leone think they are similar and probably better than Manchester on defense but I disagree. Manchester gave up few odd man rushes through the entire series while Texas gave up multiple last night. Manchester always had 2 guys back and all 5 players would bunch up in front of Bernier when the puck was in the zone. The Stars defense jumped into the play often and they played more traditionally in the defensive zone. What Texas does so well is block passing lanes. If Hershey shoots instead of passes on half of those attempts they end up with 40+ shots in the game. You won't beat the Stars by passing it from one side of the ice to the other.

Game 2 becomes a must win for the Bears in my opinion. With 3 games in Austin coming next week being down 2-0 would be tough to overcome.

The goaltending was phenomenal for the Bears last night. Now the offensive and defensive games have to catch up.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!

Bears/Stars Series Preview

We are about 57 hours away from the opening faceoff for game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals. Hershey is playing in their 4th Calder Cup Finals in the last 5 years and their 22nd overall. The Texas Stars are playing in their first.

How Did Both Teams Get Here?

Hershey:

Hershey was the #1 overall seed in the AHL this season after accumulating 123 points during the regular season. They scored 342 goals and allowed only 198 while winning 60 games. They finished 29 points ahead of second place Albany in the East division.

During the playoffs Hershey is 12-3 with 55 goals for and 39 goals against. They have gone 8-0 at home and 4-3 on the road. And they are 7-1 in overtime games during the 2010 playoffs. They have come from behind in the third period to win in 9 of their 12 victories.

In the playoffs Hershey needed 5 games to eliminate the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the first round and only 4 games to eliminate Albany in the East division finals.

Then in the Eastern Conference Finals they faced the Manchester Monarchs in what ended up being an epic 6 game series that saw 4 overtime games and only one game decided by more than 1 goal. Hershey won 3 of those overtime games.

Texas:

Texas finished 2nd in the West division, 6 points behind the division champ Chicago Wolves. They scored 238 goals and allowed 198 while going 46-27-3-4.

Overall the Stars are 12-6 during the playoffs. They have scored 56 goals and have allowed 47. They are 5-2 in overtime games, 6-2 at home, and 6-4 on the road.

In the playoffs they started it off with a 4 game sweep and beating of Rockford in the first round as they outscored the Ice Hogs 15-5 in the series.

Then they faced off against the AHL's #3 seed, the Chicago Wolves, in the West division finals. That series ended up going 7 games with 3 overtime games. Early in the 2nd period of game 7 Texas was down 4-2 on the road before scoring 4 goals to Chicago's 1 which resulted in a 6-5 overtime win.

Which got them a date with the AHL's #2 overall seed, the Hamilton Bulldogs. Another 2-3-2 series format kicked off with Hamilton winning the first 2 and Texas taking the next 2 before game 5 and the final game in Texas for the series. I thought Texas had to win that game to win the series. They lose game 5 and they have to win 2 straight in Hamilton.

Well they lost game 5 in Texas but won games 6 and 7 in Hamilton to end the Bulldogs season. In fact they needed more dramatics in game 7. Yet again they were down 2 early in the 2nd period before storming back with 4 goals. This time they were all unanswered goals and no overtime was required and Texas was headed to Hershey.


Goaltending

Hershey:

Michal Neuvirth is the man in Hershey again. Overall he is 10-2 with a 2.17 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. In the Manchester series he went 4-2 with a 1.85 goals against average and a .936 save percentage. He always seems to step up in big games and is as clutch as any goaltender in the league.

Texas:

Brent Krahn started 10 games early in the playoffs before suffering an injury and giving way to Matt Climie. Climie started one game against Chicago (filled in for 2 other games too) and in all 7 games against Hamilton. Overall he is 5-3 with a 2.62 goals against average and a .922 save percentage in the playoffs.

Defense

Hershey:

Incredibly deep unit with guys like Amadio and Miscokic not even dressing for some games. Karl Alzner and John Carlson lead the blue line and are as good as any pairing in the league. Next season they will likely be blue line mates in Washington.

Bryan Helmer leads the team with a +11 rating while Alzner leads the defensemen in scoring with 2 goals and 4 assists in his 14 playoff games. But Patrick McNeill was the hero late in the Manchester series with an assist, goal, and huge save in the clinching game 6.

Overall they are as good a unit as their is in the league. There are guys who can jump up on the rush and become wingers, Carlson and McNeill, and guys who are as sound positionally as anyone, Alzner and Helmer. Add in players like Ammo, Wellar, Sean Collins and Miscovic and they truly go 8 deep.

Texas:

Defensive numbers are hard to quantify. Especially when you don't see a team play. Texas has 4 defensemen in the top 9 playoff scorers. Leading the way and 2nd on the team in points is Andrew Hutchinson who has 4 goals and 1o assists in 18 games. Dan Jancevski, who has 1 goal and 9 assists, is the team leader in plus minus with a +12.

Offensively they have 4 defensemen with 7 or more points which is 4 more than the Bears have. But again that doesn't say too much considering I have yet to see Texas play.

Offensive

Hershey:

Is there a better offense in the league? No. You don't score 342 goals during the regular season unless you are the best. They have since added 55 more in 15 playoff games. And they will be fully healthy for game 1 with Andrew Gordon coming back and Mathieu Perreault getting over his injuries as well.

For much of the Manchester series the Bears depth advantage was non-existent due to Gordon being out and the lines getting shuffled around. There were a couple games, when Hershey dressed Della Rovere and/or 7 defensemen, that they Hershey 4th line barely saw any ice time. While that is common place in the AHL it has been extremely rare for the Bears who have have run 4 lines each and every game for the last 2 postseasons.

It is a distinct advantage for a team if they continue to do that. Obviously it has helped the Bears late in the 3rd periods as even when they are trailing they are still likely to win it seems.

While Texas has the overall scoring leader in the playoffs Hershey boasts 3 of the top 10 goal scorers in the playoffs, Bouque, Giroux and Gordon. Add assists to the topic along with Aucoin and Hershey has 4 of the top 7 in points during the playoffs.

Basically it comes down to this....Hershey's top line is an all-star line. Gordon has 10 goals, Giroux 12, and Aucoin has 18 assists during the playoffs. Then you look at the 2nd line and see Bourque who actually leads the team in points with 23 (7g, 16a) along with Perreault who has 5 goals and 8 assists.

You still have Wilson (4 and 6), Pinner (4/2), and Bouch (2/4) in their spots. Guys like Beagle and Kane are skating on the 3rd/4th lines for Hershey that would spend time on many teams 1st/2nd lines. The depth is unbelievable and it will be a difference maker again.

Texas:

Texas does have one thing Hershey doesn't...the AHL goal and point scoring leader. Jamie Benn, the NHLer I might add, has 14 goals and 10 assists to lead all players. He played in all 82 games for the Dallas Stars this season totaling 22 goals and 19 assists this season.

There is apparently some rule that allowed Benn to play in the AHL playoffs even though he did not spend a minute there during the regular season. Not sure what it is but I am pretty sure it would have to do with junior eligibility but whatever.

After Benn there are a bunch of role players it seems. Like the defensive analysis it is kind of tough to really give proper analysis when you have never seen a team play.

As mentioned in my post last week, Travis Morin, the former Bear and Stingray, is in the top 5 in points for the team with 3 goals and 1o assists. Add to him and Benn other players (mainly centers) like Perttu Lindgren (6/8), Aaron Gagnon (6/3), and Warren Peters (4/3) and you see that while they don't have a dominating top line they do have depth.

The PICK:

Before the Manchester series I offered up a Bears in 7 prediction. It ended up close to that as Hershey won in 6 but it was definitely a closer series than many people thought it would be. But that was close because Manchester had the league's best goalie and a defense that blocked as many shots as anyone.

Does Texas have that? Not sure about the defense but considering they have allowed 47 playoff goals I would say they aren't. And they definitely don't have Bernier in goal.

Hershey has been here before, they are rested and healthy, and they are ready. Texas is talented don't get me wrong but they have already played two 7 game series against the #2 and #3 team in the AHL. They are not as rested and let's be honest...not as talented as the Bears.

Now if it all came down to paper we would all be getting rich betting on sports. They play the games for a reason. I haven't seen Texas play...ever...so this is kind of a tough pick to make. The Stars are obviously resilient having one 2 straight 7 game series on the road. But if the NHL is any indication their road ends here.

Montreal won 2 game 7s on the road in the NHL this season and I heard this stat. Every team that had done that before failed to win the following series.

Hopefully that translates to the AHL.

I think it will. While I would love to see Hershey win the game in 6 on home ice I am not certain it will get that far.

My pick...Hershey in 5.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

Who are the Texas Stars?

The Texas Stars are in the inaugural AHL season and are the first AHL team since 01-02 to make the Calder Cup Finals in their first season.

They finished the regular season in 2nd place in the West Division behind Chicago. After sweeping Rockford in the first round of the playoffs they have since gone to 2 game 7s in beating the league's #3 team in Chicago and the league's #2 team in Hamilton.

And now they get the league's #1 team in Hershey.

If they do end up winning the cup at least you know they earned every bit of it by playing the top 3 teams in the league in the playoffs.

During the regular season they scored 238 goals (Hershey had 342) and allowed 198 goals (same as Hershey). Not exactly an offensive juggernaut but definitely played well at the defensive end.

In the playoffs to date they have scored 56 goals (Hershey has 55) and have allowed 47 (Hershey 39). They have also played 3 more games than the Bears this postseason.

Their regular season scoring leaders were:

• C Aaron Gagnon with 27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points
• C Travis Morin with 21 goals and 31 assists for 52 points
• C Perttu Lindgren with 14 goals and 33 assists for 47 points

Overall they had 9 players with double digit goals and 6 players with 40+ points. Like I said...not an offensive juggernaut but they got the job done.

The postseason has been a bit different though:

• F Jamie Benn has 14 goals and 10 assists as he leads the Stars and the AHL in goals and points in the postseason.
• D Andrew Hutchinson is 2nd on the team in points with 15 (4g and 11a).
• C Perttu Lindgren is 3rd with 6 goals and 8 assists.
• C Travis Morin is 4th with 3 goals and 10 assists.

You might recognize one name on that list. Travis Morin is a former South Carolina Stingray who played 5 games for Hershey over the previous two seasons. He was picked up by the Stars this past summer and played well for them all season. I always wanted Travis to get his shot in Hershey but unfortunately the center depth in the organization worked against him.

Another former part-time Bear is RW Mathieu Beaudoin who played 7 games during the 07-08 regular season and added a playoff game that year as well.

And former Bear forward Paul Jerrard who played parts of 3 seasons for the Bears from 94-97 and was on the 96-97 Calder Cup winning team. He is currently the assistant coach for the Stars.

Here are a few other players you might recognize from Calder Cup Finals past...

• D Maxime Fortunos played for the Manitoba Moose last season and faced the Bears in the Calder Cup Finals. He will surely be called upon over the next week to help dissect exactly what the Bears do.
• RW Raymond Sawada also played against the Bears during last seasons Calder Cup Finals as a member of the Manitoba Moose. He scored 1 goal in the series.
• C Greg Rallo was yet another of the 08-09 Manitoba Moose. He played in 4 games against the Bears in the finals but did not record a point.
• D Dan Jancevski was a member of the 06-07 Hamilton Bulldogs team that beat Hershey in 5 games.

That is who the Stars are.

So how will the series go? How do the Bears match up?

Check back early next week and I will have a good series preview ready to go. I will say this...I want Hershey to win in 6 because I want to see a clinching game on home ice.

Bears will play Texas Starts in finals

In what can only be described as at least a slight surprise the Texas Stars managed to beat the Hamilton Bulldogs twice at Copps Coliseum to win the Western Conference Championship. Now they get the other top team in the league, the Hershey Bears.

The series schedule looks like this...

Thursday, June 3 - Hershey - 7:00
Saturday, June 5 - Hershey - 7:00
Monday, June 7 - Texas - 8:30
Wednesday, June 9 - Texas - 8:30
Friday, June 11 - Texas - 8:30 (if necessary)
Monday, June 14 - Hershey - 7:00 (if necessary)
Wednesday, June 16 - Hershey - 7:00 (if necessary)

Fair schedule. Only one two day break after the start and considering the travel that is pretty good.

It will be 12 days between games for the Bears which in this situation might be okay because that was a physical Manchester series that left multiple Bears nursing injuries. Most notably right wing Andrew Gordon who will likely be back for the the finals.

I will have plenty more about this unknown team in the coming days so check back often.