Seven Days of Hockey Summary

So much can happen in the world of professional hockey over the course of seven days. Given that this is the first opportunity I've had to blog in a while, I shall focus on all three of the games that I have had the pleasure of attending over the last week.


Capitals vs Bruins:
Last Saturday we headed to DC for the much anticipated clash of the Eastern Conference Titans. The Boston Bruins were in town, and looking to continue a streak of road victories that commenced after their last visit to Washington. The Verizon Center was rocking on Saturday night. Both teams knew the importance of this game, and the whole 60 minutes was filled with a level of intensity more appropriate for a playoff game. Given how both teams have performed during the first half of the season, it remains probable that these two giants may clash in the postseason - so the crowd was ready for a preview of things to come.


With some early penalty troubles, the Caps would give up the opening goal when Marc Savard beat Jose Theodore early in the second period. Washington would respond just over one minute later with a power play score of their own from Mike Green. The game remained 1-1 after two periods of hockey. The sold-out crowd was very loud during the last 20 minutes of play, and the decibel meter must have exploded when Alexander Semin broke away with some fancy puck handling, raced down the ice and beat Tim Thomas to give the home team the go ahead score. I had the (dis)pleasure of being seated amongst Bruins fans, so it was nice to jump out of my seat and cheer like a man possessed (much to their dismay). The Caps would hold on to the lead, and kill a penalty in the dying seconds of the game to seal the win. Both teams had played a strong game, and I am sure that the two remaining games between these two teams up in Boston will be as equally intense.


Hershey Bears vs Worcester Sharks:
Sunday evening was spent at the Giant Center where a regular season hockey game was completely overshadowed by the potential for Alexandre Giroux to break a 20-year record for goals scored in consecutive games. AHL and NHL legend Brett Hull had established a record of 14 consecutive goal-scoring games, and Giroux had equalled that impressive tally during a shoot-out loss to the Philadelphia Phantoms on the previous night. Trailing 0-2 after some quick scoring opportunities from the Sharks, Hershey seemed lackluster until defenseman Sami Lepisto fired a rocket from the point into the back of the net. The Lepisto goal sparked a stagnant Hershey team, who dominated offensively down the stretch only to be denied by a strong performance from Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss.


With a tripping penalty assessed against Worcester midway through the third period, the crowd at the Giant Center would erupt when Giroux beat Greiss and tied the game at 2-2. With 13:33 left in the game on 18th January, Alexandre Giroux removed Brett Hull from the AHL record books and set a new benchmark of 15 consecutive games with a goal. Congratulations to you Alex - what an accomplishment!!!


The scoresheet would remain the same through the remainder of regulation and the overtime period. Michal Neuvirth, the rookie Bears goaltender, would stand tall during the shootout and deny all five of the Sharks attempts. Griess was almost as impressive, preventing 4 of the 5 shots he faced - Kyle Wilson would connect and give the Bears not only the victory, but the icing on the cake for a night Alexandre Giroux will never forget.


Hershey Bears vs Wilkes-Barre Penguins:
With a convincing road victory over Norfolk on Wednesday, the Bears returned home on Friday night to face the baby Pens. The thought of having to watch the Penguins is always enough to make me frown, but I would be the recipient of "bad vibes" once I learned that our good friend Terry Koharski would be officiating the game. Now granted, Koharski is a much better option than Nygel Pelletier or the grinch David Banfield, but even so, to put it bluntly, Koharski sucks too!


This game was everything we knew it would be. These two divisional rivals have no liking for each other - the usual physical altercations, cheap shots, trash talking and the like were to be expected. But for Koharski to penalize Chris Bourque five minutes for a simple tripping penalty was simply ludicrous. Again, five minutes for a trip - what next, a game misconduct for too many men on the ice????? The Pens would rebound from a two-goal deficit with power play goals that resulted from the often dubious calls from Koharski.


Hershey would go on to lose in a shootout, with goaltender Michal Neuvirth giving up two goals as opposed to John Curry who would be beaten only once. The Bears played the better game, but the Penguins got the breaks from Koharski that kept them in it, and they won the old-fashioned way after the overtime period expired.


Kudos to Keith Aucoin for dropping the gloves with Janne Pesonen during the second period. Given his size, I was always concerned that Aucoin was an easy target for opposing teams, but he has proven time and time again that he is not only a great hockey player, but that he has the mental and physical attributes to stand his ground. Well done Keith!


The Bears can put this game behind them, and concentrate on the task at hand this evening as the Manchester Monarchs make an appearance at the Giant Center. We can't wait for that one.


Notes:
* Congratulations to Bears goaltender Michal Neuvirth for being awarded the third star in the ECHL All-Star game. Neuvirth represented the South Carolina Stingrays.

* Good luck to former Bears defenseman Josef Boumedienne, who has returned to Europe. We still miss you Boomer.

* Nice to see Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau in attendance at the Giant Center last night.

* Good luck to Alexander Ovechkin during the All-Star weekend in Montreal - and props to Nicklas Backstrom for snubbing his invitation to the young stars game. Good luck also to the Bears players and coaches that will be part of the AHL All-Star game in Worcester.