Binghamton 4, Hershey 1: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (well, 2 days late)!

With the Christmas break behind them, the Hershey Bears took to the ice last night at the Giant Center against the Binghamton Senators. What Hershey did not know, however, was that the Grinch would also be at the Giant Center. The Grinch in question was a referee by the name of David Banfield - a referee who seemed bent on ruining any post Christmas celebrations for the Bears.

I am not taking anything away from a Senators team who played a strong sixty minutes of hockey, but the Bears were royally screwed last night! With a remarkable effort between the pipes, Brian Elliot stopped all but one of the 44 shots on goal (the lone score coming from Keith Aucoin in the first period) and left Chocolatetown with a comfortable 4-1 victory. Unfortunately for the Senators, however, their almost-perfect performance was both overshadowed and undermined by some terrible officiating from the Grinch.

Banfield would assess nine penalties against Hershey, while the Senators were called for five. Alas, for the Bears, it would be a string of missed blatant infractions that would prevent any opportunity to come back down the stretch. With this fine display of terrible officiating, it was clear that Banfield never received his copy of "Hockey for Dummies" in his Christmas stocking this year. He most likely failed to get his eyes tested too, missing the tripping call from the stick that was literally thrown at the feet of Chris Bourque on a breakaway. I had never seen a crowd this hostile at the Giant Center, but it was completely justified. One man was ruining the game for everybody, and 10,000 plus were letting him know about it.

Behind the Bears bench, the normally mellow Bob Woods reached his boiling point after the aforementioned non-call. Tossing water bottles across the ice at Banfield in protest, Woods was ejected from the game, and faces a hefty fine and possible suspension for his actions. While I do not condone the way in which Woods vented his frustration, I felt that his complaint was more than justified. The Senators had capitalized on the non-call against Bourque, and put the game out of reach for the Bears. Woods, as the coach and leader of the team, stood tall and made sure that the officiating crew were informed of just how terrible they were. Worth every cent of his imminent fine and suspension, in my opinion.

So Binghamton left the Giant Center with the win, and thanks to the Wilkes-Barre Penguins taking a win over Bridgeport, no damage was done at the top of the division. The Bears and the Sound Tigers remain tied for first place, albeit in a division that has become tightly contested right now as we head towards the New Year.

Bears edge Monsters 3-2 in a shootout.

We returned to the Giant Center last night to see the Lake Erie Monsters take on the Bears. With Daren Machesney heading out to Switzerland, Simeon Varlamov was given the responsibility of tending between the pipes for Hershey. After their great chemistry on Saturday night, the line of Quintin Laing, Andrew Gordon and Kyle Wilson were named as the starters on offense.

Both teams seemed tired, and the game was a drawn out affair which ultimately saw Hershey drop a goal, only to recover, on two occassions. Laing and Wilson would score the only two goals in regulation for Hershey. Lake Erie came within a whisker of stealing a victory when Bryan Marshall found the puck on his stick in the Bears crease; Varlamov came up trumps, however, and denied the shot to ensure that the game would continue after three periods were over.



Both teams stood their grounds during the five minute overtime period, and as the horn sounded, the shootout loomed for both goaltenders. Up until this point, Monsters goaltender Jason Bacashihua had brushed away 42 of the 44 shots faced. Chris Bourque took to the ice first in the shootout and found the back of the net to give Hershey some renewed confidence and momentum. Bacashihua stood tall once again though, denying the following attempts from Wilson, Keith Aucoin and Matthieu Perreault. At the other end of the ice, Varlamov almost mirrored the opposing goalie, giving up one of four attempts. Stepping onto the ice to take the Bears final regular shot, Andrew Gordon could not have envisioned the good fortune he would have. Putting the puck between the pads with such velocity, Bacashihua made the save, only to fall prey to his own backwards reeling momentum that laid him, puck and all, on his back in the goal. The official awarded the goal, Varlamov denied the final Monsters shot, and Hershey came out with another victory at home. The game wasn't pretty! The game wasn't particularly exciting! Referee Jeff Smith called only four minor penalties. But the Bears took the critical two points to help keep the surging Bridgeport Sound Tigers at bay in the divisional standings.

Hershey Sinks the Admirals 3-2 and Keeps Streak Alive

We were back at the Giant Center yesterday evening to see the visiting Norfolk Admirals take on our Hershey Bears. Chris Bourque was back in the lineup, having being reassigned by the Capitals to Hershey. Simeon Varlamov would be responsible for tending the pipes, with Machesney having the much deserved night off after his dazzling performance against the Phantoms. Although both teams were tired, we knew that this game was not going to be another lopsided battle; the Admirals were a better team than their win-loss record indicated, and it was evident that this game would be won defensively.


The first period did not have too many highlights. Oskar Osala opened up the scoring just three minutes into the game and gave Hershey a 1-0 advantage after the first twenty minutes of play. We found it amusing that just as John Walton was pondering over how Osala failed to score on the previous evening in the radio coverage, wham - the big 'O' found the net and beat McKenna to put Hershey on the board. Here's hoping that Walton displays more telepathic insights as the season progresses, with many references to the words 'Calder Cup.'



The second period saw former Bear Grant Potulny even the score after just four minutes, and much to the disapproval of the 6000 in attendance. While I always find it difficult to root against former Bears, I am happy to see that Potulny has escaped from the basement-dwelling Rampage and can at least make a potential run to the postseason with his new club.


The crowd would be silenced just 40 seconds into the third period when Norfolk managed to sneak a puck into Hershey's net. Varlamov did react well to the shot, but failed to scoop the puck from underneath him before it crossed the line. However, with a man advantage halfway through the period, Keith Aucoin sent the puck to the net and Alexandre Giroux sent it home. As the fans cheered for a team that was running low on gas, the Bears somehow tapped into their energy reserves, and were rewarded once again when Chris Bourque sent a beautiful backhand pass to Andrew Joudrey, who found the back of the Admirals' net. Two minutes later, the horn would sound, and the Bears would congratulate Simeon Varlamov for his strong performance down the stretch that kept them in the game. With a 10-3-1 record during November, the Bears look to continue their success and hopefully keep their winning streak alive when Hartford comes to town on Saturday night.

Hey Habs - There's No "I" in Team...

For the third time this week, I proudly donned my bleu/blanc/rouge to support the Habs, this time at the Phone Booth in Washington. Also for the third time this week, the Habs fell in a disappointing effort. The Caps season holder in me was totally pleased that they finally delivered 60 minutes of solid, near-perfect hockey and that José Theodore looked like a $4 million goalie for the first time this season; the Habs fan in me was utterly crushed.

The Habs' defense is holding steady and did an adequate job, by and large, last night; they blocked a number of shots and probably kept the game from being a total blowout. This is no slam on Jaroslav Halak, by the way; he made some excellent saves but, while defense may win championships, it can't win without some kind of offense, and that, my friends, is where the Habs are sorely lacking. To go 9 minutes into the game before registering the first shot on goal is scary, to say the least.

Since I saw them lose two games with Tanguay in the lineup, I'm not willing to attribute the complete lack of scoring last night to his absence. As I've written previously this week, Kovalev is there in body only (5 goals so far this year); neither of the Kostitsyns have done much yet this year (7 pts total for Andrei; 9 pts total for Sergei); and Chris Higgins doesn't seem to be fully back from his injury, just to cite a few problems. To me, though, the biggest worry by far is the power play, or absence thereof. I know others have said it before me, but I think that letting Mark Streit go was a big mistake on the part of the Canadiens; no one else has stepped up to take the kind of leadership role on the power play that he provided last year in particular.

Finally, in the great old Habs tradition many people have been throwing Guy Carbonneau under the bus for the current slump. Perhaps he has some responsibility; perhaps not. Not being in the locker room, I'm not willing to venture a guess one way or the other. I will say, however, that the Canadiens I saw this week against the Bruins, Islanders, and Capitals were not playing as a team. I recognize that slumps happen, but unless these guys come together as a team and start playing consistently (say, like they did on Wednesday against the Red Wings), the Habs might be in for a disappointment at the end of this 100th season.

BTW, from the Caps part of me, snaps to the Hershey guys once again, particularly Sami Lepisto for his second assist in two games, Karl Alzner for some great defense, and Chris Bourque for some fiery play. This is the great thing about being a season ticket holder for both the Caps and the Hershey Bears - we don't miss out on these great guys regardless of where they play. :-)

And a final note to the Habs - go out tonight, play like you did Wednesday, and show the Sabres how it's done, please.

Pretty in pink....

Hockey fights Cancer as the Bears fought the Rochester Americans at the Giant Center last night. Looking impressive in pink was Chris Bourque, who looked better still when he flipped a penalty shot past Tyler Plante within the first two minutes of the contest to take a 1-0 lead. Rochester kept things close in the first period, and went into the first intermission tied at 1 goal a piece. And that was a close as they came to keeping pace with Hershey. The remaining periods were pure Bears hockey, with Bourque adding 3 assists to take 4 points and be awarded the first star for his stellar performance. Goals came thick and fast in this 8-3 victory, with Quintin Laing and Oskar Osala both finding the back of the net twice. Andrew Gordon, Karl Alzner and Alex Giroux rounded out the scoring in front of a lively 10000+ crowd.

Greg Amadio and Michael Duco entertained the crowd in the first period with an all-out brawl, but the biggest surprise of the evening had to be witnessing Kyle Wilson drop the gloves and duke it out with Duco in the third. Wilson and fisticuffs are seldom categorized together, so it was nice to see that our talented center can look after himself when pushed into a corner. And talking of courage and grit, kudos to Keith Aucoin for stepping up and taking on Keaton Ellerby. When it comes to watching out for his team-mates, what Aucoin lacks in size, he more than makes up for in heart. Well done Keith - four mintues for roughing are a compliment rather than a penalty for your actions. All in all, a great night of hockey once again from the Giant Center.

On a brief note, congratulations are in order for Tyler Sloan, who made the headlines twice this week in his NHL debut. First, THE hit against the Flames was the biggest crunch of the week. I still cannot fathom why Rene Bourque decided he had to pummel Tyler for a legal hit, but Sloan sure looked competent in his Capitals jersey. And then, on Saturday night against the Stars, Tyler scored his first NHL goal. I wonder which highlight he cherishes more - the big hit in Calgary, or lighting the lamp in Dallas? Good luck Tyler - hopefully Bruce keeps you in DC a little longer while Poti recovers from his injury.

Not quite sure what to think about the contract extension for John Erskine. I am kind of on the fence about this guy, whose performance is often simply mediocre. Why take Erskine over the likes of Shaone Morrisson or Milan Jurcina, who are likely candidates to be salary cap casualties next season? Are the Caps ready to have the likes of Sloan, Lepisto and Alzner playing defence at the phone booth next season? Erskine brings experience, and can play the enforcer role when needed, but I'm not sure the extension was necessary at this moment in time in a league where there is no shortage of good defencemen.

Over in the ECHL, the Reading Royals came up short in back to back games this weekend against Johnstown and Augusta. We shall be in Reading this coming Saturday to see them face off against the Idaho Steelheads. Can't wait to see that.

Time to shine....

After an impressive 2008 training camp, and some great on-ice productivity during the pre-season, it was incredibly depressing to see Chris Bourque sent back to Hershey prior to the regular season commencing. While I would never argue with Boudreaus' reasoning, the emotional aspect for a Hershey Bears fan to see one of his guys make the NHL will probably always outweigh conventional thought. With the injuries to Kozlov, Brashear and Poti, the Capitals just announced that Chris Bourque was being recalled, and will most likely play against the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night. I'm sure that Chris is ready to rise to the challenge, and like those before him (such as Fehr, Schultz and Fleischmann), is ready to show the world that he belongs there.



Good luck to you Chris. Your loyal fans at Hershey will be behind you all the way.

Preseason Thoughts

Kudos to Chris Bourque for getting the first star in the Caps' preseason game against the Panthers last night... as much as I'd like to see him back in Hershey this year, I have a suspicion that we might be seeing him more at the Verizon Center.

On the Josef Boumedienne watch (note to Caps: you shouldn't have let him go!), he earned an assist in the Leafs' loss to Pittsburgh. We have this game on the DVR and only saw bits and pieces; we'll definitely check the rest of the game out.

I'm still not completely sold on Jose Theodore. Martin, who attended a day of training camp on Tuesday, says the two younger goalies look tremendously sharp. About Theodore, I'm just concerned that he'll be the Theodore of old and not so much the Theodore who carried the Avs last year.

100% Effort - and It Paid Off!

Last night the Bears put in 60 minutes of excellent, energetic hockey, and although they were playing against a less-than-stellar opponent (Hamilton), they pulled off a solid win. Particularly impressive was Chris Bourque's play, with 4 goals to his credit. With both Lepisto and Boumedienne back, the all-around play was crisper and the defense sharper. The Bears desperately need to play this way for the remaining games in the season, both to ensure the best possible placement in the playoffs and to get ready to perform well in the postseason. My one remaining concern is their play on the road - we shall see how they do on Friday.

The Capitals also put in a super performance last night that I wish I'd seen... Cristobal Huet delivered his second shutout since being traded. It truly seems as though the trade has fired him up and given him something to prove, and it's working out to the Caps' benefit. Olaf Kolzig also seems to have stepped up his play. We have tickets to the next two Caps games - Tuesday in particular is hugely critical, as it gives the Caps a chance to tie the Hurricanes for the divisional lead. Boston's next three games are all on the road, which hopefully will work in the Caps' favor. However, Boston is 4-2 this season against a slumping Buffalo - we can only hope that Buffalo takes up the spoiler gauntlet. Pittsburgh hopefully will defeat Philly twice - all this will be meaningless, however, if the Caps falter down the home stretch.

Flat Devils, and Bears Updates

Hubs and I traveled to Newark last night to see the Devils/Penguins. First, before I say anything else, the new Prudential Center is a beautiful facility and the Devils have every reason to be proud of their new home. That being said, however, they played with so little verve last night that it almost seemed at times as though they were sleepwalking.

You would think that a game like this, with important playoff implications and standing in the division at stake, would fire up a team. Not so the Devils - flat, flat, flat. The Penguins weren't actually much better as they had some sloppy play of their own, but at least they came out with some gumption. I was disappointed that Crosby chose not to play (since that was 95% of the reason I wanted to go to the game), but his decision makes perfect sense for him and for the Pens.

The one player on the ice with whom I was impressed was Marc-Andre Fleury, who made some super saves to preserve the shutout. I've been a stout Ty Conklin admirer since the Winter Classic, and I remain so, but Fleury's play makes a really strong case for his claim to the #1 goalie spot.

Now, for some notes closer to home:

* Kudos to the Caps for giving Jay Beagle a contract. His play this year has warranted the attention, and we have the feeling he won't be around Hershey long. Our loss, but Washington's gain, for sure.
* Sami Lepisto's return to the Bears is good news for us going into this last set of games prior to the playoffs. Now if we can just get Boumedienne healthy again, the dynamic defensive duo can help get us into the postseason.
* The losses of Barney and Clymer for the rest of the season are disappointing, to say the least. I can only hope that Giroux, Gordon, Bourque, and others step up offensively.

Bears Show Some Winning Spirit

On Sunday the Bears held off a 3rd-period comeback attempt by the Lowell Devils and earned another much-needed 2 points. In the course of earning a hat trick, Alexandre Giroux delivered an absolutely sick (in the most positive sense of the word) goal, working around several Lowell players to tip the puck into the net at 4:58 in the third period; I hope someone posts the video to YouTube, it was truly a thing of beauty. Chris Bourque had a beautiful goal 55 seconds before that, as well.

What struck me about this game was that, while Hershey weakened somewhat in the third, allowing Lowell to score two relatively easy goals, they kept working at it and preserved the win. This isn't a quality that I've seen consistently throughout the season, but it's certainly showing up at a good time. I continue to think that the presence of Andrew Gordon is making a difference; we'll see how he impacts the two road games this week (Norfolk and Bridgeport). I also hope Boumedienne returns soon; his is a strong defensive presence that we desperately need if we have any hope of getting to the playoffs and making a strong run.