Catching up with the Hershey Bears

Bears vs Bruins:
After finishing work on Thanksgiving Eve, we headed to the Giant Center to see the Bears take on the Providence Bruins. With fond memories of eliminating the Bruins from the playoffs last spring, the tough match we anticipated did not materialize, and the Bears would be given a lesson by the boys in yellow. Providence would win the game 4-1, as Hershey failed to find chemistry and failed to stay out of the penalty box with their eight infractions. Boyd Kane would score the only goal for the Bears, and it was one of those lucky-turned-fluky efforts that saw the puck flip up of Kanes' stick over Dany Sabourin and into the net. Alexandre Giroux did all of the work, Kane got the glory, and the Bears shut down from that moment on. It was just a shame that the Bears had to be the turkeys on the eve of Thanksgiving.

Bears vs Phantoms:
Hershey found their form on the road in Adirondack the night after Thanksgiving, upsetting the Phantoms in front of their own fans. With Alexandre Giroux on recall to the Capitals, Hershey called up Michael Dubuc from South Carolina, and from all accounts, he shone for the Bears - and scored his first AHL goal in the process. A great road win, and 24 hours later, both teams would face off again in Hershey, PA. Less than 60 seconds after the puck dropped, Dubuc would strike, taking a nifty pass from Zach Miskovic and sending the vulcanized rubber into the back of the net. Ten minutes later, Dubuc made the score sheet once again, earning the primary assist on a Darren Reid goal. Many in attendance started to believe that this 21 year old was for real.

I wish the same could be said for defenseman Sean Collins, who was fairly impressive last season and had playing time in Washington to show for it. Fast forward to the present, however, and Collins has failed to repeat such a performance. On numerous shifts, he was out of position, out-played by the Phantoms forechecking, sloppy with the puck and gave up too many odd-man rushes. I had to laugh when I heard somebody compare Collins with a turnstile - creaking as he spins in circles. Right now Collins needs to be benched, or even spend some time back down in the ECHL in order to help him find his game. Come on Sean, last season I believed in you......don't let the Bears down.

As stated in an earlier post, I am having a hard time warming to Boyd Kane. During this game, however, he started to break down some barriers...mixing it up with his former Phantom team mates, and being a general agitating pest. At one point, I almost cracked a smile. However, in a game that would be tied at the end of regulation, Kane would destroy all of his temporary credit by taking the DUMBEST double roughing minor in overtime. Fortunately the Bears made it through the five minute OT period, and would ultimately lose in the shootout.....but for me, the damage had been done when Kane mixed it up with the Phantoms one time too many. Thanks Boyd.....

Bears v Baby Pens:
Having had time to cool down, we ventured back to the Giant Center the following evening for a showdown with the boys from up I-81. The previous encounter between these two teams at Giant Center had been lopsided, especially as the majority of the Penguins stars had been recalled to an ailing Pittsburgh club at the time. This time around, many familiar faces were back - Ben Lovejoy, Mark Letestu, Deryk Engelland - the Bears would have to bring their A-game tonight and not underestimate the pesky Pens. Hershey would call on Michal Neuvirth to tend between the pipes, and a few fans would cheer when Sean Collins was announced as a scratch, leaving captain Bryan Helmer to fill the final defensive roster spot.

After 60 minutes of play, Michal Neuvirth earned the first star honors as he shut out Wilkes Barre in the Bears 5-0 victory. 'Neuvy' faced a total of 42 shots, while Pens netminder John Curry faced only 21 in comparison, statistically giving up 1 goal for every four shots faced. The Bears outhustled the Penguins all night, and earned the victory in a great team effort. After his poor performance on Saturday, Boyd Kane would redeem himself to the Hershey faithful - scoring on two of his three shots, and staying out of the penalty box all evening. Michael Dubuc would assist on Darren Reids' power play goal to finish the game, collecting points in three straight games and making it difficult for Mark French to reassign him back to the ECHL. The Bears took 5 of 6 points in three consecutive nights, and maintain a comfortable position at the top of their division.

Plenty of left over turkey last night.....

and it was all donated by our wonderful divisional rivals from the city of brotherly love. Riding along on a seven game winning streak, the Bears hosted the Phantoms once again last night at the Giant Center. With a 7-3 victory for Hershey over Philly just two weeks ago, the Bears were looking to continue their winning ways, but would have to do it minus several key players that were recalled to the Capitals earlier this week. While Bourque, Alzner, Lepisto, Sloan and Helmer were skating in Columbus, the Bears knew that they would have to step up against a Phantoms team that likes to play physical.

The first period was one of the most impressive periods of Bears hockey I have had the pleasure of watching this season. Reminiscent of the previous encounter between these clubs, Hershey once again exploited the weaknesses of the normally talented Scott Munroe with four quick scores through the first 20 minutes of play. Graham Mink would strike first, just a little over 4 minutes into the contest. Alexandre Giroux would add two in succession, and defenceman Greg Amadio would send one home from the blue line before the first intermission. The offensive firepower was fully complemented by a red hot defense that allowed only three shots on goal, the first of which did not arrive until 16 minutes had been taken off the clock. Machesney could have taken a nap during this period and none of the 10300 in attendance would have known.

Hershey did not ease off the gas in the second period, playing strong once again in the defensive zone while adding three more scores at the opposite end of the ice. Darren Reid and Andrew Joudrey contributed two of those goals, but the highlight reel moment has to be reserved for Greg Amadio. Not only did he score his second of the night (and the season), but it was done short-handed after a perfect pass from Quintin Laing. After seven successful strikes, John Paddock had no choice but to pull Munroe from the contest.

The intensity remained high during the third period. Quintin Laing would put his own rebound into the net, and Kyle Wilson would round out the score and give the Bears a 9-0 victory. With a strong feeling of frustration, the Phantoms would embarrass themselves with a pathetic fighting penalty from Garrett Klotz. When Darren Reid politely declined to go toe to toe with Klotz, he was sucker-punched after the puck dropped and ejected from the game. The seven minute powerplay that followed allowed the Bears to score the two goals during this period. The Phantoms were simply turkeys in this contest, and the Bears provided more than enough stuffing to send them on their way back down the turnpike to Philadelphia.

Hershey Bears Home Opener.

After taking 4 straight road victories to start their 2008-09 campaign, the Bears were given a huge ovation when taking the ice at the Giant Center last night. With a mixture of familiar faces, former players returning to Chocolatetown, and a handful of Capitals prospects, the 8000+ fans in attendance were ready to see this highly touted team strut their stuff. Entering this contest, both Hershey and their opponents from Syracuse had not dropped a game yet this season. This was the first time I'd seen the Crunch in action, but had learned through many blogs and forums that they played a smash-mouth hockey game and liked to get physical. A fitting name - the Crunch - I thought to myself.



Sure enough, within the opening five minutes, the first on-ice altercation occurred. Many had predicted this would take place, as some trash talking had been going on prior to the puck drop. Before the final roster was announced prior to the season, I had some concerns over who would step up as enforcers for the Bears, especially as Robitaille and Flinn has moved on to pastures new. Keeping Grant McNeil in Hershey was a good move, but I'm happy to see that new guys Darren Reid and Greg Amadio are not afraid to back down when needed. Dean Arsene is another who will always throw himself to the wolves in order to protect his team mates. Three of these four guys all rumbled with the Crunch last night, and all three came out pretty strong with their offerings. We were not intimidated - we did not crumble. Syracuse Crunch = more like "The Brady Bunch", I thought to myself.


The Bears looked awesome last night. I've not seen them play at this intensity for quite a while. Sure, they were plagued with injuries last season and had different line-ups every game going into the last month of the regular season. However, with the depth the organization has now, every line is strong. The Mink-Aucoin-Giroux line in particular is positively sick - I'm sure that there are several NHL teams that would kill for this line-up, let alone others at the AHL level. Goals came thick and fast in this one, and the 7-1 victory for the Bears must have echoed throughout the AHL. A 5-0 start, with 29 goals scored is a phenomenal way to start the season. I certainly cannot wait to head back to Giant Center this evening for the next match-up against the Baby Pens. Once again, the Bears can roar.........they can live up to their name. As for the Crunch last night, they resembled more of a Nestle Bar, than collective bone-breakers. Let's see if we get some Penguins with attitude tonight, or just some baby flightless fowl that may be wishing they stayed home instead.