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.

Panthers Defeat Capitals 5-3 on Tuesday - Islanders Feel Caps' Wrath on Thursday

We attended both of the home games at Verizon Center this week, and while we were more than disappointed with the lack of effort on Tuesday, we were happy to see the Caps turn things up several notches last night.

Mourning the embarrassing loss at home against the Panthers, I decided to postpone sharing my thoughts until the bitter taste of defeat had left my mouth. I don't expect the Capitals to win every game, and it was inevitable at some point that they would take a regulation defeat on home ice. However, the full 60-minute performance from every player wearing a red jersey that evening was lackluster, unenergetic, and totally unacceptable. The Caps have most likely been through the wringer enough over this performance, so I shall close this chapter with one comment. Home ice does not guarantee a victory - the will to play hard and work as a team is the recipe. Stick to it, guys, and you'll be okay.

You have to respect a coach like Bruce Boudreau. To be humiliated on Tuesday night, he dished out the punishment to his team and moved on to focus on the next opponent. The Islanders had not played since the weekend, and arrived at the Verizon Center looking to add to their recent success on the road. Joey MacDonald was awarded the NHL third star of the month for November, and having seen him perform during our trip to Montreal, we knew that he was an incredibly talented backup netminder.

The Capitals, however, wanted to redeem themselves in front of their home crowd, and came out with a renewed sense of energy and willingness to play hard. With goals from Alex Ovechkin and Viktor Kozlov, the Caps dominated the first 20 minutes and took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. New York would turn on the heat during the second period, shutting down the Caps offense, and taking advantage of an ill-timed line change which left Sami Lepisto out to dry behind the net as the tying goal was sent home. The third period remained close until Donald Brashear crashed the net after a Karl Alzner ricochet from the backboard found his stick and was pushed home. While the puck crossed the line almost in slow motion, the signal from the official had the fans out of their seats and a renewed energy burst through the arena. Eric Fehr would seal the victory with a goal for added insurance, and Nicklas Backstrom would send home an empty netter to close out the game and secure the two points.

Our boys from Hershey once again played well in their supporting role. Congratulations are in order for Keith Aucoin, who made his Caps debut and displayed great chemistry with Kozlov and Tomas Fleischmann. Bryan Helmer had a strong outing too, setting up the Kozlov goal with his bullet from the blue line. Sami Lepisto looked a little better, but needs to find the rhythm that he has displayed consistently at Hershey if he is to win the Caps fans over. Tyler Sloan seems to have regressed as of late. His confidence seems to be lacking, with frequent breakdowns in the defensive zone and poor positioning at times against the opponent breakaway. Hopefully Tyler can once again find his game, lest he be the first d-man heading back up to Chocolatetown. A good effort overall though from the boys from the farm, and hopefully further opportunities to play will remain open for them as the season progresses.

And I thought Ottawa were bad this year...

Hershey hosted the Binghamton Senators on Sunday evening, and what an evening it turned out to be. After a quick offensive effort by the baby Senators in the first, it was the Bears who took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission after a goal from Alexandre Giroux. Given that this was the third consecutive game in as many nights for both teams, nobody could have envisioned the utter thrashing that Hershey were about to dish out in the second period.

The Bears came out on fire in the second, with a six goal tally from Andrew Gordon, Francois Bouchard, Keith Aucoin, Kyle Wilson, and Graham Mink (2). The Wilson goal in particular was a result of the powerhouse shooting skill of Josh Godfrey. I get very excited when the Bears are in the offensive zone, and Godfrey is set up at the point - his 100mph slapshot has to be seen to be believed. The shot from Godfrey was deflected at the goal by Wilson, but Josh proved that he is more than an ECHL caliber player with his overall effort last night. I was also impressed with the overall ability of Andrew Joudrey during the game. What he lacks in points, he makes up for in effort on the ice. Several times last night I saw him break up plays on defense, set up playmaking opportunities on offense, and play consistently all evening with his great positioning and ability to know where the puck would be.

With Giroux and Perrault adding bonus goals in the third period, Daren Machesney earned the shut-out with a 9-0 drubbing of the boys from Binghamton. Jeff Smith was a welcome relief as a competent referee, letting the guys just play the game (please ban Nygel from the Giant Center). A great game overall, and the Bears claimed all 6 of the available points from the 3 consecutive games this weekend.

Congratulations also to the Reading Royals, who eeked out a much needed victory over the Cyclones on Sunday. I am sorry to see Jeff Corey leave town, but given that he has been traded to the Stingrays, there remains the chance that he could be a call-up at Hershey if his play continues to improve.

Fine Finn Finishes Fantoms (Phantoms)

Hockey returned to the Giant Center on Saturday for the second half of a home & home series against the divisional rival Philadelphia Phantoms. After leaving Philadelphia with the much needed 2 points on Friday night, the Bears were looking to add two more on home ice.

Prior to the puck drop, AHL President Dave Andrews was on hand to congratulate Bears center Keith Aucoin for his October player of the month award. As the game progressed, we were impressed to see Dave Andrews watching the game amongst 'the fans' in the upper section, rather than opt for the 'private suite'. Hopefully Dave enjoyed his time at Hershey, and had a hands on experience of Bears hockey and the lively 9000 fans in attendance.

The game was the typical fare when these two teams compete. We knew it would be physical. We knew that it would most likely be close. What we didn't know, however, was that a rookie by the name of Oskar Osala would light the lamp on three occassions to earn his first AHL hat trick and the number one star.

With some very controversial officiating during 'most' of the second period, the Phantoms had the upperhand going into the second intermission. However, the Bears came out in the third both focused and hungry, and showed no malice towards the official that had put them in a bind early. Philadelphia lost their lead early, and the Bears never looked back as they cruised to a 7-3 victory. Adding to the three goal tally from Osala were scores from Chris Bourque, Keith Aucoin, Sami Lepisto and Quintin Laing. A good night for Bob Woods, a good victory for Hershey, and good entertainment for all but the Phantoms and their silenced fans in the crowd.

With no time to rest on their laurels, the Bears are in preparation now for the visiting Binghamton Senators tonight, who trail the Bears in the divisional standings by only a few points. We are looking forward to hopefully another victory for the chocolate and white.

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.

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.

Kudos

to Keith Aucoin for being named the AHL player of the week. A 3-0 start to the AHL season for the Bears is a fantastic start, especially as all games were in the arenas of divisional rivals. I cannot wait to feel the atmosphere on Saturday at the Giant Center when the Bears kick off at home against Syracuse.

Here's hoping that the injury to Viktor Kozlov in DC is only minor, and that he'll be back on the ice soon. Eric Fehr is more than capable of filling that roster spot, but Kozlov has great chemistry on that line with Ovie and Backstrom. Good health to you Viktor.

The Reading Royals open their 08-09 campaign shortly. Good luck to the guys down there for the coming season.