Kyle Wilson Leads the Way

Tuesday, March 20th 2007

The Norfolk Admirals became the first team to clinch a playoff spot this week, but the Hershey Bears find themselves in just as good of a position as they only trail the first place Admirals by two points heading into the final stage of the regular season. (Photo Courtesy of Just Sports Photography)

The Bears are coming off of a dominating 6-1 victory over the the Binghamton Senators on Sunday as Kyle Wilson led the way recording a hat trick and adding an assist to record four points on the evening. The career night gave Wilson 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points in the last 3 games as the Oakville, Ontario native was named the AHL player of the week. Since being acquired on loan from the South Carolina Stingrays back on December 1st he has put up 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points while posting a +16 defensive rating, securing an important role in the team’s upcoming playoff run.

Hershey also added some depth to their lineup this week as the team added recently signed Washington Capitals prospects Sean Collins and Steve Pinizzotto to PTOs for the remainder of the season. The 6′1″ 215 pound Collins, who was the captain of the Ohio State Buckeyes this season, is an offensive defenseman that led his team in points posting 9 goals and 19 assists in 37 games. Pinizzotto a right wing who also stands 6′1″, also led his team in points as he posted 13 goals and 31 assists in 31 games for the Rochester Institute of Technology.

The signings come at a good time as the Bears continue to play without their leading scorer Alexandre Giroux who remains with the Washington Capitals after being recalled on March 16th. Giroux has performed well as he recorded his first two career goals in the NHL this past week with tallies against Toronto and Tampa Bay. As a result of his good play he is now seeing time on the team’s first line with Alex Ovechkin and center Jiri Novotny.

Hershey has a favorable schedule this week as they play their next three contests at home beginning with a game against the Springfield Falcons who currently reside in last place in the Atlantic Division. They follow that up with back-to-back games against the Philadelphia Phantoms and Binghamton Senators this weekend.

Hershey Routes the Senators

Seven Straight Unanswered Goals by the Bears Leads to a Third Period Brawl Totaling 68 Penalty Minutes

Hershey Bears 7, Binghamton Senators 1

Boxscore

(Photos Courtesy of Michael Fernandez/Patriot-News)

Playing without their leading scorer in Alexandre Giroux, who was recalled by Washington, the Bears had no trouble denting the scoreboard tonight as six players combined to tally seven goals in route to the Bears blowout victory over Binghamton.

Making his home debut with Hershey Scott Barney lead the way with 2 goals and 2 assists on the night. While struggling to put up just 4 goals and 12 points in 40 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins this season, the Oshawa, Onterio native seemed to regain his offensive stride that saw him put up 32 goals in only 53 games for the Chicago Wolves last year.

Despite not allowing a shot during the first ten minutes of the game, the Bears ended up giving up the game’s first goal when Ryan Vesce scored his 12th goal of the season at the 11:44 mark. The power play goal would be the Senators’ only tally of the game and gave the them a brief 1-0 lead.

Hershey would answer back just two minutes later as goals by Joey Tenute and Scott Barney only 61 seconds apart would give the Bears the lead for good. They got contributions all throughout their lineup as 15 of the 17 players recorded at least a point on the night. Only defensemen Deryk Engelland and Donny Grover were get off the score sheet.

In the third period with the Senators trailing 5 to 1 their frustrations finally got the best of them as Louis Robitaille was jumped from behind leading to an all out brawl that even included both goalies going at it. Goaltender Jeff Glass left his crease and skated the entire length of the ice after Bears goaltender Maxime Daigneault, who defended himself well by catching Glass with a few solid punches that left him shaking his hand afterwards. For his trouble the Senators goalie received 29 penalty minutes alone for leaving the crease, instigating, fighting, a ten minute misconduct, and a game misconduct.

The win kept the Bears on pace with the division leading Norfolk Admirals, who won in a shootout and the third place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who won in overtime. They remain three points out of first place while still two points ahead of third.

Game Notes:

Troy Milam, Jamie Hunt, Eric Fehr, Pete Vandermeer, and Dean Arsene were the scratches…. Maxime Daigneault stopped 33 of 34 shots to improve his record to 17-4-0.

Injuries Continue to Mount

The Capitals received some more bad news this morning. Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post is reporting that Matt Pettinger will be out 4-6 weeks thanks to a broken thumb, while their checking line center and faceoff specialist Boyd Gordon will be out 2 weeks with a sore knee. Both players were injured in the third period of last night's game and did not return.

(Photos Courtesy of Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

Tarik says that General Manager George McPhee has plans to call up winger Alexandre Giroux from Hershey. Giroux is having an excellent year in the AHL, where he has 34 goals and 21 assists in 53 games while being named to the All-Star team. If the team feels they need a center to take Gordon's spot on the roster, they would most likely turn to Dave Steckel who is also having a career year in the AHL. Known for his checking ability, just like Gordon, Steckel has added an offensive punch this season and has 21 goals and 21 assists in 54 games. Both players also have excellent plus/minus ratings with Giroux being a +28 and Steckel a +20.

Today was also the day that the Hershey Bears announced their clear day roster. The list of 22 included 4 players currently on Washington's roster in Frederic Cassivi, Jeff Schultz, Eric Fehr, and Tomas Fleichmann. Here's the full list courtesy of the Hershey Bears website:

Goaltenders: Frederic Cassivi, Maxime Daigneault
Defenseman: Tim Wedderburn, Tyler Sloan, Jeff Schultz, Andy Hedlund, Dean Arsene, Deryk Engelland, Mike Green
Forwards: Joey Tenute, Eric Fehr, Alexandre Giroux, Tomas Fleischmann, Jakub Klepis, Chris Bourque, Kyle Wilson, Matt Hendricks, Dave Steckel, Louis Robitaille, Quintin Laing, Chad Wiseman, Scott Barney

Players in Residence but not on clear day list: Jamie Hunt, Pete Vandermeer, Kip Brennan, Donny Grover, Jeff Pietrasiak, Troy Milam.
A player in residence can be used during the playoffs if a member of the 22-man roster is injured or recalled.

Only amateur players signed to PTO's can be added to this list. Some possibilities there include current Capitals prospects Andrew Gordon, Andrew Joudrey, Travis Morin, and Andrew Thomas who are all playing in the collegiate ranks.

Bears Blow Lead, But Rally to Win Shootout

Alexandre Giroux Provides the Knockout Punch in the Shootout
Hershey Bears 3, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 2
Boxscore

It’s a little ere how much the Bears game resembled their parent club’s game. The Caps, who were playing at the same time tonight as Hershey, jumped out to a 2-0 lead just as the Bears did, only to allow their opposition to tie the game up and eventually send it to a shootout. The difference was that Hershey was able to pull out the win, while the Capitals could only manage a single point on the night.

Tomas Fleichmann got the scoring started as he parked himself in front of the net and knocked home his 20th goal of the season following a nice feed from Mike Green behind the Penguins net. In the second period, Louis Robitaille extended the lead to 2 in what looked like an innocent looking play. He gathered the puck off the boards and just fired a shot, beating goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers.

The Bears took that lead into the third period and looked to be on their way to an easy victory before the Penguins were able to rally and tie the game. With 11:30 left in the game, Micki DuPont tallied his 9th goal of the season on the power play with a shot from the right circle that found the top right corner of the net. A little less than six minutes later, Kyle Brodziak would knock home his 18th of the season as another shot from the right circle beat Maxime Daigneault. It was the result of a quick offensive attack following a defensive zone faceoff win by the Penguins.

After Jakub Klepis hit the post, an excellent performance by Daigneault on some quality scoring chances led by Brodziak, allowed the game to go to a shootout.

Goals by Mike Green and Alexandre Giroux along with a clean sheet from Daigneault, gave the Bears the victory and the much needed extra point to extend their lead in the standings to 4 points over the Penguins. With Norfolk defeating Springfield 2-1, the win also kept Hershey seven points behind the division leaders.

The hit of the night came from none other than Jakub Klepis as he nailed Penguins defenseman Noah Welch. The hit left Welch wobbly and resulted in a scrum that sent Mike Green and Ryan Stone to the box with ten minute misconducts.

Your Top 3 Stars:

1. Maxime Daigneault, Hershey 38 saves

2. Tyler Kennedy, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2 assists

3. Tomas Fleichmann, Hershey 1 goal

Game Notes:

Jamie Hunt (wrist), Chad Wiseman (day-to-day), Pete Vandermeer (broken leg), Jonas Johansson (healthy), and Donny Grover (healthy) were the scratches.

Tuesday Roundup: Who's Ready for a Full-Time Opportunity?

Practice was canceled today with only Erskine, Muir, Pothier, and Beech taking the ice to work with head athletic trainer Greg Smith. Pothier was on the ice for an extended period time performing many different skating and shooting drills. He looks as though he could return at any time, hopefully even as soon as this Thursday in Tampa.
(Photo Courtesy of Christopher Millete/Patriot-News)

With the Capitals playoff run on it's last breath, it's time to take a look at who is ready within the system for a chance to play with the big club.

1. Tomas Fleichmann (16 g+ 25 a= 45 p in 40 games, +8) - Nicknamed "Flash" for his game changing speed, he has nothing let to prove at the AHL level after averaging over a point per game each of the last two seasons. The problem is he's a left winger, which the Capitals currently have plenty of in Ovechkin, Semin, Pettinger, and Brashear. He needs to focus on adjusting his game to the right side if he wants any chance to secure a spot in Washington. It also hasn't help that he has yet to show much at the NHL level in his brief opportunities this season. That being said, he deserves a shot to see what he can do given the chance to play 10-15 minutes a night with the Caps.
2. Dave Steckel (21 g+ 19 a= 40 p in 47 games, +18) - After excelling last season on the defensive aspects of the game, Steckel has added an offensive punch this season. That all around game has elevated him to the number one center on a very good Hershey team. His 6'5" 220 pound frame means he has the size that teams covet. He could immediately step in and provide some strong competition for the fourth line center position with the struggling Brian Sutherby.
   
3. Alexandre Giroux (32 g+ 19 a= 51 p in 46 games, +26) - A versatile forward who can play any of the three positions on the line, Giroux has proven to be a goal scoring force at the AHL level. He has at least 32 goals in each of his last three seasons with the Bears and the Hartford Wolf Pack. It's hard to believe that despite his success he has only played in three career NHL games to date (1 with the Rangers last year, and 2 with the Caps this season). He needs to be given the opportunity, like Fleichmann, to play 10-15 minutes a night to see if that ability can transfer over against tougher competition.
   

Hershey Wins In Head Coach's Milestone Game

Three Straight Goals Lead Bears Past Slumping Pirates
Hershey Bears 5, Portland Pirates 2
Boxscore
(Photo courtesy of Just Sports Photography)

Tonight marked the 1,000th professional game of Head Coach Bruce Boudreau's career. And the Bears made sure he would have something to celebrate it by as they triumphed at home before 6,511 at the Giant Center.

Frederic Cassivi returned to the Bears lineup today after his short recall to the Washington Capitals on Sunday. He services were needed to backup Olie Kolzig following a lower body injury to reserve Brent Johnson.

The first period had the same feel as some of the recent Capitals games as sound defensive play dominated the early action. That would change as the intermission approached. The Pirates would strike first following a Timo Helbling turnover in his own zone. Helbling blew a tire as he was trying to clear the puck and fell to the ice, sending the puck right to the waiting stick of Joe Motzko. He found himself wide open in the slot and beat Cassivi glove side for his 14th goal of the season in an unassisted fashion.

The Bears were able to respond back before the end of the period, following a Trevor Byrne penalty they recorded their team's 18th short handed goal of the season when Alexandre Giroux entered the offensive zone on a two on one break. He slid a nice pass across to Quinton Laing who made the most of it, tying the score at one with his 11th of the season as the teams headed into the intermission.

The turning point of the game might just have been Hershey's ability to kill of a Pirates two man advantage at the start of the second period. They used that momentum to score twice in the period and take a 3-1 lead heading into the third. Joey Tenute put home the rebound from the left faceoff circle following a Chad Wiseman shot from the point for a power play goal, his 15th of the year. Hendricks followed that up with a hard working goal as he stuffed home the loose puck right at the goal line after Pirates goaltender Sabastien Caron could not coral it.

Less than five minutes into the third the Pirates tried to make a game of it after a weak backhand shot by Clay Wilson slipped past Cassivi to pull them within one at 3-2. It was definitely a shot that Cassivi would like to have back, but it didn't hurt the Bears as only three minutes later a Kyle Wilson goal would put Hershey back up by 2. A nice individual effort by Dave Steckel later in the period on a 4 on 4 situation put the game away for good. He pick-pocketed a Pirates defenseman in Portland's zone and went in all alone on Caron. A nice deke notched his 19th goal of the year and made the final 5-2.

With the game no longer in doubt, things got a little chippy towards the end. A pair of fights ensued less than a minute apart between the Pirates' Geoff Peters and the Bears captain Matt Hendricks, and Dean Arsene and Greg Amadio.

The win improved Hershey's record to 31-9-5-5 for 72 points on the season. That kept the Bears within 5 points of the division leading Norfolk Admirals as they were able to come from behind and beat the Albany River Rats in a shootout 5-4.

Your Top 3 Stars:

1. Dave Steckel, Hershey 1 goal
2. Alexandre Giroux, Hershey 2 assists

3. Frederic Cassivi, Hershey 32 saves

Caps/Islanders Preview

New York Islanders (25-21-6, 56 points)
at
Washington Capitals (21-25-7, 49 points)

Television: Comcast Sportsnet
Radio: Sportstalk 980-AM
Gametime: 1:00 PM ET


The Caps will host a Super Sunday matinée this afternoon at the Verizon Center as they open up a season long four game home stand. Washington is coming off of perhaps their most complete game of the season defensively yesterday in Pittsburgh. They'll need every bit of that effort as the the Islanders are currently riding a six game point streak which includes four wins.

Milan Jurcina had an excellent outing in his debut leading the team in ice time with 20:23. It was his second highest total of the season as he moved right into the Caps number one defensive pairing with Shaone Morrisonn.

The game will mark the second meeting of the season between these two teams who last met on the island November 25th. In that game Jason Blake had two goals to lead New York to a 4-1 win.

The Caps will hope history is on their side as they have won four straight games on Super Sunday. In fact on this day since 1988, they have posted a record of 10-3-1. They have also bounced back from both of their previous shutouts this season with victories.

Boston's 4-3 overtime win yesterday at Carolina knocked the Capitals into 14th place in the Eastern Conference ahead of only the lowly Philadelphia Flyers.


Down on the Farm:

The Hershey Bears trailed 4-2 heading into the third period before rallying for two goals to force overtime. Lowell's captain Dan McGillis netted the game winning goal two and a half minutes in to down the Bears 5-4. Frederic Cassivi started in goal for the second consecutive game since returning from a broken collarbone. Alexandre Giroux notched his 32nd goal of the season putting him one goal behind Norfolk's Brandon Bochenski for second in the AHL. The overtime loss put the Bears five point behind the division leading Norfolk Admirals.

The South Carolina Stingrays defeated the Columbia Inferno 4-3. Stephen Werner scored the game winner with 49 seconds remaining in the third period. It was his 6th goal of the season. Davis Parley had 26 saves for his 22nd win of the season.

Hershey Lets One Slip Away

Bears led 3-1 before falling in Shootout to Bridgeport
Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4, Hershey Bears 3 F/SO
Boxscore

Hershey, in front of a large home crowd of 9,401, seemed to be in complete control of this game, getting on the board early when Eric Fehr put a loose puck past Sound Tigers' goaltender Wade Dubielewicz for a 1-0 lead just 2:20 into the first period. It was the 22nd goal of the season for the talented right winger. Jakub Klepis, playing in his first game since being reassigned to the Bears, missed a chance to put Hershey up by 2 when he failed to connect on a wide open net courtesy of a pass from defenseman Timo Helbling.

Bridgeport responded with a power-play goal by Brandon Nolen after Matt Hendricks was sent to the box for hooking. That goal, Nolen's 3rd of the season, tied the game at one.

Tomas Fleichmann quickly responded for the Bears, putting Hershey back on top just 43 seconds later capitalizing on a rebound off a Joey Tenute shot that Dubielewicz was unable to secure. With 1:44 remaining in the first period Fleichmann would put in his second goal of the game and 15th of the season. Alexandre Giroux, who had the primary assist on the goal, would immediately get into an altercation with Bridgeport's Tomas Melac before he was able to celebrate the goal. Giroux would make quick work of Melac knocking him to the ice with a quick right. Matching fighting majors would follow, but Melac would get an extra roughing penalty on the play.

In what can be looked at as a turning point in the game, Maxime Daigneault was shaken up 1:50 into the second period after Drew Fata broke to the net and ran him over after failing to convert on his scoring opportunity. Daigneault would finish the period but would then be replaced by backup Daren Machesney at the beginning of the third.

Bridgeport would take advantage of this shift in momentum by cutting the lead to 3-2 when Robert Nilsson capitalized on a two man advantage by scoring his 9th goal of the season. The Sound Tigers then controlled much of the action for the rest of the game. And despite a sound relief effort by Machesney, they were able to tie the game at 3 with 6:23 remaining in the game on a goal by Eric Boguniecki, his 9th of the season as well. That score would hold up through overtime leading to a shootout to decide the outcome of the contest.

For those of you unfamiliar with the AHL rules in the shootout, they actually have 5 rounds as apposed to the NHL's 3 rounds. Goals by Bridgeport's Peter Ferraro and Steve Regier put the Sound Tigers ahead 2-0. Hershey was able to respond however and after goals by Tomas Fleichmann and Matt Hendricks the shootout was tied up at 2 after four shots. On the fifth attempt Allan Rourke put the game winner past Machesney while Dubielewicz stopped Joey Tenute's attempt to tie. Wade Dubielewicz was outstanding for the Sound Tigers, stopping 51 shots in regulation and overtime plus 3 of 5 in the shootout for the win.

It was a disappointing outcome for the Bears who were looking to make up some ground on division leading Norfolk who lost earlier in the day.

Your Top 3 Stars of the Game:
1. Wade Dubielewicz, Bridgeport 51 saves
2. Tomas Fleichmann, Hershey 2 goals
3. Eric Boguniecki, Bridgeport Game-tying goal

Note: Defenseman Jamie Hunt, who was recalled earlier in the day to Washington and did not play when Mike Green dressed, was returned to Hershey and played in tonight's game.