Maxime Daigneault Among 8 RFA Non-Tendered

Of the players let go today goaltender Maxime Daigneault is the only one I question. The Capitals' second round pick from 2002, Daigneault won 23 games for the Hershey Bears last year in his first full season in the AHL. He is also only 23 years old and plays a position that usually takes the longest to develop.

Jiri Novotny was also a notable player not tendered a qualifying offer. He was acquired in the Danius Zubrus trade with Buffalo at the trading deadline this past season. In 18 games with the Capitals, the 23 year old Novotny registered six assists.



His departure should give center Dave Steckel an even bigger chance of securing a spot with the big club this fall. Steckel, 25, tallied 30 goals and 61 points for while leading the Hershey Bears back to the Calder Cup Finals for the second straight season. A 6'5" 220 pound center, Steckel is known for his excellent defensive ability to go along with his outstanding faceoff skills.

Players tendered contracts:
Steve Eminger, John Erskine, Tomas Fleischmann, Jamie Hunt, Milan Jurcina, Jakub Klepis, Brooks Laich, Dave Steckel and Brian Sutherby.

Players non-tendered:
Kris Beech, Trevor Byrne, Maxime Daigneault, Jonas Johansson, Jiri Novotny, Louis Robitaille, Matt Stefanishion and Joey Tenute.

Cassivi is Back With the Bears

Wednesday, March 14th 2007

With Olie Kolzig set to return when the Capitals travel to Boston on Thursday, Frederic Cassivi has been reassigned to Hershey. Kolzig has missed the past month due to a knee injury. Cassivi started one game and appeared in three other’s in relief of Brent Johnson and posted an 0-1-1 record with a 2.59 goals against average and an .897 save percentage.
(Photo Courtesy of Dave Sanford/Getty Images)

He returns to the Bears as they prepare to play three games in as many nights beginning with a road trip to Worcester Friday night. They are currently five points behind the division leading Norfolk Admirals and only one point ahead of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for second place in the East Division.

In his place Maxime Daigneault has seen the majority of the action and has flourished compiling a record of 18-6-0 with a 2.65 goals against average and a .912 save percentage.

It is unclear as of yet what the coaches plan to do as far as which goaltender will see the most action. Cassivi will probably take over the number one position again, but it would be nice to see Daigneault get his share of starts, especially in the playoffs in order to continue his development.

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.

Wilson Wins Game in Comeback Fashion

Kyle Wilson’s Game Winner With 2:31 Left Completes Hershey’s 3rd Period Rally

Hershey Bears 3, Albany River Rats 2
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of Just Sports Photography)

The Bears scored first but needed two third period goals in order to prevail in Albany tonight before 3,004 fans at the Times Union Center.

Despite the River Rats controlling the action early on, including recording 9 of the games first 10 shots on goal, Joey Tenute was able to tally the game’s first goal at the 13:07 mark of the opening period. His shot from the right circle beat goaltender Tyler Weiman five-hole, thanks to a nice screen in front by newcomer Scott Barney. The 6′4″ 225 pound winger made a habit of causing traffic in front of the River Rats net on several occasions tonight, giving the Bears something to look forward to down the stretch run to the playoffs.

Albany scored the next two goals in the second period to take the lead following a Ryan Bayda point blank shot on the power play and a Tim Conboy wrister from the point. The Rats would take that advantage into the final period where they were looking for their second straight win over the Bears after snapping their 19 game losing streak earlier this month in Hershey.

It was not to be this time as Kip Brennan notched his second goal of the season just 3:12 in. With the game tied heading into the final minutes, Matt Hendricks was able to draw a key holding penalty on Kyle Cumiskey giving the Bears a power play. Kyle Wilson would capitalize on the man advantage. He received a pass from the point off the stick of Alexandre Giroux and roofed it over Weiman into the top right corner from directly in front of the net. Wilson’s 14th of the season would end up being the game winner as Mike Green would add an empty netter from his own blue line with just 6 seconds remaining to give the Bears the 4-2 victory.

The win improved Hershey’s record to 36-13-5-5, giving them 82 points and moving them within 1 point of the 1st place Norfolk Admirals who were idle tonight. The Bears find themselves on a role winning 4 of their last 5 heading in clear day tomorrow, where playoff rosters need to be set by 3:00 PM. They could still make a few moves before then as Frederic Cassivi will most likely be sent down, at least on paper, in order to be eligible for Hershey’s Calder Cup run.

Game Notes:

Jamie Hunt, Donny Grover, Pete Vandermeer, and Chad Wiseman were scratched…. In John Walton’s pre-game report head coach Bruce Boudreau said that the team can expect to name a captain soon after Nycholat will officially not be back following his trade to Ottawa…. Nolan Schaefer will not be back with the team after he was traded by San Jose to Pittsburgh at the NHL trade deadline…. Maxime Daigneault had 30 saves to improve his record to 16-4-0 on the year.

Successful Weekend Pulls Bears Within 3 Points of Division Leader

Winless Weekend for Norfolk Tightens Race for the East Division Crown

Sunday: Hershey Bears 5, Binghamton 2 Boxscore
Saturday: Philadelphia Phantoms 3, Hershey Bears 2 Boxscore
Friday: Hershey Bears 3, Philadelphia Phantoms 0 Boxscore

(Photo Courtesy of Michael Fernandez/The Patriot-News)

A week after dropping both games at home to the Albany River Rats and the Hamilton Bulldogs, the Bears entered this weekend’s slate of games 7 points behind the first place Norfolk Admirals in the East Division. After splitting a home-and-home series with the Phantoms, Hershey finished up the weekend in a winning fashion, defeating the Binghamton Senators 5-2.

Yesterday, the Bears found themselves in a tough battle with the last place Senators. With the game tied at 2 in the third period, Kyle Wilson was able to tally what ended up being the game winning goal taking a nice feed from Jakub Klepis and beating goaltender Kelly Guard from the right circle. Hershey ended up firing 45 shots on Guard during the night and goals by Mike Green, his first in the AHL this season, and Quinton Lang, his 12th, in the final five minutes of the game would make the final score look a lot more one-sided than the game actually was.

Maxime Daigneault continued his superior play since the team lost both Frederic Cassivi and Nolan Schaefer to NHL recalls, making 23 saves in route to improving his record to 15-4-0 on the season. He saw action in all three of the Bears games making 31 saves in a shutout win at Philadelphia on Friday night and then stopping all 10 shots he faced in relief of Jeff Pietrasiak Saturday night.

Jakub Klepis was also a key factor this weekend notching a goal and two assists to go along with some solid physical play that is making people, such as his coach Bruce Boudreau, take notice. His coach had this to say following Sunday’s game: (From Pennlive.com)

“In Washington, they compete, compete, compete and they talk to Jakub a lot about that,” Boudreau said. “He’s come down here and he’s hit probably in the 15 games he’s played more than he hit last year. That’s a really positive step in his development.”

With the NHL trading deadline set for tomorrow afternoon, and the Capitals letting it be known that they will be active, Hershey could once again find themselves the beneficiary of some quality additions for their playoff run. Last year a Washington trade with Nashville for veteran Brendan Witt brought them Kris Beech who was a key member of the Bears Calder Cup championship team. This year the team will be looking to deal forwards Danius Zubrus and Richard Zednik along with a veteran defenseman or two that could include Jamie Heward. Zubrus in particular should bring some attractive young prospects that could potentially see some time with Hershey during the remainder of the season. It also remains to be seen if the Capitals make any moves with some of their depth players such as Beech or Lawrence Nycholat who would need to pass through waivers in order to be reassigned to the team.

It will definitely be something that all fans in Hershey will need to watch as any moves Washington makes will directly effect the Bears and their clear day roster.

Bears Triumph in Philly

Hershey Get 2 Goals From Unlikely Sources in Victory
Hershey Bears 3, Philadelphia Phantoms 0
Boxscore
(Photo Courtesy of www.hamiltonbulldogs.com)

After Tomas Fleichmann was recalled to the Washington Capitals this afternoon the Bears knew that others would be needed to step up and fill in for the scoring slack. Coming into tonight’s game there were just two Bears regulars who hadn’t cracked the goal scoring sheet this season. It could not have been scripted any better as they would both contribute in Hershey’s win over their intrastate rivals.

Phantoms’ defenseman Nolan Baumgartner, who was placed on re-entry waivers by the Flyers earlier in the day, turned the puck over in his own zone directly leading to Dean Arsene’s 1st goal of the season for the Bears.

That would be all of the scoring until the third period. Phantoms’ center Matt Davis took what turned out to be a key holding penalty while his team had a man advantage with 5:20 remaining. The Bears would capitalize on the power play and put the game out of reach for good. Timo Helbling who would make you believe, at least for a moment, that he was a sniper by rifling a shot into the top right corner of the net beating goaltender Scott Munroe for his 1st goal of the season as well.

Maxime Daigneault would make the lead stand up as he provided Hershey with his second straight quality start making several big stops on his way to his 3rd shutout of the season. The win improved his record on the season to 13-4-0 and put him into a tie with Frederic Cassivi for the team lead in wins. He also improved his record to 4-0 on the season against Philadelphia. Alexandre Giroux would add an empty netter for his 33rd goal of the season to make the final 3-0.
These two teams will not have to wait long to see each other again as they will meet in a rematch tomorrow night at in what is expected to be a sold out Giant Center.

My Top Three Stars:

1. Dean Arsene, Hershey GW Goal

2. Maxime Daigneault, Hershey 31 Saves in Shutout

3. Timo Helbling, Hershey 1 pp goal

Game Notes:

Jamie Hunt, Tyler Sloan, Pete Vandermeer, and Kip Brennon were the scratches…. Tonight was the 125th regular season meeting between these two teams dating back to 1996…. With Tomas Fleichmann recalled earlier, Chad Wiseman returned to the lineup despite not yet being 100%.

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.

Bears/Penguins AHL Preview

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (33-15-2-3, 71 points)

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Hershey Bears (32-12-5-5, 74 points)

Television: B2Networks

Radio: Bears Network (100.1 FM, 1490-AM, 960-AM)

Gametime: 7:00 PM ET

Divisional rivals square up tonight at the Giant Center as the Penguins and the Bears meet for the sixth time this season. Hershey looks to right their ship after losing consecutive home games in regulation to Albany and Hamilton last weekend for the first time this season. They should have a good chance to do just that against a Penguin team that has a 1-6-1 record over their last 8 road games.

The Bears have seen another shakeup in their goaltending situation as Nolan Schaefer has once again been called up to his parent club, the San Jose Sharks. To take his place on the roster Hershey has once again signed Jeff Pietrasiak to a PTO. He appeared in one game earlier in the season with the team, making 45 saves on the way to 7-4 win over the Norfolk Admirals. The moves leave the Bears number one goaltending position again resting on the shoulders of Maxime Daigneault, who struggled last weekend in his first action since returning from a high ankle sprain. He does however boast the highest winning percentage (12-4-0, .750) among all AHL goalies with at least 5 appearances.

A win could pull the Bears back to within 5 points of the division leading Admirals depending on their result on the road against the Springfield Falcons.

Machesney Returns to Stingrays

Charlotte Checkers (25-18-1-2, 53 points)

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South Carolina Stingrays (26-18-0-3, 55 points)

Television: B2Networks

Radio: ESPN 910-AM

Gametime: 7:05 PM ET

With the reassignment of Nolan Schaefer to Hershey and Maxime Daigneault fully recovered from his ankle injury, their was no more room on the roster for Daren Machesney. The Caps sent the first year pro back to South Carolina to resume his role of backing up Davis Parley, the ECHL’s leading goaltender in wins, saves, and minutes played. Because of the many injuries to goaltenders within the Washington system, Machesney has moved around a lot this season. In fact, earlier this month he was demoted from Hershey to South Carolina and then promoted to the Capitals in the same day. So far this season he has a 2-5-0 record with a goals against average of 3.24 and an .878 save percentage in seven games with the Stingrays.

(Photo Courtesy of Just Sports Photography)

The move precipitated a trade today between South Carolina and Charlotte as backup goaltender Jorge Alves was sent to the Checkers for financial considerations. There was simply no more room on the roster for the seldom used goalie as he appeared in only one game with the Stingrays this season in a relief role for Parley.

He won’t have far to travel though, as the Charlotte Checkers come to South Carolina tonight to take on the Stingrays. It will be the third game in their current six game home streak. The Florida Everblades will come to town tomorrow night for the first of two back-to-back evening games.

South Carolina also announced the signing of rookie defenseman Tim Judy and the release of defenseman Jeff Moor. Judy has appeared in four games for the Stingrays so far this year recording 1 assist and a -2 defensive rating. Moor played in five games for the Stingrays without recording a point. He returns to the Columbus Cottenmouths of the Southern Professional Hockey League, where he played in 25 games earlier this season recording 2 goals and 7 assists to go along with 135 penalty minutes.

The moves come as South Carolina looks to reload for their push to a playoff berth in the ECHL’s Eastern Conference. Their 55 points currently puts them in fifth place in the South Division just 9 points behind Division and Conference leaders Gwinnett and Texas.

Reinforcements Are on the Way to Hershey

Some much needed help is on the way to Hershey. Defenseman Mike Green of the Washington Capitals and goaltender Nolan Schaefer of the San Jose Sharks were both reassigned to the Bears today.
(Photo Courtesy of Dave Sanford/Getty Images)

The 21 year old Green was a key member of the Hershey's Calder Cup championship team last season and had spent the entire season so far with the Washington Capitals. He played in 54 games for the big club recording 2 goals and 8 assists while putting up a +1 defensive rating. Since he returned from a foot injury just before the All-Star break, his play has been inconsistent at best. He has also seen his ice time decline as of late, including a season low of 5:23 in a game against Ottawa on January 16th. The return to the AHL should help Green reestablish his game back to the level he played at during the Bears playoff run.

Schaefer returns to Hershey after spending a week in San Jose as he was recalled when Evgeni Nabakov suffered a slight groin injury. He previously played in 2 games with the Bears recording a 0-2-0 record with a 4.05 goals against average and an .863 save percentage. Schaefer will provide some much needed experience to the Bears as he will split time with Maxime Daigneault who is returning from an ankle injury. The move would also allow the team to return Daren Machesney back to the South Carolina Stingrays for more seasoning.

Minor Happenings

The Washington Capitals announced today that goaltender Daren Machesney has been reassigned to the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. Machesney, who posted a 3-3-1 record with a 3.18 goals against average and a .887 save percentage in 10 games with the Hershey Bears, rejoins the team he began the season with. Before his recall he was 2-5-0 with a 3.24 goals against average and an .878 save percentage with the Stingrays. He will most likely return to his position of backing up starting goaltender Davis Parley. Injuries to Hershey goaltenders Freddy Cassivi and Maxime Daigneault forced his emergency recall. With the Bears acquisition of goalie Nolan Schaefer from the Worcester Sharks, and the pending return of Cassivi from his broken collarbone, there was no more room for him on the roster.

South Carolina also announce that defenseman Donny Grover has been recalled by Hershey. Grover was one of only two Stingrays players to have played in all 42 games this season posting 8 goals and 15 assists while having a -6 defensive rating. Head Coach Jason Fitzsimmons had this to say: (from Stingrayshockey.com)

"It's a great opportunity for Donny," Fitzsimmons said. "He's under contract with Hershey, so hopefully he can go up there and make a good impression. With only five defensemen it comes at a bad time for us, but developing players is what this league is all about."

At the same time the Stingrays announced that they have signed defenseman Jeff Moor to take Grover's place on the roster. Moor participated in the team's training camp this season before signing with the Columbus Cottonmouths of the SPHL. While there he posted 2 goals and 7 assists to go along with 135 penalty minutes in 25 games. He should provide the team with a solid physical presence.

Both teams return to action tomorrow night with road games. Hershey will be at the Hartford Wolf Pack, gametime 7:00 PM ET. South Carolina will be at the Gwinnett Gladiators in Duluth, Georgia, gametime 7:20 PM ET. Both games can be seen live online for only $6.00 via b2networks.

Bears Finish Up Weekend With Victory

Hershey Dominates Division Rival Penguins for Complete 60 Minutes
Hershey Bears 4, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 1
Boxscore

Washington Capitals' mascot Slapshot was on hand to see the Hershey Bears completely dominate the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Peguins from the get go. The Peguins were playing their 4th game in 5 nights and it showed as the Bears jumped all over them from the moment the puck was dropped. Despite a Chad Wiseman hooking penalty just 46 seconds into the game, the Bears were able to grab possession of the puck. Dave Steckel took a pass from defenseman Dean Arsene at the red line and moved into the Penguins zone uncontested. He fired a wrist shot past goaltender Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers into the top right corner of the net for his 14th of the season to give the Bears a 1-0 lead just 1:01 into the game. The goal was the Bears' 17th short handed goal of the season.

Hershey would keep the pressure on the Penguins and scored their second goal of the game as their first power-play of the game expired. Jeff Schultz took a pass from Jakub Klepis at the point and fired a wrist shot just inside the blue line that deflected off Penguins' defenseman Tom Gilbert's left skate into the back of the net. It was Schultz's 2nd goal of the season in his first game back with Hershey after being reassigned by the Capitals for the All-Star break.

After their second goal, the Bears continued to control the action recording the first seven shots of the game and not allowing a Wilkes-Barre shot for the first six minutes of the game. They scored again after Chris Bourque controlled the puck in the Penguins corner and fired a shot towards the net with lots of traffic in front. Steckel was able to get a stick on the puck to deflect in his second goal and the game and 15th of the season. It was the Bears third goal in their first nine shots of the game.

It was a physical game, in front of 7,653 fans at the Giant Center, as a lot of scrums followed stoppages in play. Timo Helbling had the hit of the night, leveling Penguins' left winger Alexei Mikhnov on his back as he entered the Bears zone three minutes into the game. Heavyweights Deryk Engelland and Dennis Bonvie had a nice battle at the 11:35 mark of the first period. They exchanged some big blows before Bonvie connected on consecutive rights to knock Engelland to the ice.

The Penguins tried to get back in the game and got a short-handed goal at the 3:10 mark of the second period to cut the lead to 3-1. But they were unable to build any momentum off of that goal and the score remained the same until the 13:35 mark of the third period, when Chris Bourque deflected a Chad Wiseman shot from the point into the back of the net for his 11th goal of the season, giving the Bears the 4-1 win. The victory improved Hershey's record to 28-8-3-5, 64 points putting them three points ahead of the third place Penguins, and three points behind the first place Norfolk Admirals.

Your Top 3 Stars of the Game:
1. Dave Steckel, Hershey 2 goals, 1 assist
2. Jeff Schultz, Hershey 1 goal, 1 assist
3. Chris Bourque, Hershey 1 goal, 1 assist

Game Notes: Bears coach Bruce Boudreau announced today that Maxime Daigneault could be out a couple days or a couple weeks with what is being described as a lower body injury. To take his place on the roster Hershey recalled Davis Parley from the South Carolina Stingrays who was on hand to backup Daren Machesney today.... Jamie Hunt, Marc Busenburg, Joey Tenute, and Alexandre Giroux were scratched from the lineup.... The Bears continuously used Jakub Klepis at the point on the power play's first unit.... Hershey currently leads the league in penalty minutes as a team with 1180.

Hershey Downs Albany

Hershey Bears 6, Albany River Rats 3
Win is 5th straight this season and 18th straight overall over the Rats.
Boxscore

Quintin Laing led the way with 2 goals and 2 assists as the Hershey Bears improved their record to 27-8-3-4, 61 points. The win pulled them back into a tie for first place in the East Division with idle Norfolk. Dave Steckel also added 2 goals and Tomas Fleichmann had 2 assists as the Bears won in their first home game of the new year in front of 9,383 fans at the Giant Center. River Rats' goalie Justin Peters had a short day as he was pulled at the 16:24 mark of the first period after allowing three goals on five shots. His counterpart Maxime Daigneault stopped 21 of 24 shots for his 12th win of the season.