Bears Win High-Scoring Showdown Against Tigers

Boyd Kane leads the Hershey Bears to victory! Photos by Kyle Mace

If you were looking for goals, this was the game for you!

Two guys returned to the line-up tonight. The first was Braden Holtby, who held down the crease for the game. The second was Patrick McNeill, fresh off his call-up to Washington but returning without playing a game. He scored the first goal of the game just over one minute in. You think he wants to show the Caps what they’re missing?

Bridgeport briefly tied it up on the power play. Holtby tried to clear the puck up the middle but it was intercepted and he couldn’t recover in time. Thankfully, Steve Pinizzotto was there to give the Bears some breathing room. It was a strange goal. He was hit into the Bridgeport goalie but managed to backhand the puck in without even looking as he was falling. Money.

Soon it became 3-1 Bears as Joel Rechlicz (yes, Joel Rechlicz) scored his first goal of the season. Not only his first goal, but his first ever AHL goal and his first goal since his 2007-2008 IHL season (s/t to Tim Leone for that fact). Right after, Rechlicz dropped the gloves with Brett Gallant. It was a brilliant fight, both guys got in some huge punches and the fight lasted for at least a minute. That’s the kind of fight people will be talking about the next day. Before the end of the period, the Sound Tigers got one goal back.

Come second period, Pinizzotto got his second goal of the night on his own rebound. You give him that shot from between the face-off circles twice and he’s not going to miss twice. Mikko Koskinen was yanked in favor of Joel Martin, a smart move since Koskinen was looking shaky all night. The Sound Tigers responded with a goal (imagine that). But Boyd Kane scored a nice goal to cap off the period. Francois Bouchard had just gotten out of the penalty box when he took the puck right up to the goal. He had a shot but Martin stopped it and Kane got the second shot off.

In the third period, the Sound Tigers responded with another power play goal. But Kane was able to get his second goal of the game to make sure the Sound Tigers couldn’t come back and take over the game. Bears win 6-4.

It might have been a fun game for fans with all the offense, but it was not a good showing for the team. Holtby can be forgiven for knocking off some rust tonight but our defense really needs to step it up and help out our goalies. Maybe Dmitri Orlov will bring some help?

Tonight’s Notes:

• Shaking things up a little, the Bears returned Ryan Cruthers to the Reading Royals and picked up Andrew Carroll once again. Carroll played a good game and even had his first point as a Bear with an assist on Kane’s first goal.
• Sheldon Souray was out tonight because the Edmonton Oilers placed him on reentry waivers. If he is claimed, this could be the end of the Souray in Hershey era.
• Holtby’s start tonight is his first since January 29th (s/t to John Walton). He returned from a knee injury to stop 15 of 19 shots. It wasn’t his best showing, but it’s hard to expect him to be great after being out for so long.

Video Highlights:

Lines and Pairings:

Kane – Aucoin – Pinizzotto
Greentree – Willsie – de Kastrozza
Lacroix – Beagle – Bouchard
Kugryshev – Carroll – Rechlicz

McNeill – Collins
Kroll – Miskovic
Wellar – Godfrey

Actual three stars of the game:

1. Boyd Kane (HER)
2. Steve Pinizzotto (HER)
3. Joel Rechlicz (HER)

Sweetest Hockey On Earth’s three stars of the game:

Agreeing with the actual three stars
1. Kane: two goals (including the GWG), two assists
2. Pinizzotto: two goals, one assist
3. Rechlicz: first goal of the season, awesome fight

More photos from Kyle Macec

Pinizzotto shows that you have to do more than hit him to stop him from scorring.

Rechlicz tips a shot to score his first AHL career goal!

Rechlicz and Gallant drop the gloves

Getting one step closer to the Gordie Howe Hat Trick…

The face of victory.

Pinizzotto’s second shot is a “can’t miss”

Kane beats Joel Martin to win the game.