Braden Holtby faced the Norfolk Admirals tonight. Photo by John Wright.
As we get closer to the end of the season, games against big teams like the Norfolk Admirals become even more important.
The Bears owned the first period. They out-shot the Admirals, stopped a Norfolk power play, and maintained the majority of puck possession. They did everything right except they couldn’t find the back of the net.
Braden Holtby looks back at one of Norfolk four goals from tonight’s game. (All photos by Kyle Mace)
Have you ever played the game Battleship? It felt like the Bears and Admirals were playing it tonight with both teams going back and forth all night long. But Norfolk was the winner of this game, hitting B1, 2, 3, and 4 and sinking S.S. Bears, 4-3.
Andrew Carroll waits in front of Dustin Tokarski for the puck. Photo by John Wright.
With one game left before the All-Star break, the Bears had one more chance to start their break by snapping their losing skid against the Norfolk Admirals.
Unlike last night, both teams scored power play goals to start the game off. Ryan Potulny scored the first goal of the game. The Admirals countered with a power play goal from Tyler Johnson a few minutes later. Tie game after one period.
Graham Mink collides with a Norfolk Admiral. Photo by John Wright.
It’s almost time for the All-Star break but first the Hershey Bears have to play back-to-back games against the Norfolk Admirals.
The Hershey Bears have picked up many rivals throughout the years. It’s not much of a secret that these teams always play a tough game against each other. The first period saw seven combined penalties and no score.
Bears fans celebrate Chris Bourque’s shorthanded goal (All photos by Kyle Mace)
Due to the holiday, tonight is the first ever “photo recap.” 11 photos from tonight’s game, recapping all of the events in the 3-2 SO win for Hershey. And like they say “A picture is worth 1,000 words” (so that means tonight’s post is 11,000 words.) From all of us here at Sweetest Hockey on Earth (and our big sister blog Russian Machine Never Breaks) we wish you a happy, healthy, and hockey filled 2012!
The front of the New Years Eve jerseys for this Saturday’s game (Photo by Kyle Mace)
The Hershey Bears have another special jersey night coming up and they are very…interesting. The New Years Eve jerseys this year include the words “Happy New Year” along with “2012” on the front showing the upcoming year. The Bear on the front also has a party hat on it’s head to give it that “I’m ready to party” look. The back has a clock with the time showing midnight. Both sides have balloons, streamers, and fireworks (what every New Years Eve party should have.)
The Bears battled the Admirals in Norfolk tonight. Photo by John Wright.
Another weekend, another road game to kick it off. Tonight was the fourth meeting between the Hershey Bears and the Norfolk Admirals. It was also Norfolk’s annual “Toy Toss.”
The Bears earned the first goal of the game. After killing off a penalty, the Bears got a turn with the man advantage and had a 3-on-1 play. Matt Ford tapped his own rebound past Dustin Tokarski to get the early lead.
Chris Bourque joins Keith Aucoin (center) and Graham Mink after Aucoin’s goal (All photos by Kyle Mace)
After losing to their arch rivals on Saturday, the Hershey Bears needed a bounce back win on Sunday. The Bears responded with a 6-3 victory over the Norfolk Admirals to move into a three way tie for first place in the AHL Eastern Division.
Michel Ouellet scores in overtime to defeat the Bears. Photo by Kyle Mace.
Despite the fact that the Bears had already played three games before tonight, there was a lot of energy and excitement in Giant Center. For once, the Bears were not raising a banner before their home opener but they did celebrate the 10th anniversary of Giant Center. The Bears were wearing commemorative jerseys tonight, honoring Giant Center and the three Calder Cups they’ve won since playing there. It was time to show off the new Bears slogan in front of the Hershey faithful.
The Bears celebrate an early lead.
To start the game, the Admirals did exactly what they didn’t want to do: they went to the penalty box. After having a great night against the Norfolk penalty kill unit last night, the Bears continue to score during the man advantage. Keith Aucoin had a sharp angle shot towards the crease and Graham Mink did what he does best. The puck deflected past Jaroslav Janus and Hershey took the early lead.
But, much like last night, the Admirals responded and tied the game up a few minutes later. They got Braden Holtby moving and Radko Gudas was able to score on the rebound. Then the Admirals gained their first lead of the weekend before the end of the first period when several players crashed the net. Christian Hanson fell on his own goaltender and Gudas scored again with the loose puck. With less than a minute left in the first period, the Bears made up for it by scoring on a Sean Collins shot from the point.
For the second night in a row, the game was tied 2-2 after one period.
The Hershey Bears have out-scored their opponents 13-9 in their first three games on the season. Two of those goals belong to Capitals' 2009 third-round pick, Cody Eakin, who is playing in his first-full season in the AHL. The 20-year-old…