Keith Aucoin scores a short-handed goal against Bridgeport. All photos by Kyle Mace.
The Bears had a fantastic start to this weekend but the final game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers still loomed over them.
The Bears enjoyed their own Teddy Bear Toss last night and tonight it was Bridgeport’s turn. The stuffed animals were unleashed late in the first period when Trevor Frischmon’s wristshot got past Braden Holtby.
Bodies flew as the Bears beat the Crunch. Photo by Jim Commentucci / The Post-Standard.
The Bears have had a tough time against the Syracuse Crunch so far this season. They seemed determined that tonight would not see the same fate.
It’s a strange concept to have Graham Mink on the third line but it paid off. Mink was able to muscle the puck away from the Crunch and pass to Matt Pope, who snapped it past Iiro Tarkki. That beautiful goal was Pope’s first as a Hershey Bear.
Later in the period, the Crunch managed to tie it up on the power play. Braden Holtby was screened by Patrick Maroon and possibly his own teammate. Maroon tipped the shot. But the Bears wouldn’t let that get them down! Moments afterwards, Chris Bourque had a breakaway. He was stopped by Tarkki but the Bears maintained possession and Tomas Kundratek scored his first goal as a Bear!
Holtby gets the win tonight in Wilkes-Barre. Photo by Anthony Fabrikant/AFC Media.
The Bears broke their losing skid just in time to face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on the road. With a nice day off to feast, it was back to business for Hershey tonight.
Ryan Potulny, in just his second game back from injury, scored on the power play to give the Bears the first lead. Julien Brouillette started the play by crashing through the defense and getting a shot on goal. Potulny closed in on the rebound to pot his first goal of the season. This goal was followed by two fights and you knew it would be another crazy night.
Francois Bouchard. Photo by Kyle Mace.
Okay… so let’s get the big news out of the way. Francois Bouchard was traded for Tomas Kundratek. [SHoE, PennLive, Bears, DFZ, PA Puck, C&W, hockeyfights.com]
The Old Barn Hockey Show [OBHS]
Photo by AFCMedia Photography.
It was the battle of the in-state rivals’ third jerseys tonight. The Bears wore their white skating bear sweaters while the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins wore dark jerseys with more tan than their usual uniforms. But it was more than a story about fashion.
Just 33 seconds in, Patrick Wellar laid out a nice check at the blue line. It was a clean hit but, as often happens in hockey these days, he was immediately jumped. He and Ryan Schnell exchanged some rough stuff but the Bears ended up with a power play.
Unfortunately, the Penguins killed off the penalty and then took the first lead of the game. An innocent pass by Wilkes-Barre in front of Dany Sabourin became a goal when the puck bounced off of an unlucky Patrick McNeill. Before the end of the period, the Penguins scored again on a stuff attempt.
Tonight began the first three games in three days of the season for the Bears. Stage one: take on the Albany Devils on the road.
For the first time this season, the Bears gave up the first goal of the game. Steve Zalewski scored on a breakaway. Patrick Wellar tried to catch up to him but couldn’t make it in time. Braden Holtby tried his best to stand Zalewski up but the shot went high and into the net.
Thankfully, it didn’t take long for the Bears to counter with a goal of their own. Keith Aucoin took an Albany turnover and set up Matt Ford, who was all alone in front of the goal. Tie game.
If the Bears can continue to dominate on the man advantage, opponents should be afraid. It’s no secret that Chris Bourque has the magic touch for the power play. Tonight, he put a shot on goal during Hershey’s first power play. That shot took a funny bounce off of Cody Eakin and Jeff Frazee had no chance of stopping it. 2-1 after twenty minutes.
Christian Hanson, pictured here at training camp, scored his first goal as a Bear tonight. (Photo by Kyle Mace)
It has been three straight years the Bears have played on a banner raising (and dropping) night for the Calder Cup champions in the AHL, but this is the first in those three years that it has not been their own. With the return of Chris Bourque and Graham Mink, and the additions of Christian Hanson and Ryan Potulny, the Bears look to win a Cup this season, and they showed that them meant business as they beat the Senators, 3-2.
Photo via Hershey Bears Facebook Page
There is a fall chill in the Central PA air. It’s now October. The Bears have had training camp and the preseason games are over. Now comes the anticipation as we await the start of the regular season. For the team it starts tomorrow, but we won’t see them until October 15th. Currently, there is a large RV show that has taken over the parking lots of the Giant Center and Hersheypark. This happens every year and it yet another signal of hockey’s impending return.
The final cuts have been made, and the opening roster is set. But this is the AHL. The roster won’t be the same for long. When the Caps lose a player to injury, he is temporarily gone. Those positions are filled in from the Bears. As an AHL fan, we know that our guys are different. Instead of being temporarily gone, they are temporarily here. There are no long term contracts. We hope for the best for them and that their dreams of making it to the NHL come true. I kind of equate it to parenting. We want the best for our boys, but while they are under our roof we demand the best from them. This is Hershey. When you look up the rafters in Giant Center you will see the names of the greats and 11 Calder Cup banners. Division and Conference championship banners are not hung. The Reese’s advertising in section 211 says it all. “It’s all about the cup!”. This is Hershey and you will be held to a higher standard. With that in mind, let’s take a look at who we will be seeing in Hershey to start the season.
Chris Bourque photo by Andrew Harnik, The Washington Times
It may not be October yet, but hockey has started. The Caps opened their preseason last night with several Bears in the line up. Unfortunately, it was a 2-0 loss to the Preds which means there isn’t much in the way of highlights from Bears. Here is what I was able to dig up.
Head Coach Bruce Boudreau has some praise for Stanislav Galiev and Jay Beagle. [Caps video]
Beagle was a stand out. [Wash Times]
Sean Collins and others talk about the poor ice conditions. [Wash Times]
Former Bear and current Predator Tyler Sloan talks about the ice. [WaPo]
Collins talks about making the Caps roster. [Wash Examiner]
Patrick Wellar gets his first NHL game. [PennLive]
Photo by Chris Gordon of RMNB Washington Capitals Development Camp is the talk of the week. It runs through Saturday and if you have time you should go check it out. Two days of camp are done and day three…