Tuesday April 26, 2005 (Posted Tuesday 9:26 P.M. EST.)

 

Capital gains in Hershey

 

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

 

In one of the worst kept secrets in recent memory, the Hershey Bears formally announced a multi year agreement that will land the Washington Capitals affiliation in Hershey, beginning in the 2005/06 season. The announcement, which came to fruition following several weeks of speculation, was made official by Bears President/General Manager Doug Yingst and Capitals General Manager George McPhee in a press conference held Tuesday afternoon at the Hotel Hershey.

 

"We are thrilled to have the chance to partner with a NHL club like the Washington Capitals," said Yingst. "Hershey and Washington are a natural fit because of the young talent within the Capitals' organization and the geography of having our parent club just a short drive away."

 

McPhee, who was seen at several Bears home games this past season, quipped, "We are excited to announce our partnership with the historic Hershey Bears." "They are a great organization and a model franchise in the AHL. The Capitals look forward to a successful relationship that will benefit everyone involved."

 

Washington will be responsible for providing the players and coaching staff to Hershey, although a coaching staff won't be announced until a later date. That's according to Bears Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations, who also stated that negotiations between Hershey and Washington had been taking place since last month, when the Colorado Avalanche announced that they would not be renewing their affiliation with Hershey. Walton noted that although talks had been going on since that time, the deal itself came together rather quickly during the last few weeks.

 

The Avalanche also addressed their plans for next season, agreeing to a 1-year deal with the Lowell Lock Monsters on a split affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes. The opportunity presented itself after the Calgary Flames announced that they will send their players to Omaha, Nebraska, starting next season. Before the Colorado/Lowell agreement was announced Tuesday afternoon, Walton stated that it would be unlikely Hershey would receive any Avalanche prospects, even if Colorado could not secure a sole AHL affiliate for next season. If the Avs were unable to land a single affiliation for the upcoming 2005/06 campaign, speculation arose that they may resort to parceling out players among several different AHL clubs.

 

Another area that will be addressed at a later time is an ECHL affiliate. Over the last few seasons, Hershey has had official and unofficial agreements with the Reading Royals. The Capitals, however, still have an affiliation with the South Carolina Stingrays, also of the ECHL. Less than 140 miles separate the MCI Center (home of the Capitals) and Giant Center, with Reading's Sovereign Center located just 50 miles away from Hershey.

 

The Capitals are no strangers to Hershey, having farmed out their minor leaguers to Chocolatetown from the 1977/78 through 1983/84 seasons. During those first two seasons, Washington shared the affiliation with the Buffalo Sabres; and in the final season, had a split agreement with the Boston Bruins. Although Hershey's first and final years of the previous affiliation with Washington resulted in not reaching the postseason, the Bears did capture the Calder Cup Championship in the 1979/80 campaign.

 

Since then, Washington has sent prospects to the Binghamton Whalers (84/85 - 87/88), Baltimore Skipjacks (88/89 - 92/93), and Portland Pirates (93/94 - 04/05). Just as Hershey won a Calder Cup Championship during their first season as an Avalanche affiliate in 1996/97, Portland captured the Calder Cup during their inaugural campaign as a Caps affiliate in 1993/94.

"We are very much looking forward to a prosperous working relationship," noted Yingst. Many Bears fans will agree with the sentiments, especially the way the last two seasons have ended … with no playoff appearances.

 

 

Washington Capitals General Manager George McPhee speaks to members of the media Tuesday afternoon at the Hotel Hershey. McPhee was in town to announce a multi-year affiliation agreement between the Capitals and Hershey Bears.

 

 

Thursday April 21, 2005 (Posted Thursday 10:25 P.M. EST.)

 

Bears 2004/05 Final Report Card

 

Forwards

NAME	GP	G	A	PTS	PIMS	GRADE	NOTES
Mike Amodeo	2	0	0	0	10	I	Backup muscle for Bonvie hit by injury bug
Chris Bala	58	9	5	14	17	C-	Concussion finished speedy PK'er
Greg Barber	24	1	2	3	8	C-	Offense came around … in UHL
Dennis Bonvie	76	4	14	18	357	B+	Vet knew his role, showed up every game
Carl Corazzini	52	10	13	23	6	B	Injuries slowed an otherwise productive year
Nicolas Corbeil	3	1	0	1	2	I	Might have an invite to Bears training camp
Mathieu Darche	79	29	25	54	49	B+	Brought in to score goals, just missed 30
Martin Hlinka	52	5	22	27	28	B	Grinder was a valuable 2-way player
Sergei Klyazmin	7	0	0	0	0	I	Went from AHL to CHL to ECHL in 04/05
Evgeny Lazarev	11	0	1	1	11	C	Brought size to checking line in short stay
Cail MacLean	14	0	0	0	4	C	Hard worker victim of veteran limitations
Carl Mallette	7	0	2	2	2	I	ECHL's 2nd-leading scorer could return
David Masse	46	12	8	20	23	C-	Slowed down considerably from hot start
Cody McCormick	40	5	6	11	68	C	Beset by lengthy injuries this season
Graig Mischler	4	0	0	0	4	I	December lineup filler led Reading in points
Josh Olson	23	1	2	3	4	D	Joel Prpic clone, without the offense
Eric Perrin	80	24	49	73	46	A	Picked up from where he left off in 03/04
Andre Savage	53	7	23	30	36	C-	Offense lagged in San Antonio as well
Frantisek Skladany	15	0	0	0	2	C-	Demotion to UHL helped rookie
Mike Souza	53	14	8	22	36	B-	Turned it up in last few months
Ryan Steeves	75	6	5	11	24	C+	Impressive rookie 4th liner
Marek Svatos	72	18	28	46	69	C-	Model of Inconsistency
Jeff Ulmer	80	22	29	51	47	A-	Tremendous free agent pick-up

GP= Games Played - G= Goals - A=Assists - Pts= Points - PIMs= Penalty Minutes

 

Defensemen

NAME	GP	G	A	PTS	PIMS	GRADE	NOTES
Dean Arsene	56	1	5	6	140	B+	Best defensive d-man on Bears
Adam Borzecki	1	0	0	0	2	I	Looked good in lone game
Johnny Boychuk	80	3	12	15	69	B	Top Bears rookie played like veteran
Ed Campbell	1	0	0	0	0	I	Finished year captaining Bridgeport
Brett Clark	67	7	37	44	54	B	Captain set personal highs in assists & pts
J-F David	2	0	0	0	0	I	Lineup filler from UHL
Jeff Finger	75	4	12	16	125	C+	Played with more grit and toughness
Trevor Johnson	3	0	0	0	4	I	Lineup filler now with Binghamton
Nick Naumenko	40	8	12	20	18	C+	December pickup brought big shot to PP
Jamie Rivers	50	7	13	20	46	B-	Steady veteran presence on blueline
Agris Saviels	47	0	5	5	41	D+	Somewhat improved during second half
Darrel Scoville	7	0	0	0	11	I	Didn't fare much better with PBruins
Tomas Slovak	1	0	0	0	2	I	Went back to Slovakia after UHL demotion
Mikko Viitanen	22	0	1	1	6	C-	Noticeable improvement from last season
Martin Wilde	57	2	2	4	59	B-	Size and smarts…rarely caught out of place

GP= Games Played - G= Goals - A=Assists - Pts= Points - PIMs= Penalty Minutes

 

Goaltenders

NAME	GP	W	L	GAA	SV%	GRADE	NOTES
Peter Budaj	59	29	25	2.65	.919	B+	Go to guy on many nights
Tom Lawson	27	10	14	2.84	.914	C+	Victim of Budaj's breakout year

GP= Games Played - W= Wins - L= Losses - GAA= Goals Against Average - Sv%= Save Percentage

 

Bears Final 2004/05 Statistical Leaders

 

 

Sunday April 17, 2005 at Bridgeport (Posted Sunday 76:41 P.M. EST.)

 

Bears end season, affiliation with shootout loss

 

The Hershey Bears, playing out the string after their playoff hopes were dashed last weekend, dropped a 3-2 shootout heartbreaker to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers before 5,993 fans Sunday afternoon at the Arena at Harbor Yard. The Bears, who pocketed scores just 29 seconds apart in the 3rd period, saw their lead quickly evaporate as Bridgeport (37-38-4-1, 79 points) struck for two goals before Jason Guerriero's tally in the ninth round of the shootout won it for the home team. Game 80 also signaled the final Hershey contest featuring Colorado Avalanche prospects, as the Bears and 'Lanche agreed last month to end their 9 season affiliation effective the end of the current campaign. For the 5th place Bears (39-37-2-2, 82 points), who dropped their sixth straight and fifth consecutive on the road, they also missed an opportunity at just their 11th, 40-win season in team history.

 

Need to Know: After 2 1/2 + periods of scoreless hockey, Hershey would finally break through first, with captain Brett Clark netting a power-play goal on a right circle shot at 14:33 of the 3rd. Before the man advantage score, Hershey had converted just 1 of their last 21 attempts.

 

On the ensuing faceoff, the visiting Bears would stake a 2-0 lead courtesy of Jeff Ulmer's 22nd of the season, taking a Ryan Steeves feed and beating Sound Tigers goaltender Wade Dubielewicz at 15:02.

Not to be outdone, Bridgeport would quickly mount a comeback, with Joe Tallari taking a Cole Jarrett pass and beating Bears goalie Peter Budaj at 15:19.

 

With Dubielewicz pulled in favor of an extra attacker, Rob Collins would score the equalizer for Bridgeport, coming from the backdoor to beat Budaj with 39.3 seconds left in regulation.

 

After both teams were unable to cross the goal line during the five minute overtime, a shootout round ensued for the East Division rivals who had each lost only one game this season in the shootout.

 

In the shootout, Marek Svatos and Ulmer, the first two shooters for Hershey, would find the back of the net before Collins and Justin Mapletoft would even the score at 2-2 for Bridgeport. Svatos would strike again for Hershey in the 6th round, as would Collins for Bridgeport. After Clark, Ulmer, and Mathieu Darche missed on the ensuing chances, Guerriero would cinch victory for the 'Tigers in the 9th round, beating Budaj and concluding the season for both teams.

 

Misc. Game Notes: Budaj (29-26-1), making his 59th appearance in net for Hershey, suffered the hard-luck loss in net for Hershey, turning aside 38 of 40 shots before stopping 5 of 9 in the shootout. Budaj, who made his fifth attempt at 30 wins, finished the campaign with a 6-2 record in shootouts … Dubielewicz (18-23-0) earned the victory in goal for Bridgeport, ending with 34 stops in regulation and OT before making another 6 saves in the shootout … Bears C Eric Perrin left the game late in the 1st period, and did not return … D Johnny Boychuk, Perrin, and Ulmer each played their 80th game of the season, the first Bears trio to do so since the 1992/93 campaign, when Tim Tookey, Corey Foster, and Bill D. Armstrong saw action in all 80 contests … Hershey successfully killed a 5 minute high-sticking major assessed to D Agris Saviels early in the 2nd period … Head Coach Paul Fixter finished his tenure with a career mark of 72-70-8-6 with the Bears. He missed a total of four games this season while tending to personal matters, leaving his assistant Paul Fixter to man the ship … for his last game at the helm, Fixter started Clark and Jamie Rivers on defense, with Carl Corazzini, Ryan Steeves, and Mike Souza at forward … Dean Arsene, who has spent time providing color commentary for the on-air broadcasts while nursing an ankle injury, was behind the Bears bench providing moral support … Hershey finished 7-2 in shootouts this season … Bridgeport bench boss Greg Cronin coached his final game, as he announced this past Tuesday that he's accepted the head coaching position at Northeastern University … former Bear Graham Belak (97/98) was the only Sound Tigers skater to not register a shot on goal in the game … Hershey last lost 6 straight during the 01/02 season, the final year played at Hershey Park Arena … the Bears last ended the regular season on the road during their Calder Cup-winning season of 96/97, when they dropped a 2-1 overtime loss in Lexington to the Kentucky Thoroughblades on 4/12/97 … even with the loss, Hershey won the season series 4-2-1-1.

 

Season ending notes: Bears RW Dennis Bonvie finished with 357 penalty minutes, second only to Steve Martinson's single-season, franchise-high 422 PIMs in 1985/86 … Clark ended the season with a pro career high in assists (38) and points (45) … Corazzini finished with 6 PIMs, the fewest penalty minutes for a Bears skater playing at least 50 games since the 1981/82 season, when Errol Rausse played 59 games, also spending just 6 minutes in the penalty box … the last 3 Hershey goaltenders to post 30 wins (J.F. Labbe in 96/97, Wendell Young in 87/88, and Ron Hextall in 85/86) each lead their respective Bears team to the Calder Cup Finals … the 82 points were the most accumulated in one season for a Bears squad that did not qualify for the postseason … the Bears used 40 different players during the 04/05 campaign, down from last season (45) and 02/03 (46) … as an Avalanche affiliate since the 1996/97 season, Hershey compiled a 337-280-69-34 regular season record.

 

 

Saturday April 16, 2005 at Binghamton (Posted Saturday 10:34 P.M. EST.)

 

Senators claim East Division with thrashing of Bears

 

Hoping to assist their arch-rival Philadelphia Phantoms with a win, the Hershey Bears instead received a 5-2 beating courtesy of the Binghamton Senators before a sellout crowd of 4,710 Saturday evening at the Broome County Arena in Binghamton, NY. Denis Hamel guided the Senators offense, netting the hat trick---and 4 points overall---as Binghamton rolled to their seventh consecutive win at home. The Bears (39-37-2-1, 81 points) have now lost five straight, while the Senators (47-21-5-7, 106 points), who will face Norfolk in the first round of the playoffs, wrapped up their first-ever division title with their sixth consecutive victory. Even though Philadelphia (103 points) has one game remaining, they will not be able to catch Binghamton in the standings, and will face Wilkes-Barre in the first round of postseason action.

 

Need to Know: After a scoreless 1st period, Binghamton would assume the game's first lead 3:42 into the 2nd period, with Hamel netting his team-leading 37th goal of the season. Hamel's tally, which came one second after a Dennis Bonvie obstruction hooking penalty ended, resulted from a third chance on Bears goaltender Tom Lawson.

 

With Andy Hedlund serving a cross-checking minor for Binghamton, Josh Langfeld would stake the Senators with a 2-0 lead at 12:26 of the 2nd, taking an Antoine Vermette feed and beating Lawson on a backhand attempt to the top-shelf of the Hershey net.

 

Not to be outdone, Hamel would pocket his second score of the contest just over 2 ½ minutes later, giving the home club a 3-0 advantage at 15:10. Following a Nicolas Corbeil boarding call for Hershey, the ensuing Sens power-play featured a bevy of shots on Lawson before Hamel collected the game-winner. Jason Spezza, who was named the 2004/05 AHL MVP on Friday, earned an assist on the score, extending his scoring streak to a league season-high 20 games.

 

Wasting little time into the game's 3rd stanza, Andy Hedlund's blast to the top left corner of the Bears goal would provide the Sens with a 4-0 lead just 52 ticks into the period. Hamel, who already had 2 goals in the contest, earned an assist on the marker for his third point of the night.

After the Bears thought there was an impending icing call, Hamel would pick up the puck, waltzing in all alone to beat Lawson at 4:33, completing the hat trick for the veteran.

 

Hershey would earn a measure of respect at the 9:29 mark, with Ryan Steeves nixing the shutout possibility with his 6th of the season on a rebound attempt that beat Senators goalie Ray Emery.

The Bears would cap the evening's scoring, with Mike Souza firing a shot past the right post of Emery with 34 seconds remaining in the game, making it a 5-2 contest. It was Souza's 14th goal of the season, and first since 3/25, when he chalked up a hat trick in Hershey's 6-1 win in Rochester.

 

Misc. Game Notes: Lawson (10-14-0), making his 27th appearance of the season, took the loss in goal for Hershey, turning aside 35 of 40 shots. Emery (28-18-5) earned the East Division-clinching victory for Binghamton, finishing with 37 saves … Binghamton, who leads the AHL with 276 goals this season, also fronts a league-high 24 short-handed goals in 04/05 … Spezza's 117 points are the most since the 1995/96 campaign, when the Carolina Monarchs' Brad Smyth registered 126 points en route to AHL MVP honors … Hamel's 39 goals this season rank 3rd in the AHL … Senators enforcer Brian McGrattan, who eclipsed Bonvie's single season penalty minute mark last week, earned his first assist of the 04/05 campaign on Hamel's third goal. McGrattan, who now has 551 PIMs this season, entered the game with 7 points (all goals) … Hershey's Jeff Ulmer earned his pro career-high 50th point of the season on Souza's late-3rd period score … Souza finished with a game-high 10 shots, which tied Mathieu Darche for the most in one game for Hershey this season … Binghamton, who entered Saturday's game with an AHL-best 20.1 % on the power-play, finished 1-4 on the man advantage … the Sens improved to 33-0-2-3 this season when leading after the 1st period, including an 18-0-1-1 mark at home … Hershey is currently mired in a 1-19 slump on the power-play … Bears C Marek Svatos, who missed Friday's game in Philadelphia with a reaggravated back injury, returned to the lineup … with Svatos returning, LW David Masse was reassigned to the Reading Royals (ECHL), who hosted Game 2 of their playoff series with the Toledo Storm on Saturday … Hershey last dropped 5 straight from 3/26 - 4/3/04 … Hershey & Binghamton split the season series, with each team taking 3 games.

 

Coming Up: The Bears conclude the 2004/05 season with a 4 PM matinee in Bridgeport, CT, taking on the Sound Tigers at 4 PM. Hershey holds a 4-2-1-0 lead in the season series against Bridgeport.

 

 

Friday April 15, 2005 at Philadelphia (Posted Friday 10:22 P.M. EST.)

 

Bears drop fourth straight with loss to Phantoms

 

With nothing left to play for but pride, and possibly the role of spoilers, the Hershey Bears dropped their fifth consecutive game in a 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phantoms Friday night at the Wachovia Spectrum. Four different goal scorers led the way on offense for the Phantoms (47-24-3-4, 101 points), while goaltender Antero Niittymaki earned his team record 32nd victory, as Philly inched closer to wrapping up 1st place in the East Division. Hershey (39-36-2-1, 81 points), who has now lost four straight games and five of six, dropped their third consecutive contest on the road.

 

Need to Know: After a near-scoreless 1st period was winding down, Jon Sim would give the Phantoms a 1-0 lead, sneaking the puck over the goal line in the midst of a scrum in front of the Hershey net at 19:36.

 

With Jeff Ulmer serving a slashing penalty for Hershey, Ben Stafford would net the game-winner for Philadelphia, swatting a puck in mid-air that hit Bears goaltender Peter Budaj before settling in the goal at 9:15 of the 2nd.

 

Philadelphia would assume a 3-0 lead at the 16:29 mark of the 2nd, with Freddy Meyer connecting on a blast from high in the slot.

 

Hershey would finally make its way onto the scoresheet just 19 seconds later, when newcomer Nicolas Corbeil picked up a rebound on a Nick Naumenko blast and beat Niittymaki at 16:48 of the 2nd.

 

After Hershey D Agris Saviels was whistled for cross-checking at 6:25 of the 3rd, Mark Murphy would give the Phantoms a 4-1 lead, picking up an R.J. Umberger rebound and beating Budaj at 8:00.

 

Misc. Game Notes: Budaj (29-25-1), still seeking his 30th victory of the season, suffered the loss for Hershey, turning aside 36 of 40 shots faced. Niittymaki (32-21-4), who improved to 6-2-1 against Hershey this season, earned the win in net for Philadelphia, ending with 21 saves … Bears D Johnny Boychuk and Phantoms D Wade Skolney fought at the 20:00 mark of the 3rd period … Phantoms D Joni Pitkanen finished with a game-high 3 points (all assists) … Corbeil, signed to a PTO on Thursday, made his 04/05 AHL debut after spending the majority of the season with the ECHL's Mississippi Sea Wolve, where he registered 39 points in 53 games … with C Marek Svatos scratched from the Hershey lineup, LW David Masse was recalled from the Reading Royals (ECHL) for the second time in the last week … LW Josh Olson picked up just his third point in a Bears uniform---an assist---on Corbeil's 2nd period score … Jeff Carter, signed to an ATO on Thursday, made his AHL regular season debut for the Phantoms, finishing with a game-high 9 shots. The Philadelphia Flyers' 2003 1st round pick (11th overall) recently completed his junior season with the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds (OHL), where he led the club in scoring for the third straight season … Philadelphia improved to 15-0-0-0 at home this season when leading after the 1st period … it was only the second time in their last 25 games that Hershey allowed 40 or more shots… the Bears also lost four straight in regulation from 1/15 - 1/23 … Hershey, who finished 0-6 on the power-play, has only converted one of their last sixteen man advantage chances … with the win, the Phantoms secured their fifth 100+ point season in their nine year history … the announced crowd was 7,924, but visual estimates ranged closer to the 4-5,000 range … Bears Head Coach Paul Fixter started the game with an unusual forward line of Eric Perrin, Ryan Steeves, and Dennis Bonvie … Philadelphia won the season series 9-2-0-1.

 

Coming Up: Hershey next heads to Binghamton, NY, where they'll take the ice for a 7 PM match-up against the Senators. The Bears own a 3-2 record versus the Sens this season, including a 3-2 shootout win in their last meeting on March 18th.

 

 

Monday April 11, 2005 (Posted Monday 10:37 P.M. EST.)

 

Current Bears Statistical Leaders (through 4-11-05)

 

Sunday April 10, 2005 vs. Wilkes-Barre (Posted Sunday 11:55 P.M. EST.)

 

It's déjà vu all over again

 

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

 

Funny thing about irony. In 2004, the Hershey Bears had their playoff hopes dashed on the last home game of the regular season with a one goal loss to the Philadelphia Phantoms. Sunday night, the Bears had their postseason dreams snuffed out with a one goal loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in their final home contest of the regular season. In another strange and ironic twist, Hershey, who also led 2-1 after two periods on Friday night in Wilkes-Barre, allowed two 3rd period scores as the Penguins (37-26-7-7, 88 points) punched their playoff card with a 3-2 victory in front of 7,568 fans at the Giant Center. Hershey (39-35-2-1, 81 points), who has now dropped three straight, will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

 

Need to Know: For the second straight evening, Hershey would waste little time getting on the scoresheet first. The Bears, who needed only 18 seconds to net the game's first goal on Saturday, took only 15 seconds to pocket the first score on Sunday, with Eric Perrin earning credit for his 24th of the season. Perrin, who was awarded Team MVP (for the second straight season) in the annual Player Awards Night, threw a shot that hit off WBS defenseman Ryan Whitney and into the Penguins net.

 

Martin Hlinka, who has been a thorn in the side of WBS this season, almost staked Hershey to a 2-0 lead during a short-handed situation with just under two minutes remaining in the 1st period. After Whitney slipped to the ice near the Hershey blueline, Hlinka picked up the loose puck, driving to the Penguins net, where his low on the glove-side attempt would be stymied by goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

 

With Agris Saviels serving a cross-checking penalty for Hershey, the Penguins would erase their goose egg at the 5:25 mark of the 2nd, with Shane Endicott tallying a power-play goal on a shot from the left circle faceoff dot.

 

After Hlinka was whistled for cross-checking at 6:14, Mathieu Darche would give the Bears an unexpected 2-1 lead at 7:07 of the 2nd, picking up a loose puck in the WBS zone, zooming ahead of the Pens' Colby Armstrong and Ross Lupaschuk and beating Fleury five-hole for his team-leading 29th goal of the season.

 

Kris Beech, who bagged the game-winner in Friday's win in Wilkes-Barre, would notch the game-tying goal at 5:11 of the 3rd, skating in from the right corner of the Hershey end and tucking the puck past the short-side of Bears goaltender Peter Budaj.

 

On an odd-man rush into the Hershey zone, Erik Christiansen would register the game-winner for the Penguins at the 14:25 mark of the 3rd, sending a left point shot to the Bears net that beat Budaj high on the glove side.

 

With Budaj pulled in favor of a sixth attacker during the final minute of regulation, the Bears would be unable to get another shot past Fleury, leaving Hershey fans to utter the tried and true line, "Maybe next year."

 

Misc. Game Notes: Budaj (29-24-1), trying to hit the 30 win mark for the third night in a row, took the loss in goal for Hershey, ending with 32 saves on 35 shots. Fleury (25-18-4) earned his second win in three days versus Hershey, turning aside 28 of 30 shots … with 14 penalty minutes in the game, Bears RW Dennis Bonvie passed Garry Rissling and Archie Henderson to move into 2nd place on the Bears all-time, single season PIM list. Bonvie, who now has 347 PIMs this season, moved ahead of Rissling and Henderson, who each posted 337 during the 1978/79 campaign … both of Darche's short-handed goals this season have come at home against WBS … Bears C Marek Svatos saw his 6 game scoring streak come to an end … for the second straight night, Johnny Boychuk played at forward … it was the third consecutive game the Bears have lost after scoring the first goal, and their fourth straight defeat by one goal … former Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers Head Coach Rick Dudley attended the game … Hershey won the season series 6-4-0 … the Bears last missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons during the 83/84 & 84/85 campaigns.

 

Hershey Hardware: The following Bears took home awards during the annual Player Awards Night:

 

 

Wilkes-Barre's Michel Ouellet (top right), who has now gone 26 straight games without a goal, has this 1st period attempt stopped by Bears goalie Peter Budaj.

 

 

Wilkes-Barre's Colby Armstrong (#9) lays out Bears defenseman Jeff Finger with this 1st period hit in the Hershey corner.

 

 

Hershey's Martin Hlinka (#24) has this short-handed breakaway attempt stymied by Fleury with two minutes remaining in the 1st period.

 

 

Matt Murley's (right) wrap-around chance during early 2nd period action is stonewalled by Budaj.

 

 

Shane Endicott's power-play goal from the left circle faceoff dot ties the game at 1-1 with 14:35 left in the 2nd period.

 

 

Mathieu Darche's (center) short-handed breakaway attempt gets through the pads of Fleury, giving the Bears a 2-1 advantage at the 7:07 mark of the 2nd period.

 

 

Linesman Mike McDevitt (#13) watches as Wilkes-Barre's Drew Fata prepares to throw a right to Hershey's Mike Souza during their 2nd period fight.

 

 

Wilkes-Barre's Kris Beech (right) ties the game at 2-2, slipping this shot past the short side of Budaj with 14:49 left in the 3rd period.

 

 

Budaj looks to his left as Erik Christiansen's left point shot sails into the top of the Hershey net, giving the Penguins a 3-2 lead with 5:35 remaining in the 3rd period.

 

 

Saturday April 9, 2005 vs. Philadelphia (Posted Sunday 3:29 A.M. EST.)

 

Bears playoff hopes take another hit after 2-1 loss to Phantoms

 

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

 

Steve Miller once sang, "Time keeps on slipping..." After Saturday night's 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phantoms, the same can be said about the Hershey Bears, who missed a chance to close the gap with Wilkes-Barre to three points. The Penguins dropped a 5-2 decision in Binghamton, but can secure a spot in the postseason with a regulation win in Hershey on Sunday. For the Bears (39-34-2-1, 81 points), they dropped their fourth straight loss to Philadelphia (45-24-3-4, 97 points), and failed in their second attempt at 40 wins this season.

 

Need to Know: Hershey would waste little time getting on the scoreboard first, when Jamie Rivers' left point shot found its way past Phantoms goaltender Neil Little :18 into the 1st period. Rivers, stationed just inside the blueline, took a Marek Svatos pass from the left circle and fired his 7th goal past the former Bear.

 

With 90 seconds remaining in the opening frame, Bears netminder Peter Budaj would come up with the save of the game, stopping Philly's R.J. Umberger on a point-blank shot from in-between the circles. Moments before, Joni Pitkanen missed a golden opportunity at tying the contest for the Phantoms, failing to convert a left side shot on an open Hershey net.

 

After Hershey's Martin Hlinka was whistled for interference at 18:40 of the 1st, teammate Jeff Ulmer would pick up a Phantoms turnover, taking a short-handed breakaway to the Philly zone, where he was stonewalled with a pad save by Little.

 

Riley Cote would try to set the tone early in the 2nd period, dropping the gloves with Dennis Bonvie in the Hershey zone at the 1:47 mark. The result was mostly a wrestling exhibition, but Cote landed the best shot, an uppercut that caught the veteran enforcer.

 

30 seconds after the scrap, Mark Murphy would net the equalizer for the visitors in unlikely fashion, taking a Jon Sim pass and beating Budaj on a shot from the left circle at 2:27. Hershey's Ulmer, attempting to clear the puck from in-between the circles, broke his stick, resulting in the turnover to Sim, who fed the puck over to Murphy for the game-tying tally.

 

With Bonvie serving a double minor for roughing, Patrick Sharp would pocket the game-winner for Philly at 18:12 of the 2nd, taking a Dennis Seidenberg backhand pass and beating Budaj on an attempt from the right circle.

 

Tempers would come to a head as the 2nd period ended, as Jeff Finger and Murphy came to blows in the left corner of the Hershey zone. Finger earned the decisive win by peppering the Phantoms winger with numerous rights.

 

A valiant effort by the Bears in the 3rd period yielded zero goals, as Budaj was pulled during the game's final minute to no avail. With the exception of a Brett Clark shot from the point, Hershey was unable to set up any significant scoring chances on Little, resulting in their fourth straight loss to the Phantoms.

 

Misc. Game Notes: Budaj (29-23-1), in his second attempt at reaching 30 wins this season, suffered the loss in net for Hershey, turning aside 27 of 29 shots. Little (15-6-0) earned the victory for the Phantoms, shutting out his former team in the game's final 59:42 with 37 saves … It was also his 203rd career AHL win, moving ahead of former Bear J.F. Labbe for 9th place in the all-time ranks...while Mathieu Darche saw his ten game scoring streak come to an end, Svatos extended his point streak to six games … Hershey allowed a season low 2 shots on goal in a period, shutting down the Phantoms offense in the 3rd … Philadelphia has converted 10 of their last 36 power-play opportunities (27.7%) … D Agris Saviels was the only Bears skater to not register a shot on goal … RW Cody McCormick, who returned to the Hershey lineup on Friday after missing the seven previous games, was scratched … Bears LW David Masse, who had been assigned to the Reading Royals (ECHL) on March 14th, was recalled in time for Saturday's game … Hershey's last three losses have been decided by one goal … Philadelphia's 21 road victories this season are tied with Manchester for 1st in the Eastern Conference … the Phantoms lead the season series 8-2-0-1, with the final meeting taking place next Friday in Philadelphia.

 

Coming Up: Hershey concludes the home portion of the 04/05 schedule with a 5 PM Sunday meeting against Wilkes-Barre. The Bears dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker in Wilkes-Barre on Friday night, but look to improve to 7-3 versus the Penguins this season in the teams' final get-together of the 04/05 campaign.

 

 

Mathieu Darche (left) watches as Jamie Rivers' shot gets past Phantoms goalie Neil Little, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead just :18 into the 1st period.

 

 

Philadelphia's Josh Gratton (right) snaps his stick on this cross-check on Hershey's Mike Souza during 1st period action. No penalty was called by referee Bob Langdon.

 

 

Hershey's Jeff Ulmer (left) prepares to have this short-handed breakaway attempt stopped by Little late in the 1st period.

 

 

Dennis Bonvie (left) and Riley Cote grapple during their tussle 1:47 into the 2nd period. Each were assessed five minute fighting majors.

 

 

This shot by Mark Murphy eludes Bears goalie Peter Budaj, tying the game at 1-1 2:27 into the 2nd period. Ulmer (left), broke his stick attempting to clear the puck, resulting in a turnover to Jon Sim (bottom right).

 

 

Little makes one of his 37 saves during 2nd period action.

 

 

Philadelphia's Patrick Sharp (#9) pockets the game-winning goal on this power-play attempt with 1:48 remaining in the 2nd period.

 

 

Friday April 8, 2005 at Wilkes-Barre (Posted Saturday 2:24 A.M. EST.)

 

Pens exact revenge with late period heroics in 3-2 win over Bears

 

On Friday, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' website was touting "Playoff tickets now on sale." After dropping their last seven games, and facing a 2-1 deficit after two plus periods on Friday evening, this would have been downright laughable. Unfortunately for the Hershey Bears, who owned a lead for most of the game's first 56+ minutes, they allowed two goals 1:04 apart late in the 3rd period, giving the Penguins a key win to stretch their 4th place lead over Hershey to five points. Instead of tightening the gap with WBS to one point, Hershey (39-33-2-1, 81 points) lost their most important contest of the season to date, and must now hope for a combination of their own wins and a complete meltdown from the Pens. For Wilkes-Barre (36-25-7-7, 86 points), who broke a four game losing streak to Hershey, they exacted a measure of revenge after suffering a 3-2 loss of their own on a Marek Svatos goal with 1.8 seconds left in the 3rd period last Wednesday.

 

Need to Know: After Wilkes-Barre's Erik Christiansen was whistled for holding at 2:37, Mathieu Darche would pick up a Marek Svatos rebound and give the visitors a 1-0 lead, pushing the puck past Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury at 3:24 of the 1st period. Darche, who leads the Bears with 10 power-play goals this season, extended his point streak to 10 games.

 

Wilkes-Barre would even the score with a power-play tally of their own at 11:36 of the 1st, with Ramzi Abid pocketing his 25th of the season on a right circle snap shot that beat Bears goalie Peter Budaj to the top right corner of the net.

 

Hershey would take its second lead of the game at the 12:53 mark of the 2nd, when Darche would tip in a Brett Clark shot for his second goal of the game. Darche, stationed in front of the right post, redirected Clark's blast from the right point. Although the goal was scored with Wilkes-Barre down a man, it technically occurred two seconds after an Alain Nasreddine slashing penalty had expired.

Tomas Surovy would spoil the Hershey lead at the 16:34 mark of the 3rd, rushing down the middle of the ice---ahead of the Bears defense---and beating Budaj on a stick side attempt. Budaj, who had come up with his biggest save of the game moments beforehand on a Matt Murley wrister, couldn't stop the shot after Surovy cruised down the lane unmolested.

 

Just over a minute later (at 17:38), Kris Beech would net the game-winner for the home team, taking a Colby Armstrong right side feed and beating Budaj on a shot from in front of the net on the left side . Beech, who had been scoreless in his last nine games, finished with a goal and an assist.

 

Misc. Game Notes: Budaj (29-22-1) suffered the critical loss for Hershey, ending with 25 saves. Fleury (24-18-4), who improved to 2-5 versus Hershey this season, earned the victory in net for WBS, finishing with 16 saves … it was Darche's fourth, multi-goal game of the season … Hlinka now has 11 points in nine contests versus WBS this season … Clark, who finished with 2 assists in the loss, now has 5 points in the last two games … Penguins D David Koci left the game five minutes into the 1st period after taking a hit along the boards from Hershey RW Dennis Bonvie. He returned midway through the 2nd frame … WBS RW Michel Ouellet, who finished with an assist on Surovy's game-tying score, has now gone 24 consecutive games without a goal … Hershey finished with only 18 shots on goal, second only to a 15 shot effort on 2/11, also played in Wilkes-Barre … RW Cody McCormick returned to the Bears lineup after missing the last seven games with a shoulder injury, but saw only limited action … the victory snapped a five game winless skid at home for WBS … Hershey still leads the season series 6-3-0.

 

Coming Up: The Bears wrap up the home portion of the 2004/05 schedule with games against Philadelphia (Saturday at 7 PM) and Wilkes-Barre (Sunday at 5 PM) at the Giant Center. If Hershey can pull off victories against their East Division rivals, they'll achieve 25 home wins, a mark that has not been reached since they last won the Calder Cup in 1997.

 

 

Thursday April 7, 2005 (Posted Thursday 10:04 P.M. EST.)

 

Do or die weekend beckons for Hershey

 

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

 

Think things aren't going the Hershey Bears way of late? Considering that Wilkes-Barre has lost seven straight, including the two games they had in-hand over Hershey coming into this week, the Bears could possibly sit just one point behind WBS after Friday night. By the way, there was that game last week in Wilkes-Barre where the Bears won the game on a Marek Svatos goal with 1.8 seconds remaining in the 3rd period. And then there's the possibility of Hershey owning a three point lead over the Penguins come Sunday night. That's saying that Hershey sweeps all three games, and Wilkes-Barre loses their three contests in regulation.

 

And, while Wilkes-Barre has free fallen with a 1-8-1 mark in their last ten divisional games, Hershey has posted a 7-2-1 record in their last ten contests versus East opponents. The Penguins' once mighty offense has only produced 4 power-play scores in their last 52 opportunities, while team leading goal scorer Michel Ouellet has been held without a marker since February 12th, a span of 23 games.

Going into Friday's game at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Svatos carries a 4-game, multi-point streak, a stretch that contains 9 points. He and Martin Hlinka (10 points versus WBS this season) will be looked to for offense as Hershey attempts to take a 7-2-0 lead in the season series with the Pens.

 

Bears Notes: If the Bears can close out the home portion of this season's schedule with weekend wins against Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre, Hershey will have 25 victories on home ice, a mark that has not been reached since their last Calder Cup-winning season of 1996/97 … with 17 penalty minutes in Wednesday's game against WBS, Binghamton's Brian McGrattan tied Dennis Bonvie's single-season PIM mark of 522, originally set during the 96/97 season when Bonvie helped lead the Hamilton Bulldogs to the Calder Cup Finals versus Hershey … four former Bears joined Hershey's Eric Perrin as finalists for the 2005 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, presented annually to the AHL's Man of the Year. Perrin, who purchased and donated 5 season tickets for the Ronald McDonald House of Hershey, is the Bears' nominee, while these former Bears were nominated by their respective clubs: Bridgeport's Graham Belak (97/98), Edmonton's Rocky Thompson (01/02), Springfield's Shane Willis (93/04), and Utah's Sheldon Keefe (93/04) … among the players selected for the 2005 AHL All Rookie Team, five have impressed in showings against Hershey this season: Lowell G Cam Ward (shutout Bears 4-0 on December 12th), Norfolk LW Rene Bourque (6 points versus Hershey), Binghamton LW Brandon Bochenski (5 points), Bridgeport D Chris Campoli (8 points), and Rochester D Thomas Vanek (penalty shot goal on 3/25) … with RW Cody McCormick cleared to play for this coming weekend, Carl Mallette was reassigned to the ECHL's Toledo Storm. McCormick has missed the last six games with a shoulder injury, while Mallette, the ECHL's leading scorer at the time of his Hershey recall, collected 2 points in 7 contests with the Bears … barring an injury or healthy scratch, D Johnny Boychuk stands to be the third Bears rookie to play in every game since Hershey and the AHL went with an 80-game schedule in the 1976/77 season. Denis Lapensee and Wayne Prestage each accomplished the feat for Hershey during the 1982/83 campaign … if Boychuk, Perrin, and Jeff Ulmer see action in each of the last 6 games, they will be the first Bears threesome to do so since the 1992/93 campaign, when Tim Tookey, Corey Foster, and Bill Armstrong dressed for all 80 games.

 

Also: Wilkes-Barre leads the AHL with 6 players who have suited up for each game this season … on Thursday, the Portland Pirates announced a 5-year lease with the Cumberland County Civic Center, meaning an AHL team will be playing in 2005/06. Question is, will it be a Washington Capitals affiliate? No members of the Capitals organization attended the press conference, and when questions were posed about an affiliate, the trusty "No comment" came into play. Speculation is that new Portland affiliate will contain "uck," book-ended with the letters "D" and "S" … speaking of Portland, Chris Bourque, son of NHL Hall of Famer Raymond Bourque, signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Pirates on Thursday. Bourque, 19, announced this week that he was leaving Boston University after just one season, and would continue his career with the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats. The center was originally a 2nd round draft pick (33rd overall) by the Capitals in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft … the ECHL's Reading Royals have signed C Rob Hisey to a pro tryout contract. Hisey, 20, netted 86 points this season with the Barrie Colts and the Erie Otters (OHL), but is noted more for this incredible goal scored during a skills competition this season with Barrie: http://www2.bc.edu/~zwald/Hisey.wmv

 

 

Sunday April 3, 2005 (Posted Sunday 10:20 P.M. EST.)

 

Current Bears Statistical Leaders (through 4-3-05)

 

 

Saturday April 2, 2005 vs. Bridgeport (Posted Sunday 1:54 A.M. EST.)

 

Bears inch closer to 4th place after 4-3 OT win over Sound Tigers

 

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

 

The Hershey Bears keep finding ways to pull out key victories. Down by a goal midway through the 3rd period, Hershey eventually tied the score before Brett Clark's overtime marker secured the home team with two points to keep alive their playoff hopes in a 4-3 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. With the victory, Hershey (39-32-2-1, 81 points) moves within 3 points of Wilkes-Barre for the final playoff spot in the East Division. The Penguins earned a point in the standings, but dropped their fifth straight with a 4-3 OT loss on home ice to the Worcester IceCats.

 

Need to Know: After netting the first goal in eight straight contests, Hershey would surrender the opening score for the third straight game, with Tim Sestito picking up his 1st career AHL goal at the 2:55 mark of the 1st period. Sestito, playing in his first professional game after wrapping up his junior season with the Plymouth Whalers (OHL), would initially whiff on the Nathan Gillies rebound, but would connect on a backhand from the right circle that beat Bears goalie Peter Budaj stick side.

Defenseman Jeff Finger would pull the Bears even at the 14:12 mark of the 1st, firing a right point shot that found its way through a screen in front of the Sound Tigers goal, and into the top right corner of the net.

 

With Bridgeport's Barrett Heisten in the box for holding, Hershey would assume its first lead of the game, with Martin Hlinka redirecting a Jamie Rivers right point shot past Sound Tigers goaltender Dieter Kochan at 2:10 of the 2nd.

 

After Bears D Agris Saviels was whistled for high-sticking at 11:38, Chris Campoli would tie the contest at 2-2, coming in from the right side to tuck the puck into the top right corner of the Hershey net at 12:09 of the 2nd. The man advantage tally broke a 2-39 slump for the Sound Tigers.

Hershey had a golden opportunity to take another lead with 6 ½ minutes left in the 2nd, with Martin Hlinka and Marek Svatos leading a 2-on-1 odd-man rush into the Bridgeport zone. Hlinka, who controlled the puck coming into the opponents end, threw a centering pass to Svatos, who couldn't bury the vulcanized rubber past Kochan.

 

Moments after the failed rush, Hershey's Mathieu Darche was handed a 5-minute major for high-sticking Bridgeport's Jason Guerriero at 13:44. The Bears, however, managed to stave off the ensuing penalty kill.

 

On a 2-on-1 odd-man rush of their own, Bridgeport would capitalize on their attempt, with Vincent Macri taking a Rob Collins feed and beating Budaj on a shot from in-between the circles at 6:29 of the 3rd. It was Macri's 1st career AHL goal.

 

With Hershey enjoying a 2-man advantage on the power-play, Rivers would rip a right point attempt that appeared to be redirected by Mathieu Darche at 11:38. The goal, which occurred as Collins rejoined play after his penalty expired, was credited to Rivers, with assists from Clark and Eric Perrin.

2:59 into the extra session, the Bears would finish off the visitors, with Clark taking a left circle pass from Perrin and blistering the Sound Tigers net with a shot from in-between the circles.

 

Misc. Game Notes: Budaj (29-21-1), who got the nod in goal after playing the final period of Friday's loss in Philadelphia, earned the victory for Hershey with 22 saves. Kochan (18-18-0) suffered the loss for Bridgeport, turning aside 31 of 35 shots faced … with an assist on Rivers' power-play goal, Mathieu Darche extended his scoring streak to 9 games … Svatos has multiple points in 4 straight contests … Clark, who earned 1st star of the game honors, finished with 3 points in a game for the second time this season … with 2 assists, Perrin notched his 17th multi-point game of the 04/05 campaign … Hershey improved to 21-0-0 this season when registering at least 4 goals in a game … of Rivers' 6 goals this season, 5 have come via the power-play … it was Hershey's first multi-power-play goal game since 2/27, and only their third since 1/19 … Heisten left the game with just over 7 minutes remaining in the 3rd with an apparent knee injury … besides Budaj, Carl Corazzini and Martin Wilde were the only Bears to not register a shot on goal … Bears LW Evgeni Lazarev, who was a healthy scratch in Friday's game at Philadelphia, was released from his PTO … Miss Pennsylvania Victoria Bechtold performed a lengthy rendition of the Star Spangled Banner that lasted several minutes, drawing numerous cat calls from the home crowd … Hershey leads the season series with Bridgeport by a 4-2-1 mark.

 

Coming Up: Hershey is off until Friday, when they travel to the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre for a 7 PM faceoff against the Penguins. By that point, with matches against Philadelphia and Binghamton, Wilkes-Barre will have made up the two games they have in-hand over Hershey.

 

 

This Jeff Finger right point shot finds its way past (from left to right) Martin Hlinka, Chris Campoli, Mathieu Darche, and goaltender Dieter Kochan en route to a 1st period goal that tied the game 1-1.

 

 

Campoli watches as Hlinka redirects a Jamie Rivers left point shot past Kochan at the 2:10 mark of the 2nd period, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead.

 

 

Campoli skates in and pockets this power-play goal over Bears goalie Peter Budaj, evening the score at 2-2 with 7:51 left in the 2nd period.

 

 

Marek Svatos (right) is unable to convert this shot on a 2-on-1 rush with Martin Hlinka during the 2nd period.

 

 

Bears goaltender Peter Budaj is unable to get ahold of this Vincent Macri shot that would find the back of the net, giving the Sound Tigers a 3-2 lead at the 6:29 mark of the 3rd period.

 

 

Mathieu Darche, Cole Jarrett, and Dieter Kochan react as Jamie Rivers' right point shot is about to cross the goal line, tying the game at 3-3 with 8:22 remaining in the 3rd period.

 

 

Brett Clark (center) celebrates as his game-winner seals the Hershey victory at the 2:59 mark of the overtime period.

 

 

Friday April 1, 2005 at Philadelphia (Posted Friday 10:21 P.M. EST.)

 

Late 2nd period goals haunt Bears in 4-3 loss to Phantoms

 

Coming off the heels of likely their biggest win of the season, the Hershey Bears followed up the memorable victory with a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Phantoms before 8,425 fans Friday night at the Wachovia Spectrum. Tony Voce and Patrick Sharp led the way on offense for the Phantoms, each finishing with 3 points in Philly's fourth straight home win. Hershey (38-32-2-1, 79 points), who surrendered two goals in less than a minute late in the 2nd period, remains four points behind Wilkes-Barre for the fourth and final playoff spot in the East Division, as the Penguins dropped a 2-1 decision in Albany. With their victory, Philadelphia (42-22-3-4, 91 points) stays one point back of the Binghamton Senators, who overcame a 2-0 deficit to down the Worcester IceCats 3-2 in a shootout.

 

Need to Know: Just 1:38 into the opening frame, with traffic in front of the Hershey goal, Sharp would put the home team up 1-0, redirecting a Joni Pitkanen shot past the short side of Bears goaltender Tom Lawson.

 

Hershey's Eric Perrin would even the score at the 5:09 mark of the 1st, taking an Agris Saviels pass and collecting his 23rd of the season on a shot from the bottom of the right circle. It was Perrin's first goal in 20 games played against Philadelphia.

 

Philadelphia would once again assume the lead at 13:29 of the 1st, with Dennis Seidenberg registering his 11th of the season on a shot from high in the slot.

 

Only 41 ticks into the game's 2nd period, Hershey would tie the score at 2-2, with Mathieu Darche picking up a Martin Hlinka rebound and ringing up his team-leading 26th marker of the season. Marek Svatos, who has scored the game-winning goals in the last two contests, would set up the score, picking off a Ben Eager pass in the Hershey end and leading the rush up ice into the Philly zone.

With Martin Wilde serving a holding call for Hershey, Voce would provide the Phantoms with a 3-2 advantage, bagging his team-leading 9th power-play goal of the season at 17:55.

Just under a minute later (at 18:53), Philadelphia would take a two goal lead, with captain Boyd Kane finding the net on a left circle shot that beat Lawson on the top shelf. The goal stood as the eventual game-winner.

 

After Jeff Ulmer ignited some momentum for the Bears by dropping the gloves with Philly's Freddy Meyer at the 20:00 mark of the 2nd, and with Head Coach Paul Fixter replacing Lawson with Peter Budaj to begin the 3rd, déjà vu would strike again at the :41 mark of the 3rd period, with Hlinka pocketing his fourth of the season on a left circle attempt that squeaked past Phantoms goalie Antero Niittymaki on the right post. It was the second straight period that Hershey scored a goal at the :41 mark, but it would be the last puck to pass Niittymaki, who came up with several key saves to preserve the one-goal win for the Phantoms..

 

Misc. Game Notes: Lawson (10-13-0), making his third consecutive start in goal for Hershey, exited after the 2nd period, stopping 17 of 21 shots. Budaj, who entered the game in relief of Lawson, turned aside all 11 shots he faced. Niittymaki (29-19-4) earned the win in net for Philadelphia, finishing with 22 saves … Darche is riding an 8-game point streak (5 goals, 5 assists) … with an assist on Voce's power-play goal, Philadelphia's Jon Sim also extended his scoring streak to 8 games … Svatos, who registered his third straight multi-point game, has 7 points in the last three contests … Saviels, who finished with a game high +3, now has a Hershey career-high 3-game scoring streak … the Phantoms improved to 12-0-0-0 at home this season when leading after the 1st period … the Bears have lost their last four games played on April Fool's Day … Philadelphia leads the season series with a 7-2-0-1 record versus Hershey.

 

Coming Up: Hershey wraps-up the weekend with a 7 PM faceoff Saturday night against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the Giant Center. The Bears are 3-2-1-0 versus the Sound Tigers this season, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision in their last meeting back on March 12th.