Saturday December 31, 2005 vs. Philadelphia (Posted Sunday 12:27 A.M. EST)

Bears vaporize Phantoms, 5-1

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

The Hershey Bears ended 2005 the same way they closed out 2004: defeating the Philadelphia Phantoms on New Year's Eve at Giant Center. And while the Bears/Phantoms rivalry isn't as strong as it was in, say, 1997, it certainly has intensified the last two times these Keystone State teams have locked horns. In a game played before 9,815 fans Saturday night, Hershey posted 5 goals -- and 5 fighting majors -- to down the defending Calder Cup Champions 5-1. Mark Wotton bagged two markers (including the game-winner), while former Phantom Colin Forbes burned his former club with a goal and an assist as Hershey (22-7-2-5, 51 points) improved to 3-0-1 against Philadelphia this season. Goaltender Frederic Cassivi (16-7-3) earned the win for the Bears, turning aside 21 of 22 shots faced. Stefan Ruzicka would tally the lone score for Philadelphia (14-18-0-3, 31 points), with goalie Rejean Beauchemin -- in relief of starter Martin Houle (6-7-1) -- getting a no decision with 18 saves in 53:25 worth of work. Hershey remains 5 points behind Wilkes-Barre in the East Division, while Philadelphia -- who captured the AHL's top hardware only 6 months ago -- sits in the division cellar.

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	TOTAL
Philadelphia	1	0	0	1
Hershey	2	2	1	5

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, HER, Forbes 12 (power play) (Green, Gordon), 5:57. 2, HER, Wotton 4 (game-winner) (Aulin), 6:35. 3, PHI, Ruzicka 7 (power play) (Kavanagh, Kelly), 17:08. Penalties: Kavanagh, PHI (slashing), 5:11; Ruzicka, PHI (elbowing), 7:06; Skolney, PHI (fighting major), 11:50; Green, HER (fighting major), 11:50; Cavanaugh, PHI (cross-checking), 12:21; Ellison, PHI (interference), 13:52; Klepis, HER (hooking), 15:57; Aulin, HER (interference), 17:22; Robitaille, HER (slashing), 20:00.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: 4, HER, Fehr 15 (Forbes, Gordon), 3:58. 5, HER, Tenute 11 (power play) (Fleischmann, Nycholat), 9:45. Penalties: Skolney, PHI (fighting major), 2:55; Gomez, HER (fighting major), 2:55; Gratton, PHI (fighting major, misconduct), 3:16; Engelland, HER (fighting major), 3:16; Cavanaugh, PHI (hooking), 7:43; Ellison, PHI (slashing), 8:15; Cote, PHI (fighting major), 10:40; Gomez, HER (fighting major), 10:40; Fehr, HER (holding), 11:53; Cavanaugh, PHI (delay of game), 15:55; PHI bench, served by Cote (too many men), 16:33; Gordon, HER (interference), 17:41.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 6, HER, Wotton 5 (power play) (Tenute, Kane), 17:04. Penalties: Ruzicka, PHI (interference), 2:39; Hope, PHI (roughing), 5:36; Johansson, HER (interference), 5:56; Klepis, HER (slashing), 6:37; Cote, PHI (slashing), 9:21; Johansson, HER (charging), 9:21; Robitaille, HER (roughing), 12:22; Gratton, PHI (elbowing, unsportsmanlike conduct, misconduct), 13:37; Grant, PHI (charging, fighting major), 17:40; Engelland, HER (fighting major), 17:40.

Game Factoids: Face-offs won (unofficial): Hershey: 30, Philadelphia: 31 … Hershey finished 3-13 on the power-play, while Philadelphia ended at 1-8 … the Bears outshot the Phantoms 29-22 … Wotton is now the 14th different player to register a game-winning goal for Hershey this season … the Bears improved to 15-0-0-3 in 05/06 when registering the contest's first goal … with a goal and an assist, C Joey Tenute recorded his 7th multi-point game of the season … RW Eric Fehr, who pocketed his team-leading -- and AHL rookie-leading -- 34th point on Saturday, has collected points in a front-running 21 contests for Hershey this season … C Jared Aulin and D Lawrence Nycholat returned to the Bears lineup after missing the last 2 games. Each earned an assist in the contest … Hershey has gone 10-31 on the power play in the last 2 games versus Philly (32.3%) … in their first two games with Hershey, D Deryk Engelland and LW Robin Gomez have combined for 7 fighting majors … The Phantoms, owners of the worst power play in the AHL (10.1%), have scored 78 goals this season, which ranks last in the Eastern Conference, and second-to-last in the league … Houle, who was pulled after surrendering Hershey's second goal at 6:35 of the 1st period, finished with 6 saves on 8 shots … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Wotton and Jakub Cutta on defense, with Fehr, Forbes, and Boyd Gordon at forward … scratched from Hershey were: D J.F. Fortin, LW Owen Fussey, RW Graham Mink, D Martin Wilde, and D Dwayne Zinger … Earlier in the day, the Washington Capitals recalled C Dave Steckel from Hershey. Steckel, who donned sweater #70, skated 8 shifts as the Caps defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in a shootout at the MCI Center. In an ironic twist, R.J. Umberger, who was a teammate of Steckel's at Ohio State, played for the Flyers … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Wotton, (2) Tenute, (3) Mike Green … referee Harry Dumas … For the second straight year, the Bears sported special New Year's game jerseys, which were auctioned following the game. The top 3 bids were: $2,100 (Louis Robitaille), $2,000 (Dean Arsene), and $2,000 (Graham Mink). A Boyd Kane game-used Bears jersey -- which featured an American Red Cross logo patch and worn at the beginning of the season -- was also auctioned off. The jersey -- originally sold online via the AHL's website -- was donated to the Hershey Youth Hockey Association, and fetched $1,300 on Saturday.

Saturday night's alright for fighting, part two: After combining for 146 penalty minutes in their last meeting on November 19th in Hershey, the Bears and Phantoms followed that up with 116 total minutes on Saturday. The first bout of the evening pitted Green against Philly's Wade Skolney, who was responding to a big-league hit Green had laid on Blake Bellefeuille moments beforehand. Skolney controlled the fight, landing the only punches as Green stayed in a defensive mode … At 2:55 of the 2nd period, Gomez sought out Skolney for going after the normally-passive Green in the 1st. Unfortunately, the bout was short-lived, with both players grappling and quickly falling to the Giant Center ice … 21 seconds later, Engelland and Phantoms enforcer Josh Gratton faced-off near the left circle in Hershey's zone. Both went toe-to-toe for a few moments before Gratton threw some additional -- and unanswered -- rights that found their mark, earning the decision … The 2nd period card was rounded out with Gomez trying his hand with Philadelphia's Riley Cote. Cote initiated by throwing a wild haymaker that missed, with both rapidly losing their balance and descending to the playing surface. Decision: draw … In the final match of night, Engelland took exception to a Triston Grant charge on Hershey's Louis Robitaille at 17:40 of the 3rd period, engaging the Phantoms rookie to "Go." Grant earned the win with several lefts to start, and a few rights at the end as Engelland tried to tie up his opponent.

Coming Up: Hershey kicks off 2006 with a 4-game road swing, beginning Friday night in Bridgeport against the Sound Tigers at 7:35 PM. The Bears are 4-0 versus the 'Tigers this season, including a 4-1 victory in their last visit -- an 11 AM start -- on December 7th.

From Joe and Ryan at 7641 Sports, Happy New Year!

Hershey's Colin Forbes (right) takes a loose puck in the Philadelphia crease and deposits this power play goal 5:57 into the 1st period.

Philadelphia's Wade Skolney (left) gets the jersey over Hershey's Mike Green during the first of five fights in Saturday's game. Moments before, Green flattened Blake Bellefeuille on a check at the Phantoms blueline.

Hershey's Deryk Engelland (left) trades haymakers with Philadelphia's Josh Gratton during their 2nd period fight. Gratton would finish the game with 29 penalty minutes.

Joey Tenute (#10) fires this power play strike past Phantoms goalie Rejean Beauchemin, giving the Bears a 4-1 lead midway through the 2nd period.

Robin Gomez (#27) does the dosado with Philly's Riley Cote at the 10:40 mark of the 2nd period. Both earned 5-minute majors for fighting.

Mark Wotton, who netted the game-winning goal in the 1st period, pockets this 3rd period power play marker, giving the Bears a 5-1 advantage. For his efforts, Wotton was named the contest's #1 star.

Friday December 30, 2005 at Norfolk (Posted Friday 11:07 P.M. EST)

Bears fall to Admirals in shootout, 2-1

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

joe@7641.com

For a team that excels in the 3rd period, the 2005/06 Hershey Bears' Achilles heel appears to be the overtime/shootout frames. After a scoreless contest through the first 41-plus minutes, the Bears finally broke through early in 3rd period, with Boyd Kane tipping in a shot to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Just over 2 ½ minutes later, though -- while on 2-man advantage -- the Norfolk Admirals netted the equalizer, with Jason Morgan coming up with his 2nd of the season. After neither team could hit paydirt the rest of the way -- including overtime -- the shootout period loomed, where the Admirals converted on two of three chances to bounce Hershey 2-1 before 4,751 fans Friday night at the Norfolk Scope. Goaltender Kirk Daubenspeck (6-2-2), making his 10th start in net, turned aside 41 shots in regulation and overtime as Hershey (21-7-2-5, 49 points) fell to 2-5 in shootouts this season. Rookie goalie Corey Crawford (7-8-1) was just as impressive at the other end for Norfolk (15-12-2-2, 34 points), finishing with 32 saves in 65 minutes, as well as another 4 stops in the shootout.

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	OT	SO	Total
Hershey	0	0	1	0	0	1
Norfolk	0	0	1	0	1	2

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: None. Penalties: Klepis, HER (roughing), :54; Morgan, NOR (roughing), :54; Cutta, HER (holding), 5:25; Engelland, HER (hooking), 9:05; Engelland, HER (fighting major), 14:49; Fraser, NOR (fighting major), 14:49; Corazzini, NOR (hooking), 15:13; Johansson, HER (hooking), 16:22; Yakubov, NOR (tripping), 18:43.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: None. Penalties: Munn, NOR (tripping), :21; Gomez, HER (hooking), 2:42; Steckel, HER (roughing), 10:56; St. Pierre, NOR (roughing), 10:56; Arsene, HER (double roughing minor, misconduct), 11:38; Engelland, HER (fighting major), 11:38; Kuiper, NOR (double roughing minor), 11:38; Lee, NOR (roughing, fighting major), 11:38; NOR bench, served by Keith (unsportsmanlike conduct), 11:38; Haviland, NOR (game misconduct), 11:38; Fortin, HER (unsportsmanlike conduct - diving), 14:34.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 1, HER, Kane 11 (Steckel), 1:55. 2, NOR, Morgan 2 (power play) (Yakubov, Bartovic), 4:31. Penalties: Steckel, HER (roughing), 2:57; Gomez, HER (instigator, fighting major, misconduct), 2:57; Lee, NOR (fighting major), 2:57; Munn, NOR (interference), 7:25; Wotton, HER (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:58; Keith, NOR (unsportsmanlike conduct), 10:58.

OVERTIME -- Scoring: None. Penalties: Fehr, HER (tripping), 2:24; Arsene, HER (roughing), 3:44; Cullen, NOR (roughing), 3:44.

SHOOTOUT

Shooter Name	Team	Result
Colin Forbes	HER	No Goal
Mark Cullen	NOR	No Goal
Jakub Klepis	HER	No Goal
Martin St. Pierre	NOR	Goal
Jonas Johansson	HER	No Goal
Milan Bartovic	NOR	Goal
Boyd Gordon	HER	No Goal

Game Factoids: Hershey finished 0-6 on the power-play, while Norfolk ended at 1-8 … the Bears were outshot by the Admirals 43-33 … it marked the second time this season that Hershey has failed to score in the shootout … when scoring the game's first goal this season, Hershey has yet to lose in regulation (14-0-0-3) … Hershey has failed to score a power play marker in 4 of the last 6 contests … Norfolk outshot the Bears 8-0 in overtime … D Deryk Engelland and LW Robin Gomez made their 05/06 regular season Hershey debuts, with each picking up fighting majors in the game … the Bears have netted just 1 goal in the last 125 minutes of play against Norfolk … Each team enjoyed 5-on-3 power plays for two full minutes in the game, with Morgan converting for Norfolk in the 3rd period. Hershey also had a brief, 22-second, two-man advantage early in the 2nd frame … the Bears registered 17 shots on goal in the 3rd period, eclipsing their 16 combined attempts in the 1st and 2nd … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Jakub Cutta and J.F. Fortin on defense, with Forbes, Gordon, and Klepis at forward … scratched from Hershey were: C Jared Aulin (throat), LW Owen Fussey (hand), RW Graham Mink (groin), D Lawrence Nycholat (wrist), D Martin Wilde (healthy), and D Dwayne Zinger (shoulder)… 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Crawford, (2) Daubenspeck, (3) Morgan … referee Jamie Koharski … earlier on Friday, two former Bears found new homes, with Radim Vrbata (01/02) getting dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations; and Chris Dingman (98/99) clearing waivers and joining the Springfield Falcons … another interesting transaction of note on Friday was the Capitals recalling G Maxime Daigneault from South Carolina (ECHL). No word on if Daigneault will join Washington, or get assigned to Hershey; with Frederic Cassivi going up in place of the injured Brent Johnson. On their website, the Stingrays stated that Daigneault would join the Capitals.

Coming Up: Hershey rounds out the 2005 portion of their schedule with a 5 PM New Years Eve faceoff against the Philadelphia Phantoms at Giant Center. It marks the second straight year the Phantoms have played in Chocolatetown on that date, with the Bears defeating Philly 4-3 on 12/31/04.

Wednesday December 28, 2005 vs. Albany (Posted Wednesday 11:24 P.M. EST)

Bears trap Rats, 4-2

Hershey makes it 11 straight wins over Albany

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

joe@7641.com

Would you say the Hershey Bears have the Albany River Rats number? Even after spotting the visitors a 1-0 lead just over a minute into the 1st period, the Bears clawed back with three consecutive scores in the opening frame -- before adding another in the 3rd -- to defeat the Rats 4-2 before a sellout crowd Wednesday night at Giant Center. Louis Robitaille notched a goal and an assist, while Mike Green and Owen Fussey picked up two helpers to help lead Hershey (21-7-2-4, 48 points) to their 11th straight victory over Albany, dating back to the end of the 2003/04 campaign. LW Colin Forbes, picked up earlier in the day by Washington via Carolina, potted a power play strike in the 1st for his first goal in a Bears jersey since the 95/96 season. Frederic Cassivi (15-7-3) picked up the Hershey win, ending with 17 saves as the Bears improved to 4-0 on Wednesday games in 05/06. 41-year old former NHL netminder -- and current River Rats Goaltending Coach -- Chris Terreri, seeing his first action since the 2000/01 season, allowed all four goals after playing the entire 1st and 3rd periods. Alexander Suglobov would supply the offense for Albany (10-22-0-2, 22 points), registering both goals for the Atlantic Division's cellar dwellers.

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	TOTAL
Albany	1	1	0	2
Hershey	3	0	1	4

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, ALB, Suglobov 12 (Khomutov), 1:02. 2, HER, Robitaille 5 (Green, Fussey), 9:25. 3, HER, Forbes 11 (power play) (Wotton, Green), 12:20. 4, HER, Gordon 9 (game-winner) (Fussey, Robitaille), 19:36. Penalties: Sgroi, ALB (roughing), :35; Green, HER (unsportsmanlike conduct), :35; DeMarchi, ALB (holding), 3:50; Miller, ALB (interference), 10:29; Vrana, ALB (holding), 14:58.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: 5, ALB, Suglobov 13 (Khomutov, Tallackson), 6:38. Penalties: DeMarchi, ALB (tripping), 7:22; Cutta, HER (hooking), 11:01; Wilde, HER (hooking), 17:27.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 6, HER, Johansson 2 (power play) (unassisted), 2:09. Penalties: Brooks, ALB (interference), 1:39; Fleischmann, HER (goaltender interference), 8:28; Wotton, HER (holding), 10:50; Voros, ALB (double roughing minor), 17:17; Clarkson, ALB (fighting major), 17:17; Cutta, HER (roughing), 17:17; Fussey, HER (fighting major), 17:17.

Game Factoids: Face-offs won (unofficial): Hershey: 40, Albany: 19 … Hershey finished 2-6 on the power-play, while Albany ended at 0-4 … the Bears outshot the River Rats 36-19 … Hershey allowed a season-low 2 shots on goal in the 1st period … Fussey and Albany's David Clarkson dropped the gloves at the 17:17 mark of the 3rd. After the whistle, Hershey's Jakub Cutta and Albany's Aaron Voros exchanged pleasantries before Clarkson grabbed ahold of Fussey's sweater, inviting the Bears winger to "Dance." Fussey got some good shots in at the beginning, before Clarkson landed a couple as Fussey lost his balance and fell to the ice … Play was halted for nearly 15 minutes during the early stages of the 2nd period after Albany's Mike Sgroi attempted -- and subsequently missed -- a check on Hershey's Boyd Gordon, shattering a pane of glass next to the visiting penalty box. Sgroi appeared woozy, and was escorted from the ice to the visiting locker room by River Rats trainer Chris Palmer. He returned to the Albany bench a few minutes later as the Hershey rink crew replaced the panel … Frank Doyle replaced Terreri in net to start the 2nd period, turning aside all 5 shots he faced in 20 minutes of action for Albany … C Joey Tenute saw his 3-game goal streak come to an end … Albany has registered an AHL-low 4 wins and 9 points on the road this season … the River Rats lead the AHL with 1,005 penalty minutes … like Hershey's Chris Bourque with Team USA, Albany C Nicklas Bergfors is currently playing for Sweden at the World Junior Championships in British Columbia … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Green and Wotton on defense, with Forbes, Tenute, and Eric Fehr at forward … LW Tomas Fleischmann returned to the lineup after missing the last 3 games with an illness … RW Jakub Klepis was also back in action for Hershey after missing Monday's game with back pain … Injury scratches from Hershey included: C Jared Aulin, RW Graham Mink, D Lawrence Nycholat, and D Dwayne Zinger. It was the first game Nycholat has missed this season … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Robitaille, (2) Green, (3) Suglobov … referee: Chris Ciamaga … the 10,576 attendance was a season-high.

Wednesday's roster shuffle: Forbes, who was an alternate captain and Lowell's second-leading scorer this season, was acquired from the Hurricanes in exchange for RW Stephen Peat. The 29-year old veteran of 302 NHL games with Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Ottawa, New York Rangers, and Washington, Forbes returns to the town he began his pro career with in the spring of 1996. Ironically, the #7 he now sports is the same number he wore with Hershey 10 seasons ago. Peat, who collected an assist in 5 games with Hershey, paid immediate dividends as well for Lowell, collecting the game-winning goal and an assist as the Lock Monsters defeated the Providence Bruins 4-2 … D Deryk Engelland and LW Robin Gomez completed Wednesday's Hershey transactions, getting summoned from the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays. Engelland and Gomez each spent lengthy times with the Bears in training camp before getting assigned to South Carolina in the days prior to opening night. Neither dressed for Hershey against Albany.

Coming Up: Before rounding out the calendar year of 2005 Saturday night at Giant Center, Hershey hits the road Friday evening against the Norfolk Admirals at 7:15 PM. The Bears are 2-1 versus the Ads this season, with Adam Munro shutting out the chocolate and white 1-0 in their last meeting on 11/26.

A diving Louis Robitaille (left) puts home Hershey's first goal at 9:25 of the 1st period.

Colin Forbes (right), in his first game with Hershey in 10 seasons, pockets this power play marker at 12:20 of the 1st period, giving the Bears a 2-1 advantage.

River Rats LW Jason Ryznar, as well as referee Chris Ciamaga skate past the broken pane of glass near the visiting penalty box. Albany's Mike Sgroi had attempted a check on Boyd Gordon, but missed, shattering the panel. Sgroi was assisted to the locker room while workers spent nearly 15 minutes replacing the sheet of glass.

Hershey's Owen Fussey (left) and Albany's David Clarkson exchange blows during their 3rd period fight.

Monday December 26, 2005 at Wilkes-Barre (Posted Monday 10:54 P.M EST)

Wheels fall off as Penguins embarrass Bears, 8-1

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

joe@7641.com

The day after Christmas, the Hershey Bears resembled a holiday turkey, getting stuffed by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 8-1 in their most-lopsided defeat of the 2005/06 campaign. 6 different players would light the lamp for Wilkes-Barre (25-3-2-1, 53 points) in a span of just over 10 minutes in the 1st period; while 9 separate Penguins would earn multiple points as the home team showed 8,306 Wachovia Arena spectators why they are the American Hockey League's top club. Dany Sabourin (12-1-1) earned the victory in net with 32 saves, as the Penguins stretched their lead to 7 points over Hershey in the East Division standings. Joey Tenute netted Hershey's only score, while goaltender Frederic Cassivi (14-7-3) -- pulled in the 1st period after allowing 4 goals on 8 shots, only to return at the start of the 2nd -- took the loss as the Bears (20-7-2-4, 46 points) fell to 1-4-0-1 against the Pens this season.

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	TOTAL
Hershey	1	0	0	1
Wilkes-Barre	7	0	1	8

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, WBS, Walsh 3 (power play) (Armstrong, Lefebvre), 9:43. 2, WBS, Koltsov 4 (game-winner) (Pirjeta, Filewich), 11:16. 3, WBS, Kelleher 2 (power play) (Scuderi, Mihaly), 12:57. 4, WBS, Filewich 8 (power play) (Dixon, Carcillo), 13:42. 5, WBS, Corupe 4 (Schneider), 14:15. 6, WBS, Talbot 3 (Lefebvre, Armstrong), 15:48. 7, WBS, Koltsov 5 (power play) (Dixon, Kelleher), 18:27. 8, HER, Tenute 10 (Green, Fehr), 18:40. Penalties: Nycholat (tripping), 1:37; Carcillo, WBS (hooking), 4:48; Lefebvre, WBS (hooking), 5:31; Armstrong, WBS (cross-checking), 6:34; Dixon, WBS (slashing), 7:20; Fehr, HER (slashing), 8:56; Nycholat, HER (roughing), 11:36; Wotton, HER (hooking), 12:06; Arsene, HER (unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:06; Armstrong, WBS (unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:06; Daubenspeck, HER (roughing), 17:11; Fehr, HER (roughing), 18:50.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: None. Penalties: Welch, WBS (holding), :21; Cutta, HER (interference), 2:32; Kane, HER (delay of game), 3:55; Corupe, WBS (hooking), 6:08; Aulin, HER (tripping), 6:47; Nasreddine, WBS (cross-checking), 10:50; Green, HER (hooking), 12:39; Kane, HER (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:48; Bonvie, WBS (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:48; Armstrong, WBS (hooking), 18:43.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 9, WBS, Schneider 1 (power play) (Scuderi, Carcillo), 19:00. Penalties: Wotton, HER (hooking), 10:13; Nycholat, HER (cross-checking), 11:09; Talbot, WBS (hooking), 14:47; Koltsov, WBS (holding the stick), 16:39; Robitaille, HER (goaltender interference, roughing), 17:07; Nasreddine, WBS (roughing), 17:07; Gordon, HER (high-sticking major), 18:34.

Game Factoids: Hershey finished 0-10 on the power-play, while Wilkes-Barre ended at 5-14 … the Bears outshot the Penguins 33-26 … the 8 goals surrendered were a season high, as were the 5 man advantage markers allowed … Cassivi ended the contest with 17 saves on 22 shots … Bears G Kirk Daubenspeck, playing in relief of Cassivi for the second time in the last 5 days, finished with just 1 save on 4 shots in 6:18 worth of 1st period action … in 32 prior games this season, Hershey had not allowed more than 3 goals in any period ... Tenute has registered goals in 3 consecutive games … Hershey has allowed the game's first goal in all 6 contests against Wilkes-Barre this season … the team record for goals allowed in one period is 9, set during the 1st period of a 12-5 loss to the Baltimore Skipjacks on 10/26/90 … RW Eric Fehr finished with an assist, adding to his AHL rookie-high 33 points this season … the 7 consecutive goals allowed in one period tied a franchise high, originally set in the 2nd period of an 8-1 loss to the New Haven Nighthawks on 1/10/92 … Wilkes-Barre has allowed an AHL-low 55 goals in 05/06 … Bears C Boyd Gordon earned a 5-minute major penalty late in the 3rd for a high-stick that drew blood on Wilkes-Barre's Ryan Lannon … the 8 goals were the most allowed by Hershey since 2/4/05, when they gave up 8 to -- you guessed it -- Wilkes-Barre in a 8-2 loss at the Wachovia Arena … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Dean Arsene and Mark Wotton on defense, with Fehr, Boyd Kane, and Tenute at forward … C Jared Aulin returned to the lineup after taking a cross-check to the throat in the 3rd period of Friday's 4-3 overtime win in Chicago … RW Jonas Johansson was recalled to Hershey from South Carolina (ECHL), where he compiled 8 points in 5 games … scratched from Hershey were: LW Tomas Fleischmann (illness), RW Stephen Peat (upper body), and D Dwayne Zinger (shoulder) … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Konstantin Koltsov, (2) Sabourin, (3) Guillaume Lefebvre … referee Jamie Koharski … the Bears last played a Monday regular season game on 2/19/01, when Hershey dropped a 5-2 decision at the Cumberland County Civic Center against the Portland Pirates.

Coming Up: Hershey looks to redeem themselves Wednesday night, as the Albany River Rats visit Giant Center for a 7 PM match-up. In their only prior meeting this season on November 11th, the Bears defeated the 'Rats 6-4 at Albany's Pepsi Arena. Dating back to the end of the 2003/04 campaign, Hershey has won 10 straight games over Albany.

Sunday December 25, 2005 (Posted Sunday 1:33 A.M EST)

Current Bears Statistical Leaders (through 12-25-05)

Mink's 16 goals currently rank tied for 8th in the AHL … Nycholat's 24 points are good enough to tie for 3rd among AHL defensemen, while his 18 assists are tied for 6th among blueliners … Fehr's 32 points rank 1st among AHL rookies, and place 10th in the league, overall. His 8 power play goals rank tied for 10th-best in the circuit … Fleischmann's 2 short-handed scores are tied for 4th in the league … Cassivi's 2.25 G.A.A. places 6th in the AHL, while his .918 save percentage ranks tied for 8th. His 14 victories are tied for 2nd in the circuit.

Friday December 23, 2005 at Chicago (Posted Saturday 12:38 A.M EST)

Bears rally for 4-3 OT win in Chicago

Hershey reels off 3 straight goals to down Wolves

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

joe@7641.com

For the moment, Bruce Boudreau has bragging rights over his former teammate and close friend, John Anderson. In their first head-to-head meeting as head coaches, Boudreau's Hershey Bears -- behind 3-1 going into the 3rd period -- rallied for 3 unanswered goals to best Anderson's Chicago Wolves 4-3 in overtime Friday night at the Allstate Arena. Joey Tenute led the way on offense with a goal and 2 assists, while Boyd Kane and Lawrence Nycholat (game-winning goal) each tallied a marker and an assist for the victorious Bears (20-6-2-4, 46 points). Goaltender Frederic Cassivi (14-6-3) -- chased during the 1st period after allowing 3 goals on 9 shots in Thursday's 6-4 loss to Grand Rapids -- turned aside 27 of 30 shots faced for the Hershey win. Kip Miller, Colin Stuart, and Ramzi Abid potted goals for Chicago (10-12-2-4, 26 points), with Tuomas Tarkki (5-3-2) suffering the loss with 36 saves.

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	OT	Total
Hershey	1	0	2	1	4
Chicago	1	2	0	0	3

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, CHI, Miller 4 (power play) (Doell, Coburn), 11:54. 2, HER, Gordon 8 (Wotton, Tenute), 13:57. Penalties: Morrison, CHI (hooking), 3:20; Sipotz, CHI (hooking), 6:29; Kane, HER (hooking), 10:25; Mink, HER (double roughing minor), 13:57; Abid, CHI (roughing), 13:57; Tibbetts, CHI (holding the stick), 15:27; Maloney, CHI (high-sticking), 16:13.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: 3, CHI, Stuart 3 (Baby, Roche), 14:01. 4, CHI, Abid 14 (Dwyer, Popovic), 19:19. Penalties: Fehr, HER (roughing), :29; Baby, CHI (roughing), :29; Miller, CHI (hooking), 1:01.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 5, HER, Tenute 9 (Fehr, Kane), 6:14. 6, HER, Kane 10 (power play) (Fortin, Nycholat), 16:18. Penalties: Lessard, CHI (slashing), 11:10; Abid, CHI (hooking), 13:19; Stuart, CHI (hooking), 14:36; Popovic, CHI (cross-checking), 14:44; Green, HER (interference), 15:22.

OVERTIME -- Scoring: 7, HER, Nycholat 6 (game-winner) (power play) (Tenute, Mink), 4:32. Penalties: Miller, CHI (holding the stick), 3:19.

Game Factoids: Hershey finished 2-10 on the power-play, while Chicago ended at 1-4 … the Bears outshot the Wolves 40-30 … Kane has collected 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) in the last 6 contests … Tenute, who has recorded goals in back-to-back contests on four sets of occasions this season, netted his second, 3-point game of 05/06 … The scariest moment of the game occurred with 6:54 left in the 3rd period when Bears C Jared Aulin collapsed at the Hershey bench. A stretcher was brought out, but Aulin left under his own power. He did not return … Hershey has not gone more than two games this season without scoring a power play goal … Boudreau started Jakub Cutta and J.F. Fortin on defense, with Aulin, Eric Fehr, and Kane at forward … scratched from Hershey were: LW Tomas Fleischmann, RW Stephen Peat, and D Dwayne Zinger … former Bears D Nick Naumenko was a healthy scratch for Chicago … Chicago makes it lone visit to Chocolatetown on February 19th … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Tenute, (2) Stuart, (3) Stephen Baby … referee: Bob Langdon … attendance: 6,036.

6 Degrees of Separation: Cassivi spent all or parts of 3 seasons in Chicago, winning the Calder Cup with the Wolves in 2002 … Chicago defenseman Tim Wedderburn played with Hershey in 02/03 … Wolves Assistant Coach Wendell Young led the Bears to the Calder Cup Championship in 1988, capturing postseason MVP honors along the way … Boudreau and Anderson played together in juniors with the Toronto Marlboros (WHA), in the minors with the Dallas Black Hawks (CHL) and Fort Wayne Komets (IHL), and in the NHL with the Maple Leafs … Abid played on a 02/03 Springfield Falcons club that was led by Kane … Wolves RW Scott Barney played two seasons for Boudreau with the Manchester Monarchs … Chicago D Mark Popovic was a teammate of Cassivi last season in Cincinnati … Wolves D Travis Roche and Nycholat were blueline partners for 2 seasons with the Houston Aeros … during his time with the Hartford Wolf Pack, Chicago D Tomas Kloucek played alongside the likes of Nycholat, Kane, and Dean Arsene … Wolves G Jani Hurme played alongside both Kirk Daubenspeck (97/98 Indianapolis Ice) and Cassivi (98/99 Cincinnati Cyclones) in the IHL.

Coming Up: The Bears get a 2-day reprieve for Christmas before hitting the ice Monday night in Wilkes-Barre, battling the Penguins at 7 PM. Hershey is 1-3-0-1 against Wilkes-Barre this season, including a 3-0 shutout loss to the Pens last Sunday in Chocolatetown.

Thursday December 22, 2005 at Grand Rapids (Posted Thursday 10:08 P.M EST)

Bears take second straight on the chin, 6-4

Hershey falls to 0-5 all-time against Grand Rapids

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

joe@7641.com

Donald. MacLean. Those two words best describe the Hershey Bears' 6-4 loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins Thursday night at the Van Andel Arena. The veteran center supplied 3 power goals and 2 assists to lead the Griffins to their fifth straight victory over Hershey since Grand Rapids entered the American Hockey League in the 2001/02 season. The Bears (19-6-2-4, 44 points), who saw their season-high 10-game road point streak come to an end, dropped their second consecutive game in regulation for the first time in 05/06. In addition to MacLean, 11 of other players would find their names on the scoresheet for Grand Rapids (21-10-0-2, 44 points), with goalie Jimmy Howard (9-3-0) earning the win by stopping 33 of 37 shots. Joey Tenute, Eric Fehr, Boyd Kane, and Mike Green potted even strength goals for Hershey, while goaltender Kirk Daubenspeck (6-2-1) -- in relief of starter Frederic Cassivi -- took the loss after surrendering three goals on 24 shots.

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	TOTAL
Hershey	1	1	2	4
Grand Rapids	3	1	2	6

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, GR, MacLean 14 (DiCasmirro, Ellis), 3:39. 2, GR, Manlow 12 (power play) (McDonell, Quincey), 11:24. 3, HER, Tenute 8 (Gordon, Mink), 14:28. 4, GR, MacLean 15 (power play) (Manlow, Hudler), 17:29. Penalties: Tenute, HER (goaltender interference), 11:06; Martens, GR (interference), 12:25; Kane, HER (roughing), 12:47; Wilson, GR (roughing), 12:47; Fortin, HER (holding), 16:18.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: 5, GR, Wilson 4 (power play) (Filppula, MacLean), 5:40. 6, HER, Fehr 14 (Aulin, Steckel), 6:28. Penalties: Kane, HER (elbowing), 3:16; Green, HER (cross-checking), 3:42; Robitaille, HER (unsportsmanlike conduct), 6:09; DiCasmirro, GR (unsportsmanlike conduct), 6:09; Nelson, GR (hooking), 10:42; Robitaille, HER (roughing), 14:19; McDonell, GR (roughing), 14:19; Meech, GR(holding), 16:12

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 7, HER, Kane 9 (Fehr, Aulin), 2:23. 8, GR, Nelson 1 (game-winner) (MacLean, Oulahen), 2:50. 9, HER, Green (Kane, Fehr), 14:15. 10, GR, MacLean 16 (power play) (Quincey, Martens), 17:52. Penalties: Wilson, GR (holding), :15; Wilde, HER (hooking), 3:31; McDonell, GR (interference), 3:47; Helmer, GR (holding the stick), 4:57; Manlow, GR (boarding), 15:10; Tenute, HER (hooking), 17:43; Robitaille, HER (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:43.

Game Factoids: Hershey finished 0-8 on the power-play, while Grand Rapids ended at 4-7 … the Bears outshot the Griffins 37-33 … Fehr, who finished with a game-high 9 shots, recorded his 10th multi-point game of the season … Griffins LW Valtteri Filppula was on the ice for all 4 Hershey scores, ending with a game-low -4 … the 4 power play goals allowed by Hershey were a season high … Grand Rapids has scored an AHL-high 125 goals this season … Cassivi, who exited after allowing the 3rd Griffins goal at 17:29 of the 1st period, stopped 6 of 9 shots faced … it was the first regular season game on a Thursday since 11/12/03, when the Bears defeated the Norfolk Admirals 2-1 at the Norfolk Scope … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Green and Lawrence Nycholat on defense, with Boyd Gordon, Graham Mink, and Tenute at forward … the start was Tenute's first of the 05/06 campaign … D J.F. Fortin returned to the Bears lineup after missing the last 8 games with a injury … scratched from Hershey were: LW Tomas Fleischmann (illness), RW Stephen Peat (upper body), and D Dwayne Zinger (shoulder) … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) MacLean, (2) Fehr, (3) Eric Manlow … referee: Bob Langdon … attendance: 4,056.

6 Degrees of Separation: Manlow was a teammate of Daubenspeck with the Indianapolis Ice (IHL) during the 97/98 season. Manlow also played with Hershey D Martin Wilde on the Providence Bruins in 01/02 … Grand Rapids D Derek Meech and Gordon were teammates for all or parts of 4 seasons with the Red Deer Rebels (WHL) … Grand Rapids' Todd Jackson was teammates with Bears C Dave Steckel on the US Junior National Team in 99/00 … veteran C Jeff Nelson, who scored his 1st goal of the season after signing last week for his third stint with the Griffins, spent 5 seasons with the Portland Pirates, playing alongside Fortin during the 00/01 campaign.

Coming Up: The Bears next head to Allstate Arena in Chicago to tackle the Wolves Friday evening at 8:30 PM. In their last visit to the Windy City, Hershey bowed out of the 2003 playoffs as the Wolves defeated the chocolate and white in a decisive 5th game of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Sunday December 18, 2005 (Posted Sunday 10:57 P.M EST)

Current Bears Statistical Leaders (through 12-18-05)

Mink's 16 goals currently rank tied for 5th in the AHL … Nycholat's 22 points are good enough to tie for 4th among AHL defensemen, while his 17 assists are tied for 5th among blueliners … Fehr's 28 points rank tied for 3rd among AHL rookies. His 8 power play goals rank tied for 9th-best in the circuit … Fleischmann's 2 short-handed scores are tied for 4th in the league … Cassivi's 2.12 G.A.A. places 5th in the AHL, while his .923 save percentage ranks tied for 5th. His 13 victories is tied for 2nd in the circuit.

Sunday December 18, 2005 vs. Wilkes-Barre (Posted Sunday 10:47 P.M EST)

Caron, Penguins shut down Bears, 3-0

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

joe@7641.com

Coming off the heels of recording their first shutout of the 2005/06 campaign, the Hershey Bears found themselves held off the scoreboard as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins blanked the home team 3-0 before 6,550 fans Sunday night at Giant Center. Even after losing Head Coach Michel Therrien this past week -- as well as 05/06 call-ups Erik Christiansen, Marc-Andre Fleury, Michel Ouellet, and Ryan Whitney -- to the parent Pittsburgh Penguins, the AHL's top squad keeps finding ways to win. Recently reassigned C Lasse Pirjeta, as well as D Guillaume Lefebvre led Wilkes-Barre (23-2-2-1, 49 points) with a goal and an assist each in the game, while goaltender Sebastien Caron (2-1-0) earned his 9th career AHL shutout by turning aside all 32 shots faced. Goalie Frederic Cassivi (13-6-3) suffered the loss in net for Hershey (19-5-2-4, 44 points), finishing with 34 saves. The defeat -- which snapped Hershey's season-high 6-game winning streak -- dropped the Bears 5 points behind Wilkes-Barre for 1st place in the East Division.

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	TOTAL
Wilkes-Barre	1	0	2	3
Hershey	0	0	0	0

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, WBS, Armstrong 10 (game-winner) (Lefebvre, Nasreddine), 13:18. Penalties: Pirjeta, WBS (hooking), :31; Pirjeta, WBS (tripping), 3:45; Tenute, HER (hooking), 4:51; Cutta, HER (slashing), 5:17; Filewich, WBS (tripping), 9:23; Wilde, HER (holding), 14:23; Filewich, WBS (hooking), 15:37.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: None. Penalties: Mink, HER (cross-checking), 7:52; Fata, WBS (holding), 10:40; Steckel, HER (holding), 16:09.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 2, WBS, Pirjeta 1 (Scuderi, Filewich), 2:45. 3, WBS, Lefebvre 6 (power play) (Welch, Pirjeta), 10:19. Penalties: Cutta, HER (hooking), 5:27; Kane, HER (hooking), 9:15; Arsene, HER (cross-checking), 9:59; Fleischmann, HER (slashing), 13:49; Schneider, WBS (hooking), 15:36; Scuderi, WBS (tripping), 18:21; Lannon, WBS (slashing), 18:34; Robitaille, HER (slashing), 18:21; Klepis, HER (tripping, unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:21.

Game Factoids: Face-offs won (unofficial): Hershey: 46, Wilkes-Barre: 31 … Hershey finished 0-7 on the power-play, while Wilkes-Barre ended at 1-9 … the Bears were outshot by the Penguins 37-32 … it marked the second time the Bears have been shutout this season (both times at home), as the Norfolk Admirals white-washed Hershey 1-0 on 11/26 … Hershey dropped to 1-3-0-1 versus Wilkes-Barre this season … it was just the second regulation loss in the last 22 contests for Hershey … Graham Mink left the ice with an apparent upper body injury with 13:14 remaining in the 3rd period, and did not return … Wilkes-Barre enjoyed two, minute-plus man advantages in the game … D Ryan Lannon was the only Penguins skater to not register a shot on goal … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Dean Arsene and Mark Wotton on defense, with Jared Aulin, Tomas Fleischmann, and Mink at forward … scratched from Hershey were: D J.F. Fortin and D Dwayne Zinger … On Sunday RW Eric Fehr became the eighth player to go from the Bears to the nation's capital this season, as the Washington Capitals recalled the team's current leading scorer. In his NHL debut, the rookie registered 2 shots in 7+ minutes of action as the Caps dropped a 3-2 decision at home to the Florida Panthers … earlier in the day, LW Chris Bourque left Hershey to join Team USA in British Columbia for the upcoming 2006 World Junior Championships, which runs December 26th through January 5th … former Bears enforcer Dennis Bonvie served the final game of the 3-game suspension for pushing a linesman in a 12/10 home contest against the Manitoba Moose … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Pirjeta, (2) Caron, (3) Colby Armstrong … referee: Francois St. Laurent … former Bear Ryan Craig (03/04) scored his 1st career NHL goal as the Tampa Bay Lightning lost 6-3 to the Detroit Red Wings Saturday night.

Coming Up: The Bears hit the road for 3 straight, starting Thursday night at 7 PM at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids against the Griffins. Hershey and Grand Rapids haven't met since the 2002/03 campaign, when the Griffins took both games of the season series. In the 4, all-time meetings between the two teams, Grand Rapids is 4-0-0.

Colby Armstrong (left) puts the Penguins up 1-0, firing the eventual game-winner past Bears goalie Frederic Cassivi at 13:18 of the 1st period.

Penguins goaltender Sebastien Caron turns aside this Jakub Klepis backhand attempt during 1st period action.

A Lasse Pirjeta point blank shot finds its way towards Cassivi's glove during 2nd period action.

Graham Mink (#21) and Konstantin Koltsov (right) watch as Lasse Pirjeta's shot eludes Frederic Cassivi at 2:45 of the 3rd period, giving the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

Cassivi stretches to make a 3rd period pad save on Wilkes-Barre's Maxime Talbot (#21) as Dean Arsene (right) defends.

Penguins netminder Sebastien Caron makes one of his 32 saves on this Joey Tenute forehand attempt during the later stages of the 3rd period.

Saturday December 17, 2005 vs. Hamilton (Posted Saturday 11:36 P.M EST)

Bears leash Bulldogs

Sets franchise record for best start

Bears win 4-0

Hershey's Dean Arsene gets airborn and lands a big hit on Hamilton's Francis Lemieux during first period action.

Hamilton netminder Jeff Deslauries looks down, but Tomas Fleischmann's 1st period shot has already slipped through the 5 hole.

Chris Bourque and Francis Lemieux watch as Hershey's Kirk Daubenspeck snares the puck during the second period. Daubenspeck went on to throw the first shutout of the 2005-06 season for the Bears.

Hamilton Goalie, Jeff Deslauries can't catch-up to this Boyd Kane shot that put the Bears up 2-0. Also shown are Current Bear Jared Aulin and former Bear Dan Smith.

This Lawrence Nycholat bottle-knocker, puts the bears at a 3-0 advantage with just :45 seconds to play in the 2nd...

...just 18 seconds later, Hershey's Jakub Klepis flips the final goal behind Hamiltons Jean-Phillipe Cote.

Sunday December 11, 2005 (Posted Sunday 10:16 P.M EST)

Current Bears Statistical Leaders (through 12-11-05)

Mink's 16 goals currently rank tied for 3rd in the AHL … Nycholat's 21 points are good enough to tie for 2nd among AHL defensemen, while his 17 assists are tied for 3rd among blueliners, and tied for 9th among all AHL skaters … Fehr's 28 points place tied for 9th in the circuit, while ranking 2nd among AHL rookies. His 8 power play goals rank tied for 5th-best in the circuit … Fleischmann's 2 short-handed scores are tied for 3rd in the league … Cassivi's 2.07 G.A.A. places 2nd in the AHL, as do his 13 victories; and his .923 save percentage ranks tied for 3rd.

Sunday December 11, 2005 vs Bridgeport (Posted Sunday 10:16 P.M EST)

Bears share record mark with 4-2 win over Sound Tigers

Join Hershey teams of 46/47 & 96/97 for best start

It was business as usual for the Hershey Bears on Sunday. With 9 different players earning points in the game, the Bears were everywhere, whether it was on the scoresheet -- or on the ice as part of the "Teddy Bear Toss" promotion. It took just 41 seconds for Brooks Laich to give the home team a 1-0 lead, which lead to 3,140 teddy bears finding their way to the Giant Center ice surface. After allowing two Bridgeport scores only 67 seconds apart in the 2nd period, Hershey roared back with 3 unanswered goals to down the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4-2 for their 5th straight victory. With the win, the 2005/06 Bears (18-4-2-4) joined the 1946/47 & 1996/97 clubs in sharing a franchise-record 42 points through the first 28 games of the campaign. Mark Wotton, Chris Bourque, and Dave Steckel also pocketed markers, with Graham Mink and Boyd Kane collecting 2 assists each as Hershey ran their mark to 4-0 against Bridgeport this season. Goaltender Frederic Cassivi (13-5-3) finished with 23 saves for Hershey; while Wade Dubielewicz (3-10-0) countered with 31 stops for 5th place Bridgeport (10-16-2-0, 22 points).

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, HER, Laich 7 (Mink), :41. Penalties: Lee, BRI (hooking), 2:01; Collins, BRI (interference), 5:25; Cutta, HER (cross-checking), 7:53; Karpa, BRI (holding), 16:59.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: 2, BRI, Regier 5 (Koalska), 6:12. 3, BRI, Bergenheim 5 (Hamilton, Colliton), 7:19. 4, HER, Wotton 3 (power play) (Kane, Steckel), 16:32. Penalties: Kane, HER (tripping), 3:46; Pettinen, BRI (slashing), 1:59; Robitaille, HER (slashing), 11:53; Koalska, BRI (interference), 14:33; Pettinen, BRI (cross-checking), 17:00; Robitaille, HER (cross-checking), 17:00.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 5, HER, Bourque 5 (Fehr, Arsene), 1:17. 6, HER, Steckel 8 (empty net) (Kane, Mink), 19:07. Penalties: Nycholat, HER (interference), 9:31.

Game Factoids: Face-offs won (unofficial): Hershey: 40, Bridgeport: 29 … Hershey finished 1-5 on the power-play, while Bridgeport ended at 0-4 … the Bears outshot the Sound Tigers 36-25 … Hershey can set a new franchise record with earning at least one point in their next game, as the 46/47 & 96/97 teams lost in the 29th contest of their eventual Calder Cup-winning seasons … Steckel has accumulated 13 points in the last 10 games (6 goals, 7 assists) … Mink, who has a 4-game scoring streak, has collected points in 10 of his last 12 contests played with Hershey … LW Tomas Fleischmann saw his 5-game point streak come to an end … Hershey's 5-game win streak is their longest since 12/26/04 - 1/12/05, when they reeled off 7 consecutive victories … the 3000+ teddy bears collected will be given to local charities … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Mike Green and Lawrence Nycholat on defense, with Jared Aulin, Kane, and Steckel at forward … scratched from Hershey were: D J.F. Fortin, LW Owen Fussey, RW Jakub Klepis, RW Stephen Peat, and D Dwayne Zinger … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Bourque, (2) Laich, (3) Dubielewicz … referee Ryan Fraser … attendance: 5,408.

Coming Up: Hershey gets a reprieve in the schedule until next weekend, when they host the Hamilton Bulldogs Saturday evening at 7 PM. It will mark the only Chocolatetown appearance for Hamilton this season, who will be marking their first-ever stop to Giant Center.

Graham Mink (in air) celebrates as Brooks Laich's goal just 41 seconds into the game gives Hershey a 1-0 lead.

Tomas Fleischmann (bottom) skates by as some of the 3,100+ teddy bears rain down on the Giant Center surface. Fans were encouraged to toss the bears after Hershey scored their first goal of the game.

Bears goalie Frederic Cassivi makes a stop on Bridgeport's Matt Koalska during 2nd period action.

Sound Tigers LW Steve Regier (center) ties the score at 1-1, stuffing the puck past Lawrence Nycholat (#28) and co. at 6:12 of the 2nd period.

This Mark Wotton right circle shot finds its way past Bridgeport netminder Wade Dubielewicz, tying the game at 2-2 with 3:28 remaining in the middle period.

Saturday December 10, 2005 vs Bridgeport (Posted Saturday 11:36 P.M EST)

Reassignments lead Bears past 'Tigers 4-1

After their 6-4 victory Friday night in Binghamton, the Hershey Bears got a boost to an already-potent lineup with the addition of Graham Mink and Brooks Laich from the Washington Capitals. Saturday, the duo paid immediate dividends, with Mink netting the game-winning goal, and Laich earning two assists as the Bears bested the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4-1 before 6,740 fans Saturday evening at Giant Center. Lawrence Nycholat, Boyd Kane, and Owen Fussey also pocketed scores, with Tomas Fleischmann dishing out two helpers as Hershey continued to earn points at a pace second only to the 1946-47 Bears for the best start in franchise history. With the victory, Hershey (17-4-2-4, 40 points) kept speed with Wilkes-Barre, who romped Maxime Ouellet and the Manitoba Moose 7-1 Saturday night in Northeastern PA. Goaltender Frederic Cassivi (12-5-3) earned Hershey's 4th straight win by turning aside 24 of 25 shots faced. His counterpart at the other end of the ice -- Wade Dubielewicz (3-9-0) -- finished with 21 saves as the Sound Tigers (10-15-2-0, 22 points) dropped to 0-3 against Hershey this season.

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, HER, Nycholat 4 (Laich, Fleischmann), 10:02. Penalties: Green, HER (tripping), 3:40; Brigley, BRI (hooking), 5:10; Arsene, HER (cross-checking), 10:47; Green, HER (tripping), 14:40; Cutta, HER (slashing), 15:57.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: 2, HER, Mink 16 (game-winner) (Fleischmann, Laich), 3:55. Penalties: Koalska, BRI (goaltender interference), 1:40; Kane, HER (tripping), 1:40; HER bench, served by Aulin (too many men), 5:52; Bergenheim, BRI (tripping), 8:11; Fleischmann, HER (interference), 11:14; Bergenheim, BRI (roughing), 14:31; Arsene, HER (interference), 17:25; Wilde, HER (hooking), 19:31.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 3, BRI, Regier 4 (power play) (Hamilton, Brigley), :58. 4, HER, Kane 7 (Steckel), 17:41. 9:25. 5, HER, Fussey 1 (empty net) (unassisted), 18:39. Penalties: Wotton, HER (interference), :18; Pettinen, BRI (high-sticking), 4:08; Karpa, BRI (hooking), 15:24; Bergenheim, BRI (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:39; Peat, HER (unsportsmanlike conduct), 18:39.

Game Factoids: Face-offs won (unofficial): Hershey: 43, Bridgeport: 20 … Hershey finished 0-5 on the power-play, while Bridgeport ended at 1-9 … the Bears and the Sound Tigers each finished with 25 shots … Through 27 games, the 46/47 Bears had registered 42 points. They went on to finish with 84 points, along with their first of 8 Calder Cup Championships in team history … Fleischmann, who extended his scoring streak to 5 games (3 goals, 7 assists), has points in 14 of his last 15 contests with Hershey … The score could have been higher for the Bears, but Eric Fehr (at 4:46) and Laich (at 13:16) each failed to capitalize on 2nd period penalty shot attempts. Fehr's shot went high and over Dubielewicz, while Laich couldn't get off a clean backhand on the 'Tigers goalie … Fussey sealed the Bears win by picking off a Bridgeport pass, skating in alone and burying the puck for his 1st goal of the season … Hershey C Dave Steckel has 11 points in the last 9 contests … Bridgeport has allowed an AHL-high 100 goals this season … the Bears finished without a power play marker for only the 4th time this season … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Mike Green and Nycholat on defense, with Fleischmann, Laich, and Mink at forward … scratched from Hershey were: LW Chris Bourque, D J.F. Fortin, D/LW Louis Robitaille, and D Dwayne Zinger … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Laich, (2) Nycholat, (3) Fleischmann … referee Harry Dumas.

Coming Up: Hershey looks to make it 4-0 against Bridgeport this season, concluding their weekend with a 5 PM match-up against the Sound Tigers on Sunday at the Giant Center.

Jeff Hamilton (left) tries to fake Bears goalie Frederic Cassivi during Bridgeport's first power play of the game in the 1st period. Cassivi would stonewall Hamilton's attempt.

Graham Mink (#21), reassigned to Hershey from Washington late Friday, nets this marker at 3:55 of the 2nd period. The goal stood as the eventual game-winner.

Eric Fehr (right) gets upended by Bridgeport's Cole Jarrett at the 4:46 mark of the 2nd period. Fehr was awarded a penalty shot by referee Harry Dumas, but missed the net on the ensuing attempt.

Sound Tigers goalie Wade Dubielewicz (left) makes the save on a weak backhand attempt by Brooks Laich. Moments prior, Laich had been awarded Hershey's 2nd penalty shot try of the period.

A dejected Dubielewicz reacts after Boyd Kane's strike at 17:41 of the 3rd period gives Hershey a 3-1 lead. Just under a minute later (at 18:39) Owen Fussey would add an empty-netter, giving the Bears a 4-1 win.

Friday December 9, 2005 at Binghamton (Posted Friday 10:58 P.M EST)

Bears win offensive battle with Sens, 6-4

The Hershey Bears made it 10 consecutive road games with a point earned, outslugging the Binghamton Senators 6-4 in a goal-lover's delight before 3,435 fans Friday night at the Broome County Arena in New York's southern tier. Five different players would light the lamp for Hershey (16-4-2-4, 38 points), with Tomas Fleischmann (1 goal, 2 assists) and Louis Robitaille (2G) leading the way on offense; and goalie Kirk Daubenspeck (5-1-1) turning aside 29 shots. Jeff Heerema paced the Senators (7-14-2-1, 17 points) with a goal and 2 assists, while goaltender Billy Thompson (1-8-0) -- who replaced Jeff Glass to start the 2nd period -- finished with 15 saves in relief duty. Coupled with Wilkes-Barre's first regulation loss of the 2005/06 season, (a 3-1 home defeat to the Manitoba Moose), Hershey moved within 5 points of the East Division's top spot.

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, HER, Robitaille 3 (Steckel), 5:01. 2, BIN, Martins 8 (Heerema, Ward), 5:20. 3, HER, Fleischmann 7 (short handed) (penalty shot), 15:02. 4, HER, Fehr 13 (power play) (Bourque, Fleischmann), 16:48. Penalties: Komadoski, BIN (interference), 2:42; Bois, BIN (cross-checking), 6:57; Robitaille, HER (roughing), 9:43; Aulin, HER (hooking), 14:13; Potulny, BIN (unsportsmanlike conduct), 16:25; Klepis, HER (slashing), 19:29.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: 5, BIN, Potulny 3 (short-handed) (Cullen, Novak), 9:07. 6, HER, Aulin 5 (power play) (Klepis, Green), 9:35. 7, BIN, Heerema 7 (power play) (Eaves, Novak), 13:34. 8, HER, Gordon 7 (game-winner) (short-handed) (Fleischmann), 14:19. 9, BIN, Hamel 13 (power play) (Heerema, Malec), 17:09. Penalties: Wotton, HER (hooking), 1:08; Martins, BIN (unsportsmanlike conduct - diving), 1:08; Petruic, BIN (closing hand on puck), 8:08; Green, HER (slashing), 12:33; Kane, HER (interference), 13:01; Green, HER (boarding), 16:28; Arsene, HER (roughing), 17:36; Bois, BIN (hooking, roughing), 17:36; Steckel, HER (hooking), 19:51.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 10, HER, Robitaille 4 (empty net) (Klepis), 18:52. Penalties: Robitaille, HER (high-sticking), 3:38; Wotton, HER (tripping), 4:50; Watson, BIN (holding the stick), 6:22; Ward, BIN (holding), 10:00; Heerema, BIN (boarding), 16:00.

Game Factoids: Hershey finished 2-8 on the power-play, while Binghamton ended at 2-9 … the Bears were outshot by the Sens 33-27 … with his 2nd period "Shorty," Boyd Gordon became the 13th different player to notch a game-winner for Hershey this season … the Bears last scored a penalty shot goal on 2/7/04, when Jordan Krestanovich beat Syracuse's Pascal Leclaire in a 4-2 loss to the Crunch at Giant Center … Hershey improved to 8-0-0-1 this season when leading after the 1st period … Fleischmann has registered 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) in the last 4 games … Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Eric Fehr -- currently 2nd in the AHL freshmen scoring race with 27 points -- netted his 4th goal in as many games … Klepis collected his third multi-assist contest this season … it was the first time in franchise history that Binghamton had allowed 2 short-handed goals in a game … Robitaille recorded his first multi-point game of the 05/06 campaign … C Jared Aulin bagged his first goal since 11/11 … Glass exited after serving up 3 goals on 9 shots in 20 minutes worth of action … Hershey last surrendered two power play scores in a 5-2 win over Binghamton on 10/23 … Syracuse enjoyed 5-on-3 man advantages in both the 2nd (1:32) and 3rd period (48 seconds) … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Dean Arsene and Mark Wotton on defense, with Chris Bourque, Jakub Klepis, and Dave Steckel at forward … through 26 games this season, Mark Wotton leads all Bears skaters with 14 starts … scratched from Hershey were: D J.F. Fortin, LW Owen Fussey, and D Martin Wilde … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Fleischmann, (2) Heerema, (3) Gordon … referee Harry Dumas.

Coming Up: The Bears return to the Giant Center for a weekend set of games against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, starting with a 7 PM affair on Saturday night. Hershey is 2-0 against the 'Tigers this season, including a 4-1 win in Bridgeport this past Wednesday.

Wednesday December 7, 2005 at Bridgeport (Posted Wednesday 7:11 P.M EST)

Morning, day, or night

Bears continue to roll with 4-1 win in Bridgeport

A different day, more points in the standings. That seems to be the recurring theme for the Hershey Bears through the first 25 games of the 2005/06 campaign. Wednesday, it was a 4-1 victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in front of 3,129 fans in a morning/afternoon affair at the Arena at Harbor Yard. Joey Tenute (1G, 1A), Eric Fehr (2G), and Lawrence Nycholat (1G, 1A) led the way on offense for Hershey (15-4-2-4, 36 points), while goaltender Frederic Cassivi (11-5-3) turned aside 29 of 30 shots faced as the Bears earned a point for the 21st time in 25 contests this season. Former AHL goal leader Jeff Hamilton netted the only score for the Sound Tigers (10-13-2-0, 22 points), with netminder Wade Dubielewicz (3-9-0) taking the loss with 31 saves. With former Bears G Maxime Ouellet earning the 3-1 win for the Manitoba Moose (in another Wednesday morning start) over Philadelphia, Hershey now holds a 12 point lead over the Phantoms for 2nd place in the East Division.

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, HER, Tenute 7 (Fussey, Peat), 5:16. Penalties: Wotton, HER (interference), 2:38; Fussey, HER (high-sticking), 8:22.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: 2, HER, Nycholat 3 (game-winner) (power play) (Gordon), 3:43. 3, BRI, Hamilton 5 (Pettinen, Colliton), 6:20. Penalties: Green, HER (boarding), 2:06; Marjamaki, BRI (cross-checking), 2:06; Colliton, BRI (holding), 3:35; Green, HER (hooking), 8:53; Hamilton, BRI (interference), 11:07; Green, HER (interference), 11:38; Masse, BRI (tripping), 15:44.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 4, HER, Fehr 11 (Fleischmann, Nycholat), 1:14. 5, HER, Fehr 12 (Green, Tenute), 6:07. Penalties: Peat, HER (high-sticking major), 5:21; Karpa, BRI (hooking), 5:42; Zinger, HER (tripping), 6:24; Regier, BRI (tripping), 8:29; Kane, HER (hooking), 16:05; Wilde, HER (interference), 19:29.

Game Factoids: Hershey finished 1-5 on the power-play, while Bridgeport ended at 0-8 … the Bears outshot the Sound Tigers 35-30 … Fehr has registered two or more points in 3 of the last 4, and leads the Bears with 9 multi-point games this season … after having his 9-game scoring streak snapped by Bridgeport last Wednesday, LW Tomas Fleischmann has netted points in 3 straight (2 goals, 3 assists) … RW Stephen Peat -- who is expected to be with the Bears through this weekend -- made his Hershey debut, earning an assist on Tenute's 1st period marker. He also earned a 5-minute major high-sticking Bridgeport's Hamilton in the 3rd period … Nycholat is the 12th different player to collect a game-winning goal for Hershey in 05/06 … LW Chris Bourque left the game with an apparent right ankle injury late in the 1st period, and did not return … Hershey has earned points in 16 out of their last 17 contests … the Bears improved to 10-0-0-2 this season when scoring the game's first goal … Bridgeport has allowed an Eastern Conference-high 91 goals this season. The Sound Tigers are also tied for the AHL lead with 39 power play goals surrendered … veteran defenseman Dave Karpa, who has spent time in the NHL (Quebec, Anaheim, Carolina, New York Rangers) and AHL (Halifax, Cornwall, Hartford, Wilkes-Barre, Syracuse), signed with Bridgeport last week … the 11 AM start was part of the Sound Tigers' 3rd annual, educationally-themed "Cool Fun" game … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Dean Arsene and Mark Wotton on defense, with Jared Aulin, Boyd Gordon, and Boyd Kane at forward … scratched from Hershey were: D Jakub Cutta, D J.F. Fortin, and D/LW Louis Robitaille … RW Jonas Johansson, who has been an injury scratch of late, was reassigned to South Carolina (ECHL) on Wednesday … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Tenute, (2) Fehr, (3) Hamilton … referee Jamie Koharski.

Coming Up: Hershey kicks off its weekend with a Friday evening stop in New York's southern tier, where the Bears will faceoff against the Binghamton Senators at 7 PM. Hershey has defeated the Baby Sens in two prior meetings this season, once in Binghamton (4-3 on 10/21), and once in Chocolatetown (5-2 on 10/23).

Monday December 5, 2005 (Posted Monday 10:04 P.M EST)

Recapping Monday's headlines…

Bourque named to US WJC Team … Bears get the "Terminator"

On Monday, USA Hockey released its roster for the 2006 World Junior Championships, which will be held in Vancouver, Kamloops, and Kelowna, British Columbia from December 26th through January 5th. Among the players selected was Bears LW Chris Bourque, who will be making his second appearance for Team USA in the 11-day tourney. Bourque is the first Hershey player since David Aebischer in 1998 to go from Chocolatetown to the prestigious tournament, which features the top players under age 20. The 33rd overall pick by Washington in the 2004 NHL draft is the only AHL player on the US team, which also features 17 NCAA, 3 CHL, and 1 member of the US Under-18 Team on its roster. In 16 games for the Bears this season, Bourque has recorded 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists).

Also on Monday, the Washington Capitals assigned RW Stephen Peat to the Bears for a conditioning assignment. Peat, 25, has been bothered by injuries this season (upper body, broken hand), resulting in just 1 game played for the Capitals. In 130 career NHL contests (all with Washington), the 6-2, 220 lb enforcer has racked up 234 penalty minutes. He's also spent time in the AHL, playing 41 games over 3 seasons with the Portland Pirates. Hershey fans with a good memory will remember Peat for dropping Bears D Jeff Paul in a fight from the infamous "Blizzard Game" on 2/16/03. The "Terminator," as he's been dubbed, will provide Hershey with an enforcer (albeit temporary) it has lacked during the 2005/06 campaign. He is expected to be with the Bears when they visit the Bridgeport Sound Tigers for a Wednesday morning affair at 11.

Sunday December 4, 2005 (Posted Sunday 10:42 P.M EST)

Current Bears Statistical Leaders (through 12-4-05)

Mink's 15 goals currently rank tied for 3rd in the AHL … Nycholat's 18 points are good enough to tie for 4th among AHL defensemen, while his 16 assists are tied for 3rd among blueliners, and tied for 9th among all AHL skaters … Fehr's 24 points currently rank tied for 3rd among AHL rookies … Cassivi's 2.20 G.A.A. places 3rd in the AHL, while his 10 victories sit tied for 2nd, and his .918 save percentage ranks 8th.

Sunday December 4, 2005 vs. Wilkes-Barre (Posted Sunday 10:38 P.M EST)

Bears finally solve Penguins*

*But need shootout to do so in 3-2 win

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

joe@7641.com

The opportunities were there: 10 power play chances (including a 5-minute major), the open nets, the breakaways, the odd-man rushes, the hit posts and crossbars. So what if the Hershey Bears couldn't hand Wilkes-Barre its first regulation loss this season. And yeah, they may have needed the shootout period -- which hasn't been too kind to Hershey this year -- but the Bears still pulled out 3-2 victory over the Penguins before 6,070 fans Sunday evening at the Giant Center. Tomas Fleischmann (power play) and Graham Mink (short-handed) pocketed regulation goals, while Mink and Boyd Gordon notched back-to-back shootout markers to give Hershey (14-4-2-4, 34 points) its first win over Wilkes-Barre in four tries this season. Goaltender Frederic Cassivi (10-5-3) earned the big win in net for Hershey, turning aside 20 shots in regulation and OT, and another 4 stops in the shootout. The Pens' Tomas Surovy (1st period, power play) and Jonathan Filewich (even strength, 3rd period) would bookend the game's offense, with netminder Dany Sabourin (9-0-1) taking the loss with 25 saves in regulation and overtime, and another 3 stops in the shootout round. Even though the Penguins (20-0-2-1, 43 points) couldn't set a new AHL single-season record for consecutive road wins, they did establish a new league mark for the longest road winning streak in AHL history.

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	OT	SO	Total
Wilkes-Barre	1	0	1	0	0	2
Hershey	2	0	0	0	1	3

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, WBS, Surovy (power play) (Kelleher, Fata), 4:56. 2, HER, Fleischmann 6 (power play) (Bourque, Nycholat), 11:19. 3, HER, Mink 15 (short handed) (Steckel), 18:20. Penalties: Lefebvre, WBS (hooking), 3:34; Gordon, HER (interference), 3:59; Green, HER (hooking), 4:11; Lefebvre, WBS (roughing), 7:46; Schneider, WBS (roughing), 7:46; Zinger, HER (roughing), 7:46; Robitaille, HER (roughing), 7:46; Corupe, WBS (hooking), 8:06; Kelleher, WBS (hooking), 10:28; Arsene, HER (slashing), 11:41; Cutta, HER (high-sticking), 15:18; Kane, HER (slashing), 17:43; Armstrong, WBS (hooking), 19:54.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: None. Penalties: Zinger, HER (holding), 8:29; Arsene, HER (hooking), 10:30; Filewich, WBS (interference), 12:08; HER bench, served by Fehr (too many men), 13:47; Kane, HER (slashing), 14:20; Koltsov, WBS (hooking), 17:20; Fehr, HER (high-sticking), 19:07.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 4, WBS, Filewich 7 (Lefebvre, Corupe), 1:35. Penalties: Lefebvre, WBS (holding), 1:41; Carcillo, WBS (hooking), 4:40; Armstrong, WBS (interference), 6:49; Klepis, HER (roughing), 6:49; Koltsov, WBS (boarding major), 10:06; Klepis, HER (hooking), 12:46.

OVERTIME -- Scoring: None. Penalties: Wotton, HER (holding), 2:45.

SHOOTOUT

Shooter Name	Team	Result
Jonathan Filewich	WBS	No
Dave Steckel	HER	No
Daniel Carcillo	WBS	No
Joey Tenute	HER	No
Kenny Corupe	WBS	Yes
Brooks Laich	HER	No
Ryan Stone	WBS	No
Graham Mink	HER	Yes
Arpad Mihaly	WBS	No
Boyd Gordon	HER	Yes

Game Factoids: Face-offs won (unofficial): Hershey: 42, Wilkes-Barre: 29 … Hershey finished 1-10 on the power-play, while Wilkes-Barre ended at 1-11 … the Bears outshot the Penguins 28-22 … Hershey improved to 2-4 in shootouts this season … Mink and Gordon are each 2-2 in shootout attempts this season … C Brooks Laich -- sent down with Mink from Washington for a 1-game appearance -- played his first game with Hershey since 10/23 … Even after netting just one score on ten tries, Hershey still leads the AHL with 47 power play goals this season. The Bears also ran their mark to 21 out of 24 games with a man advantage marker in 05/06 … Wilkes-Barre has allowed an AHL-low 45 goals this season … through the first 16 minutes of the 3rd period -- including 3 power plays -- Hershey managed just 2 shots on goal … at 10:06 of the 3rd, Wilkes-Barre's Konstantin Koltsov received a boarding major for a hit from behind to Boyd Kane along the dasher boards. Koltsov had retaliated after Kane checked the Penguins winger moments beforehand, knocking his helmet off … with an assist on Mink's short-handed tally, Steckel has now recorded 9 points in the last 6 contests (5 goals, 4 assists) … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Mike Green and Lawrence Nycholat on defense, with Fleischmann, Laich, and Mink at forward … scratched from Hershey were: C Jared Aulin, D J.F. Fortin, LW Owen Fussey, RW Jonas Johansson, and D Martin Wilde … in the 6 shootouts Hershey has been in this season, Boudreau has used 13 different shooters … former Bear and current Pens enforcer Dennis Bonvie was scratched due to veteran limitations … Hershey has gone to a shootout in all 3 games refereed by Chris Ciamaga this season...3 Stars of the Game: (1) Steckel, (2) Sabourin, (3) Mink.

Coming Up: Hershey hits the road for two straight, starting with a -- no, this isn't a misprint -- 11 AM faceoff against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Wednesday. In their only prior meeting this season, the Bears defeated the Sound Tigers 5-3 on November 30th in Hershey.

Hershey's Graham Mink (right) watches as Tomas Fleischmann's shot sails towards Penguins goalie Dany Sabourin, and into the net, tying the game at 1-1 with 8:41 remaining in the 1st period.

Mink (#21) gives the Bears a 2-1 lead at 18:20 of the 1st, sinking this short-handed goal in the top right corner of the Penguins net.

Pens goalie Dany Sabourin makes one of his 25 stops on this Louis Robitaille stick save during the 2nd period.

Jonathan Filewich (left) nets the equalizer for Wilkes-Barre just 1:35 into the 3rd period, pushing the puck past Hershey's Jakub Cutta (center) and Frederic Cassivi.

Kenny Corupe (right) gives Wilkes-Barre a 1-0 advantage in the shootout, beating Cassivi on this attempt.

After Graham Mink evened the score at 1-1, Boyd Gordon would follow up with this shootout-winning score to give the Bears a 3-2 win.

Saturday December 3, 2005 vs. Syracuse (Posted Sunday 1:28 A.M.EST)

The good news: Bears rally to earn point

The bad news: Hershey loses to Syracuse in shootout, 5-4

By Joe Shetrom, 7641 Sports

joe@7641.com

On two occasions Saturday night, the Hershey Bears had the wind taken out of their sails … or so you would think. That's not the case with this season's group, as they again rallied -- this time, from two, 3-goal deficits to force overtime and a shootout, where they eventually fell to the Syracuse Crunch 5-4 before 6,334 fans at the Giant Center. With Bears goalie Kirk Daubenspeck pulled after allowing 3 goals on 7 shots in the 1st period, Hershey quickly struck just 50 ticks into the 2nd frame, with Chris Bourque connecting on a power play strike to cut the Crunch lead to 3-1. Syracuse would reassume the 3-goal advantage midway through the 2nd, with Joakim Lindstrom netting a short-handed, penalty shot marker after being hooked by Lawrence Nycholat on a breakaway. Hershey would respond though, with three consecutive tallies from Tomas Fleischmann, Eric Fehr, and Jakub Klepis to earn a point in the standings. In the shootout, Jared Aulin and Nikolai Zherdev would trade goals before Lindstrom sealed the Crunch victory in the 7th round. With 2 goals on the evening for Syracuse (11-8-1-0, 23 points), Lindstrom would earn 1st star of the game honors, while goalie Andrew Penner (4-2-0) earned the win with 36 saves. Fleischmann (1 goal, 2 assists) and Joey Tenute (3 assists) would lead the way on offense for Hershey (13-4-2-4, 32 points), while goaltender Frederic Cassivi (9-6-2) took the hard-luck loss in net with 19 saves on 20 shots.

TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	OT	SO	Total
Syracuse	3	1	0	0	1	5
Hershey	0	2	2	0	0	4

FIRST PERIOD - Scoring: 1, SYR, Goertzen 1 (Simon), 10:06. 2, SYR, Lindstrom 5 (Mauldin, Murray), 13:04. 3, SYR, Delmore 3 (Hartigan, Motzko), 18:56. Penalties: Fehr, HER (hooking), 3:40; Aulin, HER (cross-checking), 7:00; Goertzen, SYR (roughing), 10:23; Nycholat, HER (roughing), 10:23; Simon, SYR (roughing, double minor), 10:23; Robitaille, HER (roughing, double minor), 10:23; Gordon, HER (tripping), 14:24; Hartigan, SYR (hooking), 19:34.

SECOND PERIOD - Scoring: 4, HER, Bourque 4 (power play) (Tenute, Fleischmann), :50. 5, SYR, Lindstrom 6 (penalty shot) (short-handed), 10:18. 6, HER, Fleischmann 5 (power play) (Tenute, Fehr, 10:55. Penalties: Steckel, HER (cross-checking), 4:10; Lindstrom, SYR (tripping), 8:10; Pushor, SYR (high-sticking), 10:09; Pushor, SYR (fighting major), 14:44; Wilde, HER (fighting major), 14:44.

THIRD PERIOD - Scoring: 7, HER, Fehr 10 (power play) (Tenute, Fleischmann), 3:24. 8, HER, Klepis 2 (Kane, Steckel), 6:15. Penalties: Fritsche, SYR (tripping), 1:25; Kane, HER (roughing), 12:00.

OVERTIME -- Scoring: None. Penalties: Hartigan, SYR (roughing), 4:42.

SHOOTOUT

Shooter Name	Team	Result
Joe Motzko	SYR	No
Joey Tenute	HER	No
Joakim Lindstrom	SYR	No
Jared Aulin	HER	Yes
Nikolai Zherdev	SYR	Yes
Lawrence Nycholat	HER	No
Geoff Platt	SYR	No
Eric Fehr	HER	No
Mark Hartigan	SYR	No
Chris Bourque	HER	No
Joakim Lindstrom	SYR	Yes
Jared Aulin	HER	No

Game Factoids: Face-offs won (unofficial): Hershey: 39, Syracuse: 35 … Hershey finished 3-5 on the power-play, while Syracuse ended at 0-5 … the Bears outshot the Crunch 40-28 … Hershey fell to 1-4 in shootouts this season … Fehr recorded his 8th, multi-point game of the season for Hershey. He switched spots with Syracuse's Geoff Platt in the AHL rookie scoring race -- moving up one spot to #3 with 24 points, while Platt (23 points) dropped to #4 ... Bears C Dave Steckel has collected 8 points in the last 5 contests … Bears D Martin Wilde dropped the gloves with veteran Crunch D Jamie Pushor at the 14:44 mark of the 2nd period. It was mainly Wilde at the beginning and end, with Pushor getting some decent shots in at the middle to earn the slight decision … all 17 Bears skaters in the lineup registered at least one shot on goal … even with the shootout loss, Hershey has collected points in 10 of 11 non-divisional games this season (6-1-1-3) … the Bears have netted at least one power play goal in 20 of 23 games in 05/06 … Zherdev, the 2003 4th overall pick by Columbus, absorbed the biggest hit of the night, taking a near-center ice check from Bears D Jakub Cutta with just over 13 minutes left in the 2nd. He took his time skating back to the Syracuse bench, where he sat out his next several shifts before returning to action later in the period … so far this season, Hershey has opened each month with a loss … the Bears fell to 4-3-2-4 in 1-goal games this season … Syracuse is on a 5-game point streak (4-0-1-0) … Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Jakub Cutta and Mark Wotton on defense, with Bourque, Fehr, and Boyd Gordon at forward … scratched from Hershey were: D Dean Arsene, D J.F. Fortin, and RW Graham Mink … 3 Stars of the Game: (1) Lindstrom, (2) Fleischmann, (3) Tenute … referee Chris Brown … before the game, the Bears held a moment of silence for Steve Sersche, the longtime visiting locker room attendant who passed away on Friday at age 50.

As The [chocolate] World Turns: RW Graham Mink was summoned to the parent Washington Capitals on Saturday, while Klepis returned from the nation's capital. Mink leaves Chocolatetown as the Bears leader in goals scored (14), while Klepis comes back after registering 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in 13 contests for Washington. In the Capitals' 5-1 win over the Rangers on Saturday, Mink logged 7:25 of ice time, registering 1 shot on goal. In his first game back with Hershey, the Czech Republic-born Klepis scored the equalizer in the 3rd period … G Maxime Ouellet -- who had gone from NHL backup to 3rd string in Hershey in a matter of days -- was traded on Friday to the Vancouver Canucks for a 5th round draft pick. Ouellet appeared in only 1 game for the Bears, surrendering 5 goals in a 6-5 loss to the Hartford Wolf Pack on 10/22. He was immediately assigned to the Manitoba Moose

Six Degrees of Separation: Wotton spent 5 seasons with Syracuse from 1994-1999, and also teamed on the blueline with Crunch D Jeff MacMillan for 4 seasons with the Utah Grizzlies … Cassivi spent the 96/97 campaign with Syracuse … last season, MacMillan paired with Nycholat in Hartford … Crunch G Pascal Lecalire and Bears D/LW Louis Robitaille were teammates during the 01/02 season with the Montreal Rocket (QMJHL) … Syracuse LW Darcy Verot spent parts of the last 2 seasons with a Portland Pirates team that features several current Bears … Crunch C Dan Fritsche played alongside Tenute for 2 seasons with the Sarnia Sting (OHL) … Syracuse LW Wes Rypien and Hershey LW Owen Fussey were teammates on the 2001/02 Calgary Hitmen (WHL) … Lindstrom and Wilde played together with Modo (Sweden) in 02/03 … recently reassigned Crunch D Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and Fehr were teammates for 2 seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL).

Coming Up: Hershey concludes its current homestand Sunday evening against Wilkes-Barre at 5 PM. The Penguins enter the Giant Center unbeaten in regulation this season (20-0-2-0, 42 points), and with a 3-0 record versus the Bears in 05/06.

***After Saturday's game, the Capitals reassigned Graham Mink and Brooks Laich to Hershey. Both are to be in uniform for Sunday's showdown against Wilkes-Barre. Washington plans to recall both players early next week.***

Steven Goertzen (right) gives Syracuse a 1-0 lead, taking a Ben Simon cross-ice feed to beat Bears goalie Kirk Daubenspeck at 10:06 of the 1st period.

Syracuse's Joakim Lindstrom (#37) nets the first of his two goals in the game, beating Daubenspeck at 13:04 of the 1st.

Daubenspeck watches as Andy Delmore's right circle blast strikes the mesh, giving the Crunch a 3-0 advantage late in the opening period.

Crunch goalie Andrew Penner turns aside a shot during 2nd period action.

Hershey's Martin Wilde (right) lands a punch on Syracuse's Jamie Pushor during their 2nd period fight.

Jakub Klepis (center) prepares to tie the game at 4-4, sending this shot over the glove of Andrew Penner at 6:15 of the 3rd period. It was Klepis' first game back with Hershey after getting reassigned by Washington on Saturday.

Jared Aulin (left) gives Hershey a 1-0 lead in the shootout, beating Penner on a stick-side attempt.

Nikolai Zherdev immediately responds to Aulin's score, potting this goal past Bears golie Frederic Cassivi.

Joakim Lindstrom, who collected 2 goals during regulation, bags the game-winning tally in the shootout, beating Cassivi to give Syracuse a 5-4 win.

Saturday December 31, 2005 vs. Philadelphia (Posted Sunday 12:27 A.M. EST)

Bears vaporize Phantoms, 5-1

Friday December 30, 2005 at Norfolk (Posted Friday 11:07 P.M. EST)

Bears fall to Admirals in shootout, 2-1

Wednesday December 28, 2005 vs. Albany (Posted Wednesday 11:24 P.M. EST)

Bears trap Rats, 4-2

Hershey makes it 11 straight wins over Albany

Monday December 26, 2005 at Wilkes-Barre (Posted Monday 10:54 P.M EST)

Wheels fall off as Penguins embarrass Bears, 8-1

Sunday December 25, 2005 (Posted Sunday 1:33 A.M EST)

Current Bears Statistical Leaders (through 12-25-05)

Friday December 23, 2005 at Chicago (Posted Saturday 12:38 A.M EST)

Bears rally for 4-3 OT win in Chicago

Hershey reels off 3 straight goals to down Wolves

Thursday December 22, 2005 at Grand Rapids (Posted Thursday 10:08 P.M EST)

Bears take second straight on the chin, 6-4

Hershey falls to 0-5 all-time against Grand Rapids

Sunday December 18, 2005 (Posted Sunday 10:57 P.M EST)

Current Bears Statistical Leaders (through 12-18-05)

Sunday December 18, 2005 vs. Wilkes-Barre (Posted Sunday 10:47 P.M EST)

Caron, Penguins shut down Bears, 3-0

Saturday December 17, 2005 vs. Hamilton (Posted Saturday 11:36 P.M EST)

Bears leash Bulldogs

Sets franchise record for best start

Bears win 4-0

Sunday December 11, 2005 (Posted Sunday 10:16 P.M EST)

Current Bears Statistical Leaders (through 12-11-05)

Sunday December 11, 2005 vs Bridgeport (Posted Sunday 10:16 P.M EST)

Bears share record mark with 4-2 win over Sound Tigers

Join Hershey teams of 46/47 & 96/97 for best start

Saturday December 10, 2005 vs Bridgeport (Posted Saturday 11:36 P.M EST)

Reassignments lead Bears past 'Tigers 4-1

Friday December 9, 2005 at Binghamton (Posted Friday 10:58 P.M EST)

Bears win offensive battle with Sens, 6-4

Wednesday December 7, 2005 at Bridgeport (Posted Wednesday 7:11 P.M EST)

Morning, day, or night

Bears continue to roll with 4-1 win in Bridgeport

Monday December 5, 2005 (Posted Monday 10:04 P.M EST)

Recapping Monday's headlines…

Bourque named to US WJC Team … Bears get the "Terminator"

Sunday December 4, 2005 (Posted Sunday 10:42 P.M EST)

Current Bears Statistical Leaders (through 12-4-05)

Sunday December 4, 2005 vs. Wilkes-Barre (Posted Sunday 10:38 P.M EST)

Bears finally solve Penguins*

*But need shootout to do so in 3-2 win

Hershey's Graham Mink (right) watches as Tomas Fleischmann's shot sails towards Penguins goalie Dany Sabourin, and into the net, tying the game at 1-1 with 8:41 remaining in the 1st period.

Mink (#21) gives the Bears a 2-1 lead at 18:20 of the 1st, sinking this short-handed goal in the top right corner of the Penguins net.

Pens goalie Dany Sabourin makes one of his 25 stops on this Louis Robitaille stick save during the 2nd period.

Jonathan Filewich (left) nets the equalizer for Wilkes-Barre just 1:35 into the 3rd period, pushing the puck past Hershey's Jakub Cutta (center) and Frederic Cassivi.

Kenny Corupe (right) gives Wilkes-Barre a 1-0 advantage in the shootout, beating Cassivi on this attempt.

After Graham Mink evened the score at 1-1, Boyd Gordon would follow up with this shootout-winning score to give the Bears a 3-2 win.

Saturday December 3, 2005 vs. Syracuse (Posted Sunday 1:28 A.M.EST)

The good news: Bears rally to earn point

The bad news: Hershey loses to Syracuse in shootout, 5-4

Steven Goertzen (right) gives Syracuse a 1-0 lead, taking a Ben Simon cross-ice feed to beat Bears goalie Kirk Daubenspeck at 10:06 of the 1st period.

Syracuse's Joakim Lindstrom (#37) nets the first of his two goals in the game, beating Daubenspeck at 13:04 of the 1st.

Daubenspeck watches as Andy Delmore's right circle blast strikes the mesh, giving the Crunch a 3-0 advantage late in the opening period.

Crunch goalie Andrew Penner turns aside a shot during 2nd period action.

Hershey's Martin Wilde (right) lands a punch on Syracuse's Jamie Pushor during their 2nd period fight.

Jakub Klepis (center) prepares to tie the game at 4-4, sending this shot over the glove of Andrew Penner at 6:15 of the 3rd period. It was Klepis' first game back with Hershey after getting reassigned by Washington on Saturday.

Jared Aulin (left) gives Hershey a 1-0 lead in the shootout, beating Penner on a stick-side attempt.

Nikolai Zherdev immediately responds to Aulin's score, potting this goal past Bears golie Frederic Cassivi.

Joakim Lindstrom, who collected 2 goals during regulation, bags the game-winning tally in the shootout, beating Cassivi to give Syracuse a 5-4 win.