Saturday May 26, 2007 at Manchester
(Posted
Sunday 12:53 A.M. EST)
Eastern Conference Finals
- Game 4
Bears punch ticket to Finals
Hershey finishes sweep of
Manchester with 3-1 win
By Joe Shetrom, 7641
Sports
joe@7641.com
The Hershey Bears are returning
to the Calder Cup Finals. The defending champions completed
a four-game sweep of the Manchester Monarchs 3-1 Saturday night
at the Verizon Wireless Arena, and will face the Hamilton Bulldogs
in the best-of-seven series beginning Friday evening at Giant
Center. Hershey will be making their league-record 20th appearance
in the Finals, and will attempt to become the first American
Hockey League club to capture back-to-back Calder Cup titles
since the Springfield Indians in 89/90 & 90/91.
With Manchester's Tim Jackman
in the box for interference, Matt Hendricks would generate the
first score of the game with a power play goal at 13:09 of the
1st period.
Former Monarch Scott Barney
made it 2-0 Hershey at 5:03 of the 2nd, picking up his 8th goal
of the postseason with assists from Troy Milam and Kyle Wilson.
The marker would stand as the eventual game-winner.
Matt Ryan would cut the
Hershey lead in half at 12:09 of the 3rd, nullifying Bears netminder
Frederic Cassivi's shutout bid. It would be the first and only
goal the veteran goalie allowed in the contest, though.
Hendricks would bookend
the game's scoring at 19:25, sealing the Eastern Conference
Finals with an empty-net tally to propel Hershey to a league-tying
seventh straight series win.
Cassivi improved to 12-2
this postseason, finishing with 31 saves and first star of the
game honors.
Jason LaBarbera fell to
6-7 in the playoffs with a 27-save performance for Manchester.
|
TEAM
|
1ST
|
2ND
|
3RD
|
Total
|
|
Hershey
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
3
|
|
Manchester
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
FIRST PERIOD - Scoring:
1, HER, Hendricks 7 (power play) (Milam, Giroux), 13:09. Penalties:
Jackman, MAN (interference), 12:05; Bourque, HER (hooking),
16:03; Likens, MAN (interference), 19:11.
SECOND PERIOD - Scoring:
2, HER, Barney 8 (game-winner) (Milam, Wilson), 5:03. Penalties:
Hendricks, HER (tripping), 7:35; Jackman, MAN (hooking), 10:21;
Murray, MAN (slashing), 11:55
THIRD PERIOD - Scoring:
3, MAN, Ryan 3 (O'Sullivan, Nolan), 12:09. 4, HER, Hendricks
8 (empty net) (Laing, Hedlund), 19:25. Penalties: None.
Game Factoids: Hershey
finished 1-4 on the power-play, while Manchester ended at 0-2
The Monarchs outshot the Bears 32-30
Hershey previously
won consecutive Calder Cups in 57/58 and 58/59
Cassivi stopped
121 of 126 shots in the series (96%)
Milam played his first
contest since Game 2 of the Albany series, collecting 2 assists
Wilson (5 goals, 3 assists) and Barney (5G, 4A) have combined
for 17 points over the last 5 games
Hershey ended the series
with a 33.3 power play percentage (8-24), while Manchester finished
at 7.1% (2-28)
The Bears are 8-0 this postseason when scoring
first
The Monarchs never led in the series
LW Peter Vandermeer
made his 06/07 playoff debut. It was his first game since the
regular season finale April 15th in Philadelphia
Wilson and
Quintin Laing were the only Hershey skaters to not register
a shot on goal
The Bears needed just 14 games to reach the
Finals. Last year's Calder Cup-winning club took 15 games to
accomplish the same feat
Hershey has gone 28-7 over the last
two playoff campaigns
Including the regular season, the Bears
went 6-0 against Manchester in 06/07
This will be the first
year since 2001 - when the AHL absorbed six former IHL clubs
- that a one-time IHL team has not appeared in the Calder Cup
Finals
Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Mike Green
and Tyler Sloan on defense, with Chris Bourque, Laing, and Dave
Steckel at forward
Scratched from Hershey: D Dean Arsene,
LW Kip Brennan, D Marc Busenburg, D Sean Collins, RW Eric Fehr,
D Jamie Hunt, G Daren Machesney, LW Louis Robitaille, C Joey
Tenute, D Tim Wedderburn, and RW Stephen Werner
3 Stars of
the Game: (1) Cassivi, (2) Milam, (3) Ryan
Referee: Frederic
L'Ecuyer.
Coming Up: The Bears
begin their quest for an AHL-record 10th Calder Cup Championship
Friday night at Giant Center, facing off against the Bulldogs
at 7 PM. Hershey went 1-1 versus Hamilton in 06/07, winning
3-2 on the road Oct 13, and dropping a 5-2 decision at Giant
Center Feb 18
The Bears and Bulldogs have previously met in
the Calder Cup Finals, with Hershey winning four games to one
in 1997 to claim their 8th league championship
This year's
match-up will feature strong goaltending on both sides, with
the veteran Cassivi leading the Bears and 19-year-old rookie
Carey Price tending the net for Hamilton
It will mark the
third Finals appearance in 10 years for each team, with Hershey
capturing titles in 1997 and 2006 and Hamilton losing in 1997
and 2003.
2007 Calder Cup Finals
Game1 - Fri., June 1 -
Hamilton at Hershey, 7:00 PM
Game 2 - Sat., June 2
- Hamilton at Hershey, 7:00 PM
Game 3 - Mon., June 4
- Hershey at Hamilton, 7:30 PM
Game 4 - Wed., June 6
- Hershey at Hamilton, 7:30 PM
*Game 5 - Thu., June 7
- Hershey at Hamilton, 7:30 PM
*Game 6 - Tue., June 12
- Hamilton at Hershey, 7:00 PM
*Game 7 - Fri., June 15
- Hamilton at Hershey, 7:00 PM
*if necessary
Wednesday May 23, 2007 at
Manchester (Posted
Thursday 8:57 P.M. EST)
Eastern Conference Finals
- Game 3
Bears within one of Finals
Hershey defeats Manchester
4-1
By Joe Shetrom, 7641
Sports
joe@7641.com
The Hershey Bears continue
to have the Manchester Monarchs' number this season. With Game
3 of the Eastern Conference Finals shifting to the Verizon Wireless
Arena Wednesday night, the Bears tallied the game's first three
goals before claiming a 4-1 victory and taking a commanding
3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Including the two regular
season match-ups, Hershey is 5-0 versus Manchester in 06/07.
Following a scoreless 1st
period, Kyle Wilson got the visiting Bears on the scoreboard
first, tallying a power play goal at 4:44 of the 2nd.
Tomas Fleischmann would
round out the scoring in the 2nd stanza, collecting his 4th
of the playoffs at 17:26 to give Hershey a 2-0 advantage.
With Peter Harrold serving
a hooking call for Manchester, Mike Green extended his point
streak to 5 games with his 7th of the postseason at 1:40 of
the 3rd.
Harrold would redeem himself,
though, registering a power play marker at 16:24 to cut the
Bears lead to 3-1. The goal would stand as the Monarchs' only
score in the contest.
Chad Wiseman's even strength
goal just over a minute later at 17:26 sealed Manchester's fate,
however, pushing Manchester to the brink of elimination.
Frederic Cassivi (11-2)
stopped 34 of 35 shots to improve to 27-5 over the last two
years in the postseason.
Jason LaBarbera (6-6), the
AHL's 1st Team All-Star goaltender in 06/07, fell to 0-4 against
the Bears this season. He finished with 33 saves.
|
TEAM
|
1ST
|
2ND
|
3RD
|
Total
|
|
Hershey
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
|
Manchester
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
FIRST PERIOD - Scoring:
None. Penalties: Wilson (hooking), 2:36; Jackman, MAN (slashing),
5:39; Bourque, HER (hooking), 5:59; Petiot, MAN (cross-checking),
8:06; Green, HER (hooking), 8:18; Jackman, MAN (cross-checking),
13:50.
SECOND PERIOD - Scoring:
1, HER, Wilson 7 (power play) (Fleischmann, Barney), 4:44. 2,
HER, Fleischmann 4 (game-winner) (Wilson), 17:26. Penalties:
Giuliano, MAN (hooking), 4:30; Stephenson, MAN (hooking), 12:59;
Wedderburn, HER (holding), 17:49.
THIRD PERIOD - Scoring:
3, HER, Green 7 (power play) (Wilson, Fleischmann), 11:40. 4,
MAN, Harrold 3 (power play) (Murray, O'Sullivan), 16:24. 5,
HER, Wiseman 2 (unassisted), 17:26. Penalties: Zeiler, MAN (high-sticking),
:05; Harrold, MAN (hooking), 10:01; Brennan, HER (holding, fighting
major), 12:49; Jackman, MAN (fighting major), 12:49; Klepis,
HER (boarding), 15:57; Brennan, HER (gross misconduct), 19:40.
Game Factoids: Hershey
finished 2-7 on the power-play, while Manchester ended at 1-6
The Bears outshot the Monarchs 37-35
During his 5-game scoring
streak, Green has accumulated 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists).
6 of his 7 goals this spring have come via the power play, leading
the AHL
Fleischmann is the seventh different player to register
a game-winning goal for Hershey this postseason
LaBarbera,
who led the AHL with a .933 Save Percentage this season, has
posted a .860 mark in the Conference Finals
Hershey has never
fallen behind in any of the 5 head-to-head meetings with Manchester
this season
Wilson and Fleischmann each collected a goal and
2 assists. Fleischmann, who led the Bears and all AHL players
in playoff scoring last season with 32 points, currently leads
the team with 17 points
The Bears have outscored the Monarchs
in the series 15-4
While serving 7 minutes worth of penalties
for a fight with Manchester's Tim Jackman, LW Kip Brennan was
assessed a gross misconduct at 19:40 of the 3rd for trading
punches with a fan who grabbed the Bears enforcer in the penalty
box. For his troubles, the fan had his shirt ripped and was
escorted from the building
D Tim Wedderburn returned to the
lineup after being scratched in Game 2
Green leads all Bears
skaters with 9 starts this postseason
Hershey Head Coach Bruce
Boudreau started Green and Wedderburn on defense, with Chris
Bourque, Quintin Laing, and Dave Steckel at forward
Scratched
from Hershey: D Dean Arsene, D Marc Busenburg, D Sean Collins,
RW Eric Fehr, D Jamie Hunt, G Daren Machesney, D Troy Milam,
C Brad Ralph, LW Louis Robitaille, C Joey Tenute, LW Peter Vandermeer,
and RW Stephen Werner
3 Stars of the Game: (1) Cassivi, (2)
Fleischmann, (3) Harrold
Referee: Steve Kozari.
Coming Up: Hershey
looks to finish off a four-game sweep of the Monarchs Saturday
night in Manchester and advance to the Calder Cup Finals. Face-off
is set for 7:35 PM.
Sunday May 20, 2007 vs Manchester
(Posted
Monday 5:57 P.M. EST)
Eastern Conference Finals
- Game 2
Bears trump Monarchs 4-1
By Joe Shetrom, 7641
Sports
joe@7641.com
The Hershey Bears stand
just two wins away from a second straight trip to the Calder
Cup Finals following a 4-1 win over the Manchester Monarchs
in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals before 8,346 Sunday
night at Giant Center. Mike Green bagged a pair goals, and Hershey
special teams were able to kill off 13 of a season-high 14 man-down
chances to claim a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Kyle Wilson pocketed the
eventual game-winner on the power play with 31 seconds left
in the 1st period, while Matt Hendricks capped the scoring with
an empty-netter at 19:19 of the 3rd.
Frederic Cassivi improved
to 10-2 this postseason by stopping 30 of 31 shots.
Patrick O'Sullivan registered
the lone Manchester goal during a 5-on-3 man advantage at 17:14
of the 1st, briefly knotting the contest at 1-1.
Jason LaBarbera fell to
6-5 in the playoffs with 22 saves.
|
TEAM
|
1ST
|
2ND
|
3RD
|
Total
|
|
Manchester
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Hershey
|
2
|
1
|
1
|
4
|
FIRST PERIOD - Scoring:
1, HER, Green 5 (Arsene, Joudrey), 4:35. 2, MAN, O'Sullivan
8 (power play) (Kemp, Harrold), 17:14. 3, HER, Wilson 6 (power
play) (Barney), 19:29. Penalties: Sloan, HER (tripping), 7:47;
Gauthier, MAN (hooking), 12:27; Bourque, HER (boarding), 12:50;
Schultz, HER (interference), 14:10; Laing, HER (high-sticking),
14:15; Hendricks, HER (cross-checking), 16:33; Arsene, HER (cross-checking),
16:58; Boyle, MAN (holding), 18:50.
SECOND PERIOD - Scoring:
4, HER, Green 6 (power play) (Sloan), 7:32. Penalties: Hedlund,
HER (slashing), 2:05; Gauthier, MAN (tripping), 4:26; Green,
HER (holding), 5:25; Schmidt, MAN (interference), 6:57; Green,
HER (tripping), 8:24; Sloan, HER (hooking), 10:06; Boyle, MAN
(hooking), 17:02.
THIRD PERIOD - Scoring:
5, HER, Hendricks 6 (empty net) (Wiseman, Sloan), 19:19. Penalties:
Green, HER (elbowing), 3:03; MAN bench, served by Kanko (too
many men), 6:30; Kanko, MAN (hooking), 12:38; Hendricks, HER
(goaltender interference), 13:10; Giroux, HER (tripping), 15:50;
Wiseman, HER (hooking), 17:11.
Game Factoids: Face-offs
won (unofficial): Hershey: 31, Manchester: 35
Hershey finished
2-7 on the power-play, while Manchester ended at 1-14
The
Monarchs outshot the Bears 31-26
Manchester has never led
at any point during the 4 head-to-head meetings this season
The Bears are 10-29 on the man advantage over the last 4 games
(34.4%)
Hershey is 6-0 this postseason when scoring first
C Andrew Joudrey returned to the lineup, earning an assist
on Green's first goal
Manchester had 5-on-3 power play opportunities
in each period, including a 39-second two-man advantage with
less than 3 minutes left in regulation
Hershey Head Coach
Bruce Boudreau started Dean Arsene and Green on defense, with
Scott Barney, Tomas Fleischmann, and Wilson at forward
Scratched
from Hershey: LW Kip Brennan, D Marc Busenburg, D Sean Collins,
D Jamie Hunt, G Daren Machesney, D Troy Milam, C Brad Ralph,
C Joey Tenute, LW Peter Vandermeer, D Tim Wedderburn, and RW
Stephen Werner
3 Stars of the Game: (1) Green, (2) Cassivi,
(3) Dave Steckel
Referee: Dean Morton.
Coming Up: The series
now shifts to Manchester for Games 3, 4, and if necessary, 5.
Game 3 is set for 7:05 Wednesday evening at the Verizon Wireless
Arena.
Bears captain
Dean Arsene lands a crushing hip check on the Monarch's TJ Kemp.
Manchester netminder
Jason LaBarbera, seemingly under fire all night, makes a save
on this Dave Steckel drive to the net.
The Bears Kyle
Wilson puts Hershey ahead 2-1 with this shot that found the
5-hole.
After exiting
the penalty box, Hershey's Mike Green took a pass from Tyler
Sloan and is shown here rejoicing his break-away goal.
Saturday May 19, 2007 vs Manchester
(Posted
Sunday 10:57 A.M. EST)
Eastern Conference Finals
- Game 1
Bears reign over Monarchs
in Game 1
Hershey clubs Monarchs 7-2
By Joe Shetrom, 7641
Sports
joe@7641.com
Picking up from where their
offense left off in the second round - a 7-6 overtime win against
Wilkes-Barre on May 11th - the Hershey Bears commenced the Eastern
Conference Finals with a 7-goal onslaught en route to thumping
the Manchester Monarchs 7-2 in Game 1 before 9,001 Saturday
night at Giant Center.
In a series pitting the
American Hockey League's top two point leaders of 2006/07, Hershey
jumped out to a 3-0 lead midway through the 1st period courtesy
of Dave Steckel's even strength (2:20) and short-handed (9:12)
tallies and former Monarch Scott Barney's power play marker
at 7:31.
Mike Green would give the
Bears a 4-1 advantage halfway through the 2nd, firing a slapshot
from the point past Manchester goaltender Jason LaBarbera (6-4)
at 10:45.
Jeff Giuliano's third of
the playoffs at 2:47 of the 3rd would cut Hershey's lead in
half to 4-2, but Chad Wiseman responded less than a minute later
at 3:26 with his first of the postseason.
Kyle Wilson capped the
scoring with a pair of goals at 10:43 and 14:21, respectively,
to give the Bears their most lopsided victory of the second
season.
Frederic Cassivi (9-2) earned
the victory with 26 saves on 28 shots. LaBarbera, winner of
this year's Harry "Hap" Holmes (Best Goals Against Average)
and Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial (Outstanding Goaltender) Awards,
was chased after allowing six goals on 33 shots, leaving backup
goalie Barry Brust to mop-up duty with 8:50 remaining in regulation.
|
TEAM
|
1ST
|
2ND
|
3RD
|
Total
|
|
Manchester
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
|
Hershey
|
3
|
1
|
3
|
7
|
FIRST PERIOD - Scoring:
1, HER, Steckel 5 (Laing, Wedderburn), 2:20. 2, HER, Barney
7 (power play) (Fleischmann, Bourque), 7:31. 3, HER, Steckel
6 (game-winner) (short handed) (Sloan), 9:12. 4, MAN, Moulson
2 (Zeiler, Gauthier), 14:06. Penalties: Nolan, MAN (hooking),
6:59; Green, HER (tripping), 7:54; Arsene, HER (roughing), 10:27;
Ryan, MAN (high-sticking), 15:46; Klepis, HER (high-sticking),
19:39.
SECOND PERIOD - Scoring:
5, HER, Green 4 (power play) (Fleischmann, Barney), 10:45. Penalties:
Steckel, HER (hooking), 1:31; Gauthier, MAN (interference),
9:42; Kanko, MAN (unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:31; Robitaille,
HER (unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:31; Ryan, MAN (kneeing), 13:33;
Gauthier, MAN (roughing), 18:12; Wilson, HER (boarding), 18:12;
Arsene, HER (roughing), 18:12.
THIRD PERIOD - Scoring:
6, MAN, Giuliano 3 (Ryan, O'Sullivan), 2:47. 7, HER, Wiseman
1 (Green), 3:26. 8, HER, Wilson 4 (power play) (Giroux, Bourque),
10:43. 9, HER, Wilson 5 (Sloan, Fleischmann), 14:21. Penalties:
Murphy, MAN (roughing), 6:39; Tverdovsky, MAN (interference),
6:39; Bourque, HER (roughing), 6:39; Harrold, MAN (elbowing),
9:11; Robitaille, HER (unsportsmanlike conduct - diving), 19:25;
Nolan, MAN (fighting major), 20:00; Laing, HER (fighting major),
20:00.
Game Factoids: Face-offs
won (unofficial): Hershey: 29, Manchester: 31
Hershey finished
3-6 on the power-play, while Manchester ended at 0-6
The Bears
outshot the Monarchs 37-28
LaBarbera has been replaced by
Brust in both starts at Giant Center this season (allowed 3
goals on 10 shots in 1st period on November 25th)
LW Tomas
Fleischmann (3 assists) ended with a game-high 3 points
Steckel,
who is the seventh different player to register a game-winner
for Hershey this spring, leads the AHL with 3 short-handed markers
this postseason
7 players collected multiple points for the
Bears
Hershey has recorded three goals in the 1st period in
each of the 3 head-to-head matchups with Manchester this season
Bears captain Dean Arsene made his 06/07 playoff debut after
missing the first two rounds due to injury
Monarchs D Doug
Nolan stayed down for several moments after taking a big hit
by Wilson along the end boards in the 2nd. He returned to the
game, though, dropping the gloves with Quintin Laing at the
end of regulation. The veteran blueliner has earned fighting
majors in all 3 meetings so far this season
C Brad Ralph made
his Bears debut, playing on a line with Wiseman and Louis Robitaille.
The 26-year-old has spent the last two seasons with the Columbia
Inferno (ECHL), registering 47 goals in 128 contests. It was
his first AHL game played since the 02/03 campaign with Springfield
Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started Arsene and Green
on defense, with Alexandre Giroux, Jakub Klepis, and Matt Hendricks
at forward
Scratched from Hershey: D Marc Busenburg, RW Eric
Fehr, D Deryk Engelland, D Jamie Hunt, C Andrew Joudrey, G Daren
Machesney, D Troy Milam, C Joey Tenute, LW Peter Vandermeer,
and RW Stephen Werner
3 Stars of the Game: (1) Steckel, (2)
Green, (3) Cassivi
Referee: Terry Koharski.
Coming Up: The Bears
look to take a 2-0 series lead on the Monarchs as the Eastern
Conference Finals resume at 6 PM at Giant Center.
At 2:20 of the
1st period, the Bears Dave Steckel begins the onslaught beating
the Monarchs' Jason LaBarbera.
Less than 5 minutes
later and on the powerplay, Scott Barney puts Hershey up 2-0.
The Monarch's
Matt Moulson lifts the puck past Frederic Cassivi during 1st
period play. Photo courtesy of Jessica Kovalcin.
Manchester's Brendan
Buckley tries to clear Scott Barney from screening LaBarbera
as Mike Green's 2nd period tally is on the way to the back of
the net.
Hershey's Kyle
Wilson jabs at the puck and slides it behind LaBarbera to put
Hershey ahead 6-2 during 3rd period play.
After Wilson's
Goal, there was a changing of the Guard as Barry Brust replaced
LaBarbera in the 3rd period.
Brust faired no
better as he allows Wilson to score his second goal of the night
and put Hershey ahead 7-2.
Friday May 11, 2007 vs Wilkes-Barre
(Posted
Saturday 4:59 P.M. EST)
East Division Final - Game
5
Bears win OT thriller, series
Hershey squeaks by WBS in
Game 6, 7-6
By Joe Shetrom, 7641
Sports
joe@7641.com
On May 11, 1997, Bears alternate
captain Blair Atcheynum tallied an overtime goal to defeat arch
rival Philadelphia 3-2 at Hershey Park Arena. Fast forward exactly
a decade later, insert current captain - and alternate captain
through most of the 2007/07 campaign -Alexandre Giroux, and
you've got an ironic scenario. Wednesday evening, Hershey's
leading goal scorer in the regular season tallied his biggest
marker to date 4:58 into overtime, jamming home a 5-on-3 power
play goal to elevate the Bears to a 7-6 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Penguins and earn their second straight trip to the Eastern
Conference Finals.
Scott Barney netted a hat
trick and an assist, while Tomas Fleischmann tied a Bears playoff
record with 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) as Hershey captured
its sixth consecutive playoff series. Kyle Wilson and Dave Steckel
(short-handed) also registered lamp-lighters, with goaltender
Frederic Cassivi (8-2) earning the win with 35 saves.
Marc-Andre Pouliot (2G,
1A) and Micki DuPont (3 assists) led the Penguins with 3 points
apiece, while netminder Nolan Schaefer suffered the loss with
29 saves.
|
TEAM
|
1ST
|
2ND
|
3RD
|
OT
|
Total
|
|
Wilkes-Barre
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
6
|
|
Hershey
|
4
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
7
|
FIRST PERIOD - Scoring:
1, WBS, Pouliot 4 (Young, Nilsson), 4:00. 2, HER, Barney 4 (power
play) (Green, Fleischmann), 6:25. 3, HER, Wilson 3 (Klepis,
Fleischmann), 9:10. 4, WBS, Jensen 2 (power play) (Letang, Pouliot),
14:08. 5, HER, Steckel (short-handed) (unassisted), 14:39. 6,
WBS, Nilsson 3 (power play) (McLean), 16:05. 7, HER, Barney
5 (power play) (Fleischmann, Wiseman), 19:09. Penalties: DuPont,
WBS (hooking), 5:05; Filewich, WBS (hooking), 6:20; Wiseman,
HER (interference), 7:03; Wiseman, HER (holding), 10:26; Fleischmann,
HER (slashing), 12:51; Barney, HER (slashing), 14:27; Skolney,
WBS (boarding), 17:18; Jacques, WBS (fighting major), 17:18;
Engelland, HER (fighting major), 17:18; Lannon, WBS (tripping),
17:58.
SECOND PERIOD - Scoring:
8, WBS, Pouliot 5 (power play) (Jensen, DuPont), 9:54. 9, HER,
Barney 6 (Fleischmann, Green), 10:58. 10, WBS, James 4 (short-handed)
(DuPont, Dixon), 15:34. Penalties: Green, HER (roughing), :29;
Letang, WBS (charging), :51; Robitaille, HER (unsportsmanlike
conduct), 3:30; Letestu, WBS (hooking), 6:35; Hendricks, HER
(broken stick), 8:48; Nilsson, WBS (slashing), 14:57; Green,
HER (interference), 18:07; Steckel, HER (slashing), 18:46.
THIRD PERIOD - Scoring:
11, WBS, Filewich 4 (power play) (DuPont, Schaefer), :30. 12,
HER, Fleischmann 3 (Schultz, Barney), 4:34. Penalties: Giroux,
HER (charging), 1:45; Brodziak, WBS (hooking), 10:07; Wedderburn,
HER (tripping), 12:43.
OVERTIME -- Scoring:
13, HER, Giroux 4 (game-winner) (power play) (Hedlund, Bourque),
4:58. Penalties: Sloan, HER (interference), :40; Jensen, WBS
(goaltender interference), 1:25; DuPont, WBS (holding), 3:03;
Filewich, WBS (hooking), 4:48.
Game Factoids: Face-offs
won (unofficial): Hershey: 39, Wilkes-Barre: 35
Hershey 3-11
finished on the power-play, whileWilkes-Barre ended at 4-12
The Penguins outshot the Bears 41-36
The last Bears player
to register a 5-point game in the playoffs was Bill Armstrong,
who collected a goal and 4 assists in an 11-1 win over Adirondack
on 4-3-91
All 3 of Hershey's power play goals were of the
5-on-3 variety
Seven of the Bears' 10 contests this postseason
have been decided by one goal (5-2 record)
Only 4 of the 13
combined goals were scored at even strength
Pens D Kris Letang
made his AHL debut, earning an assist on Jensen's 1st period
score
C Matt Hendricks saw his four game goal streak end
Faces in the crowd included Pittsburgh Penguins and former WBS
Penguins coach Michel Therrien
Former Bear Jonas Johansson,
who spent all or parts of the last two seasons with Hershey
before getting shipped to Grand Rapids in March for Barney,
signed with HV 71 in his native Sweden
Hershey Head Coach
Bruce Boudreau started Mike Green and Tim Wedderburn on defense,
with Giroux, Hendricks and Jakub Klepis at forward
Scratched
from Hershey: D Dean Arsene, D Marc Busenburg, D Sean Collins,
RW Eric Fehr, D Jamie Hunt, C Andrew Joudrey, G Daren Machesney,
D Troy Milam, C Joey Tenute, LW Peter Vandermeer, and RW Stephen
Werner
3 Stars of the Game: (1) Barney, (2) Fleischmann, (3)
Pouliot
Referee: Nygel Pelletier.
Coming Up: Hershey
awaits the winner of the North Division Finals pitting the Manchester
Monarchs against the Providence Bruins. The Eastern Conference
Finals will begin next Saturday, May 19th at Giant Center. Face-off
is scheduled for 7 PM.
Kyle Wilson beats
Nola Schaefer with this 1st period breakaway goal. The goal
put the Bears up 2-1.
The Penguins Robert
Nilsson knots the contest at 3-3 by depositing a loose puck
behind Bears netminder Frederic Cassivi.
Hershey's Scott
Barney picks up his second goal of the night to put the Bears
ahead 5-4 during 2nd period play.
Hershey's Tomas
Fleischmann backhands a rebound over a floundering Nolan Schaefer
to once again even the game and force overtime.
Hershey came 'this
close' to ending the series early in the overtime period. The
low lining shot rings off the bottom of the goal post.
At 4:58 of the
overtime period and on the power-play, Alexandre Giroux fires
a rebound to the back of the net and propel the Hershey Bears
to the Eastern Conference Finals. Photo courtesy
of Jessica Kovalcin.
Wednesday May 9, 2007 at Wilkes-Barre
(Posted
Thursday 4:01 P.M. EST)
East Division Final - Game
4
Overtime Penalty Dooms Bears
Wilkes-Barre nets game winner
in 1st minute of OT, Beat Bears 3-2
|
TEAM
|
1ST
|
2ND
|
3RD
|
OT
|
Total
|
|
Hershey
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
|
Wilkes-Barre
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
3
|
Scoring
1. WBS Stone, (2) (Brodziak,
Skolney), 3:18
1. HER Klepis, (2) (Giroux,
Hendricks), 18:11 (PP)
2. WBS McLean, (3) (Filewich,
DuPont), 7:48 (PP)
2. HER Hendricks, (5) (Green,
Klepis), 15:25 (PP)
OT. WBS McLean, (4) (Jacques,
Brodziak), 0:35 (PP)
Penalties
1 - HER Brennan, 3:06 -
Roughing , 2 min
1 - WBS Bonvie, 3:06 - Roughing
, 2 min
1 - HER Giroux, 5:02 - Roughing
, 2 min
1 - HER Hedlund, 5:02 -
Hooking , 2 min (PP)
1 - WBS Dixon, 5:02 - Roughing
, 2 min
1 - HER Brennan, 5:12 -
Fighting , 5 min
1 - WBS Bonvie, 5:12 - Fighting
, 5 min
1 - WBS Stone, 15:13 - Slashing
, 2 min (PP)
1 - WBS DuPont, 16:56 -
Holding , 2 min (PP)
1 - WBS Dixon, 18:11 - Slashing
, 2 min (PP)
2 - HER Brennan, 2:50 -
Boarding , 2 min (PP)
2 - HER Hendricks, 4:18
- Tripping , 2 min (PP)
2 - HER Barney, 7:32 - Roughing
, 2 min (PP)
2 - HER Brennan, 7:32 -
Roughing , 2 min
2 - WBS Stone, 7:32 - Major
- Boarding , 5 min (PP)
2 - WBS Stone, 7:32 - Game
misconduct - Boarding (42.5), 10 min
2 - WBS McLean, 14:48 -
Slashing , 2 min (PP)
OT - HER Wiseman, 0:11 -
Hooking , 2 min (PP)
Three Stars
1. WBS - 17 Kurtis McLean
2. WBS - 1 Nolan Schaefer
3. HER - 15 Jakub Klepis
Coming Up: Hershey
will look to finish off the Penguins Friday night at the Giant
Center and advance to the third round of the AHL playoffs. Face-off
is set for 7 PM.
Saturday May 5, 2007
(Posted
Monday 10:57 P.M. EST)
Old Time Hockey, Part 2
Hanson Brothers return for
encore appearance
By Joe Shetrom, 7641
Sports
The Hanson Brothers were
back, and they brought their toys with them. The iconic trio,
known for their memorable roles in Slapshot, returned to the
Harrisburg area for a charity hockey game Saturday afternoon
at Twin Ponds East. It's the second straight year the black
eyeglass-wearing threesome - Jeff Carlson, Steve Carlson and
Dave Hanson - have participated in Play It Again for Charity's
annual fundraiser. This year's theme was "Paint the Rink Pink,"
with proceeds benefiting the Central Pennsylvania Breast Cancer
Coalition. "We like what they do," said Rob Ziemba, founder
of Play It Again for Charity, referring to the CPBCA. "Their
staff gets very involved with the people that have mass form
and I think that's very important."
This is the seventh year
Ziemba and Jon Jehrio, Chairman of Play It Again for Charity,
have organized such an event, with a cumulative total of $10,400
raised for various organizations. "It's probably a good six
months out of the year, just planning it," said Ziemba. "It
takes a lot of time to do the things we do." It's also the second
consecutive year the Hanson Brothers have taken part in the
festivities. "They like small venues," remarked Ziemba. "They
(The Hansons) love the mom and pop rinks like we have here,
where they can interact directly with the fans."
Steve Carlson, who portrayed
Steve Hanson in the original Slapshot film 30 years ago - and
spent nearly 20 years playing and coaching in the pro ranks
- enjoys the annual charity events. "Meeting the people, associating
with the people, playing with the guys - it's just a fun thing
to do," said Carlson. The 51-year-old Minnesota native also
commented that the trio remains very busy. "This year has been
kind of freakish," he said. "We did six commercials in Canada
and I run the merchandise on our site (at www.stevecarlsonhockey.com).
It'll be nice to take a couple months off, just to relax."
Carlson played a knuckle-dragging
goon in Slapshot, but during his professional career, he never
amassed more than 84 penalty minutes in one season. "The movie
helped my career a lot," noted Carlson. "They thought I was
tough. When Dave (Hanson) and Jeff (Carlson) were tough, I wasn't.
They (opposing players) thought I was, so they kind of let me
alone a bit."
In the game, which pitted
the Red Robin Robins against the Harbour House Crabs, the clown
princes of hockey were up to their old tricks. When a questionable
offsides was whistled during the 1st period, all three Hansons
offered their trademark glasses to a linesman, earning a chorus
of laughs from the players and spectators. The trio also sported
pink laces in support of breast cancer awareness, and played
in their famous Charlestown Chiefs jerseys. At the final buzzer,
the score stood at 9-4 in favor of the Red Robins. Following
the contest, the threesome signed autographs for close to an
hour in the Twin Ponds lobby.
And what about next year's
event. Any plans in the works? "I don't even want to think about
hockey for three months," joked Ziemba. "I don't think my wife
will allow me."
Team Red Robin
Team Harbor House Crabs
Saturday May 5, 2007 at Wilkes-Barre
(Posted
Sunday 9:18 A.M. EST)
East Division Final - Game
3
Cassivi, Bears blank Penguins
2-0
Hershey pushes Wilkes-Barre
to brink of elimination
By Joe Shetrom, 7641
Sports
joe@7641.com
The Hershey Bears made it
seven straight playoff wins over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins,
shutting out their intrastate rival 2-0 before 6,800 Saturday
night at the Wachovia Arena. Matt Hendricks (8:38 of the 1st)
and Quintin Laing (13:16 of the 2nd) provided the goal scoring,
while Frederic Cassivi (7-1) blanked the Penguins with 19 saves
for his sixth career postseason shutout. Hershey now owns a
commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven East Division Finals
and can punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals
for a second consecutive year with a victory Wednesday evening
in Northeast PA.
|
TEAM
|
1ST
|
2ND
|
3RD
|
Total
|
|
Hershey
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
|
Wilkes-Barre
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
FIRST PERIOD - Scoring:
1, HER, Hendricks 4 (game-winner) (Giroux), 8:38. Penalties:
Lannon, WBS (tripping), 2:41; Giroux, HER (hooking), 4:59; Steckel,
HER (holding), 13:02; Schultz, HER (holding), 15:26; Wilson,
HER (roughing), 18:04; Wallace, WBS (roughing), 18:04; Hedlund,
HER (high-sticking), 19:43.
SECOND PERIOD - Scoring:
2, HER, Laing 2 (Joudrey, Steckel), 13:16. Penalties: Hedlund,
HER (tripping), 2:59; WBS bench, served by Jacques (too many
men), 8:39; Laing, HER (hooking), 10:57; Steckel, HER (hooking),
14:46; James, WBS (hooking), 18:19.
THIRD PERIOD - Scoring:
None. Penalties: Schultz, HER (hooking), 2:34; Ratchuk, WBS
(hooking), 4:26; Young, WBS (hooking), 7:08; Giroux, HER (tripping),
12:09; Hedlund, HER (interference), 16:58.
Game Factoids: Hershey
finished 0-5 on the power-play, while Wilkes-Barre ended at
0-10
The Bears outshot the Penguins 22-19
C Andrew Joudrey
recorded his first professional point on Laing's 2nd period
insurance marker
The Bears scored the initial goal for the
first time in the series
Hershey has killed off 33 of its
last 34 penalties, including all 20 in the series
The Bears
have yet to score a power play goal in the series
Hershey
Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started and on defense, with at forward
Scratched from Hershey: D Dean Arsene, D Marc Busenburg, D
Sean Collins, RW Eric Fehr, D Jamie Hunt, G Daren Machesney,
D Troy Milam, C Joey Tenute, LW Peter Vandermeer, RW Stephen
Werner and LW Chad Wiseman
3 Stars of the Game: (1) Cassivi,
(2) Hendricks, (3) Laing
Referee: Chris Ciamaga.
Coming Up: Hershey
will look to finish off a 4-game sweep of the Penguins Wednesday
night and advance to the third round of the AHL playoffs. Face-off
is set for 7 PM.
Friday May 4, 2007 vs Wilkes-Barre
(Posted
Saturday 3:18 P.M. EST)
East Division Final - Game
2
Bears mount comeback, ice
Pens in OT
By Joe Shetrom, 7641
Sports
joe@7641.com
Facing a 3-0 deficit midway
through the 2nd period, the Hershey Bears mounted the insurmountable,
storming back to tie the contest in regulation before claiming
a thrilling 4-3 double overtime win in front of 7,919 Friday
night at Giant Center. Alexandre Giroux collected a pair of
clutch goals for Hershey, registering the equalizer at 12:31
of the 3rd, then picking up a Kyle Wilson rebound and depositing
the game-winner 5:57 into the second frame of sudden death.
Matt Hendricks and Dave Steckel also rang up lamp-lighters for
the Bears, who now own a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven East
Division Finals. Frederic Cassivi (6-1) picked up the win by
stopping 41 of 44 shots. Conor James, Kurtis McLean and Micki
DuPont staked the Penguins with a 3-0 advantage while Nolan
Schaefer (4-4) finished with 50 saves.
|
TEAM
|
1ST
|
2ND
|
3RD
|
OT
|
2OT
|
Total
|
|
Wilkes-Barre
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
|
Hershey
|
0
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
1
|
4
|
FIRST PERIOD - Scoring:
1, WBS, James 3 (Nilsson, Pouliot), 11:58. Penalties: Skolney,
WBS (interference), 3:31; Schultz, HER (interference), 5:58;
Gilbert, WBS (hooking), 8:02; Jacques, WBS (cross-checking),
15:46.
SECOND PERIOD - Scoring:
2, WBS, McLean 2 (Nilsson), 5:08. 3, WBS, DuPont 5 (unassisted),
6:23. 4, HER, Hendricks 3 (Giroux, Steckel), 12:13. Penalties:
DuPont, WBS (holding), 9:51; Lannon, WBS (roughing), 11:01;
Klepis, HER (roughing), 11:01; Engelland, HER (holding), 14:15;
Sloan, HER (boarding), 16:09.
THIRD PERIOD - Scoring:
5, HER, Steckel 3 (Laing, Wedderburn), 1:09. 6, HER, Giroux
2 (Steckel, Barney), 12:31. Penalties: Giroux, HER (slashing),
6:50.
OVERTIME -- Scoring:
None. Penalties: None.
2ND OVERTIME -- Scoring:
7, HER, Giroux 3 (game-winner) (Wilson, Barney), 5:57. Penalties:
None.
Game Factoids: Face-offs
won (unofficial): Hershey: 45, Wilkes-Barre: 51
Hershey finished
0-4 on the power-play, while Wilkes-Barre also ended at 0-4
The Bears outshot the Penguins 54-44
C Joey Tenute left
the game less than 3 minutes into the 3rd period with a shoulder
injury, and did not return
RW Scott Barney (2 assists) is
tied for the team lead with 8 points, and has made the scoresheet
in 6 of 7 games this postseason
There has been a different
game-winning goal scorer in each of Hershey's 6 playoff victories
this year
Schaefer denied Steckel during a 5-on-3 Penguins
power play in the 2nd period
C Andrew Joudrey played his second
playoff contest, while LW Kip Brennan made his 06/07 postseason
debut
The Bears' 54 shots tied a season high
Five of Hershey's
seven playoff games this year have been decided by one goal
LW Chris Bourque has earned starts in five of the last 7 contests,
and leads the Bears with 29 shots in the playoffs
Robert Nilsson
led WBS with 2 assists, and is now tied for the AHL postseason
lead with 11 points
Hershey Head Coach Bruce Boudreau started
Deryk Engelland and Tyler Sloan on defense, with Bourque, Giroux
and Wilson at forward
Scratched from Hershey: D Dean Arsene,
D Marc Busenburg, D Sean Collins, RW Eric Fehr, D Jamie Hunt,
G Daren Machesney, D Troy Milam, LW Louis Robitaille, LW Peter
Vandermeer, RW Stephen Werner and LW Chad Wiseman
3 Stars
of the Game: (1) Giroux, (2) Steckel, (3) Nilsson
Referee:
David Banfield.
Coming Up: Hershey
looks to take a commanding 3-0 series lead Saturday night in
Northeast PA, facing off against the Penguins at 7 PM.
Wilkes-Barre's
Kurtis McLean snaps a shot 5-hole on the Bears Frederic Cassivi.
The goal gave the Penguins a 2-0 advantage at 5:08 of the 2nd
period.
Down 3-0, the
Bears Matt Hendricks begins Hershey's dramatic comeback with
this 2nd period goal. The tally put the Bears on the scoreboard,
3-1.
Wilkes-Barre's
netminder Nolan Schaefer stops a point blank shot from the Bears
Dave Steckel.
At 5:57 of the
2nd overtime, Alexandre Giroux completes the comeback and deposits
this loose puck in the back of the net.
Wednesday May 2, 2007 vs Wilkes-Barre
(Posted
Thursday 3:38 P.M. EST)
East Division Final - Game
1
Bears take Pens in Game 1,
4-3
