Could Ilya Bryzgalov be making the Philadelphia Flyers and the Olympic Russian team regret passing him by to play for their teams? Bryzgalov, who made his starting debut between the pipes for the Edmonton Oilers last night shutting out the Nashville Predators, making his comeback after being a free agent up until earlier this month.
Over the past 5 months Bryzgalov’s professional hockey career has had an uncertain future. The 2013-14 NHL season started as Bryz was still a free agent, after being bought out of his nine- year, $51 million contract after only 2 years between the pipes for the Flyers. A few weeks into the NHL season Bryz got a try-out invitation for the ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers and he took that opportunity saying:
“ ..this is critical for me to be ready for NHL play, and I can’t wait to get on the ice. Everyone’s motivation here is largely driven by an unparalleled passion for the game, and this will offer me a very interesting perspective and be a great opportunity for me to reflect why I started playing this great game in the first place…”
After silently fading into the backdrop, it was not certain when or where Bryzgalov would resurface again. Then, not too long into the Philadelphia’s slow start to their season Bryzgalov resurfaced and on the eve of the Flyers v. Oilers match up. The Edmonton Oilers signed Bryz and although he did not immediately return to the show, he suited up with their AHL affiliate the Oklahoma City Baron’s and is now back in the NHL.
“This is a unique opportunity for me to be an example to my own children, to the young fans who have supported me, to my new teammates, and eventually to the NHL teammates who will come to rely on me again,” Bryzgalov said earlier this season after accepting the Las Vegas Wranglers try-out invitation.
Bryzgalov seems to have taken his career set back in stride and has appeared back in the show earlier than expected. If it was a positive example and legacy he was looking to leave through this experience, he did a good job as he now appears a more humble and approachable Ilya Bryzgalov.
“It’s great to have a shutout…It seems like I never get away,” Bryz expressed after missing a few months of the season, he felt as if he was never gone from the game as he appeared comfortable in goal for the Oilers last night.
Bryz has played 90 minutes of NHL hockey this season and the rest of his story is yet to be written. Bryz shuts out the Predators and his haters last night! Welcome back Bryz!
Friday, November 29, 2013
Thursday, November 28, 2013
A bittersweet return for Lecavalier ends in defeat
As a returning home town hero, Vincent Lecavalier now with a new logo on his chest, was welcomed back by the Tampa Bay Lightning for his first appearance since he was bought out of his contract and signed by the Philadelphia Flyers following the 2012-13 season. The inevitable meeting of the two clubs happened on Thanksgiving eve, a bittersweet moment for Lecavalier as he returned to a placed he had called home for 14 seasons full of hockey and memories.
“It’s unreal, I don’t even know what to say, it’s just a great honor. Everybody knows how I feel about Tampa, it’s just a great community a lot of good people here. So it’s definitely a great honor and for sure I have to thank the Lightning for that.” Lecavalier humbly spoke of his tribute and award that night.
Any club would be honored to have a hockey player like Vincent Lecavalier, who’s long list of accomplishments on the ice include: being chosen 1st in the 1998 entry draft, lifting the Stanley Cup in 2004 and celebrating his 50th goal during the 2006-07 season where he later won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s lead goal scorer. But, his accomplishments extended far past the ice, and last night after a 60-second video tribute thanking Lecavalier for the memories, Lecavalier was presented with the Community Hero award for his work with All Children’s Hospital and the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood disorder Center at ACH. A leader on the ice and a humanitarian, Vincent Lecavalier is as classy as they come.
Amidst all the pompous circumstance, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lighting faced off for a hockey game. Through the first period the Flyers were no match for the back pressure and quick lightning speed that they faced. Craig Berube, knowing the importance of this game to Lecavalier played his line (Lecavalier, B. Schenn, Simmonds), a line that had combined for numerous goals recently. While the light shone brightly on Lecavalier, Downie also returned to the Tampa Bay Lightning arena for the first time since playing parts of the past 4 seasons as a member of the blue and white.
The Lightning finally broke through on the board at the half way mark of the second period and put up two goals. As they outshot the Flyers by double each period, the Lightning proved to be a difficult team to gain on and with the Flyers less than stellar 3rd period record the task appeared daunting but they had 20 minutes to turn the game around.
The Lightning were piling on the goals, adding another one during the 3rd period. With heavy hearts the Flyers heads dropped a little, they were down 3 goals and were all pushing to win for Lecavalier. Lecavalier gave 100% effort win or lose, last night he played an excellent hockey game and drove the rest of the team to rise to the occasion, especially after he finally broke through for the Flyers. The go ahead goal was on the board and 40 seconds later a glimmer of hope for the Flyers broke through as they clinched their second goal, cutting the Lightning lead making it a one goal hockey game. As soon as the hope and ambition was back in their hearts and minds a bad turn-over at the blue line by none other than Lecavalier gave way to an empty net goal and just like that the Lightning were up by two again with less than a minute to play.
“It was very weird stepping out on the ice, but obviously we didn’t win and I’m disappointed in that,” said former Lightning captain now Philadelphia Flyer Vincent Lecavalier. “But just skating on the ice and seeing the fans be supportive, that means a lot. I have nothing but great things to say about the fans and this organization.”
It was momentous for Lecavalier to score during this game but his turn over on the blue line was unfortunate, also unavoidable as the puck had an uncontrollable bounce. At times the Flyers played well but for the most part the Lightning out played them. Last night they needed more shots on goal, to step up their offense and fore-checking. They had an unusual lack of physicality last night that did not add to their game and they need to adapt to the game of hockey which is becoming less about big size and more about quickness.
The Flyers, who had a slow start to their season and then quickly became the hottest team in the league seemingly forgetting how to lose are back on a losing streak and having a roller coaster season. Hopefully they will leave their losing streak in Florida as they head back north and look to claim some revenge against the Winnipeg Jets, as they face them for the second time this season.
“It’s unreal, I don’t even know what to say, it’s just a great honor. Everybody knows how I feel about Tampa, it’s just a great community a lot of good people here. So it’s definitely a great honor and for sure I have to thank the Lightning for that.” Lecavalier humbly spoke of his tribute and award that night.
Any club would be honored to have a hockey player like Vincent Lecavalier, who’s long list of accomplishments on the ice include: being chosen 1st in the 1998 entry draft, lifting the Stanley Cup in 2004 and celebrating his 50th goal during the 2006-07 season where he later won the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s lead goal scorer. But, his accomplishments extended far past the ice, and last night after a 60-second video tribute thanking Lecavalier for the memories, Lecavalier was presented with the Community Hero award for his work with All Children’s Hospital and the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood disorder Center at ACH. A leader on the ice and a humanitarian, Vincent Lecavalier is as classy as they come.
Amidst all the pompous circumstance, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lighting faced off for a hockey game. Through the first period the Flyers were no match for the back pressure and quick lightning speed that they faced. Craig Berube, knowing the importance of this game to Lecavalier played his line (Lecavalier, B. Schenn, Simmonds), a line that had combined for numerous goals recently. While the light shone brightly on Lecavalier, Downie also returned to the Tampa Bay Lightning arena for the first time since playing parts of the past 4 seasons as a member of the blue and white.
The Lightning finally broke through on the board at the half way mark of the second period and put up two goals. As they outshot the Flyers by double each period, the Lightning proved to be a difficult team to gain on and with the Flyers less than stellar 3rd period record the task appeared daunting but they had 20 minutes to turn the game around.
The Lightning were piling on the goals, adding another one during the 3rd period. With heavy hearts the Flyers heads dropped a little, they were down 3 goals and were all pushing to win for Lecavalier. Lecavalier gave 100% effort win or lose, last night he played an excellent hockey game and drove the rest of the team to rise to the occasion, especially after he finally broke through for the Flyers. The go ahead goal was on the board and 40 seconds later a glimmer of hope for the Flyers broke through as they clinched their second goal, cutting the Lightning lead making it a one goal hockey game. As soon as the hope and ambition was back in their hearts and minds a bad turn-over at the blue line by none other than Lecavalier gave way to an empty net goal and just like that the Lightning were up by two again with less than a minute to play.
“It was very weird stepping out on the ice, but obviously we didn’t win and I’m disappointed in that,” said former Lightning captain now Philadelphia Flyer Vincent Lecavalier. “But just skating on the ice and seeing the fans be supportive, that means a lot. I have nothing but great things to say about the fans and this organization.”
It was momentous for Lecavalier to score during this game but his turn over on the blue line was unfortunate, also unavoidable as the puck had an uncontrollable bounce. At times the Flyers played well but for the most part the Lightning out played them. Last night they needed more shots on goal, to step up their offense and fore-checking. They had an unusual lack of physicality last night that did not add to their game and they need to adapt to the game of hockey which is becoming less about big size and more about quickness.
The Flyers, who had a slow start to their season and then quickly became the hottest team in the league seemingly forgetting how to lose are back on a losing streak and having a roller coaster season. Hopefully they will leave their losing streak in Florida as they head back north and look to claim some revenge against the Winnipeg Jets, as they face them for the second time this season.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Hershey Bears go 1 for 2 against the Binghamton Senators this weekend
Rough night in Hershey for the Bears last night, as they dropped their game against the Binghamton Senators, who came back for more after losing to the Bears (5-2) on Saturday. For whatever reason, the Bears were off their game last night as they took the ice: over skating the puck and missing passes throughout the neutral and offensive zones which lead to turnovers that gave the Senators generous scoring opportunities.
“We have to bear down,” said head coach Mike Haviland. “We thought the game was going to be a little cuter than it was last night and we turned pucks over, we didn’t get pucks behind them. Everything that was successful last night we got away from tonight.”
Missed passes in the neutral and offensive zone were at a premium last night for the Bears. Patrick Wey finally connected the dots for Hershey and banked one into the net during the 2nd period, claiming the equalizer turning this into anyone’s hockey game.
“When you turn pucks over against this team, they transition so well, you fuel their game,” Haviland candidly spoke during his post-game interview. “When you put pucks in the middle of the ice and they transition, once they get a chance to go, they are going.”
A goaltending mistake early in the 3rd period and another goal allowed by Philipp Grubauer later in the period, lead to a palm-to-face moment of disbelief, as this game quickly slipped away from the Bears. Shortly after taking the 3-1 lead the Senators put the nail in the coffin with an empty net goal with less than a minute of play remaining in the game.
“It was still only 1-1 going into the 3rd,” Haviland said. “If you’re getting a chance in the slot, you have to make it count, especially in a 1-1 game, or 2-1 hockey game.”
The Bears are a talented group of players who have demonstrated greatness, especially Saturday, registering 3 goals from 3 different lines in less than 2 minutes, but their roller coaster season does not support that claim. Their record at home has now slipped to 3-3-1-2 and 3-3-1-0 on the road.
“It’s unacceptable our record at home. We have to get good at home. We have to get points at home.” Coach Haviland said. “You can’t just come to the game and, I call it ‘throwing your sticks in the middle and expect that you’re going to win.’ You have to be detailed and structured and stick with the game plan. I think we veered off the game plan and then we came back at times but not like we should. It is a learning experience for sure but we’ve gotta stop making that as an excuse.”
Sixteen games into the season and the Bears are still riding a roller coaster and lacking consistency. The Bears started this weekend with their best game of the season and immediately contradicted that with the most disjointed performance yet. It is evident that the Bears are stocked with talent but the chemistry did not translate onto the ice last night against the Binghamton Senators. Haviland is looking for the team to produce and isn’t afraid to jostle up the line up to get results.
Follow Erica on twitter @TheAmateurFan
“We have to bear down,” said head coach Mike Haviland. “We thought the game was going to be a little cuter than it was last night and we turned pucks over, we didn’t get pucks behind them. Everything that was successful last night we got away from tonight.”
Missed passes in the neutral and offensive zone were at a premium last night for the Bears. Patrick Wey finally connected the dots for Hershey and banked one into the net during the 2nd period, claiming the equalizer turning this into anyone’s hockey game.
“When you turn pucks over against this team, they transition so well, you fuel their game,” Haviland candidly spoke during his post-game interview. “When you put pucks in the middle of the ice and they transition, once they get a chance to go, they are going.”
A goaltending mistake early in the 3rd period and another goal allowed by Philipp Grubauer later in the period, lead to a palm-to-face moment of disbelief, as this game quickly slipped away from the Bears. Shortly after taking the 3-1 lead the Senators put the nail in the coffin with an empty net goal with less than a minute of play remaining in the game.
“It was still only 1-1 going into the 3rd,” Haviland said. “If you’re getting a chance in the slot, you have to make it count, especially in a 1-1 game, or 2-1 hockey game.”
The Bears are a talented group of players who have demonstrated greatness, especially Saturday, registering 3 goals from 3 different lines in less than 2 minutes, but their roller coaster season does not support that claim. Their record at home has now slipped to 3-3-1-2 and 3-3-1-0 on the road.
“It’s unacceptable our record at home. We have to get good at home. We have to get points at home.” Coach Haviland said. “You can’t just come to the game and, I call it ‘throwing your sticks in the middle and expect that you’re going to win.’ You have to be detailed and structured and stick with the game plan. I think we veered off the game plan and then we came back at times but not like we should. It is a learning experience for sure but we’ve gotta stop making that as an excuse.”
Sixteen games into the season and the Bears are still riding a roller coaster and lacking consistency. The Bears started this weekend with their best game of the season and immediately contradicted that with the most disjointed performance yet. It is evident that the Bears are stocked with talent but the chemistry did not translate onto the ice last night against the Binghamton Senators. Haviland is looking for the team to produce and isn’t afraid to jostle up the line up to get results.
Follow Erica on twitter @TheAmateurFan
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Hershey Bears shut down the Binghamton Senators' with a 5-2 victory
The Hershey Bears got some sweet revenge last night against Binghamton Senators, as they ended the Senators 7 game winning streak. Earlier in November the Bears hosted the Senators’ for their first of ten meetings this season. The Bears were shutout and John Mitchell received a vicious slashing by Binghamton defenseman Chris Wideman.
Last night the Senators came back to town, confidently on a seven game winning streak to reface the Bears during a 2 game home-stand weekend. The Bears titled the ice in first period when they scored three goals in rapid succession by three different lines, taking a solid 3-0 lead.
“I thought it was the most complete game we played all year for 60-minutes,” Bears head coach Mike Haviland said. “It has to be that way when you are playing one of the best teams in the conference.”
The Bears have been adjusting well to the new systems that Haviland has introduced, after a slow season start the Bears demonstrated a good power kill and a good full strength, 60-minute hockey game. Against the no. 2 power play leader of the Eastern Conference, the Bears have only allowed 1 power play goal out of the Senators 11 attempts.
“I think we’ve done a good job on the forecheck, up the ice, and really disrupting them,” Haviland said. “They’re really good off the rush 5-on-5 and the power play.”
The Bears snapped the Senators 7- game winning streak with a 5-2 victory last night at the Giant Center. With another meeting this afternoon against the Binghamton Senators the Bears will have to come back at full-strength with another solid 60 minute game. With the fresh memory of their loss last night, the Senators will surely bring a very physical element to the game tonight.
Last night the Senators came back to town, confidently on a seven game winning streak to reface the Bears during a 2 game home-stand weekend. The Bears titled the ice in first period when they scored three goals in rapid succession by three different lines, taking a solid 3-0 lead.
“I thought it was the most complete game we played all year for 60-minutes,” Bears head coach Mike Haviland said. “It has to be that way when you are playing one of the best teams in the conference.”
The Bears have been adjusting well to the new systems that Haviland has introduced, after a slow season start the Bears demonstrated a good power kill and a good full strength, 60-minute hockey game. Against the no. 2 power play leader of the Eastern Conference, the Bears have only allowed 1 power play goal out of the Senators 11 attempts.
“I think we’ve done a good job on the forecheck, up the ice, and really disrupting them,” Haviland said. “They’re really good off the rush 5-on-5 and the power play.”
The Bears snapped the Senators 7- game winning streak with a 5-2 victory last night at the Giant Center. With another meeting this afternoon against the Binghamton Senators the Bears will have to come back at full-strength with another solid 60 minute game. With the fresh memory of their loss last night, the Senators will surely bring a very physical element to the game tonight.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Reading Royals come back to beat the Wheeling Nailers and extend winning streak to 3
Even after the gloves were dropped 15 seconds into the Reading Royals game against the Wheeling Nailers last night, the Royals got off to a slow but very physical start. The Nailers, confidently on a three game winning streak had the Royals on their heels, as they dominated the first period, out shooting the Royals 9-6.
“Just to stay with it,” T.J Syner who was recently loaned from Hershey recalled of Coach Courville’s advice during the 2nd intermission. “It’s a full 60 minute game, you can’t go out there and play 40 minutes …we got the win which is the important thing as a team and we can build off that.”
Early in the second period the Royals surrendered the first goal to the Nailers, who found the back of the net, taking the lead of the game. The gloves were dropped again, as they went another round, the fight still not adding much momentum to the game for the Royals. At the twenty four minute mark the Nailers advanced their lead to 2-0. As the Royals arena fell silent they quickly responded with a goal by Dustin Gazley, cutting the Nailers lead in half as the arena erupted into cheers. The Royals first goal was followed by the third fight of the game, the Nailers were certainly roughing the Royals up on the ice.
“I did not think the first half of the game we were very good at all,” Coach Courville said. “We did not play with enough: passion, energy, heart, and all things that I think we need to be successful.”
“After the 1st intermission I questioned our work ethic and I didn’t think we played with enough energy. They were a lot more physical than we were.”
Going into the 3rd period the Royals were down 1 point and looking for the equalizer. They were skating the puck into the Nailers zone and shooting pucks, but the Nailers were blocking everything. Finally, Yannick Tifu broke through with a snap shot, banking his second goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2. After a scoreless overtime the game was pushed into a shootout, where Riley Gill stretched his personal winning streak to four with a 3-2 victory, extending the teams winning streak to 3 at home.
With a coach like Courville, who stresses full 60-minutes of play and to play with: passion, energy and heart, the Royals have some adjustments to make for the next 11 times they will face the Wheeling Nailers this season. The Royals are full of talent, especially with guys like: T.J Syner, Stanislav Galiev and Tyler Ruegsegger who are no stranger to the Hershey Bears, their AHL affiliate.
Head out to the Reading Royals next home game Wednesday, November 27th at Santander Arena in Reading, PA.
“Just to stay with it,” T.J Syner who was recently loaned from Hershey recalled of Coach Courville’s advice during the 2nd intermission. “It’s a full 60 minute game, you can’t go out there and play 40 minutes …we got the win which is the important thing as a team and we can build off that.”
Early in the second period the Royals surrendered the first goal to the Nailers, who found the back of the net, taking the lead of the game. The gloves were dropped again, as they went another round, the fight still not adding much momentum to the game for the Royals. At the twenty four minute mark the Nailers advanced their lead to 2-0. As the Royals arena fell silent they quickly responded with a goal by Dustin Gazley, cutting the Nailers lead in half as the arena erupted into cheers. The Royals first goal was followed by the third fight of the game, the Nailers were certainly roughing the Royals up on the ice.
“I did not think the first half of the game we were very good at all,” Coach Courville said. “We did not play with enough: passion, energy, heart, and all things that I think we need to be successful.”
“After the 1st intermission I questioned our work ethic and I didn’t think we played with enough energy. They were a lot more physical than we were.”
Going into the 3rd period the Royals were down 1 point and looking for the equalizer. They were skating the puck into the Nailers zone and shooting pucks, but the Nailers were blocking everything. Finally, Yannick Tifu broke through with a snap shot, banking his second goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2. After a scoreless overtime the game was pushed into a shootout, where Riley Gill stretched his personal winning streak to four with a 3-2 victory, extending the teams winning streak to 3 at home.
With a coach like Courville, who stresses full 60-minutes of play and to play with: passion, energy and heart, the Royals have some adjustments to make for the next 11 times they will face the Wheeling Nailers this season. The Royals are full of talent, especially with guys like: T.J Syner, Stanislav Galiev and Tyler Ruegsegger who are no stranger to the Hershey Bears, their AHL affiliate.
Head out to the Reading Royals next home game Wednesday, November 27th at Santander Arena in Reading, PA.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Philadelphia Flyers finally on the upswing
The Philadelphia Flyers did not get a new goaltender last night as they faced the Ottawa Senators. But, there was a different man between the pipes momentarily as Steve Mason was drawn out of the net, D-man Nicklas Grossmann stepped in to make the save of the game. It’s no surprise that Grossmann put himself in the net during the tied game, Grossmann is among the league leaders in blocked shots and plays the type of defense a goaltender like Mason can appreciate.
Getting things rolling during the first period was Captain Claude Giroux as he sniped his second goal of the season and put the Flyers on the board. The momentum of the Flyers season seems to be changing, as the Flyers experienced ‘firsts’ left and right last night, one being by Sean Couturier, as he finally scored his first goal of the season ending his drought during the second period to put the Flyers up by 2.
The Flyers, who have been good on the penalty kill recently, forfeited a power play goal to the Ottawa Senators late in the 2nd period and then again early in the 3rd period. As they so often do, the Flyers gave away their 3rd period lead and with a tied game the Flyers had to play flawless hockey to win. Grossmann stepped into the net with an outstanding save, a save that must have made stone wall Steve Mason himself proud. The Flyers responded with a quick one, two punch as Kimmo Timonen put the Flyers back in the lead by 1 and Wayne Simmonds took out the insurance policy, as he scored a goal 23 seconds later.
An opportunity for the Senators to gain on the Flyers lead came in the 3rd period, when they were granted a penalty shot which was fought off by Mason, ever so patient between the pipes. The Flyers claimed another first during this game, this time for Adam Hall as he scored an empty net goal, his first as a Flyer to win the game, 5-2.
The Philadelphia Flyers continue to thrive and are on the upswing as they experience the best 2 weeks of hockey they have had thus far. After last night’s win against the Ottawa Senators, they are within 2 points of a play-off slot. With a long season ahead of them, the confidence of Captain Claude Giroux is certainly propelling them in the right direction. In the last 6 games the Flyers have only allowed 2 goals at even strength, which is a positive change. They are buying into Craig Berube’s systems and playing better 5 on 5 hockey. The Flyers need to concentrate on chipping away at their opponent’s one shift at a time and winning the game period by period, taking a lead into the locker room with them everytime. Since the trio of Simmonds, B. Schenn and Vinny Lecavalier has been put together the Flyers have gone 3-0-1. Finally there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Philadelphia Flyers. With a building confidence the Flyers will face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
Getting things rolling during the first period was Captain Claude Giroux as he sniped his second goal of the season and put the Flyers on the board. The momentum of the Flyers season seems to be changing, as the Flyers experienced ‘firsts’ left and right last night, one being by Sean Couturier, as he finally scored his first goal of the season ending his drought during the second period to put the Flyers up by 2.
The Flyers, who have been good on the penalty kill recently, forfeited a power play goal to the Ottawa Senators late in the 2nd period and then again early in the 3rd period. As they so often do, the Flyers gave away their 3rd period lead and with a tied game the Flyers had to play flawless hockey to win. Grossmann stepped into the net with an outstanding save, a save that must have made stone wall Steve Mason himself proud. The Flyers responded with a quick one, two punch as Kimmo Timonen put the Flyers back in the lead by 1 and Wayne Simmonds took out the insurance policy, as he scored a goal 23 seconds later.
An opportunity for the Senators to gain on the Flyers lead came in the 3rd period, when they were granted a penalty shot which was fought off by Mason, ever so patient between the pipes. The Flyers claimed another first during this game, this time for Adam Hall as he scored an empty net goal, his first as a Flyer to win the game, 5-2.
The Philadelphia Flyers continue to thrive and are on the upswing as they experience the best 2 weeks of hockey they have had thus far. After last night’s win against the Ottawa Senators, they are within 2 points of a play-off slot. With a long season ahead of them, the confidence of Captain Claude Giroux is certainly propelling them in the right direction. In the last 6 games the Flyers have only allowed 2 goals at even strength, which is a positive change. They are buying into Craig Berube’s systems and playing better 5 on 5 hockey. The Flyers need to concentrate on chipping away at their opponent’s one shift at a time and winning the game period by period, taking a lead into the locker room with them everytime. Since the trio of Simmonds, B. Schenn and Vinny Lecavalier has been put together the Flyers have gone 3-0-1. Finally there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel for the Philadelphia Flyers. With a building confidence the Flyers will face the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Gibbons and Fleury lead the Pens to victory
Last night the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Anaheim Ducks played 45 minutes of mind numbing scoreless hockey. New comer Brian Gibbons, in his NHL debut with the Pittsburgh Penguins, joined the scoring club as he opened up scoring between the teams. Gibbons joins other hockey legends like Mario Lemieux who also scored their first NHL goal in their NHL debut. The four minutes and four seconds that followed saw a combination of 4 goals between the teams. For anyone who took a short bathroom break or maybe gave up on the game, came back to a 3-1 game with the Penguins in the lead.
As the Penguins struggled to register any shots on goal during the first period a Wayne Gretzky quote came to mind, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” It really appeared that the Penguins would be scoreless and shotless in the first period. The Penguins did not have a shot on goal during the first 17 minutes of this game but they ended the period with 3 shots to the Ducks 12 shots, things did not look promising.
The mind numbing game continued into the second period where the most exciting thing was the subway commercial. Fellow hockey writer Kelsey Douglas @LateShiftKelsey said it best: “..That Subway commercial spiced things up for a little bit.”
For anyone who gave up on the game and called it a night, you missed a great 3rd period. After Gibbons opened up scoring during his NHL debut Sutter tipped one in, for 2 goals and 2 shots in 1:02. The game really turned around, there was no way it could have drug on any longer in the doldrums of scorelessness. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf rockets the puck past Fleury, then Penguins captain Sidney “sweet hands” Crosby comes back to put the Duck back in the 3-1 hole.
After a long scoreless gridlock, this game got off the ground in a matter of four minutes. Gibbons and Fleury lead the Penguins to victory against the Ducks. The Pittsburgh Penguins, finally able to shake off that bad luck the Philadelphia Flyers left in Pittsburgh last week, advanced to 26 points, still leading the Metropolitan Division, the Washington Capitals trailing them with 25 points. The Anaheim Ducks who were leading the league overall in points now are tied with the 2013 Stanley Cup champs, Chicago Blackhawks, at 32 points.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals will face off tomorrow as they fight to claim the lead in the Metropolitan division and the Anaheim Ducks will demolish the New Jersey Devils.
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As the Penguins struggled to register any shots on goal during the first period a Wayne Gretzky quote came to mind, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” It really appeared that the Penguins would be scoreless and shotless in the first period. The Penguins did not have a shot on goal during the first 17 minutes of this game but they ended the period with 3 shots to the Ducks 12 shots, things did not look promising.
The mind numbing game continued into the second period where the most exciting thing was the subway commercial. Fellow hockey writer Kelsey Douglas @LateShiftKelsey said it best: “..That Subway commercial spiced things up for a little bit.”
For anyone who gave up on the game and called it a night, you missed a great 3rd period. After Gibbons opened up scoring during his NHL debut Sutter tipped one in, for 2 goals and 2 shots in 1:02. The game really turned around, there was no way it could have drug on any longer in the doldrums of scorelessness. Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf rockets the puck past Fleury, then Penguins captain Sidney “sweet hands” Crosby comes back to put the Duck back in the 3-1 hole.
After a long scoreless gridlock, this game got off the ground in a matter of four minutes. Gibbons and Fleury lead the Penguins to victory against the Ducks. The Pittsburgh Penguins, finally able to shake off that bad luck the Philadelphia Flyers left in Pittsburgh last week, advanced to 26 points, still leading the Metropolitan Division, the Washington Capitals trailing them with 25 points. The Anaheim Ducks who were leading the league overall in points now are tied with the 2013 Stanley Cup champs, Chicago Blackhawks, at 32 points.
The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals will face off tomorrow as they fight to claim the lead in the Metropolitan division and the Anaheim Ducks will demolish the New Jersey Devils.
Follow on Twitter @TheAmateurFan or "like" on facebook www.facebook.com/TheAmateurFan
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
The Flyers breaking out of their season slump with a 5-0 shutout and 2 game winning streak
Last night the Philadelphia Flyers took advantage of their power plays and played a solid 60 minutes of hockey against the Ottawa Senators, scoring 5 goals. Steve “Brick Wall” Mason achieved his 20th career shutout and 1st shutout as a Flyer, a much deserved accomplishment for the Flyers goaltender who has been outstanding this season.
The Flyers, finally showing positive signs that they are breaking out of their early season slump, were playing like a team with contributions from each line. Matt Read claimed the first goal on a wrap around, beating the goaltender to the post and slipping the puck in the net for a 1-0 lead.
The 2nd period was the story of Jakub Voracek, who scored within the first 27 seconds of the period and then again registered a goal during the Flyers first power play of the game. Claude Giroux, was a dangerous force during the game and achieved his 300th career point during the 2nd period.
During the 3rd period, Vinny Lecavalier was in the right place at the right time when he came down center ice to score, increasing the Flyers lead, 4-0. Brayden Schenn and Lecavalier combined to score again, taking out a little insurance on the Flyers lead late in the 3rd period. With 5 minutes of play left and a score of 5-0, this was the first time all season it was evident that the Flyers were going to clinch the win.
This season as the Flyers struggled with goal scoring, this was the first time they demonstrated a continual productive effort, going into the 3rd period with a 3 goal lead and scoring to advance to a, 5-0 shutout. The Flyers did not give the Senators many chances, they were winning puck battles, patient with the puck and played like a unit.
The Flyers have built some great momentum, both on the ice and in the locker room. Whatever was said to them during their closed door team meeting seems to have been productive and translated into their play. As they gear up to face their cross state rivals tonight, they are in a good spot mentally to push through a challenging and physical 60- minute game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tonight will be the real test to see if the Flyers have what it takes to put their slow start behind them and come out on top this season.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Line brawl and a shoot out, but the Hershey Bears fall to Binghamton Senators
With less than 1 minute remaining in the 2nd period gloves, sticks and helmets were sprawled across the ice, as a line brawl ensued in retaliation for a venomous two-handed slashing to Hershey Bears winger John Mitchell by Binghamton defenseman Chris Wideman. Down two-points (1-3), the B-Sens gave the Hershey Bears the fuel they needed to reenergize their lagging game.
“Pretty vicious play. I haven't seen that in a long time,” head coach Mike Haviland commented on the slashing that gave the Bears a good kick late in the second period. “That was intent. He knew what he was doing. But the league will deal with that.”
Mitchell’s elbow on Wideman is what sparked him to chase Mitchell up ice behind the play to deliver a two handed slash. The slashing earned the defenseman a match penalty and he could possibly face suspension, while Mitchell drew an elbowing penalty from that play.
With 6.3 seconds remaining, the B-sens dealt the Bears the perfect spark to light a fire in their otherwise lagging game. Jeff Taffe led the Bears to a goal on the power play, cutting the B-Sens lead by 1, making the score 3-2.
Coming back in the 3rd period still with 4:53 of power play time, the Bears were unable to convert. Soon thereafter they fell farther down on the board, as the B-Sens advanced, 4-3. It seemed that the fate of the Bears, who are not known for 3rd period come backs, was sealed with Buddy Robinson’s short-handed goal.
With plenty of time remaining, the Bears surged to a comeback. Casey Wellman scored a power play goal and Mitchell clinched a shorthander, tying the contest at 4-4. Last night for the second time, the Bears pressed into overtime and played the best 5-minutes of defend the den, as they helped Philipp Grubauer keep the score level.
Not as exciting as the previous night’s bout, the game was again decided by a shootout. The Bears must have used all of their shootout luck the night before as they only managed to register one goal, losing the game to Binghamton in the shoot-out.
A tough loss for the Hershey Bears, as they battled back twice in this contest. Haviland is finally seeing what he wants from this team, they are a bunch of really talented players and have great momentum as they head on the road. The wins on home ice are going to start coming. I thought they dropped nearly the entire 2nd period until the line brawl sparked some fiery emotion that fueled their comeback. They need to play an entire 60 minute game and be more competitive during 5-on-5 hockey. The Bears added a few new players to the line-up last night, changing up the dynamic and took home three out of four points this weekend. It’s great to see a head coach like Mike Haviland in Hershey!
The Hershey Bears head on the road this week as they face the Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday and Thursday and then the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday. The Bears will be back in their home barn November 23rd and will square off against the Binghamton Senators again – you are not going to want to miss this rematch!!
“Pretty vicious play. I haven't seen that in a long time,” head coach Mike Haviland commented on the slashing that gave the Bears a good kick late in the second period. “That was intent. He knew what he was doing. But the league will deal with that.”
Mitchell’s elbow on Wideman is what sparked him to chase Mitchell up ice behind the play to deliver a two handed slash. The slashing earned the defenseman a match penalty and he could possibly face suspension, while Mitchell drew an elbowing penalty from that play.
With 6.3 seconds remaining, the B-sens dealt the Bears the perfect spark to light a fire in their otherwise lagging game. Jeff Taffe led the Bears to a goal on the power play, cutting the B-Sens lead by 1, making the score 3-2.
Coming back in the 3rd period still with 4:53 of power play time, the Bears were unable to convert. Soon thereafter they fell farther down on the board, as the B-Sens advanced, 4-3. It seemed that the fate of the Bears, who are not known for 3rd period come backs, was sealed with Buddy Robinson’s short-handed goal.
With plenty of time remaining, the Bears surged to a comeback. Casey Wellman scored a power play goal and Mitchell clinched a shorthander, tying the contest at 4-4. Last night for the second time, the Bears pressed into overtime and played the best 5-minutes of defend the den, as they helped Philipp Grubauer keep the score level.
Not as exciting as the previous night’s bout, the game was again decided by a shootout. The Bears must have used all of their shootout luck the night before as they only managed to register one goal, losing the game to Binghamton in the shoot-out.
A tough loss for the Hershey Bears, as they battled back twice in this contest. Haviland is finally seeing what he wants from this team, they are a bunch of really talented players and have great momentum as they head on the road. The wins on home ice are going to start coming. I thought they dropped nearly the entire 2nd period until the line brawl sparked some fiery emotion that fueled their comeback. They need to play an entire 60 minute game and be more competitive during 5-on-5 hockey. The Bears added a few new players to the line-up last night, changing up the dynamic and took home three out of four points this weekend. It’s great to see a head coach like Mike Haviland in Hershey!
The Hershey Bears head on the road this week as they face the Charlotte Checkers on Wednesday and Thursday and then the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday. The Bears will be back in their home barn November 23rd and will square off against the Binghamton Senators again – you are not going to want to miss this rematch!!
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Claude Giroux is BACK
Nothing could over shadow Claude Giroux, as he wooed the Philadelphia fans, scoring his first goal of the season. With his goal during yesterday’s game, Giroux reassures the fans and the team that he is their fearless leader, ready to captain them into the play-offs. The Flyers tallied another win, boosting their record to 5-10-1 last night during their 16th game of the season.
Although the Flyers have fallen to the last place in the metropolitan division, they fall only 5 points behind the other competitive team of the division. Everyone thought that Giroux’s comment about heading to the plays-offs was a pipe dream but if they start winning consistently they will once again be competitive in their division. It’s still early in the season they could recover and come back, if in fact they have found their groove.
This week will be a test for the Philadelphia Flyers new groove as they face the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets. More than likely we will both see Ray Emery and Steve Mason in net, as the Flyers try to boost their record from their slow start 5-10-1.
My prediction for the Philadelphia Flyers week is: They will beat the Ottawa Senators, fall to the Pittsburgh Penguins but only after dropping the gloves and taking the boys for a few rounds and they will win over the Winnipeg Jets, who are also last in their division. The combination of energy and confidence from Giroux and Scott Hartnell is contagious and I think that the rest of the team will feel that as well and step everyone’s game back up to the level they should have been playing all along.
Although the Flyers have fallen to the last place in the metropolitan division, they fall only 5 points behind the other competitive team of the division. Everyone thought that Giroux’s comment about heading to the plays-offs was a pipe dream but if they start winning consistently they will once again be competitive in their division. It’s still early in the season they could recover and come back, if in fact they have found their groove.
This week will be a test for the Philadelphia Flyers new groove as they face the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets. More than likely we will both see Ray Emery and Steve Mason in net, as the Flyers try to boost their record from their slow start 5-10-1.
My prediction for the Philadelphia Flyers week is: They will beat the Ottawa Senators, fall to the Pittsburgh Penguins but only after dropping the gloves and taking the boys for a few rounds and they will win over the Winnipeg Jets, who are also last in their division. The combination of energy and confidence from Giroux and Scott Hartnell is contagious and I think that the rest of the team will feel that as well and step everyone’s game back up to the level they should have been playing all along.
10-round shootout thrills fans in Chocolatetown
After the game went to a 10-round shoot out, the Hershey Bears proved that they are in fact creative goal scores. Out of the 10 Bears, 6 registered tallies, finding the back of the net and beating the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 6-5 in the shootout.
The Great Dane Byers lead his team to an early first period goal, putting the Hershey Bears on the board 18 seconds into the game. After a few weeks of trial and error with line combinations, new comer head coach Mike Haviland hit gold with the first line combo last night. Both teams got the game off to a spirited start as they dropped gloves twice in the first period to go a few rounds.
“We opened up the game with a great first shift and then I thought we kind of sat back a little bit and then we got it going again,” Haviland said as he described a team that put in continual effort throughout the game.
The Bears kept their one goal leading heading into the second and then third period. Ryan Stoa notched them a bit of insurance scoring a power play goal in the 3rd to take a short lived two goal lead. During the final 20 minutes the Bears lost their lead and the game was pushed on into overtime.
“We’ve got to find ways to win, that’s the big thing now,” head coach Haviland expressed, wanting to spend more energy on winning rather than losing.
Overtime was filled with close calls and many opportunities on both ends of the ice. After 5- minutes, the score was still holding at 2-2 and the game proceeded to a shootout. Booing and cheers filled the barn as the Bears and Sound Tigers went a thrilling 10 rounds. Depositing the puck into the net for the Bears were: Casey Wellman, Peter LeBlanc, Ryan Stoa, Jeff Taffe, Nathan Walker and The Great Dane Byers, who clinched the win with the final goal of the shootout. This might have been the longest shootout in the memory of most Hershey Bears fans.
“It’s a big confidence booster for this group. We needed it, we needed to start the weekend right.” Haviland commented, as he seems to already be mentally preparing for the Bears game against Binghamton Senators later today at the Giant Center.
Looking forward to this afternoon the Hershey Bears, 3-4-2-1 will be facing a very good Binghamton Senators team, 8-4-0-0. The Bears have some momentum to build off of from last night. They will need all of their players on board if they are to be competitive against the Senators. Philipp Grubauer was exceptional in goal last night and tonight, hopefully David Leggio will be between the pipes for the Bears tonight. Leggio has been a solid contributor and will be able to keep the Bears competitive as they play into the third period. Come out to the Giant Center tonight, game starts at 5 p.m.
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The Great Dane Byers lead his team to an early first period goal, putting the Hershey Bears on the board 18 seconds into the game. After a few weeks of trial and error with line combinations, new comer head coach Mike Haviland hit gold with the first line combo last night. Both teams got the game off to a spirited start as they dropped gloves twice in the first period to go a few rounds.
“We opened up the game with a great first shift and then I thought we kind of sat back a little bit and then we got it going again,” Haviland said as he described a team that put in continual effort throughout the game.
The Bears kept their one goal leading heading into the second and then third period. Ryan Stoa notched them a bit of insurance scoring a power play goal in the 3rd to take a short lived two goal lead. During the final 20 minutes the Bears lost their lead and the game was pushed on into overtime.
“We’ve got to find ways to win, that’s the big thing now,” head coach Haviland expressed, wanting to spend more energy on winning rather than losing.
Overtime was filled with close calls and many opportunities on both ends of the ice. After 5- minutes, the score was still holding at 2-2 and the game proceeded to a shootout. Booing and cheers filled the barn as the Bears and Sound Tigers went a thrilling 10 rounds. Depositing the puck into the net for the Bears were: Casey Wellman, Peter LeBlanc, Ryan Stoa, Jeff Taffe, Nathan Walker and The Great Dane Byers, who clinched the win with the final goal of the shootout. This might have been the longest shootout in the memory of most Hershey Bears fans.
“It’s a big confidence booster for this group. We needed it, we needed to start the weekend right.” Haviland commented, as he seems to already be mentally preparing for the Bears game against Binghamton Senators later today at the Giant Center.
Looking forward to this afternoon the Hershey Bears, 3-4-2-1 will be facing a very good Binghamton Senators team, 8-4-0-0. The Bears have some momentum to build off of from last night. They will need all of their players on board if they are to be competitive against the Senators. Philipp Grubauer was exceptional in goal last night and tonight, hopefully David Leggio will be between the pipes for the Bears tonight. Leggio has been a solid contributor and will be able to keep the Bears competitive as they play into the third period. Come out to the Giant Center tonight, game starts at 5 p.m.
For more of The Amateur Fan, follow @TheAmateurFan on twitter or "like" www.facebook.com/TheAmateurFan
Friday, November 8, 2013
Flyers lose, Panthers hand out pink slips and Bryzgalov is back?
Today has been quite a shocking day in terms of NHL news. Before we dive into that, let’s review last night’s Flyers vs. Devils game briefly.
With over 100 minutes of play with no goals scored over the past week, the New Jersey Devils did not take long to get on the board last night against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils put the Flyers to sleep, and all the fans as they shut them out during a very dull 3-0 victory. A team clearly experiencing hard times, even Flyers chairman Ed Snider, who has been in the game for 47 years, has ‘never seen anything like this’. The Flyers continue to possess a shocking inability to score and have fallen to last-place in the Metropolitan Division. Not even captain Claude Giroux blames the fans for booing them with the performances they have been giving. The fans are calling for the firing of GM Paul Holmgren and it seems that if things do not change, Snider may be prepared to let the fans have it their way. But, what did firing Laviolette really do? Is a new GM the answer?
It seems pink slips flying around the league, not just in Philadelphia. Today head coach Kevin Dineen and assistant coaches Gord Murphy and Craig Ramsay were relieved of their coaching duties from the Florida Panthers. Reasons cited for the early season dismissal were due to expectations set in training camp not being met. After just 16 games the Panthers are looking to change philosophy and direction. The Panthers will be moving forward as they appointed interim head coach Peter Horachek.
Wrapping up the excitement of the day, true to form is Ilya Brzygalov. Remembering back to his time in Philadelphia, not too long ago, this net minder had a way with the media and it is ironic that today just happens to be the day he reappears. Back in the beginning of October, just days after the 2013-14 NHL season had started news of Bryzgalov accepting a professional try-out with ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers surfaced. Thought to be a kick in the pants for Bryz, who just three years ago was a Verzina nominee, he remained uncharacteristically optimistic saying:
“ ..this is critical for me to be ready for NHL play, and I can’t wait to get on the ice. Everyone’s motivation here is largely driven by an unparalleled passion for the game, and this will offer me a very interesting perspective and be a great opportunity for me to reflect why I started playing this great game in the first place…”
Shortly after, Ilya and family posed for a picture (presumably in Vegas) with the Blue Man crew but since then the Bryz camp has been silent. Today the news broke that pending the Calgary trade, the Edmonton Oilers have made a verbal agreement with Bryz for a one year contract. How ironic that this is taking place on the eve of the Oilers v Flyers game?
Keep the excitement coming!
With over 100 minutes of play with no goals scored over the past week, the New Jersey Devils did not take long to get on the board last night against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils put the Flyers to sleep, and all the fans as they shut them out during a very dull 3-0 victory. A team clearly experiencing hard times, even Flyers chairman Ed Snider, who has been in the game for 47 years, has ‘never seen anything like this’. The Flyers continue to possess a shocking inability to score and have fallen to last-place in the Metropolitan Division. Not even captain Claude Giroux blames the fans for booing them with the performances they have been giving. The fans are calling for the firing of GM Paul Holmgren and it seems that if things do not change, Snider may be prepared to let the fans have it their way. But, what did firing Laviolette really do? Is a new GM the answer?
It seems pink slips flying around the league, not just in Philadelphia. Today head coach Kevin Dineen and assistant coaches Gord Murphy and Craig Ramsay were relieved of their coaching duties from the Florida Panthers. Reasons cited for the early season dismissal were due to expectations set in training camp not being met. After just 16 games the Panthers are looking to change philosophy and direction. The Panthers will be moving forward as they appointed interim head coach Peter Horachek.
Wrapping up the excitement of the day, true to form is Ilya Brzygalov. Remembering back to his time in Philadelphia, not too long ago, this net minder had a way with the media and it is ironic that today just happens to be the day he reappears. Back in the beginning of October, just days after the 2013-14 NHL season had started news of Bryzgalov accepting a professional try-out with ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers surfaced. Thought to be a kick in the pants for Bryz, who just three years ago was a Verzina nominee, he remained uncharacteristically optimistic saying:
“ ..this is critical for me to be ready for NHL play, and I can’t wait to get on the ice. Everyone’s motivation here is largely driven by an unparalleled passion for the game, and this will offer me a very interesting perspective and be a great opportunity for me to reflect why I started playing this great game in the first place…”
Shortly after, Ilya and family posed for a picture (presumably in Vegas) with the Blue Man crew but since then the Bryz camp has been silent. Today the news broke that pending the Calgary trade, the Edmonton Oilers have made a verbal agreement with Bryz for a one year contract. How ironic that this is taking place on the eve of the Oilers v Flyers game?
Keep the excitement coming!
Thursday, November 7, 2013
ANNOUNCEMENT
Head Coach Mike Haviland is not afraid to mix things up for the (2-4-2-1) Hershey Bears. When Haviland was named the 24th head coach back in June, it was clear there would be strong leadership behind the bench, as Haviland brings 14 years’ worth of professional hockey coaching, excellence and the winning spirit to Chocolatetown, USA. This past weekend after the Bears 4-2 loss to their rivals the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Haviland said:
“We’re putting guys in. We’re taking guys out. We’re calling guys up now. We’re trying to send messages to guys. We’re benching guys.”
As Haviland continues using his resources to adjust lines, forming the Bears into a competitive elite winning force, there has been a lot of movement from ECHL affiliate Reading Royals to the AHL Hershey Bears and vice versa. A coach not afraid to make changes and an ECHL affiliate filled with talent, it may be hard to keep up with the new faces you start seeing on the Hershey bench. That’s why I will be headed to a few Royals games this season to keep tabs on players and use my best scouting skills to let you know who may be the next player to defend the den in Chocolatetown. I am excited to be bringing you a closer look at the East Coast Hockey League Reading Royals affiliate of the American Hockey League Hershey Bears and the National Hockey League Washington Capitals. First game November 20th. Stay tuned!
To see a full schedule for the Reading Royals: http://royalshockey.com/schedule/
For more of The Amateur fan follow on twitter @TheAmateurFan
“We’re putting guys in. We’re taking guys out. We’re calling guys up now. We’re trying to send messages to guys. We’re benching guys.”
As Haviland continues using his resources to adjust lines, forming the Bears into a competitive elite winning force, there has been a lot of movement from ECHL affiliate Reading Royals to the AHL Hershey Bears and vice versa. A coach not afraid to make changes and an ECHL affiliate filled with talent, it may be hard to keep up with the new faces you start seeing on the Hershey bench. That’s why I will be headed to a few Royals games this season to keep tabs on players and use my best scouting skills to let you know who may be the next player to defend the den in Chocolatetown. I am excited to be bringing you a closer look at the East Coast Hockey League Reading Royals affiliate of the American Hockey League Hershey Bears and the National Hockey League Washington Capitals. First game November 20th. Stay tuned!
To see a full schedule for the Reading Royals: http://royalshockey.com/schedule/
For more of The Amateur fan follow on twitter @TheAmateurFan
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
The WORT game ever and onto the New Jersey Devils tomorrow
It took the Carolina Hurricanes 59 – minutes to finally score against Steve “Magic Mitts” Mason, tying up the game and forcing the Philadelphia Flyers into their first overtime of the season. Mason, the one shining star in Philadelphia, was not enough to fend off the Hurricanes, who were looking to win after 5 straight losses. Various hockey analysts are already calling this game one of the top 5 worst games in NHL history.
With equally poor records, the Hurricanes thought to be the worse of the two, the Flyers and Hurricanes battled through a 0-0 tied game for 56- minutes. Their records not reflective of the talent on either team’s bench, the game last night was atrocious. There is not much to be said.
The Hurricanes’ clinched a win, breaking their 5 straight loses. The puck was snagged during overtime off of a turnover by the Flyers and buried in the back of the net – thrilling the home crowd for a much wanted win by the Hurricanes’. The Flyers’ inconsistent as ever, saw a happy Scott Hartnell as he scored his first goal of the season. It was great to see a smile from Hartnell as his goal was reviewed and deemed a fair. Contrary to what their optimistic team captain said a few weeks ago, this team will not make Stanley Cup playoffs, instead they have fallen to the worse team in the league.
Each game worse than the last, the Flyers will play on, as they face the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night. The Flyers will have to keep a watchful eye on: Jagr, Zidlicky and Elias, who lead their team in points. Scoring early, putting traffic in front of the net and taking a lead into the third period will be key for the Flyers, who have been outscored 16-5 during the 3rd period. Vinny Lecavalier will have to step up his leadership now that he is back on the ice and hopefully Hartnell has his groove back, after he scored his first goal of the season in yesterday’s game. The Devils are currently on a 2 game losing streak with a 3-7-4 record while the Flyers hold a 4-9-1 record. After last night’s game hopefully things can only get better, as both teams despite for the win tomorrow night.
With equally poor records, the Hurricanes thought to be the worse of the two, the Flyers and Hurricanes battled through a 0-0 tied game for 56- minutes. Their records not reflective of the talent on either team’s bench, the game last night was atrocious. There is not much to be said.
The Hurricanes’ clinched a win, breaking their 5 straight loses. The puck was snagged during overtime off of a turnover by the Flyers and buried in the back of the net – thrilling the home crowd for a much wanted win by the Hurricanes’. The Flyers’ inconsistent as ever, saw a happy Scott Hartnell as he scored his first goal of the season. It was great to see a smile from Hartnell as his goal was reviewed and deemed a fair. Contrary to what their optimistic team captain said a few weeks ago, this team will not make Stanley Cup playoffs, instead they have fallen to the worse team in the league.
Each game worse than the last, the Flyers will play on, as they face the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night. The Flyers will have to keep a watchful eye on: Jagr, Zidlicky and Elias, who lead their team in points. Scoring early, putting traffic in front of the net and taking a lead into the third period will be key for the Flyers, who have been outscored 16-5 during the 3rd period. Vinny Lecavalier will have to step up his leadership now that he is back on the ice and hopefully Hartnell has his groove back, after he scored his first goal of the season in yesterday’s game. The Devils are currently on a 2 game losing streak with a 3-7-4 record while the Flyers hold a 4-9-1 record. After last night’s game hopefully things can only get better, as both teams despite for the win tomorrow night.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Hershey Drops Game to Rivals at Home
David Leggio defended the net last night but the Hershey Bears were not able to defend the den, as they dropped another game to their biggest rivals: the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The crowd was boisterous, giving the Bears loud accolades and springing to their feet! Playing in one of the best and loudest barns in the AHL, the Bears held onto the game until they surrendered a 2 goal lead and the win to the Penguins.
Fresh off of a loss from Friday night, the Bears were hungry for a win. David Kolomatis deposited the puck top shelf, his first goal of the season. Jeff Taffe followed, igniting the barn into a loud roar, as he secured claiming a 2 goal lead. The first period was full of action, as these rivals dropped the gloves numerous times, sending 5 players to the box. Despite leading, 2-0 on the score board as they headed to intermission, the Bears were out shot in their own den 12-7 by the Pens.
Still ready to stir the pot in the second period, gloves were dropped. The Pens, Chris Conner, is finally able to push past Leggio and cut the Bears lead in half. The Pens were persistent as they pushed to get the equalizer, Harry Zolniercayk dumped the puck in the net, leveling the score to 2-2. In the final minutes of the period the Pens blasted the net with shots but Leggio was everywhere. Eventually, they rocketed a shot past Leggio, with 47 seconds left on the clock they claimed the one goal lead heading into the locker rooms.
With only 20 minutes remaining, the Bears had a lot of ground to make up. The third period goal by the Penguins can only be described, as a play that Leggio would love to be able to take back. A miss step by Leggio as he helped on the play, the puck bounced behind him to where an open net was in receiving from Penguin, the Bears surrendered a 2 goal lead and the win to the Penguins.
MVP for the Bears last night was their goaltender Leggio. Hershey has been fortunate to have outstanding goaltenders, Leggio among those and it is a real treat to have such a talented net minder. Leggio kept the score low for the Bears keeping them in the game, from post to post he had his pads on everything making huge saves.
Looking towards this afternoon’s game, the Bears will face the Norfolk Admirals. The Bears need to play with speed, put traffic in front of their goaltender and play a solid 60 minute game. As Hershey drops to 1-2-1-0 record at home, Haviland is not afraid to make the changes needed to defend the den at 5pm against the Norfolk Admirals.
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Fresh off of a loss from Friday night, the Bears were hungry for a win. David Kolomatis deposited the puck top shelf, his first goal of the season. Jeff Taffe followed, igniting the barn into a loud roar, as he secured claiming a 2 goal lead. The first period was full of action, as these rivals dropped the gloves numerous times, sending 5 players to the box. Despite leading, 2-0 on the score board as they headed to intermission, the Bears were out shot in their own den 12-7 by the Pens.
Still ready to stir the pot in the second period, gloves were dropped. The Pens, Chris Conner, is finally able to push past Leggio and cut the Bears lead in half. The Pens were persistent as they pushed to get the equalizer, Harry Zolniercayk dumped the puck in the net, leveling the score to 2-2. In the final minutes of the period the Pens blasted the net with shots but Leggio was everywhere. Eventually, they rocketed a shot past Leggio, with 47 seconds left on the clock they claimed the one goal lead heading into the locker rooms.
With only 20 minutes remaining, the Bears had a lot of ground to make up. The third period goal by the Penguins can only be described, as a play that Leggio would love to be able to take back. A miss step by Leggio as he helped on the play, the puck bounced behind him to where an open net was in receiving from Penguin, the Bears surrendered a 2 goal lead and the win to the Penguins.
MVP for the Bears last night was their goaltender Leggio. Hershey has been fortunate to have outstanding goaltenders, Leggio among those and it is a real treat to have such a talented net minder. Leggio kept the score low for the Bears keeping them in the game, from post to post he had his pads on everything making huge saves.
Looking towards this afternoon’s game, the Bears will face the Norfolk Admirals. The Bears need to play with speed, put traffic in front of their goaltender and play a solid 60 minute game. As Hershey drops to 1-2-1-0 record at home, Haviland is not afraid to make the changes needed to defend the den at 5pm against the Norfolk Admirals.
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Saturday, November 2, 2013
Philadelphia Flyers Worst Game Yet
A throw back on Friday for the head coaches of the Flyers and Capitals, Adam Oats and Craig Berube, who played for both clubs and were teammates for a few seasons. Now both head coaches, their clubs faced off on Philadelphia Flyers home ice. The Capitals were looking for the win last night, even without Alex Ovechkin, and they broke their losing streak with a 7-0 victory over the Flyers.
It took nearly the entire first period for the Capitals to get on the board, even though they were outshot 8-4 by the Flyers. That first period goal opened up the flood gates for the Capitals, who racked up the points during the second period and headed to the locker room with a 6 point lead. Then, out of desperation in the third, Wayne Simmonds set out on a mission of revenge and sparked a line brawl, including a goaltender fight between Ray Emery and Branden Holtby.
The Capitals did not miss Ovechkin at all last night as: Joel Ward tallied a hat trick and Nicklas Backstrom found the back of the net twice. Jason Chimera and Troy Brouwer each scored as well during this heavily slanted game. Holtby made 30 saves for a game shutout last night and survived the Emery fight.
Steve Downie burst back onto the scene with positive contributions early in the game and then a fight in the attempt to bring some energy to the Flyers. With every opportunity missed and turnovers galore, the Flyers hit rock bottom and broke into a line brawl out of frustration. Emery, received a game high of 29 penalty minutes for engaging Holtby, who wanted nothing to do with him, in a fight. The discouragement and frustration is running at an all-time high in Philadelphia as they push on to face the New Jersey Devils later today.
After the game last Downie went to the hospital with a concussion from his fight, while Lecavalier suffered facial injuries. Both players will be scratches tonight against the New Jersey Devils. Captain Giroux still has not scored after 12 games and continues on the worst start of his career.
The Flyers are now 3-9-0. Even with the added talent, readjustment of lines, and goaltender switch they dropped this game to the Capitals – not even able to answer one goal. What is next for the Flyers? Could it be that promoting an assistant coach to head coach does not make the kind of impact needed to win NHL hockey games?
There does not seem to be any chemistry among this Flyers team. With their coach unable to motivate them into being the champions that all of their leadership and talent would suggest they can be, GM Paul Holmgren has created quite the predicament for Ed Snider. Berube, a good coach but not the answer to the Flyers problems and while Holmgren made an excellent trade on Thursday, he struck out on the coaching decision. Now that Downie is out with a concussion, Holmgren lost the energy and offensive spirit that he was intended to bring to the ice. While everyone spins there wheels about what to do in order to fix the Flyers, the solutions seems pretty obvious at this point.
Catch the Flyers again tonight as they take the ice against the New Jersey Devils.
For more of the Amateur Fan follow on twitter @TheAmateurFan
It took nearly the entire first period for the Capitals to get on the board, even though they were outshot 8-4 by the Flyers. That first period goal opened up the flood gates for the Capitals, who racked up the points during the second period and headed to the locker room with a 6 point lead. Then, out of desperation in the third, Wayne Simmonds set out on a mission of revenge and sparked a line brawl, including a goaltender fight between Ray Emery and Branden Holtby.
The Capitals did not miss Ovechkin at all last night as: Joel Ward tallied a hat trick and Nicklas Backstrom found the back of the net twice. Jason Chimera and Troy Brouwer each scored as well during this heavily slanted game. Holtby made 30 saves for a game shutout last night and survived the Emery fight.
Steve Downie burst back onto the scene with positive contributions early in the game and then a fight in the attempt to bring some energy to the Flyers. With every opportunity missed and turnovers galore, the Flyers hit rock bottom and broke into a line brawl out of frustration. Emery, received a game high of 29 penalty minutes for engaging Holtby, who wanted nothing to do with him, in a fight. The discouragement and frustration is running at an all-time high in Philadelphia as they push on to face the New Jersey Devils later today.
After the game last Downie went to the hospital with a concussion from his fight, while Lecavalier suffered facial injuries. Both players will be scratches tonight against the New Jersey Devils. Captain Giroux still has not scored after 12 games and continues on the worst start of his career.
The Flyers are now 3-9-0. Even with the added talent, readjustment of lines, and goaltender switch they dropped this game to the Capitals – not even able to answer one goal. What is next for the Flyers? Could it be that promoting an assistant coach to head coach does not make the kind of impact needed to win NHL hockey games?
There does not seem to be any chemistry among this Flyers team. With their coach unable to motivate them into being the champions that all of their leadership and talent would suggest they can be, GM Paul Holmgren has created quite the predicament for Ed Snider. Berube, a good coach but not the answer to the Flyers problems and while Holmgren made an excellent trade on Thursday, he struck out on the coaching decision. Now that Downie is out with a concussion, Holmgren lost the energy and offensive spirit that he was intended to bring to the ice. While everyone spins there wheels about what to do in order to fix the Flyers, the solutions seems pretty obvious at this point.
Catch the Flyers again tonight as they take the ice against the New Jersey Devils.
For more of the Amateur Fan follow on twitter @TheAmateurFan
Friday, November 1, 2013
Preview: Flyers v. Capitals
We are merely a few hours away from the Philadelphia Flyers (3-8-0) taking the ice against the Washington Capitals (5-7-0). Philly’s winning streak came to an abrupt end on Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks, when they surrendered a lead in the 3rd period and lost 5-3. The Capitals are looking to capture a win and end their 2 game losing streak, although they will be playing without Alex Ovechkin tonight, who stayed behind in Washington with a right shoulder injury. No longer will you see Max Talbot in the orange and black, as he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche yesterday in return of: Steve Downie.
Downie, originally drafted by the Flyers in 2005, will get his fresh start in Philadelphia and hopefully it will be as beneficial to him as it has been to new Flyers goaltender Steve Mason. The fans will more than likely take to Downie quickly, as he has an aggressive and instigative style. It’s no mystery that the Flyers have been struggling and GM Holmgren’s addition of Downie will hopefully energize the Flyers, as he will bring a much needed offensive presence on the Flyers ice. While the Flyers gain Downie, it is sad to see them lose Talbot, who has been a well-known contributor on the ice. His leadership and experience will no doubt add to the 8-1 Avs, as they continue their push towards the Stanley Cup.
Keep an eye on these four play makers on the ice tonight for the Philadelphia Flyers: Steve Mason. He has been solid between the pipes for the Flyers, calm and consistent. Since the season started he has been game MVP, taking full advantage of his fresh start in Philadelphia and is playing his best season since rookie. Vinny Lecavalier. He burst onto the scene as a seasoned leader ready to contribute and a welcomed addition to the Flyers. He is looking to continue adding goals to his streak, tallied over the past few games. He has scored four goals in 2 games, and his momentum is tailed by Matt Read. Lastly, keep an eye on new comer Steve Downie who will dawn jersey #9 for the orange and black.
With the lead goal scorer for the Capitals sidelined and some new energy on the Flyers bench, the team has to take advantage of their opportunities tonight on home ice.
Game is at 7pm ET, NHLN, CSN Plus (Washington), CSN (Philadelphia)
Follow The Amateur Fan on Twitter @TheAmateurFan
Downie, originally drafted by the Flyers in 2005, will get his fresh start in Philadelphia and hopefully it will be as beneficial to him as it has been to new Flyers goaltender Steve Mason. The fans will more than likely take to Downie quickly, as he has an aggressive and instigative style. It’s no mystery that the Flyers have been struggling and GM Holmgren’s addition of Downie will hopefully energize the Flyers, as he will bring a much needed offensive presence on the Flyers ice. While the Flyers gain Downie, it is sad to see them lose Talbot, who has been a well-known contributor on the ice. His leadership and experience will no doubt add to the 8-1 Avs, as they continue their push towards the Stanley Cup.
Keep an eye on these four play makers on the ice tonight for the Philadelphia Flyers: Steve Mason. He has been solid between the pipes for the Flyers, calm and consistent. Since the season started he has been game MVP, taking full advantage of his fresh start in Philadelphia and is playing his best season since rookie. Vinny Lecavalier. He burst onto the scene as a seasoned leader ready to contribute and a welcomed addition to the Flyers. He is looking to continue adding goals to his streak, tallied over the past few games. He has scored four goals in 2 games, and his momentum is tailed by Matt Read. Lastly, keep an eye on new comer Steve Downie who will dawn jersey #9 for the orange and black.
With the lead goal scorer for the Capitals sidelined and some new energy on the Flyers bench, the team has to take advantage of their opportunities tonight on home ice.
Game is at 7pm ET, NHLN, CSN Plus (Washington), CSN (Philadelphia)
Follow The Amateur Fan on Twitter @TheAmateurFan
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