Update on the Author: Erica The Amateur Fan

It's the Catch-22 of following the Philadelphia Flyers: The team keeps losing and you want to look away but you can't, because what if they have an amazing game like Saturday's 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders. Game action including: breaking their 2 point barrier, a hat trick for Vinny Lecavalier and their first back to back win of the season. What if you miss what could have possibly been the best game of the season for the Flyers? What if your DVR just doesn't come through for you? Meanwhile you are diligently watching the Hershey Bears game from the Press Box, taking in the action of the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals? Needless to say, I missed Saturday's game while I was at the Hershey Bears game.

Every once in a while I suffer from too much hockey and not enough time in the day. I thought for today, instead of another story about how the Flyers gave up their 2 goal lead to lose against the Ducks last night, that I might bring you a more personal update. As many of you know I am a freelance hockey writer and my journey did not start that long ago. You can read about my hockey journey at my sister blog: TheLongRoadtoToronto.Blogspot.com. The growth of The Amateur Fan over the past few weeks has been momentous. Not too long ago I returned from a road trip to Toronto, which for a hockey fan was by far the best experience of my life. It is hard to even put into words the beautiful experiences I had while I was in Canada and upstate New York. Now back in the States, with the hockey season in full swing, I have been fortunate enough to meet some great people that have been influential in my writing and hockey journey. I recently have been sitting in press row at the Hershey Bear games, getting a birds eye view of the games and writing about the top AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals. Also, I have added an official logo to The Amateur Fan.

From the idea of writing down my observations after a hockey game to all the accomplishments thus far, The Amateur Fan has spread wings and taken me on this incredible journey from my couch to the press box. I look forward to the coming months where I will be attending my first NHL game (Flyers v. Penguins in Pittsburgh November 13) I will be creating an Instagram to visually take you on my journey and I will be adding more stories to The Long Road to Toronto Blog. Stay tuned, more great things to come!

For more of The Amateur Fan follow on Twitter @TheAmateurFan

Hershey Bears Win at Home

Last night the Hershey Bears faced the Norfolk Admirals, a former team of head coach Mike Haviland. Prior to last night’s game, Haviland made adjustments to the line ups after Saturday’s loss and it paid off as the Bears beat the Admirals 4-2, clinching their second win of the season and first win on their home ice.

Some key differences in Sunday’s game against the Admirals were that the Bears played a hard 60 minute game and took shots on goal. Nathan Walker found the back of the net early in the first period for the Bears with an assist by the goaltender David Leggio, who was coming out of the net and actively engaging play. As the 1st period wound down the Admirals pushed for a goal and deposited a top shelf goal on Leggio to tie the game.

As the Bears look to take the lead, Leggio just missed getting his pad on the puck as it coasts into the net surrendering a 1 goal lead to the Admirals. Soon after, Hershey Bears Julien Brouilette took the liberty of sliding the puck right under Admirals Igor Bobkov pads, to tie the game. The Bears applied the pressure late in the 2nd as they push hard for a goal, in the attempt to go into the 2nd intermission with a lead. After a nice set up, Peter LeBlanc rocketed the puck through players into the back of the net, taking the lead as they headed to the lock rooms.

Heading into the 3rd period with a one goal lead, the Bears were looking to score an insurance goal. The energy and determination were high in the 3rd period, the Bears were pushing hard and taking the puck to the net. With less than one minute left in the period, the players gathered along the boards to fight for the puck, as the Bears won and passed it to Dane Byers he rocketed it top shelf into the net with 39.2 seconds left.

Goaltender David Leggio had an outstanding game last night, as helped to keep the Bears in the game with some major saves. He contributed to the early goal of the game, assisting on the play and actively pursuing the puck. The Bears have great goaltending and the line changes have been beneficial, optimistically this game could serve as the momentum for the Bears to spring board to many more season wins. The Hershey Bears will face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins November 1 away and then November 2 on home ice.

For more of The Amateur Fan follow on twitter @TheAmateurFan

The Hershey Bears fall to the Hartford Wolf Pack

The Hershey Bears returned home tonight after being on the road for much of October. They took the ice against the Hartford Wolf Pack, the top AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers and battled through a strenuous 60 minutes of hockey. The Bears had a thick layer of Wolf Pack players to penetrate and puck deflections seemed to end up everywhere but in the net. The Wolf Pack used every inch of their body to block the 23 shots on goal by the Bears; they certainly have a good understanding and application of traffic in front of the net.

Throughout the game the Bears had two 5 on 3 power play opportunities. Each time it took them a while to successfully enter the zone and set up their play. With the clock ticking and time a wasting, the only way to score was if they shot the puck. Only during the 1st period’s 5 on 3 power play were they rewarded when Jeff Taffe put the Bears on the score board, 1-0. The Bears were wining puck battles but losing pucks to interceptions and it was not long before the Wolf Pack found the back of the net to even the score, 1-1.

Adding a little momentum to the game, the 2nd period started with a fight but the excitement was short lived as the unusual lull of the Giant Center returned. The Wolf Pack ganged up in order to rocket the puck past Bears goaltender Philipp Grubauer and gained the lead. Finally, after applying copious amounts of pressure, Hershey Bear Chay Genoway found the top corner of the net, tying the game, 2-2. Not long after, Michael Latta navigated through the Wolf Pack’s thick traffic, taking the puck to the net twice, impressing a home crowd yet again with his puck handling skills, scoring on his back hand to reclaim the lead, 3-2.

With an early and a mid-3rd period goal for the Hartford Wolf Pack, they secured the game win, 4-3. The Bears just could not find the net with the puck due to the human shields deflecting shots. The Wolf Pack consistently added an extra layer of players in front of goaltender Scott Stajcer, forcing the Bears to work extra hard to navigate their territory. Whether there were 3 players or 5 players out on the ice for the Wolf Pack, they were able to cover the ice and appear to be everywhere.

Though still early in the season, the Bears appear to be working through some learning curves but will want to be on top of their game tomorrow as they face a former team of Head Coach Mike Haviland, the Norfolk Admirals.

For more of The Amateur Fan follow on twitter @TheAmateurFan

Flyers: A Break from the Losing Streak

The Philadelphia Flyers caught a break against the 2-6-0 New York Ranger, ending their 4 game losing streak tonight. Back on the ice after a week off, the Flyers looked a little rusty but with Vinny Lecavalier back by Claude Giroux’s side he was quick to make scoring opportunities right off the puck drop.

The MVP for the Flyers was Matt Read, who netted his first goal of the season, and got the Flyers off to a good start. As they looked to go into the intermission with a lead, Rangers’ Mike Richards snuck a goal in on Steve Mason with 1:04 left to play in the first period.

Steve Mason, outstanding in net for the Flyers, has been doing his job while patiently waiting for his team to have more goals than the other team. Tonight was no exception, Mason made 30 saves keeping the Flyers competitive and contributing to the big W.

Braydon Coburn scored 3:33 into the third period, breaking the tie while Mason fended off the Rangers securing the win. The Flyers still struggle to score goals and have yet to score more than twice in regulation. As the Flyers struggle to get back on track for the season, they will have to figure out how to score in order to compete with other teams around the league. Still without goals 9 games into the Flyers season: Giroux, Voracek, Streit, and Couturier. With big names still not scoring and Hartnell out of the game, others will need to step up to fill the gaps. Now that Read has ended his non-scoring streak, hopefully his confidence is back and he will consistently put the puck in the back of the net.

With a deep hole to dig themselves out of, the Flyers need to rally to create more offense. It was good to see the Flyers play a 60 minute game after a shaky start as they adjusted to some new lines, but they barely escaped with the win. Now that they have a win and can rebuild their confidence going into Saturdays game against the 3-3-3 New York Islanders, they have to start winning more consistently. Craig Berube had a smile on his face while talking to the press tonight and team Captain Claude Giroux is confident that the Flyers can turn their season around. With an unpredictable future, the Flyers will face the Islanders Saturday, hoping for their first back to back wins of the season.

For more of The Amateur Fan follow on twitter @TheAmateurFan

1-7-0 The Flyers Lose Again

Despite the fact that the Philadelphia Flyers don’t want to keep losing all season long, they definitely do not want to drop games to their cross state rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins. There is no mystery or new game analysis as to why the Flyers fell to the Penguins last night. All the same explanations, suspects and problems that started brewing with this team long before the season started is what keeps Giroux and company from winning.

Last night’s loss against the Penguins was not entirely due to a lack of effort. The Flyers have put a lot of effort into their game. In the first period the Flyers demonstrated a strong power kill and helped Steve Mason clear rebounds, which kept the game at an even 0-0 through the first period of play. Then, with a slow start to the second period, the Flyers suffered a series of turnovers that ultimately turn into a goal for the Penguins. The Penguins dominated the first half of the game but at the end of the second period the Penguins start taking penalties and giving the Flyers an opportunity to tilt the ice through the third period. The Flyers applied the pressure but only were able to tally one goal and eventually allowing the Penguins to rack up several more points before the final buzzer and a 4-1 loss.

The Flyers have been struggling to play a 60 minute game and in a case such as last night, when they can’t compete during the entire 20 minutes of each period, they will not be able to capitalize on opportunities. Going into the third period the score was 2-1, and the Flyers were on the power play and dominated the first half of the third period but they could never get the equalizer.

Turnovers and lack of shots on goal have been consistently killing the Flyers opportunities to win in the NHL. If this team cannot figure out how to score more than 2 goals per game, they will never be a competitive NHL hockey team. After eight games Giroux, Read, Couturer and Voracek still remain scoreless. Steve Mason has been excellent in goal and remains the MVP of the team keeping the Flyers competitive. Now that the Flyers have seemingly solved the goaltending issue that plagued them, they have a new scoring issue.

The Flyers have a week off before they face the New York Rangers on Thursday. It is still likely they will be playing without: Hartnell and Timonen but maybe Lecavalier, a critical play maker will be back to help the Flyers score.

For more of The Amateur Fan follow on twitter @TheAmateurFan

Another Loss, Flyers fall to Canucks

The Flyers have the worst start yet to their season going 1-6-0. Last night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks looked promising but the Flyers lost the lead in the third period, much like in the past they have had issues maintaining consistency through the third period.

Tye McGinn has made an impression, as he is one of the only Flyers successfully scoring, twice last night and once during Sunday’s game. Also, Steve Mason, a consistent MVP for the Flyers this season has been looking better and better in net. The good news is that he is improving, but the bad news is he is still getting little support from the soft defense the rest of the team.

At times the team has been playing well with quality puck handling, getting deep into their opponents zone and taking shots. But, they are not getting pucks in the net. A consistent struggle for the Flyers has been playing a consistent 60 minute game, and if they continue to not be able to compete for an entire 60 minutes they will keep losing.

It’s early in the season, even though things do not look too hot right now, the Flyers are a team filled with experience, depth and a lot of talented/quality hockey players. There cannot be certainty as to what the missing element truly is for this team but it is frustrating to see the Flyers have such a struggle.

McGinn, recently called up from the Flyers AHL Phantoms affiliate, has been a dominate goal scorer for the team. There is a short list of players who have scored goals this season for the Flyers and oddly absent are the names of: Captain Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Matt Read and Sean Coturier. With their top players not being able to make the puck in the net and Scott Hartnell, as well as Vinny Lecavalier out of the lineup for the next few weeks the Flyers are in a rough situation. Berube was correct when he said someone would step up and fill in the Hartnell/Lecavalier gap, McGinn has done a great job of that but who is going to fill the Giroux and company gap?

Last week Flyers head coach Craig Berube advised his team: “Relax the goals will come.” But, not for a lack of shots on goal or opportunities, the goals are not coming for the Flyers. Today during morning skate the coaches were replaying the Higgins goal over and over, practicing defensing. Regardless of what the coaching staff makes them practice, they need to be able to score goals and have confidence. This coaching staff needs to get their head out of the sand.

The Flyers will face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday. Of course the Penguins are on a roll and looking to demolish the Flyers with a 6-1 game. No better time than now for everyone to step up, play Zac Rinaldo for more than 4 minutes, fore-check, stay out of the penalty box and have a stronger defense and offense.

For more of The Amateur Fan follow on twitter @TheAmateurFan

Disapponting Weekend for the Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers entered there weekend games with hope and anticipation that their team chemistry and energy was going to make their losing streak a thing of the past. Chief (Craig Berube) did not dwell on his debut win because he knew that the team still had a lot of work to do.

“It’s over,” Chief said of the first win of the season for the Flyers. “We’re worried about tomorrow and practice.”

During their downfall on Friday, 2 key players were benched with injuries and going into Saturday, a different team emerged. A more serious team, without Scott Hartnell and Vinny Lecavalier, the Flyers would have to call up players from their AHL affiliate to fill the gaps.

“We have to get better, we have to have more an attack. I know we do have good offensive players here. It’s just a matter of getting them confident,” Chief said.

Attack is exactly what the Flyers demonstrated on Friday against the Phoenix Coyotes. Zac Rinaldo, the Jerkly and Hyde player of the game, always aggressive and strong on checks did everything possible, good and bad, to help the Flyers. From his 1st period fight with tough guy Paul Bisonette, to his go ahead goal assist in the 2nd period. Then, just as it appeared that the Flyers would be ending the 2nd period with a tie, an error in judgment on part of Rinaldo, he took a reckless penalty. The penalty sent him to the box, affording Phoenix a power play where they scored the game winning goal. Holmgren comment on Rinaldo’s aggressive play saying:

“Zac’s the kind of player that needs to play on the edge. Tonight, I thought he was probably a little bit over the edge. But he’s trying to get things going.”

While the Flyers still lack offense, they lost two proven goal scorers and play makers, Hartnell and Lecavalier who will be out for several weeks but, Chief said:

“Well, it’s tougher, but it doesn’t matter does it? I mean, we’ve got to win hockey games. People will come in and fill in for them.”

And that they did. Tye McGinn and Michael Raffl, both whom made positive contributions to the momentum of the game, were called up from AHL Phantoms. The Flyers team that took the ice on Saturday against the Detroit Red Wings were a much different team than Friday’s. They were not playing with the same hard edge but they were still playing a smart and simple hockey game. Regardless, the outcome was the same —another loss. The Flyers spent too much time in the penalty box and had too many turn-overs, which contributed to all the goals during the game.

Commenting on the team’s performance last night Chief said: “...we played a solid game, a lot of urgency. We were competitive, but it wasn’t enough.”

I don’t have any answers for this team, who is suffering from the fewest goals ever scored during the first five games in franchise history; previously the lowest was 9 in 1999-00 (0-4-1). The Flyers are playing well, they just need to get the puck into the net more often; there is no a lack of opportunity, just a lack of scoring. With the record not getting any better, 1-4-0, who is next to be put on the hot seat by Flyers management, or maybe firing people, even Laviolette, isn’t/wasn’t the answer.

For more of The Amateur Fan follow on twitter @TheAmateurFan