Hershey Bears Hockey

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 26

Posted by Hershey Bears

Most of the roster regulars took the opportunity to rest on an optional practice day amid the playoff grind.

The Hershey Bears held an optional practice Thursday at Giant Center in the wake of their Game 3 overtime win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Most of the roster regulars took the opportunity to rest amid the playoff grind.

“It was a fun game to be a part of last night,” Bears head coach Mark French said.

One that kept Hershey’s season alive.

“It’s like any other game,” WBS head coach John Hynes said. “You want to look at what happened, the positives and the negatives of it, and then you just evaluate what we did well, some areas you want to get better at, and some things that Hershey did that helped them win the game.”

Hynes said he didn’t have a pre-practice update on Brian Strait, who exited Game 3 due to injury.

Bears forward Christian Hanson is out of a cast.

“I believe there’s a doctor’s appointment approaching,” French said. “At that doctor’s appointment, I think they’ll assess that and give him clearance to possibly start skating.

“There seems to be some progress. But I think a timetable will be established at that meeting. He seems to be progressing from where he was two or three weeks ago to where he is now.”

The Chocolate Avenue Grill catered lunch for the Bears.

Here is a link to Thursday’s Japers’ Rink Caps clips and a link to Citizens’ Voice coverage of the Bears-Pens series.

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 25

Posted by Hershey Bears

With their season on the brink of ending Wednesday night at Giant Center, the Hershey Bears benefited from more of Ryan Potulny’s playoff overtime magic.

With their season on the brink of ending Wednesday night at Giant Center, the Hershey Bears benefited from more of Ryan Potulny’s playoff overtime magic.

The forward sent a sharp-angled, power-play shot past Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goalie Brad Thiessen at 2:57 of OT to lift Hershey to a 4-3 victory in Game 3.

Hershey, now trailing the best-of-five series 2-1, survived to reach Game 4 Friday.

“There’s no secret, I don’t think,” Potulny said. “Just sticking with it, shooting the puck. There’s never a bad shot in overtime, and you have to keep your focus, too.

“You can’t get too excited and be afraid to make mistakes. You’ve just got to stick with it and not change anything in overtime.”

Potulny ended the longest game in AHL history with a goal for the Philadelphia Phantoms 2:58 into the fifth overtime of a playoff game against Albany in 2007-08. Last season, his Game 7 OT winner lifted the Binghamton Senators to a first-round elimination of the Manchester Monarchs.

“It seems to follow certain guys around,” Bears head coach Mark French said.

“I think one constant I’ve seen in players who have been able to rise to the occasion in overtimes is a competitiveness. You want your best players to be your best players at the most important times.”

Hershey had taken a 3-2 lead on Kyle Greentree’s goal at 13:03 of the third period but couldn’t come away with a regulation triumph.

Two seconds after Hershey killed off an Andrew Carroll tripping penalty, Bears captain Boyd Kane was called for slashing Ben Street. Alex Grant subsequently tied it 3-3 with a left-point shot at 16:47.

“I’m just battling for the puck,” Kane said.

“That’s a tough call. But, I guess, they have to call it when a guy’s stick breaks.”

Hershey shrugged off the adversity and got its overtime power play when Nick Petersen was called for high-sticking Kane at 1:38. French called timeout at 2:31 with 1:07 left on the power play to keep his top unit on the ice, and they produced Hershey’s first power-play goal of the series (1-for-11).

“It was huge for guys not to let down there [after the tying goal],” Potulny said. “It could have been a letdown.

“It’s do or die for us, and this team’s not ready to die, I don’t think. We weren’t ready to end our season and weren’t going to give up that way.”

The Washington Capitals won their Game 7 against the Boston Bruins in OT Wednesday night, so the Bears now know they won’t be getting any reinforcements for the rest of the series.

“Now we have a series,” Bears winger D.J. King said. “We just believe now, not that we didn’t before.”

Hershey summoned its best start of the series in the first.

King, scoring his first Hershey goal and first since 2007-08, corralled a Zach Miskovic point-shot rebound and converted from behind the net to give the Bears a 1-0 edge at 6:15 that was their first lead of the series.

“That was probably the biggest thing that could happen,” French said, “is for us to score first and to try to gain some confidence off of that.”

Feeding off that good-bounce karma, the Bears began sustaining their best offensive zone pressure of the series and ultimately made it 2-0 when Cameron Schilling scored his first pro goal off a left point blast at 17:03.

Cal O’Reilly’s power-play goal 38 seconds into the second cut the deficit to 2-1. Eric Tangradi tied it 2-2 at 6:22 of the third.

“If you’re going to do anything in the playoffs, you’ve got to be able to come back,” WBS head coach John Hynes said. “You’re not going to win 15 straight games to do it. This is part of the process. We just have to reload and be ready to go on Friday.”

Bears goalie Dany Sabourin made 26 saves, including a stunning, point-blank save on a Colin McDonald power-play bid with 6:29 left in the first that preserved a 1-0 lead.

“It was a quick play in front,” Sabourin said. “I thought he was going to one-time it. He’s a good shooter. I was sliding on my knees and I slide a little bit too far. He was just waiting and waiting. I just made a desperation save with my glove there.

“I think every single little play in playoffs are huge. I think that save kind of turned the momentum after that.”

Hershey’s fourth line of King, Carroll and Graham Mink set a physical tone that helped Hershey establish an offensive zone presence.

“Being at home now, every little bang, you just hear the crowd give you a little bit of boost,” King said. “And that’s what we wanted from the start.”

NOTEBOOK

Miskovic made his series debut, replacing injured Patrick McNeill.

Anaheim Ducks assistant coach Bob Woods, who led Hershey to the 2008-09 Calder Cup, visited the Hershey locker room after the game.

WBS went 2-for-6 on the power play and has gone 6-for-17 in the series. “I thought the penalties we took were aggressive in nature, not selfish in nature,” French said. “And that’s what I wanted to see.”

The victory, which ended a 10-game winless streak, was Hershey’s first since a 5-2 win over Binghamton on March 28.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 25

Posted by Hershey Bears

Hershey Bears defenseman Patrick McNeill didn’t participate in Wednesday’s morning skate, and head coach Mark French said it will be a game-time decision on whether he will play in Game 3 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Hershey Bears defenseman Patrick McNeill didn’t participate in Wednesday’s morning skate, and head coach Mark French said it will be a game-time decision on whether he will play in Game 3 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

If McNeill can’t play, Zach Miskovic is poised to make his 2011-12 playoff debut.

Miskovic has 11 games of playoff experience with Hershey. With McNeill sidelined by a shoulder injury in 2009-10, Miskovic scored a goal in a Game 5 first-round clinching win against Bridgeport.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in him,” French said.

Dany Sabourin was the first goalie off the ice. Lines and D-pairs remained unchanged from Tuesday’s practice.

Seven-foot glass, replacing 4-foot glass, has been installed behind the visitor’s bench at Giant Center to limit fan interaction with opposition teams. In addition, plexiglass slats were installed in the seams so that fans can’t shout through the seams.

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 24

Posted by Hershey Bears

The Bears, outscored 10-3 in the first two games, were shell-shocked when they exited Wilkes-Barre Saturday night. The four-day break between Games 2 and 3 has at least given them some time to try to regain their balance.

Strong first periods were a hallmark of the Hershey Bears during the 2011-12 regular season.

They outscored foes a collective 83-65 and outshot them a collective 726-703.

That trend has done a 180-degree turn in Hershey’s first-round playoff series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Hershey was outscored a collective 5-0 and outshot a collective 25-8 as the Baby Pens won the first two games at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Thus, the Bears face elimination Wednesday night at Giant Center in Game 3 of the best-of-five series.

“We’ve been a good first-period team all year in the regular season,” Bears head coach Mark French said Tuesday. “We need to have a solid first period.”

The Bears, outscored 10-3 in the first two games, were shell-shocked when they exited Wilkes-Barre Saturday night. The four-day break between Games 2 and 3 has at least given them some time to try to regain their balance.

“We get a day off [Sunday],” defenseman Tomas Kundratek said. “And then we get back on the ice. It was good for us. We’ve worked really hard and we are prepared for that third game.”

Power play work has been a focus in preparation for Game 3. The Bears have gone 0-for-7, which is a big reason why no members of the top two lines produced a point in the first two games.

“I think we need to shoot more pucks,” said Bears forward Ryan Potulny, who led the AHL with 19 power-play goals. “Once you shoot pucks, it loosens up the penalty kill a little bit. Or if you just keep it to the perimeter and move it around, as a killer sometimes that can be easier.

“So if we just get pucks on net and get rebounds and corral the pucks after that and then make plays, maybe it will loosen them up a little bit, spread them out, and then we can make the plays we want to.”

Meanwhile, WBS has gone 4-for-11 on its power play.

Hershey ranked second in the league in penalty minutes in the regular season. The Baby Pens have made the Bears pay for a lack of discipline.

“That’s too much of a discrepancy,” French said. “Some of the penalties we’ve taken, we have to step away from that.”

The Bears figuratively have been stuck in a storm cloud during the series. One silver lining is the offensive contribution they’ve gotten from the blue line.

Hershey defensemen have produced five points. The forwards have produced two points.

“They collapse a great deal in D-zone coverage, which by virtue opens up the points a little bit,” French said. “They do a good job of shot blocking. But, at the same time, your D have much more of an emphasis in offensive zone play in terms of generating shots.”

If the blue line can continue that pace and the forwards finally get untracked, that could be part of a formula to turn a series that needs to be turned fast for Hershey.

“Every goal from the blue line helps,” Kundratek said. “It doesn’t hurt if it’s from the blue line or if it’s from down low. We have to put the pucks to the net and we have to score goals and we have to play really good defense.”

If the Bears can win Game 3, there remains a chance they can get reinforcements from the Washington Capitals for the rest of the series.

“We know there’s going to be a push,” WBS captain Ryan Craig told the Citizens’ Voice. “We’re going to push. It’s going to be a great hockey game, I believe, one where teams are fighting for their lives.”

Hershey, winless in 10 straight dating back to the regular season (0-8-0-2), hasn’t had a lead in the series and has trailed for all but 15:59.

“It does make it harder,” Potulny said. “I think you change your game a little bit, as much as you don’t want to. It changes the game a little when you’re behind.

“The main thing for this next game is to try to get a lead early. But if not, just stick with our game plan. Don’t change it. That’s what happened to us is we tried to change our game at times and it went in the wrong way.”

WBS has showcased what appears to be a speed advantage. French attributes that to his club’s relative lethargy compared to the energetic Baby Pens, who reached playoff tempo fast and have stayed there.

“I think we’ve played slow,” French said. “We’ve played a slow game instead of keeping our pace going.”

Seventy-three teams have faced 2-0 deficits in best-of-five series, according to the AHL, and nine of them (12.3 percent) have revived to win three straight and advance.

“It kind of helps that it’s a five-game series where you only need to win three games and not four to win the series,” Bears winger Chris Bourque said.

“We’ve got to get that win on Wednesday and go from there.”

Potulny and the Binghamton Senators faced a similar situation last season. They trailed the Manchester Monarchs 3-1 in the first round (best-of-seven) but won three in a row in overtime to claim the series en route to winning the Calder Cup.

“If you lose, you’re done now,” Potulny said. “That’s the bottom line. I think if you can’t be desperate for this game then you shouldn’t be playing sports.

“It’s got to be a desperation, but not a nervousness where you’re afraid to make mistakes. We can’t have that. The pressure’s on them. We just have to go out and play hockey.”

BLUE LINES

Eric Tangradi, Brian Strait and Simon Despres have rejoined WBS from the Pittsburgh Penguins, who were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers. “If you could ask any of those guys up in Pitt if they could get a crack at it anywhere else, they would all say yes,” Tangradi told the Citizens’ Voice. “I think I have a unique opportunity. The fire is definitely still burning inside.”

The last time Hershey lost the first two games of a best-of-five, against the Baltimore Bandits in 1995-96, it won the next two before falling in overtime in Game 5.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 24

Posted by Hershey Bears

Patrick McNeill sat out practice at Giant Center for what Hershey Bears head coach Mark French termed a maintenance day.

Patrick McNeill sat out practice Tuesday at Giant Center for what Hershey Bears head coach Mark French termed a maintenance day.

With McNeill absent and Patrick Wellar suspended for Game 3 Wednesday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Zach Miskovic looked like he might be poised to move into the lineup if McNeill ends up being unable to play. Miskovic paired with Kevin Marshall in the top six and was on the second power-play unit.

“I thought Patrick had played a very solid game [in Game 2],” French said. “The biggest thing is we’re disappointed that he won’t be in Game 3.”
 
The Bears, trailing 2-0 in a best-of-five series against WBS, featured new looks on all four lines, with Garrett Mitchell moving to second line and Graham Mink to fourth.

“With what we did with the lines today, we’re trying to reward some players who’ve played well within the series,” French said. “We’ll see if that can serve as a catalyst to some of the other guys they’re playing with.”
 
The power play (0-for-7 in the series) was a focus at practice.

“For us, the power play needs to come down to puck recovery and puck battles,” French said. “It doesn’t matter what structure or setup or personnel to be put on the ice. We need to get better in those areas, and I think our power-play percentage and success would follow suit.”

Barry Almeida, T.J. Syner and Scott Greenham didn’t practice with the main group.

Here is a link to Tuesday’s Japers’ Rink Caps clips.

Lines:
Kane-Potulny-Bourque
Greentree-Eakin-Mitchell
Pope-Carman/Civitarese-Micflikier
King-Carroll-Mink/Rechlicz

D-pairs:
Schilling-Collins
Brouillette-Kundratek
Marshall-Miskovic
Wellar-rotation

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 23

Posted by Hershey Bears

Wellar will miss Game 3 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Wednesday night at Giant Center.

Hershey Bears defenseman Patrick Wellar was suspended for one game by the AHL on Monday as a result of the major and game misconduct he received for slashing at 15:25 of the third period in Game 2 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday.

Wellar will miss Game 3 of the first-round playoff series Wednesday night at Giant Center.

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 21

Posted by Hershey Bears

WBS leads the best-of-five series 2-0 and has outscored the Bears a collective 10-3. Hershey must win the next two games at home and also win Game 5 on the road to avoid the end of its season.

WILKES-BARRE — Three years ago the Hershey Bears exited the visitor’s locker room at Mohegan Sun Arena one loss from playoff elimination.

They kept alive their 2008-09 Calder Cup aspirations by beating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Games 6 and 7 of the East Division finals at Giant Center.

In the wake of a 7-2 rout in Game 2 to WBS Saturday night, the Bears face a more difficult plight in 2011-12.

WBS leads the best-of-five series 2-0 and has outscored the Bears a collective 10-3. Hershey must win the next two games at home and also win Game 5 on the road to avoid the end of its season.

“We’ve got to give them credit,” said Bears winger Chris Bourque, a member of the 2008-09 Calder Cup club. “They’ve played a real good two games. We just have to be better all around and stay positive as a group.

“It’s not the end of the world. We’re still alive here. We have to win on Wednesday [in Game 3] and have a much better effort.”

In the wake of a rough start in Game 2, when Colin McDonald gave WBS a 1-0 lead 1:19 into the contest, the Bears had begun showing positive signs until Zach Sill and Cody Wild scored 82 seconds apart midway through the first period to make it 3-0.

The Baby Pens then increased the lead to 4-0, insurmountable in practical terms, on Geoff Walker’s power-play goal at 17:00.

“There’s going to be goals scored in hockey,” Bears winger Garrett Mitchell said. “We can’t let that affect us. We have three games we’ve got to win, and that’s what we’ve got to do. Those goals don’t matter anymore.

“It comes down to winning three games. There’s teams that have won three games a lot.”

Mitchell and Patrick McNeill scored in the second for Hershey.

McDonald added his second goal of the game and fourth of the series on the power play in the third. Matt Rust and Ben Street (penalty shot) also scored for WBS.

“Everyone’s playing the best they have all year,” McDonald said.

In contrast, Hershey’s winless streak stretched to 10. It is its longest winless streak since a club-record 12-game streak (0-10-0-2) in 2001-02.

WBS has taken away Hershey’s strengths. The top two lines haven’t produced a point in the first two games and the power play has gone 0-for-7.

“I think we’re trying to be a little too cute at times,” McNeill said. “We’ve got to collectively work together on the faceoffs to gain possession of the puck. We’ve just got to make the simple plays, back to the basics of hockey, the basics of running the power play.

“Obviously, we clicked at a high percentage throughout the year, but come playoffs teams work a lot harder. You’ve got to simplify it and dumb it down a bit and get back to the basics.”

Hershey has struggled to sustain offensive zone time on the power play.

“They play a real good defensive game and they collapse well in front,” Bourque said. “So whenever we get in their zone and throw it out to the point, there’s not many shot lanes and it’s tough to take it to the net and find seams.

“We obviously need to do a better job of creating stuff down low and getting more shots on net. I don’t think we’ve really tested out this goalie too much.”

Hershey has mustered just 36 shots on goalie Brad Thiessen (14 saves in Game 2) in two games. In 120 minutes of series action, WBS has led for all but 15:59.

Hershey hasn’t been swept in a series since 2001-02 (Houston). It hasn’t been swept in a best-of-five since 1965-66 (Springfield).

“I think our play needs to be more urgent,” Bears head coach Mark French said. “And, certainly, the situation is urgent. So, hopefully, the play of the team will follow the situation.”

Seven is the most goals the Bears have allowed in a playoff game since WBS beat them 7-3 on April 25, 2008, in Game 5 to clinch a first-round playoff series.

Dating back to last season, Hershey has lost five straight playoff games. In 2010-11, the Charlotte Checkers won the final three games of a first-round series to eliminate the Bears in six games.

“We obviously didn’t get the success we were looking for here,” McNeill said. “Everybody knows it’s tough to play in this building, and when they get rolling it’s tough to swing momentum your way. The Giant Center’s not an easy place to play for opposing teams.

“Best three-out-of-five, you win one game and you’re right back in it. So we’ve just got to forget about what’s transpired here and we’ve got to get back to work and start doing what’s made us successful throughout the year and chip away a game at a time.”

NOTEBOOK

Hershey made two lineup changes from Game 1. Defenseman Julien Brouillette replaced Cameron Schilling and forward Barry Almeida replaced D.J. King.

Hershey’s 16 shots marked a season low.

WBS has gone 4-for-11 on the power play.

McNeill on McDonald: “He’s working hard like the rest of their team and is a good player.”

The Washington Capitals’ Game 5 Stanley Cup playoff win over the Boston Bruins means the Bears won’t get any NHL reinforcements at least through Game 3.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 21

Posted by Hershey Bears

Everybody who played Friday night participated in the morning skate at Mohegan Sun Arena.

WILKES-BARRE — Everybody who played Friday night participated in the Hershey Bears’ morning skate Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena. That included Andrew Carroll, who took a puck to the left ankle in Game 1 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

“A few questionable [health] things that we’ll get a read from here,” Bears head coach Mark French said.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Saturday night. The Bears lost 3-1 in Game 1 to extend their winless streak to nine, which is Hershey’s longest winless streak since a club-record, 12-game streak (0-10-0-2) in 2001-02.

Asked to assess his team’s mood, French said, “I think it’s good.”

Washington Capitals associate goaltending coach Olie Kolzig is on the trip and worked with Brandon Anderson after the skate.

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 20

Posted by Hershey Bears

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.

WILKES-BARRE — A Hershey Bears team that entered the postseason on an eight-game winless streak got little chance to generate positive momentum Friday night in their playoff opener at Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins summoned a smothering performance for the first 30 minutes en route to a commanding 3-1 victory in Game 1.

Hershey mustered some pushback in the second half of the second period and the first half of the third, but it was down by three goals before Mike Carman ended goalie Brad Thiessen’s shutout bid at 18:08 of the third.

“There’s no team anywhere in hockey that wins just to play, whatever, 20 minutes or whatever we did,” Bears goalie Dany Sabourin said.

“We showed some good hockey. We have to take the positives and see what we can do better. It’s one game. We have to regroup very fast.”

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is scheduled for Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“I think it’s beneficial mentally to a lot of guys,” Carman said. “You want to get right back into it right away. We have a lot better than that. It’s better to get right back in there and be able to show what we’re capable of doing instead of dwelling on it for a couple days off.”

WBS scored a goal in each period. Colin McDonald scored a power-play goal in the first and an even-strength goal in the third, and Cal O’Reilly scored a power-play goal in the second.

“That’s what they’re all about all year,” Sabourin said. “They come hard and they don’t stop. I think they kind of stopped at the end because they had the lead. But we have to match and be even better.”

Sabourin’s 26-save effort kept the score from being more lopsided.

“Especially at home, first game, we want to set the tone right away,” O’Reilly said. “I think we did that. I didn’t even know they’d lost eight in a row. They’re going through some struggles. But, you know, guaranteed, they’ll come back with a big effort.”

The Baby Pens outshot Hershey, which finished with 20 shots for the game, 12-3 in the first. WBS was able to sustain lots of pressure in the offensive zone and the Bears sustained little at the other end.

“They were getting pucks behind us and moving their feet and putting pressure on our D right away,” Carman said. “When you’re getting that kind of pressure on you and pucks are getting dumped on you all night long, not only is it tiring but it makes it tough to get out of the zone. Give them credit. They executed their systems well and we didn’t do the same.

“That was one of our biggest issues is that we didn’t get pucks behind their D the way they did to us. If we can’t do that, we can’t execute our forecheck.”

The trend continued until the middle of the second.

“We can’t sit back and wait for them to kind of dictate how the play is going to go,” Bears defenseman Sean Collins said. “We have to be the ones dictating the play. Once we started playing the right way and doing the right things, keeping things simple, getting pucks deep, then we started putting some pressure on them.”

Hershey’s special teams were ranked higher during the regular season, but WBS had the special teams advantage in Game 1. The Baby Pens went 2-for-5 on the power play and held Hershey 0-for-3.

“You’ve just got to take it as a learning experience,” Collins said. “These are five-game series. It’s not one or two games. So one game is down, but we’ve got to take the good and try to build off of it and take the bad and try to correct it. It’s a long series.”

NOTEBOOK

Brandon Anderson backed up Sabourin.

Bears forward Andrew Carroll exited in the first after blocking a shot with his left ankle but returned in the second.

Jacob Micflikier, returning from a knee injury, played his first game since March 9. He began the game on the third line but was moved to the first line, with Graham Mink moving from the first line to the third.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 20

Posted by Hershey Bears

Sabourin will be available to start Game 1 Friday night against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Goalie Dany Sabourin, who has been backing up Braden Holtby with the Washington Capitals, was assigned to the Hershey Bears Friday, the NHL club announced.

Sabourin will be available to start Game 1 Friday night against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Hershey returned goalie Daren Machesney to South Carolina (ECHL).

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 20

Posted by Hershey Bears

Hershey Bears beat writer Tim Leone and The Patriot-News Sports Editor Paul Vigna talk about the just wrapped up Hershey Bears hockey season.

Watch video

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 20

Posted by Hershey Bears

Hershey Bears beat writer Tim Leone and The Patriot-News Sports Editor Paul Vigna talk about the AHL playoff series

Watch video

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 19

Posted by Hershey Bears

Along with heated tradition, the I-81 foes bring a host of roster variables into their sixth all-time postseason collision.

It would be fitting if the Hershey Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins played their first-round Calder Cup series with a Rubik’s Cube instead of a puck.

Along with heated tradition, the I-81 foes bring a host of roster variables into their sixth all-time postseason collision.

Key personnel on NHL recall from both clubs will be missing when the best-of-five series opens. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday night and Game 2  is scheduled for Saturday night, both at Mohegan Sun Arena.

If Hershey can at least get a split in the first two, it will put itself in a stronger position for the possible returns of Keith Aucoin, Dmitry Orlov and Braden Holtby should the Washington Capitals get eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. On the other hand, losing two would be a difficult plight to survive even if reinforcements ultimately arrive.

“I think the shortened series definitely puts more emphasis on every game,” Bears winger Graham Mink said. “There might be more pressure [on WBS] having the first game at home.

“But, certainly, from a visiting standpoint, it’s really important that we go in there and win Game 1. That would really help our chances as well. I’m sure they’re aware of that and they’re a very good team, and I’m sure they’ll be ready to handle the pressure.”

The Baby Pens will be awaiting the possible returns of Eric Tangradi, Brian Strait and Simon Despres should the Pittsburgh Penguins be eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Hershey got a roster lift Thursday when Washington reassigned Cody Eakin. It is possible that goalie Dany Sabourin could be reassigned in time to play in Game 1.

“I don’t think you can worry about what’s going to happen in Game 2 until you’re done with Game 1,” Bears captain Boyd Kane said. “For us, it’s just going in there in the first period and getting a good start and see where it goes from there.”

The Bears went 5-5-1-1 against WBS during the regular season. In terms of goals scored, subtracting tallies credited for shootout wins, the season series was remarkably even.

WBS outscored Hershey 37-36. Take away the Baby Pens’ goal in the one game determined in overtime — there is no 4-on-4 OT format in the postseason — and it was 36-36.

Hershey’s power play (No. 1) and penalty kill (No. 4) ranked higher than WBS’s power play (No. 10) and penalty kill (No. 22). However, the Bears had 413 more penalty minutes than WBS, so they will need to be more disciplined to utilize that theoretical special teams advantage in the series.

Eight Baby Pens scored at least three goals against Hershey, but one of them was Tangradi.

“They work hard, lines one through four,” said Bears forward Ryan Potulny, who led the AHL in playoff scoring last season for Calder Cup champion Binghamton. “Their scoring is balanced. They don’t really have a few guys doing all their scoring. They’ve got a lot of guys helping out.

“They play a smart hockey game. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. For us, I think, it’s just going to be trying to push the pace and force them to feel uncomfortable, I guess, and maybe make mistakes that they usually don’t.”

Five Bears scored three or more goals against WBS, led by Potulny (six).

“They’ll probably try to keep an eye when I’m on the ice or make sure they have their personnel that they want out there,” Potulny said. “But everyone’s got to play the game of hockey. There’s not going to be one guy that’s going to change the game; it’s going to be everyone. In the game of hockey, you can’t really pick out one guy.”

Last season, Bears forward Jacob Micflikier played for a Charlotte Checkers team that eliminated Hershey and then regular-season champion WBS in the playoffs. Charlotte rallied from a 3-0 deficit with four third-period goals to eliminate the Baby Pens in Game 6 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“They were confident,” Micflikier said. “But, at the same time, we were young and brash. There was kind of a never-say-die atmosphere in our locker room. You could see that with that final game that we had, the comeback.

“Whatever happens, we’ve got to come out there and do it early, because it’s a five-game series and things are going to happen quicker.”

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 19

Posted by Hershey Bears

2008-09 (second round): Hershey 4, WBS 3.

Hershey Bears-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins playoff history (all series best-of-seven):
2008-09 (second round): Hershey 4, WBS 3.
2007-08 (first round): WBS 4, Hershey 1.
2006-07 (second round): Hershey 4, WBS 1.
2005-06 (second round): Hershey 4, WBS 0.
2000-01 (Western Conference finals): WBS 4, Hershey 0.

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 19

Posted by Hershey Bears

Records: Hershey 38-26-4-8, 88 points. WBS 44-25-2-5, 95 points.

Hershey Bears-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins:

Season series: WBS won 7-3-0-2.

Records: Hershey 38-26-4-8, 88 points. WBS 44-25-2-5, 95 points.

Goals for: Hershey 244. WBS 235.

Goals against: Hershey 225. WBS 215.

Penalty minutes: Hershey 1,611. WBS 1,198.

Power play rank: Hershey No. 1 (25.5 percent). WBS No. 10 (18.8).

Penalty kill rank: Hershey No. 4 (84.4 percent). WBS No. 22 (81.6).

Hershey leading scorers: Chris Bourque (27-66-93), Keith Aucoin (11-59-70, on NHL recall), Ryan Potulny (33-32-65).

WBS leading scorers: Ben Street (27-30-57), Bryan Lerg (27-26-53), Colin McDonald (14-35-49).

Hershey goalies: Braden Holtby (20-15-2, 2.61, .906, on NHL recall), Dany Sabourin (18-12-5, 2.76, .909, on NHL recall), Daren Machesney (0-2-1, 4.42, .810), Scott Greenham (0-3-0, 3.05, .912), Brandon Anderson (0-0-0).

WBS goalies: Brad Thiessen (23-15-2, 2.82, .887), Scott Munroe (19-10-3, 2.52, .907).

Overview: Both teams have key players on NHL recall, with Eric Tangradi, Brian Strait and Simon Despres up for WBS. Potulny produced 6-6-12 in nine games against WBS. Street and Lerg both produced 3-8-11 in 12 games against Hershey. Thiessen (.884), Munroe (.889) and Sabourin (.855) all had save percentages below .900 in the season series.

Pick: WBS in five. At least early in the series, the Bears will have too many missing parts.

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 19

Posted by Hershey Bears

The No. 4 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are seeded higher than No. 5 Hershey in the Eastern Conference and have home-ice advantage in their first-round series.

Underdog isn’t a role that has often been associated with the Hershey Bears during an era that has resulted in three Calder Cups since 2005-06.

The No. 4 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are seeded higher than No. 5 Hershey in the Eastern Conference and have home-ice advantage in their first-round series. WBS also went 7-3-0-2 against Hershey in the regular season.

Thus, underdog is a term that might apply to the Bears. But they aren’t interested in labels.

“Underdogs-favorites is something that the media comes up with,” Bears head coach Mark French said. “We won’t pay much attention to it. We’ll just try to focus on our preparation.”

Hershey entered the 2011-12 season with a strong roster that stoked Calder Cup aspirations.

That roster has seldom been at 100 percent, including now. But there remains a chance that a powerhouse lineup could still come together.

“We’ve had the group we have for pretty much half of the season, at least,” Bears winger Graham Mink said. “This is the group, and I think we’re perfectly capable of winning with this group.

“They came in fourth and we’ve battled with them all season, came in fifth. So I think we’re a little bit of an underdog. But I don’t think Wilkes-Barre’s approaching us as an underdog. I think they’re going to respect us and they’re going to know it’s going to take a strong effort. We certainly respect them and think we’re going to have to play our best games to beat them.”

In 2010-11, Bears forward Ryan Potulny played for a Binghamton Senators team that finished fifth in the East Division … and went on to win the Calder Cup.

The B-Sens could claim an underdog designation. In reality, Potulny said, their success was about hard work.

“You try to put the pressure on the other team,” Potulny said. “I think if you come in and put the pressure on them early, that’s going to be to our advantage.

“But, in this league, I don’t think there’s really any underdog or powerhouse. I think everyone knows that anyone can beat anyone. It’s just going to be the better team throughout the five games.”

Hershey, winless in its final eight regular-season games, has been a streaky club, particularly in calendar year 2012. Since January, the Bears have also had winning streaks of five and seven games and two four-game losing streaks.

Right now, a seven-game winning streak would catapult Hershey into the Eastern Conference finals. A three-game losing streak would end its season.

“I’ve been on teams that have been like this before,” Mink said. “Hopefully, we can get on a winning streak here and feeling positive. When that happens, it can take you a long way. We’re hoping that we’ve turned the page a little bit.”

The Bears and Baby Pens played 12 times during the regular season and twice during the exhibition season.

“There’s no underdogs here,” Bears forward Jacob Micflikier said. “We’ve battled enough. We kind of know what each other is going to be about. Hershey has a history of doing well and success and Wilkes does, too.”

Familiarity tends to breed contempt, especially in the playoffs.

“You come into the series fresh and you’re looking at it as a clean slate for a whole new season because there’s no stats on the board right now,” Micflikier said. “Whatever happened doesn’t matter at this point.

“But after about five, 10 minutes of that first period and you get into the game, you realize that there’s still some of those animosities throughout the season that have build up. You recognize them, and then the series starts to wear on you right away.”

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 19

Posted by Hershey Bears

Hershey got a roster lift Thursday when the Washington Capitals reassigned Cody Eakin.

Heading into their first-round series with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Hershey Bears got a roster lift Thursday when the Washington Capitals reassigned Cody Eakin.

The forward participated in practice at Giant Center.

“I think he’s excited to be back,” Bears head coach Mark French said. “Obviously, he was going through a pretty good experience with Washington. It’s different to go through the experience playing, so he’s excited to play in the playoffs.”

Eakin hasn’t dressed for any of Washington’s playoff games against the Boston Bruins.

“It’s just the way it went,” Eakin said. “I didn’t really analyze it too much. I was watching and I was there if need be, but there wasn’t really a necessity to be there. It’s probably healthier to be here and try to help the team win.

“I’m excited. The playoffs is a fun time of the year.”

Eakin played in five playoff games for the Bears during their 2009-10 Calder Cup run.

“It seems forever ago,” Eakin said. “It’s playoffs. It’s not going to happen in one game, obviously. The thing I’ve learned over the years [about approaching the playoffs] is it’s patience.”

Kyle Greentree sat out practice due to allergies, French said, and Chris Bourque exited early for a second straight day. The Bears used Daren Machesney and Brandon Anderson at practice, with Scott Greenham as the odd goalie out.

Here is a link to Thursday’s Japers’ Rink Caps clips.

Lines (there was heavy rotation on the second line, so this is just a listing of the participants on that line):
Almeida-Potulny-Mink
Kane-Eakin-Bourque-Syner
Micflikier-Carman/Civitarese-Pope
King-Carroll-Mitchell/Rechlicz

D-pairs:
Schilling-Collins
McNeill-Marshall
Brouillette-Kundratek
Wellar-Miskovic

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 18

Posted by Hershey Bears

Chris Bourque, who took a maintenance day on Tuesday, was present at the start of practice Wednesday at Giant Center. But the Hershey Bears winger exited and wasn't there at the end.

Chris Bourque, who took a maintenance day on Tuesday, was present at the start of practice Wednesday at Giant Center. But the Hershey Bears winger exited and wasn’t there at the end.

“He should be all right,” Bears head coach Mark French said.

Ryan Potulny and Jacob Micflikier both participated fully in practice.

The Bears had three goalies on the ice in Daren Machesney, Scott Greenham and newly added junior eligible Brandon Anderson. French indicated that Machesney, who has playoff experience against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from the 2007-08 postseason, would be tabbed to start Game 1 Friday if Dany Sabourin isn’t back from the Washington Capitals.

“Cheese would be the guy that would play,” French said.

French has been pleased with the tenor of practice so far this week.

“I think there’s been a great excitement since the regular season’s been over,” he said, “maybe a renewed focus and an energy about our group because it’s playoffs.”

Here is a link to Wednesday’s Japers’ Rink Caps clips.

Lines (note that Micflikier centered the cast utilized when Bourque was present and absent):
Greentree-Potulny-Mink
Micflikier-Kane-Bourque-Civitarese-Syner
Almeida-Carman-Pope
King-Carroll-Mitchell
Syner-Civitarese-Rechlicz

D-pairs:
Schilling-Collins
McNeill-Marshall
Brouillette-Kundratek
Wellar-Miskovic

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 17

Posted by Hershey Bears

Bridgeport looms as a formidable hurdle to Norfolk in the Eastern Conference.

The Calder Cup has developed a habit of following Bryan Helmer.

The venerable defenseman won his first as a member of the Albany River Rats in 1994-95 and he captained the Hershey Bears to two more in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
 
Don’t be surprised if Helmer hoists it again as captain of the Oklahoma City Barons in 2011-12.

The Western Conference’s regular-season champion has two strong Cup playoff ingredients in Helmer’s leadership and the goaltending of Yann Danis. Thus, I am picking the Barons to win the AHL title.

No, I am not forgetting the Norfolk Admirals, winners of a remarkable 28 straight games. Their regular-season performance logically stamps them as Eastern Conference favorites.

But logic rarely completely prevails in the Calder Cup playoffs. Eastern Conference chalk against Western Conference chalk in the Calder Cup finals typically doesn’t happen.

The Admirals haven’t lost since the Springfield Falcons beat them 4-2 on Feb. 5. Reaching the finals would require them to stay on a near-supernatural roll from February through May.

There’s got to be a lull at some point, right? Lulls in the playoffs tend to end seasons.

Helmer may not be the only former Hershey captain in this year’s Calder Cup finals. Bridgeport Sound Tigers head coach Brent Thompson, who has already showcased his playoff leadership in the ECHL, has a team that enters the postseason in a groove, having won nine of its last 11 games.

The Northeast Division winners loom as a formidable hurdle to Norfolk in the Eastern Conference finals.

A Bridgeport-Oklahoma City matchup would provide a Hershey flavor to the finals thanks not only to Helmer and Thompson. Oklahoma City head coach Todd Nelson and assistant coach Rocky Thompson are former Bears, and former Bears defenseman Dylan Yeo is on the roster.

Here are my round-by-round picks:

Eastern Conference first round (best-of-five):

Norfolk over Manchester in four. The Monarchs scored 66 fewer goals than the Admirals.

Syracuse over St. John’s in five. The Crunch, 3-1-0-0 in the season series, are riding late-season momentum.

Bridgeport over Connecticut in four. The Sound Tigers went 6-2-1-1 in the season series.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over Hershey in five. This series would be tight even if the Bears were at full strength, and right now they’ve got too many missing parts.

Western Conference first round (best-of-five):

Oklahoma City over Houston in three. The Barons collected 15 of 16 possible points in the regular season against the Aeros.

Toronto over Rochester in five. The Amerks have been bolstered by the Buffalo Sabres, but they used a lot of energy to make the playoffs.

San Antonio over Chicago in four. Rampage goalie Jacob Markstrom had a .967 save percentage against the Wolves in the regular season.

Abbotsford over Milwaukee in five. The Heat finished the regular season on an 8-0-0-1 run.

Eastern Conference second round:

Norfolk over Syracuse in six. The Admirals’ goaltending performance against the Crunch is a concern (Dustin Tokarski .840 save percentage, Jaroslav Janus .867), but Syracuse surrendered more goals (234) than any team in the playoffs.

Bridgeport over WBS in seven. The Sound Tigers, who would have home-ice advantage in the series, were much stronger at home (25-9-2-2) than the Baby Pens (18-16-2-2).

Western Conference second round:

Oklahoma City over San Antonio in six. It was an even, low-scoring season series, but it is tough to pick a Florida Panthers affiliate to win two series.

Toronto over Abbotsford in seven. The Marlies’ penalty kill, ranked No. 1 in the AHL (88.1 percent), makes the difference.

Eastern Conference finals:

Bridgeport over Norfolk in seven. Rookie forward Casey Cizikas rises to the occasion against rookie forward Cory Conacher.

Western Conference finals:

Oklahoma City over Toronto in seven. The Marlies (175) and Barons (176) allowed the fewest goals in the league, and home ice tips the edge to OKC.

Calder Cup finals:

Oklahoma City over Bridgeport in five. The Sound Tigers are worn down after two seven-game series against East Division clubs.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 17

Posted by Hershey Bears

After ending the regular season with an eight-game winless streak, the Hershey Bears now need to find a way to turn the page as they head into a first-round playoff series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins that begins Friday.

After ending the regular season with an eight-game winless streak, the Hershey Bears now need to find a way to turn the page as they head into a first-round playoff series against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins that begins Friday.

“I think we’ve got to try to build our momentum from each day at practice,” Bears head coach Mark French said Tuesday. “Our motto kind of going into practice is to build momentum each day, of extreme focus and good competition in practice and a lot of energy.

“I liked our game on Sunday. I thought we played well against Worcester. There’s some benefits to that in terms of the way we played, and we’ll build off those positives. Today we had a good practice and tomorrow I expect the same.”

Chris Bourque, Boyd Kane, Patrick McNeill and Kyle Greentree all took maintenance days for Hershey’s first practice in preparation for WBS.

Ryan Potulny (lower body) and Jacob Micflikier (knee) both practiced in non-contact jerseys.

“We didn’t do too much contact today,” French said. “They were able to do almost everything in practice today.”

French said Christian Hanson has been ruled out for the first two games of the WBS series.

The Bears will be without Joel Rechlicz, who has five games remaining on a six-game suspension, against WBS. The winger came off the bench and entered an altercation Saturday at Manchester.

“It seems consistent with what they’ve done with the same type of discipline of leaving the bench,” French said.

Rechlicz said he had a talk with French, assistant coach Troy Mann and President-GM Doug Yingst.

“It’s just one of those things,” Rechlicz said. “I just reacted. I probably could have been smarter there.

“I had a good talk with Frenchy and Manner and Dougie. I’ll just stay positive and be positive in the room and help out the guys and motivate the guys in the room and just be positive and work hard out there.”

Here is a link to Tuesday’s Japers’ Rink Caps clips.

There was heavy rotation in the D-pairs at practice. And, with all the players missing Tuesday, the lines likely bear little relation to what will be seen in Game 1.

Lines:
Micflikier-Potulny-Mink
Pope-Carman-Almeida
Ford-Carroll-Mitchell
Syner-Civitarese-Rechlicz