Hershey Bears Hockey

posted by Hershey Bears on May 26

Posted by Hershey Bears

Bourque, 26, is tied with Michel Harvey for No. 14 on Hershey's all-time points list (393). He ranks ninth in all-time Hershey assists (262).

A magical May for Chris Bourque that began with the birth of his son may be ending with a hockey return to his hometown.

Hershey BearsChris Bourque

The Washington Capitals traded the Hershey Bears winger, slated to
become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, to the Boston Bruins
Saturday in exchange for centerman Zach Hamill.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on May 26

Posted by Hershey Bears

Bourque is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Hamill, now a candidate for the Hershey Bears' 2012-13 roster, is a restricted free agent.

The Washington Capitals acquired centerman Zach Hamill from the Boston Bruins in exchange for left winger Chris Bourque, the Caps announced Saturday.

Hershey BearsChris Bourque

Bourque, the son of Bruins legend Ray Bourque, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and wasn’t expected to re-sign with the Washington organization.

“The trade gives Boston the rights to negotiate a contract with him [before July 1],” Hershey Bears President-GM Doug Yingst said.

Hamill, now a candidate for Hershey’s 2012-13 roster, is a restricted free agent. Thus, Washington will have to make him a qualifying contract offer to retain his rights.

“We end up getting an asset out of it,” Yingst said.

“Chris left us know that he wanted to play in the National Hockey League. He wasn’t interested in coming back to the organization. He wants one more shot at the NHL. We wish him the best of luck. If it doesn’t work out, I’m sure we’ll try to negotiate in the future.”

The 23-year-old Hamill, a 5-11, 180-pounder, had eight goals and 13 assists in 41 games in 2011-12 with the Providence Bruins. Hamill, the eighth overall pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft, also had two assists in 16 games with Boston.

His best AHL season was in 2009-10 (14-30-44 in 75 games). He has played 20 career NHL games.

Bourque, 26, is tied with Michel Harvey for No. 14 on Hershey’s all-time points list (393). He ranks ninth in all-time Hershey assists (262).

Hamill produced a goal and two assists for the P-Bruins in the 2008-09 Eastern Conference finals against Hershey. The Bears won the series in five games en route to the Calder Cup.

“He’s a smart player, steady, plays both ends of the ice very well, defensively responsible,” Yingst said. “He’s more of a passer than a shooter.”

Hamill (276 games) will be an exempt veteran in 2012-13 (more than 260, less than 321). But, since Patrick McNeill (278) also is an exempt veteran, Hershey won’t necessarily have roster room to dress five additional veterans.

On Twitter: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on May 23

Posted by Hershey Bears

Mark French, who has averaged 48 wins per season, is 37 wins from tying No. 4 John Paddock (181) on Hershey’s all-time list.

After a first-round playoff exit in 2011-12, the Hershey Bears headed into the offseason with question marks about their coaching staff and their affiliation with the Washington Capitals.

Both questions were answered on Wednesday.

Hershey BearsMark French

Along with an extension of the Washington affiliation, head coach Mark French and assistant coach Troy Mann will return for 2012-13, Bears President-GM Doug Yingst said.

The affiliation extension is locked in for next season and includes an option to continue it in 2013-14.

The 2012-13 season will be Hershey’s 75th anniversary AHL season. The Bears will host an outdoor game at Hersheypark Stadium and also play a game at Washington’s Verizon Center.

“It shows stability for us as we’re preparing for multiple events during the 75th anniversary season,” Yingst said. “The success that our coaches have had and the success of the affiliation, we’re hoping it moves right on towards a very successful 75th anniversary season.”

The highly successful Hershey-Washington affiliation, which began in 2005-06, produced Calder Cups in 2005-06, 2008-09 and 2009-10. The Bears also advanced to the Calder Cup finals in 2006-07.

“It’s been a relationship that’s served both parties very well,” French said.

French, who ranks No. 5 in all-time Hershey coaching wins (144) after three seasons, was head coach of the 2009-10 club, which also won an AHL-record 60 games during the regular season, and assistant coach of the 2008-09 club. Mann has served as his assistant the past three seasons.

“I think, to a degree, we’ve become a bit of a package deal,” French said. “It makes sense to keep it together. Speaking for me, I think we work very well together and we complement each other, and our friendship probably adds to that as well.

“I’m happy for myself and Troy. I think we’ve done a good job. I think we’ve been treated very well by Washington and by Hershey. There’s certainly no other place at the American League level that you’d want to coach.”

Hershey’s club-record run of six straight 40-plus-win seasons ended in 2011-12 (38 wins), and it was eliminated in the opening round of the Calder Cup playoffs by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In 2010-11, the Charlotte Checkers eliminated Hershey in the first round.

“I think the body of work that Frenchy and I have done over the three years has been good,” Mann said.

“There’s certainly guys that are moving on and playing roles up there [in Washington].”

Nineteen players with Hershey ties played for the Caps in 2011-12.

French, who has averaged 48 wins per season, is 37 wins from tying No. 4 John Paddock (181) on Hershey’s all-time list.

“I think each team’s different,” French said. “I think you have to be flexible as a coach. But at the same time, as a coach, you certainly have certain things that you want to see and you want to stand for something.

“And that’s not going to change depending on the talent and the team you coach. I think flexibility is an important thing, especially coaching at this level.”

The Caps currently are searching for a new head coach to replace Dale Hunter. French said he didn’t know whether he and Mann would have to take a larger role at Washington’s July development camp should the head coaching position still be vacant at that time.

“I think it will be a very interesting development camp,” French said. “I think both myself and Troy are eager for it.”

NOTEBOOK

Graham Mink’s wife, Cristina, gave birth to a baby girl, Livia, on Wednesday.

Former Bears defenseman Danny Richmond signed to play with Pelicans in Finland next season, according to EliteProspects.com.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on May 23

Posted by Hershey Bears

The affiliation has produced three Calder Cups since it began in 2005-06.

The Hershey Bears-Washington Capitals affiliation, which has produced three Calder Cups since beginning in 2005-06, has been extended through the 2013-14 season, the clubs announced on Wednesday.

Here is a link to Washington’s release.

More to come.

posted by Hershey Bears on May 21

Posted by Hershey Bears

The past two seasons Larsen served as Springfield's assistant coach to Rob Riley, who wasn't retained after the 2011-12 season.

Former Hershey Bears captain Brad Larsen was
named head coach of the Springfield Falcons Monday by the parent
Columbus Blue Jackets.

posted by Hershey Bears on May 5

Posted by Hershey Bears

Hershey familiarity — and mutual affection — partly explains why Braden Holtby has been able to seamlessly parachute into prime time.

WASHINGTON — In a critical Game 4 for the Washington Capitals, Karl Alzner, Jay Beagle and John Carlson were on the ice in front of goalie Braden Holtby for the first shift.

Hershey BearsBraden Holtby

And for the last shift, too, in a 6-on-5 situation while protecting a one-goal lead against the New York Rangers Saturday at Verizon Center.

“It’s probably more with Karl and John that you knew they were going to be here,” Holtby joked about the two first-round defensemen. “I’m just the one that’s kind of catching along, riding on their coattails.”

In 2008-09, Alzner, Carlson and Beagle all played significant roles during the Hershey Bears’ run to the Calder Cup.

Holtby, who joined the club as a junior eligible, watched while Michal Neuvirth won 16 playoff games.

However, that was the start of strong bonds being formed between Alzner, Carlson, Beagle and Holtby, bonds that are benefiting the Caps during this season’s dramatic and tightly contested playoff run.

Alzner: “It helps a lot because you personally know the style of play, you know how they play. You can expect them to do everything that it takes to get the puck out or block the shot.”

Beagle: “There’s a huge trust factor, and I also can kind of read off them with playing with them so much kind of what they’re going to do with the puck before they kind of do it. Saying that, we’re all pretty tight. We’ve got a tight group in here.”

The Caps indeed fended off the Rangers late for a 3-2 victory that was offensively sparked by goals from an older, wiser trio of Young Guns.

Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green all scored in a contest that was scarier than it needed to be due to defensive gaffes that allowed New York to enter the third period tied 2-2 despite being outplayed.

“Our top players when they’re playing like that, it gives you energy,” Beagle said. “For them to score big goals like that is huge. It’s what we need if we want to keep winning.”

There are other guns involved in a postseason run that has seen the Caps dispatch the Boston Bruins, defending Stanley Cup champions, and pull even at 2-2 against New York after a crushing Game 3 loss in triple overtime.

Alzner-Carlson are the top D-pair. The surpassing defensive and penalty killing skills forward Beagle showcased in the AHL continue to evolve into a similar NHL utility.

And Holtby, elevated from Hershey this season, has become the spotlight story of the Stanley Cup playoffs (as Neuvirth now watches). The opposition’s goalies have been two of the best in the game: Tim Thomas and Henrik Lundqvist.

“I don’t think that he thinks about who’s in net across,” Carlson said. “I think he’s thinking about the players in front of him and the team. It shows. He’s a battler. He’s been working so hard. I’m real happy for him and we all know his potential.”

The Hershey familiarity — and mutual affection — partly explains why Holtby has been able to seamlessly parachute into prime time.

“It’s probably a credit to why we’ve had better communication with not as many games played together this year,” Holtby said.

“You know they’re always going to do the right thing, so I never have to ever second-guess them.”

They’ve become a go-to grouping.

“It’s nice,” Alzner said. “We all went through the same process and we’ve won some big things [in the AHL] and we know what it takes to be successful. So having us all out there together and going though this, after what we’ve gone through in years before, it’s a good feeling. It’s a comfortable feeling.”

From start to finish.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on May 1

Posted by Hershey Bears

Roster flux helps account for the streaky nature of 2011-12, which reached apogee with a 24-8-4-3 record on Jan. 14. Hershey had hot stretches in October, December and March and cold stretches in November and January-February.

With a premier cast of forwards and a strong goaltending tandem, the Hershey Bears entered the 2011-12 season with aspirations of increasing their Calder Cup total to a dozen.

The Hershey Bears played much of the 2011-12 season without Keith Aucoin, left.
CHRIS KNIGHT/The Patriot-News

An up-and-down campaign that ended with a first-round playoff exit ultimately was defined by a number other than 12: 162.

That is the number of man games Hershey lost to injuries in the 76-game regular season. It is the equivalent of a major-league baseball season.

“You try to fill those holes as much as you can, but that’s what you build your team around in the summertime,” forward Jacob Micflikier said. “That’s what we’re supposed to be set on. Losing that many man games with some of us, it was tough to fill and tough to kind of get yourself into a positive streak for a while.

“You’re jumping around with the lineup and things like that. It makes it difficult. That’s not the way you write it up when you plan things.”

The Bears used 42 players during the course of the season, a number within normal parameters of AHL attrition. But they lost premium players for large chunks of time.

There was some locker room dissonance in the first half of the season when veteran playing time had to be rationed because the Bears were over the veteran roster limit. Trades, recalls and injuries eventually eliminated that situation.

In addition, Hershey only had Keith Aucoin, expected to be the No. 1 forward, for 43 games and Dmitry Orlov, expected to be the No. 1 defenseman, for 15 games.

Aucoin, on pace to set an AHL single-season assists record, enjoyed a storybook recall to the Washington Capitals. Orlov was summoned full-time to the Caps sooner than expected.

“The team changed a lot, you know,” goalie Dany Sabourin said. “Everybody was talking, ‘Oh, we have a great team, an all-star team.’ But it can change so quickly. But I think we did a good job about that, being professional.

“That’s what it is — AHL. You have callups. Plus the injured guys you have guys that you lose because they have to go in Washington. You just have to play your game and guys have to step up.”

Roster flux helps account for the streaky nature of 2011-12, which reached apogee with a 24-8-4-3 record on Jan. 14. Hershey had hot stretches in October, December and March and cold stretches in November and January-February.

And, with April lineups with a heavy ECHL and college flavor, the Bears finished the regular season with an eight-game winless streak.

That lack of momentum carried into the first two games of the playoffs against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and proved too deep a hole by the time the club regained traction for the final three games of the first round.

“There always seemed to be something that stopped us from developing a real identity,” Bears head coach Mark French said. “And I thought that the closest that we came was probably in March when we maybe settled into a roster to a degree.

“We won seven games in a row, but I thought we found ourselves a little bit in the [grinding] way that group needed to play to be successful, which was quite a bit different than maybe what it was earlier on during the year. Unfortunately in the playoffs, we found that same type of identity, but it was absent in Game 1 and Game 2.”

It would have been a towering disappointment had Hershey’s theoretical roster won 38 regular-season games and suffered an early postseason demise. In reality, that roster seldom materialized on ice.

Come the playoffs, the Bears did dress a talented and deep lineup that certainly was capable of beating WBS and buying more time for potential reinforcements from Washington. But the Baby Pens were higher seeded and got their own reinforcements when the Pittsburgh Penguins were ousted from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“If we could have gotten by that first round, then you go into St. John’s and you always believe you can win,” Bears assistant coach Troy Mann said.

“It would have been a very gratifying win against Wilkes-Barre from a coaching perspective, based on they were as deep as you could get. I think that’s as deep as we played them all year.”

Sabourin capably covered for the Washington recall of Braden Holtby. The Bears likely would have needed Aucoin and Orlov to be championship caliber.

“The roster at the end was not as good as the roster at the beginning,” Bears President-GM Doug Yingst said. “I don’t think there’s any question about that. But we felt there was enough depth to go farther than what we did.

“The outcome wasn’t one that we expected or desired. You look at the depth chart and the roster put together back in the beginning of the season, it was one that we thought would certainly challenge for the Calder Cup. I think the results at the end are disappointing. The effort was outstanding, but the expectation was to go farther than what we did, so it was disappointing.”

The trade addition of Tomas Kundratek and the signing of collegian Cameron Schilling helped ameliorate Orlov’s absence. Aucoin’s departure, coupled with the injury loss of Christian Hanson, critically wounded Hershey’s depth and production at center.

“Keith was a hard one, but we weren’t playing our best hockey when Keith was here,” French said. “At the end of the day, I can’t help but think that Keith would have helped us, being how impactful he was as a player.

“There was a little bit more adversity, but I’m proud of a lot of the guys and the way they fought through the adversity.”

As the team was constructed, a high-powered forward group was expected to reduce pressure on an unsung defense corps.

Ironically, even amid playoff injuries to Kundratek and Patrick McNeill, the blue line rose to the occasion and showcased depth and reliability and helped Sabourin limit WBS to three goals in the final two games of the series.

“We knew that with the cast of forwards that we had this year, that if things didn’t go well it was probably going to be pinned on us,” defenseman Sean Collins said. “I think all of us back there handled it pretty well. We battled hard and we got better throughout the season.

“Guys came and worked hard every day. We wanted to win and, unfortunately, the season ended like it did. I’d like to still be playing. Wilkes was a good team. The way we started out that series, you never want to get swept, you don’t want to lose a playoff series. But I’m real proud of how we fought back.”

Now the club turns its focus to 2012-13, which will be its 75th anniversary season in the AHL.

“I thought we were a great team,” Hanson said. “When you look at when we were healthy and had everybody going in the middle of December, we were on a roll.

“You’re kind of at the discretion of injuries and what your parent club needs. I think this is just one of those years where a couple guys went up and we ran into some injuries. Guys gave it all but just kind of fell a little short.”

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 30

Posted by Hershey Bears

The status of Hershey’s affiliation with the Washington Capitals and the status of head coach Mark French and assistant coach Troy Mann for 2012-13 are at the forefront of the questions.

While the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins were preparing for the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs, Monday was breakup day for the Hershey Bears.

Hershey BearsMark French

The Bears, eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for a second straight year, had season-ending exit interviews and medical checkups at Giant Center.

“It’s weird,” Bears winger Joel Rechlicz said. “It comes to an end now. Just go in the summer and work hard and come back and brand new year next year.”

With a number of mainstays poised to become free agents, the Bears head into an offseason full of questions.

The status of Hershey’s affiliation with the Washington Capitals and the status of head coach Mark French and assistant coach Troy Mann for 2012-13 are at the forefront of the questions.

Bears President-GM Doug Yingst said a deal to extend the highly successful Washington affiliation, which began in 2005-06, beyond 2011-12 is “still in negotiation.”

The French-Mann team, employed by Washington, led Hershey to an AHL-record 60 wins and the Calder Cup in 2009-10. The Caps are still involved in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“The coaches’ contracts have to be renewed,” Yingst said, “and will be discussed at the conclusion of the playoffs.”

French ranks No. 5 on Hershey’s all-time coaching wins list (144-69-7-16).

“I’m sure everything will be talked about,” French said. “It’s really out of our control right now.

“I certainly enjoy working for this organization and feel every day privileged to work for this organization.”

Hershey forced a deciding Game 5 against higher seeded WBS after losing the first two games of the series. A freak carom led to the winning goal for the Baby Pens in Game 5.

“If it was a best-of-seven, things might have been different,” Mann said. “But there’s no room for error. That winning goal … That’s what happens when there’s no room for error. The first two games really cost us.”

Patrick McNeill (upper body) and Tomas Kundratek (hand) were sidelined by injuries during the series. French said no other Bears were playing through significant injuries against WBS.

“There was bumps and bruises throughout,” he said, “but nothing that was notable.”

Had the Bears advanced to the second round, Christian Hanson (wrist surgery) was poised to return to the lineup. The forward said he got medical clearance Monday morning.

“I saw the doctor at 10:15 and he cleared me completely,” Hanson said.

“It’s bittersweet. It’s nice to be cleared. But I kind of looked at him and said, ‘Oh, it would have been great to have this last week.’ It is what it is. Just tough timing with the injury. With an injury like that, you can’t rush the recovery. As soon as you try to rush it, there’s a fear that the tendon could rupture again and set me back another three months.”

Dany Sabourin, Cody Eakin, Sean Collins and Cameron Schilling are slated to join the Caps, Yingst said.

“We’re going for practicing and to be ready if they need us,” Sabourin said.

“It’s always nice to go and be part of the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s what you always dream for as a kid, winning the Stanley Cup.”

Rechlicz is one of the pending free agents.

“We’ve talked about me coming back here next year,” Rechlicz said. “I told Doug I love it here. I love playing here. I love the fans and the atmosphere and the staff’s great. There’s nowhere else I’d really rather be.”

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 30

Posted by Hershey Bears

Washington Capitals unrestricted free agents: Keith Aucoin, Dany Sabourin, D.J. King, Joel Rechlicz, Sean Collins, Christian Hanson, Chris Bourque, Zach Miskovic, Jacob Micflikier, Kyle Greentree.

Contract status in 2012-13 of players who dressed for the Hershey Bears in 2011-12 (lists don’t include players who were released or traded):

Hershey BearsSean Collins

Washington Capitals under contract: Cody Eakin, Dmitry Orlov, Braden Holtby, Cameron Schilling, Mattias Sjogren, Tomas Kundratek, Philipp Grubauer, Garrett Mitchell, Brett Flemming, Brandon Anderson, Ryan Potulny, Patrick McNeill.

Washington Capitals unrestricted free agents: Keith Aucoin, Dany Sabourin, D.J. King, Joel Rechlicz, Sean Collins, Christian Hanson, Chris Bourque, Zach Miskovic, Jacob Micflikier, Kyle Greentree.

Washington Capitals restricted free agents: Mike Carman, Kevin Marshall.

Hershey Bears under contract: Barry Almeida, Julien Brouillette, David Civitarese, Matt Pope, T.J. Syner, Patrick Wellar.

Hershey Bears free agents: Andrew Carroll, Scott Greenham, Boyd Kane, Maxime Lacroix, Daren Machesney, Graham Mink, Phil Oreskovic.

Some player quotes on pending free agency:

Christian Hanson: “It’s just going to be one of those things where we’re going to take some time and see what’s out there. We’ll talk to Washington. I loved it here. They’re definitely one of the top teams. We’re going to see who comes back, who doesn’t come back and just what’s out there with other teams, and then make a decision on whether it’s here or somewhere else.”

Sean Collins: “It’s exciting. Whether I’ll be back here or somewhere else, it’s kind of a new chapter, I guess.”

Jacob Micflikier: “I’ve enjoyed my time here. Coming back would be an option. That’s something that obviously we’d discuss.”

Dany Sabourin: “I would love to be back with Washington. This is not in my hands. I’ve been saying that to them and everybody.

“I love Hershey. I love the organization. I love Washington, how they treated me. I love the goalie coaches. I love the coaches. My family loves it. It’s like a home away from home.”

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 29

Posted by Hershey Bears

WBS evened the series ledger between the clubs 3-3 by claiming this season’s best-of-five, first-round matchup 3-2.

Each club earned a four-game sweep the first two times the Hershey Bears and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins met in the playoffs.

Julien Brouillette #29 of the Bears clears the puck from in front of the goal as Brian Gibbons #9 of the Penguins crashes into goalie Dany Sabourin during the first period of a game Saturday. Don Carey Times Leader Photo

Three of the last four collisions, though, have provided prime postseason theater.

Hershey won 4-1 in the 2006-07 East Division finals, which featured one double-overtime game and two overtime games, and 4-3 in the 2008-09 East Division finals.

WBS evened the series ledger between the clubs 3-3 by claiming this season’s best-of-five, first-round matchup 3-2.

“It turned into a great series,” Bears winger Chris Bourque said. “I bet a lot of people would have thought we would have gave up after [losing] the first two.

“We showed a lot of pride coming back in the series and again [in Game 5], getting a goal in the third to make it more interesting. We fought the whole game.”

A best-of-five series provides an incomplete playoff measure. But when a deciding Game 5 arises, it has the desperation of a Game 7 with teams that are fresher and less physically damaged.

Saturday night’s 2-1 series-decider was a thrilling, empty-the-tank effort by both clubs.

“We laid everything out there,” Bears winger Kyle Greentree said, “and, unfortunately, we were one goal short.”

Zach Sill’s score late in the second, set up by a carom off the back wall, stood as the game-winner.

“It was a hard series,” Bears forward Ryan Potulny said. “Both teams battled hard. We knew it was going to be tight.

“It just so happened they got the bounce there off the wall. That’s hockey, I guess.”

Hershey was whistled for 100 penalty minutes in the series compared to 53 for WBS. Thus, WBS had a 29-17 advantage in power-play opportunities.

The Baby Pens improved their power-play conversion rate, which was 18.8 percent in the regular season, to 24.1 against Hershey, which had an 84.4 penalty kill percentage in the regular season. They converted at a 35.7 rate at Mohegan Sun Arena, where they scored five of their seven extra-man goals, in a series where the home team won every game.

Hershey, outscored 10-3 in the first two games, outscored WBS 9-6 in the final three.

“Disappointed with the way we played the first two with the way the series turned out,” Bears head coach Mark French said. “At the same time, proud that we got them turned around and proud that a lot of guys responded in the way that they would because they’re high-character guys.

“From our part, the first two games weren’t where you want the intensity to be. But from our level, the last three games certainly were good playoff hockey.”

The winner of the previous five Hershey-WBS playoff matchups has advanced to the Calder Cup finals.

The Baby Pens are scheduled to begin the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday against the St. John’s IceCaps. The Bears now head into exit interviews and the offseason.

“I’m proud of every guy in that locker room,” Potulny said. “We didn’t give up. It could have been easy to give up when you’re down 2-0 in the series, but we didn’t do that. We wanted to battle right to the end.

“I’d go to battle with the same guys any day again.”

NOTEBOOK

Hershey has gone 15-15 in all-time playoff games against WBS.

WBS forward Jason Williams (1-7-8) led the series in points and Colin McDonald (4-2-6) led it in goals. Potulny (2-2-4), Bourque (1-3-4) and Tomas Kundratek (0-4-4) tied for the Hershey points lead.

Hershey, which had won eight straight playoff series en route to back-to-back Calder Cups in 2008-09 and 2009-10, has lost two straight series. The Bears were eliminated in the first round in 2010-11 by the Charlotte Checkers.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 28

Posted by Hershey Bears

The Baby Pens won the best-of-five series 3-2 and advanced to play the St. John's IceCaps in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

WILKES-BARRE — More than 300 minutes were played during five games in the first-round playoff series between the Hershey Bears-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Ultimately, seven seconds decided it.

View full sizeJulien Brouillette of Hershey clears the puck as Brian Gibbons of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton crashes into goalie Dany Sabourin during the first period. (Don Carey/The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre)

Striking for both of its goals in a seven-second span of the second period at Mohegan Sun Arena, WBS won 2-1 Saturday night in a fierce and compelling Game 5 to end Hershey’s 2011-12 season.

The Baby Pens won the best-of-five series 3-2 and advanced to play the St. John’s IceCaps in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“That’s our biggest rivalry over there,” Bears winger Chris Bourque said. “I think I’ve probably played them over 100 times in my career, it feels like. To end it like this, Game 5 in the playoffs, it isn’t easy to swallow.

“As I said, it was a hard-fought battle. You’ve got to give them credit. They came up on top. It seems like they deserved to win.”

Hard-hitting. Breathtaking. Scintillating.

Game 5 was all those things, from a big-checking start to a pulsating end.

Along with intensity, the Bears summoned their least-penalized game of the series. Except for a double-minor call on Kyle Greentree at 15:08 of the second period of a scoreless game for high-sticking Joey Mormina that set the stage for the series-swinging goals.

“I didn’t even think my stick was close,” Greentree said.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t kill it off. It’s frustrating.”

The infraction drew Mormina’s blood.

“That takes the official off the hook and it’s an automatic call,” Bears head coach Mark French said. “It’s unfortunate on our part, but that’s the call that needs to be made.”

Hershey killed off the front end but not the back end as Cal O’Reilly notched a power-play goal at 17:31 to give WBS a 1-0 lead.

Off the ensuing faceoff, a rim-in by Baby Pens defenseman Brian Strait took an odd carom off the backwall to Zach Sill, who fired a scoring shot at 17:38 that may have deflected off Bears defenseman Cameron Schilling.

“That was our secret play that we had in store for them,” Sill said.

“It took a good bounce off the Zamboni door. I just tried to go stick-on-puck and I really still don’t know how it went in. I think it just ricocheted off their D-man’s stick or something.”

It was a devastating sequence for Hershey.

In a metaphor for a series in which the Bears revived after trailing 2-0 in games, they made a zealous third-period effort to rally from a 2-0 deficit.

“We weren’t ready to be done,” Bears forward Ryan Potulny said. “That’s when certain guys have to step up and try to lead on the ice.”

Potulny said he and fellow first-liners Bourque and Boyd Kane put the onus on themselves to get things going. And they did as Potulny, swooping across the high slot, scored 23 seconds into the third to draw Hershey within one.

“Tried to get a big lift there that first shift early, but just fell a little short,” Potulny said. “I think we gave a good push at the end. Someone’s got to come out on the losing end. Unfortunately, it was us. But I thought the effort was there and guys worked hard right to the end.”

The Baby Pens and goalie Brad Thiessen weren’t safe until the final second ticked off with the puck deep in their zone. Thiessen (18 saves) and Bears goalie Dany Sabourin (26 saves) staged a high-performance duel of their own.

“I thought it was a great game by both [teams],” WBS head coach John Hynes said. “The first period, the tempo and intensity that both teams played with, was probably the best I’ve seen all year long, maybe in the three years I’ve been here. It was up-tempo. Both teams came to play and competed.”

French echoed a similar sentiment: “Both teams put it on the line. Unfortunately, that two-minute span really hurt.”

NOTEBOOK

Defenseman Tomas Kundratek was sidelined by a hand injury suffered in Game 4. Julien Brouillette replaced him in the lineup.

Hershey has lost 10 straight playoff games at WBS and has gone 3-12 overall.

The home team won every game in the series.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 28

Posted by Hershey Bears

The iconic trio from “Slap Shot,” wearing their trademark Charlestown Chiefs jerseys and thick-rimmed glasses, delivered a pump-up talk.

Before departing Giant Center for Saturday night’s deciding Game 5 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Hershey Bears got a surprise locker room visit from the Hanson Brothers.

Hershey BearsChristian Hanson

The iconic trio from “Slap Shot,” wearing their trademark Charlestown Chiefs jerseys and thick-rimmed glasses, delivered a pump-up talk.

“The message was this is gut-check time and go out there and play some old-time hockey like Eddie Shore,” said Dave Hanson, father of injured Bears forward Christian Hanson.

“They were pumped. We’ve all been through this. Some of those kids haven’t. It’s a time where you’ve got to be focused and concentrated, but you’ve got to be relaxed, too. So we just went in and tried to loosen them up a little bit and make this day kind of special for them.”

The Hanson Brothers, scheduled to make a Saturday charity appearance at 5 p.m. at Klick-Lewis Arena in Annville to benefit the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, hid in the visitor’s locker room before marching into the home locker room.

“We’ll take advantage of some of the — I don’t know if you call it nepotism or relationships that we have on this team,” Bears head coach Mark French said.

The Bears are bidding to become just the 10th team in AHL history to lose the first two games of a best-of-five and come back to win the series.

“If you’d asked anyone after how bad we played in Games 1 and 2 if we had a chance, from the outside looking in it didn’t look very good,” Bears defenseman Patrick Wellar said. “We came out, gave ourselves a chance. The belief was always there in the locker room.

“We’re very, very excited about tonight. We know Wilkes plays a lot better at home and the challenge is great, but we’re hoping to seize the moment.”

The Chicago Wolves, who forced a Game 5 after losing the first two games of their first-round series with the San Antonio Rampage, lost the deciding contest in double-overtime Friday night.

“Elimination games, you kind of prepare for everything,” French said.

“I think the best way for us to approach it is like we have. We’ve been very businesslike. Hopefully, we can continue to get better with each game, which I think has been important.”

French said Patrick McNeill (upper body) has been ruled out for Game 5.

“The confidence is higher,” Wellar said. “We’ve gotten to their defense a little bit. We’ve sustained some more offensive pressure, which we had pretty much zero in the first two games. So we know that we’re able to create a little more.

“But with Game 7’s and Game 5’s, basically, it can be a bit of a crapshoot. We know anything can happen in these one-game eliminations. It can come down to a goalie, one play, so we just need to make sure we focus on every puck decision and make sure we’re making smart plays all over the ice to give ourselves a chance.”

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 27

Posted by Hershey Bears

Hershey, which lost the first two games on the road, has stayed alive in the series with special teams.

Playoff history continued to be unkind Friday night to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Giant Center.

Wilkes Barre’s Brad Thiessen makes the save on a shot during the Penguins’ 4-1 loss to Hershey in the fourth game of their AHL playoff series at Giant Center. 04/27/2012 SEAN SIMMERS, THE PATRIOT-NEWS

A club that arrived needing one victory to advance exited with a second straight loss, this one a 4-1 defeat in Game 4, as the Hershey Bears forced a deciding Game 5 in their first-round playoff series.

WBS dropped to 1-12 all-time in postseason games at Giant Center. The Baby Pens will get to play Game 5 of the best-of-five Saturday night at home at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“We have a chance to move on,” Bears winger Graham Mink said. “One game. Winner take all.

“We’ve got our confidence back that we’d lost for a little while. When we’re winning battles and making smart plays with the puck, we’re a hard team to play against. That’s what our focus is going to be on. We want to bring our best game.”

Hershey, which lost the first two games on the road, has stayed alive in the series with special teams.

Three straight power-play conversions by the Bears, who started the series 0-for-10, now stand as a turning point. Ryan Potulny’s overtime power-play goal won Game 3, and Cameron Schilling and Boyd Kane scored on Hershey’s first two opportunities in Game 4 to generate a 2-0 lead.

Then Hershey’s penalty kill, which allowed six power-play tallies in the first three games, summoned a 9-for-9 effort in Game 4 to keep the Baby Pens at bay.

“We did a hell of a job responding,” Bears head coach Mark French said of the PK.

Jason Williams scored WBS’s lone goal midway through the second. Captain Kane, also a PK mainstay, added a second power-play goal in the third and Chris Bourque notched his first goal of the series with an empty-netter with 33.2 seconds left.

“In these types of games, you need your captain to step up and to put some people on their shoulders,” French said. “He did precisely that, and he’s been doing that for a number of months now.”

French said some momentum from Game 3 carried into Game 4, which was Hershey’s best wire-to-wire performance of the series. The Bears established an edge early and maintained it even amid penalty adversity against WBS, which mustered just one 5-on-5 shot in the first 30 minutes.

“You’ve got to stay on an even keel,” Kane said. “You come into the playoffs, it’s a roller coaster. Every other night or so you’re playing and it’s up and down.

“We played good and we’re getting close to getting our game going. We didn’t have that the first two games, but we’re getting better every night the last couple.”

Schilling’s goal at 17:26 of the first gave Hershey a 1-0 lead moments after WBS defenseman Alexandre Picard fired a shot over the crossbar on an open chance that would have given the Baby Pens a 1-0 lead.

“Both nights we missed a prime-time chance and they came down and scored,” WBS head coach John Hynes said. “I think that was more of it than having a bad start.”

WBS enjoyed a 9-4 power-play advantage. It was an odd disparity in light of the fact that Hershey had the edge in 5-on-5 play.

“I thought we were undisciplined with our sticks at times, for sure, and deserved some of them,” French said. “I’m not going to comment on the officiating until I go back. I thought some were suspect. I thought we could have done a better job controlling our sticks.”

The Bears made the most of their PP chances, finishing 3-for-4.

“The first two and a half games we were really bad on the power play,” Bourque said. “We got a good bounce on Potsy’s overtime winner, where you just shoot the puck at the net and it goes in. That kind of gives you confidence that we can score on this team.

“I think that’s best game we’ve played in over two months, for sure. That’s very promising going into [Game 5]. Hopefully, we can carry the momentum going in there.”

Game 5 against WBS will be the Bears’ first deciding Game 5 since 2002-03, when they lost 3-2 in overtime to the Chicago Wolves on April 22, 2003, at Allstate Arena.

“We’re going to get our team prepared,” French said. “I think it’s important that we enjoy the win. But that’s going to be very short-lived. We’ve got to emotionally plateau and get ourselves ready for our Game 5 that’s right around the corner.”

The Game 5 winner will advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals to play the St. John’s IceCaps, who eliminated Syracuse Friday night.

“It’s do or die,” Bourque said. “We’ve been in this position for the last two games. It’s nice to know that we can win when everything is on the line. Going into [Game 5], hopefully, the experience of the last two games and in previous years in elimination games will come in handy.”

Hershey has gone 6-3 in playoff games in which it faced elimination since the Washington Capitals affiliation began in 2005-06. Going back to the 2008-09 East Division finals, it was Hershey’s fourth straight postseason win against the Baby Pens when it faced elimination.

“I know they’ve got great older, veteran guys who have led that team well,” Mink said. “Their coaches are certainly excellent coaches. They’re going to be prepared to play. Their backs are against the wall now, too, so it’s going to be a fun game to play and it’s going to be a slugfest and I’m looking forward to it.

“I don’t think we’re going to get too high. I think we’re going to stay with what’s given us success. I certainly know that Wilkes-Barre is not happy with their effort the last two nights. They’re going to be ready to play.”

WBS has outscored Hershey 14-11 in the series, including 10-3 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

“We’ve got to start over and come out ready to go,” Kane said. “We know they’re probably going to come hard in the first 10 minutes like they always do in their rink. We’ve got to come and be ready to match it.”

Games 1 and 2 were played on consecutive nights, and WBS won 7-2 in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead.

“Since it is a five-game series, the games are magnified,” Mink said. “Being down 0-2, if that’s a seven-game series, it’s a little different. A lot of teams are down 2-0 on the road after the first two games of a seven-game series. Our focus was turn the page, put that behind us, not dwell on it, and play a solid game.”

NOTEBOOK

Defenseman Patrick Wellar returned to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension, replacing Julien Brouillette.

Anaheim Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau and Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero attended the game.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 27

Posted by Hershey Bears

Defenseman Patrick Wellar, eligible to return after serving a one-game suspension, skated as the seventh D but hasn’t been ruled out of the lineup.

At Friday’s morning skate in preparation for Game 4 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Giant Center, the Hershey Bears featured the same combinations as in Game 3.

Hershey BearsPatrick Wellar

Defenseman Patrick Wellar, eligible to return after serving a one-game suspension, skated as the seventh D but hasn’t been ruled out of the lineup.

“We’ll make a game-time decision,” Bears head coach Mark French said. “We’ll have seven D taking warmups tonight, and we’ll figure out which six we want to play.”

Defenseman Patrick McNeill (upper body) has been ruled out of Game 4 but not Game 5 should the Bears force a deciding game.

“We’ll make a game-time decision on him for Game 5,” French said.

Dany Sabourin was the first goalie off the ice.

Hershey has gone 5-3 in games it has faced elimination since the Washington Capitals affiliation began in 2005-06.

“I don’t think there’s anything comfortable about playing in elimination games,” French said.

posted by Hershey Bears on Apr 26

Posted by Hershey Bears

His individual statistics don’t fully describe Zach Miskovic’s penchant for rising to the occasion when called upon in the playoffs.

His individual statistics don’t fully describe Zach Miskovic’s penchant for rising to the occasion when called upon in the playoffs.

Hershey’s Cameron Schilling and Ryan Potulny celebrate after Schilling scored on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Brad Thiessen. Hershey defeated Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4-3 on overtime Wednesday, April 25, 2012.

JOHN C. WHITEHEAD/The Patriot-News

The Hershey Bears defenseman has three points in a dozen postseason games.

But Hershey’s record in those games is 9-3, including 6-0 in 2009-10 and a critical 1-0 in 2011-12.

“I think it’s just staying mentally strong,” Miskovic said Thursday. “I just try to be prepared anytime they ask me to be prepared, just make sure I’m getting the work done I need to on the ice or in practice and in the extra times and just go from there.”

Limited to 35 games in a depth role during the regular season, Miskovic did it again Wednesday night in Game 3 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Scratched in eight of Hershey’s previous nine games, including the first two games of the series, Miskovic jumped from the stands into a high-stakes, high-intensity situation with Patrick Wellar suspended and Patrick McNeill injured.

He came through with a first-period assist that helped give Hershey its first lead of the series and finished plus-1 in a 4-3 overtime victory that kept alive the season.

“Zach has an ability to respond when he’s put back into the lineup,” Bears head coach Mark French said.

College eligible defenseman Cameron Schilling, scratched in Game 2, also responded with a first-period goal that increased the lead to 2-0. With their performances, Schilling and Miskovic may have secured lineup spots for Friday night’s Game 4 at Giant Center.

“[Schilling] was very good,” French said. “It’s always nice when you see a guy respond in that fashion. Zach helped generate the first goal and played some really good minutes for us.”

WBS leads the best-of-five series 2-1. A Hershey victory in Game 4 would force a deciding Game 5 Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.

Teams must take a clinical approach to the playoffs, leaving wins or losses in the rear-view mirror to focus on the next contest. But the Game 3 triumph, which ended a 10-game winless streak, is something that could help propel Hershey in Game 4.

“I definitely think it gave us a lot of confidence,” Schilling said. “Obviously, we were in a little skid there for a while. Just getting a win, not necessarily even how we played — we thought we played pretty well — but just a win helps everybody’s confidence going into the next game.”

In Game 3, the Bears began checking off boxes they needed to survive.

They emerged from the first period with a lead rather than trailing. They scored their first power-play goal. They got points from the first two lines for the first time in the series.

“It was a win or die situation,” Miskovic said. “Everybody was playing very desperate, playing with a lot of heart for this team. Everybody came together really well. We were blocking a lot of shots, doing the right things on defense, which is the key to success. Watching our parent club Wash laying the body out every day and having a huge win over Boston [was inspirational].”

Hershey ultimately needed Ryan Potulny’s OT power-play goal to win. Drama aside, the Baby Pens, who dominated the first two games, could still claim to have enjoyed an edge in play in the majority of Game 3.

“I was happy for the guys that they played that way in Game 3,” French said. “But I think the biggest thing we’ve got to take from it is we’ve got to be better. Even though the emotion was better, we’ve simply got to be better. We’ve got to up our game.”

The Washington Capitals’ elimination of the Boston Bruins means that Braden Holtby, Keith Aucoin and Dmitry Orlov remain in the NHL for now.

“If I’m talking, I think there might be a sense of ownership in the room now for a guy like [goalie] Dany [Sabourin],” French said. “This is his team now.

“I’m sure for this series he feels a direct ownership over what goes on there. We would have welcomed those guys back with open arms, but I think there’s hopefully a resolve in the room now that this is what we’ve got for at least the rest of this series.”

Eric Tangradi, Simon Despres and Brian Strait made their series debuts in Game 3 after being reassigned from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Strait exited due to injury, but Tangradi, who had a goal and an assist, and Despres, who had an assist, became more reintegrated and effective as the game progressed.

“I thought they did a nice job coming in,” WBS head coach John Hynes said. “They have the right mindset. They’ve been a big part of our team throughout the year. It’s a situation where you’re getting players that have played a lot of games for us this year.

“Sometimes I think in the playoffs, guys may get someone down who only played two games for them all year long. These are guys that have been a big part of our team and there’s good relationships with them. They’re high-character guys and they’re excited to be able to play.”

The Baby Pens have showcased plenty of postseason zeal in the first three games. Hynes said last season’s second-round exit, in the wake of finishing with the best record in the AHL, hasn’t been a motivating factor this season.

“It’s a different group and a different year and a different situation, a different playoff series,” Hynes said. “It’s just about, with this particular group, of trying to play good hockey and getting the most of the experience in the playoffs, which is what we’re about.”

NOTEBOOK

Wellar is eligible to return to the lineup for Game 4.

Schilling played in the Frozen Four for Miami University of Ohio in 2009 and said the Calder Cup playoffs are similar. “Obviously, Frozen Four is one and done, so every single game is a Game 7 or whatever,” he said. “But this is definitely just as intense. You’ve got to block shots. You’ve got to do all the little things. If you don’t do the little things, you’re going to be going home.”
 
Bears captain Boyd Kane on the series: “We know we can play with them now. The first two games we didn’t play our game. They obviously played theirs and it wasn’t very good for us. We came out and played pretty well. We’ll build on this one.”

WBS has gone 1-11 in playoff games at Giant Center.

Game 3 marked the first time WBS surrendered more than three goals since March 10 against Bridgeport, a span of 17 games.

ON TWITTER: @timleone

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.

Hershey BearsMark French

“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.

Hershey’s Dany Sabourin stops a shot by Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Colin McDonald. Hershey defeated Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4-3 on overtime Wednesday, April 25, 2012.

JOHN C. WHITEHEAD/The Patriot-News

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.

Hershey Bears photoZach Miskovic

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.

Hershey BearsRyan Potulny

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.

Hershey BearsPatrick McNeill

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