Hershey Beats Philadelphia on a Buzzer Beater

The Bears were down 3-1 and again 4-2, but came back and Aucoin scored as time expired in the overtime period. Philly iced the puck and the Bears touched it with less than five seconds left forcing an offensive zone draw. Aucoin wins that and the puck lands on his stick after Giroux's shot is blocked.




Here are some pictures from the game:



Finally, Jay Beagle scores to tie the game up with under seven minutes left:

Q & A with Josh Godfrey

From Hockey's Future:

HF: With four defensemen tonight, did your coach tell you guys to conserve energy?
JG: You just kind of want to keep it simple. Unless you're going to make it a 3-on-2 or 2-on-1, you don't really want to jump up.

HF: Did you talk about that strategy ahead of time or is it something you just know to do?
JG: Well yeah, we should be getting the puck deep all the time. But more so now because we only had four guys back there. I think it plays into our style of game -- chip it in and go get it.

HF: Was it kind of tough to see the blue lines tonight with the pink ice (for women's cancer research)?
JG: Yeah, it was, on the faceoff circles and all that. I think the refs had a lot of trouble with that on the offsides. But both teams had to deal with it, so there's no excuse either way.

HF: How would you assess your personal season so far?
JG: I had a couple of injuries, but I've been doing what the coach asks me and doing what the organization think I should do, and just trying my best.

HF: Can you go over your injuries? You were also ill, correct?
JG: I got sick up in Hershey and separated my AC joint in my shoulder twice (where the clavicle and collarbone meet). And I had this little accident with the skate (points to cut on ankle). But it hasn't hindered my play too much.

HF: With the AC joint injury, does your shoulder hang lower now?
JG: Yeah, it's a a little lower than my other one.

HF: But it doesn't hurt anymore?
JG: No.

HF: What were your instructions from Hershey when they sent you down?
JG: They had eight or nine defensemen up there so they just told me they wanted me to come somewhere that I could play and stay on the ice. I was young so I didn't need to be rushed into anything. The main thing is they wanted me to keep playing.

HF: They didn't say they wanted you to work on 'this thing' in particular?
JG: Well, being a young player, a lot of young guys have to work on their defensive play. That's a big part of defense, obviously, and that's what I'm trying to work on down here most.

HF: Do you think you'll be here the rest of the year then?
JG: We'll see what happens. If Washington has injuries, you never know what can happen. Play were they want me to.

HF: A guy who you played with last year in Sault Ste. Marie, Michael Fine, is eligible for the draft this year. Can you tell me about him?
JG: Yeah, he's a talented player. He was a young guy who came in last year, was a third or fourth line center for us. He can win draws, he can fight. I'm kind of looking forward to the draft to see how high he goes because he's a very good player. Flies under the radar a little bit.

HF: Why don't you think he gets noticed?
JG: He's not a guy to be flashy on the ice, he just makes simple plays. Sometimes players like that don't catch your eye. But at the end of the night, he's the guy who's always going to get the puck deep and make smart plays.

HF: In the NHL, would he project as a checking line guy then?
JG: Yeah, third, fourth line center, and he can play wing.

HF: I noticed that for an offensive defenseman, you don't have a lot of curve on your stick. Have you experimented with a curvier stick?
JG: I used to use almost a straight blade. But you kind of want to keep the puck down. I feel if I put too much curve on it, it's going to go over the net all the time. I still have trouble with that sometimes, as straight as it is.

HF: But don't you have more control over it if it's curvier?
JG: Yeah, but if you're rushed taking a shot or it's a one-timer, you don't really have time to get set for it and the puck's going to go up with the curve of the stick. If you have a big fish hook on it, it's going to go over the net.

HF: Do you think your accuracy has gotten better this year?
JG: Yeah, especially my last couple years in junior. I went from scoring four, five goals to 24 the next year, so I could always shoot the puck hard but I kind of worked on my accuracy in summer skating.

HF: Have you taken a little velocity off to get it more accurate?
JG: No, not necessarily. Maybe in the beginning, but once you get comfortable shooting from your normal spots on the ice, like on the power play shooting from the middle, you can put more and more velocity on the puck.

HF: I noticed that you did something with your stick on the net at the start of periods, what's that about?
JG: Just a superstition -- post, crossbar, post. I don't know, I've done it since my first year of junior.

HF: Have you ever forgotten to do it?
JG: If I forgot about it, I wouldn't know about it (laughs). I'm sure if I forgot it wouldn't be the end of the world. I have a couple other little things, but it's nothing.

Happy Birthday Josh Godfrey!

Happy birthday to Josh Godfrey who turns 21 today! He has played 20 games between the Bears and the Stingrays and has nine assists. Here is an interview of him from this July at the Capitals Development Camp:

Post-Game: Hershey Bears vs Albany River Rats

This was a very bad game from the start with the Bears giving up four goals in the first, and ended up losing 7-2 to the last place team in their division, the Albany River Rats.

• On a positive note, Alexandre Giroux scored his 29th of the season and is two games away from tying Brett Hull's record of 14 consecutive games with a goal.
• Simeon Varlamov didn't make it to the second period, getting pulled after stopping 11/15 shots through the first. He didn't look bad per se, but a change in net was necessary after a 4-0 deficit.
• Chris Bourque played hard the whole game...can't say the same about most of the Bears' players.
• The Rookie Line decided to play the third period, but not the first two.
• Scary moment when Jay Beagle went down awkwardly in the corner, but after about 30 seconds of lying motionless, face down, Beagle was on his feet and returned to the game.
• The defense struggled mightly clearing the puck out in front of the net with both Karl Alzner and Bryan Helmer suiting up for the Capitals tonight.
• Tim Clownboy and Tyler Sloan got major beef... Conboy was yelling at Sloaner in the penalty box after charging the Bears' 'D' man after the whistle, forcing him to fight. I'd call it a draw, but Sloan threw Conboy to the ground.

My man, Jerome Samoson (pronounced Sam-SONN), netted two goals including the game winner, but Michael Ryan stole the show with a hat trick by the 2nd period. Ryan finished with three goals on four shots, and two penalties (including diving). Ryan now has three hat tricks this year? Wow that seems kind of high. Even 'Rooster' only has one hat trick, and he's leading the league in goals...

Pre-Game: Hershey Bears vs Albany River Rats

So with everyone talking in anticipation about the Penguins against the Capitals, I am going to do the logical thing and miss that game to attend the Bears game as they take on the River Rats. Yeah I know I'll regret not watching the NHL game, but I'm sure the blog-happy Washington Capitals community will inform me on everything that happened during the rivalry game. I will offer up one prediction, and that is that a picture of Alex Ovechkin in the urinal will surface (pun intended) on the internet...just a hunch.

Hershey is 2-2 in their past four home games, but has an incredible season record of 15-4 at the Giant Center. The Bears still lead the league in goals for (159), and average almost five goals a game at home.

Alexandre Giroux leads the league in goals with 28 and is closing in on an AHL milestone. If Giroux scores tonight, he'll be two games short of tying Brett Hull for consecutive games with a goal. Giroux scored in his 11th straight in the Bears loss on Sunday, and is looking to surpass Hull's record of scoring in 14 consecutive games set back in the 1987 campaign.

On the River Rats side of things, they had a few players poached to the KHL earlier this year, and are one point out of last place in the Eastern Conference. I could do the "Two degrees of Keith Aucoin" who played two seasons there (including last year), but I have a life homework.

Albany is "led" by Michael Ryan and Jakub Petruzalek who have 27 and 25 points, respectively (remember Giroux has 28 goals). Maybe I'm being too harsh, Ryan has played in 29 games and Jakub has played in all 38 games for the Rats.

I'm going to keep an eye on Cane prospects Jerome Samson as well as Nick Dodge. I'll write a little about them tomorrow, as well as the young Bears that impress me...I'm just dissapointed I won't get to watch Michal Jordan play in person.

Here is a Jerome Samson teaser:

Happy Birthday Mathieu Perreault!

Happy birthday to Mathieu Perreault who turned 21 yesterday. I got his autograph after a game in Hershey earlier this year. Perry has 26 points in 34 games for the Bears this year.

Post-Game: Hershey Bears vs Hartford Wolf Pack

On the annual "Teddy Bear Toss," the Hershey Bears did not disappoint, beating the Wolf Pack 4-2.

In fact, Hershey scored before we even got to the arena...The roads were covered in snow and I was driving a car with literally no traction. But we made it to the Barn a minute or two after Maxime Lacroix scored (5 minutes into the first period).

For only $18 (with the Giant Bonus Card discount...different than the Giant stores in the D.C. area) we got seats in the fourth row.

The Bears played okay for the most part, but it was a sloppy game and we were a little disappointed with only four goals scored. But, on to what I noticed in the game:

• Chris Bourque looked like the best player on the ice. He was his usually self, hustling up and down the ice, skating by 'D' men with ease. Although he did not record a point, C-Bo fired a game-high 7 shots on goal.
• As I was watching the game, I was thinking to myself who would be called up if another Cap went down. I narrowed it down to Alexandre Giroux and....Alexandre Giroux. Now I didn't actually expect him to be called-up, it was just a self-imposed hypothetical question. Giroux has prior NHL experience and looked great last night.
• The Oskar Osala-Francois Bouchard- Mathieu Perrault line did not disappoint. In the second period, Osala relayed the puck to Perrault who was on a 2 on 1 with Bouchard. Perry froze the goalie and saucered it to Bouchard who had the whole net to score. Definitley the prettiest goal of the night, Perry, Osala, and Bouchard now rank 3rd, 4th, and 6th in rookie points.
• Other than Perrault, my favorite player in the Capitals system has got to be Josh Godfrey. I was lucky enough to watch him this summer in Arlington, and with all the injuries occuring to the Caps, this has given Josh to opportunity to play at the AHL level. Josh has got a helluva slapshot and a great hockey IQ to boot. Unfortunately Godfrey had a target on his back for the last 15 minutes of the 3rd period after "late" hit on Jordan Owens. Owens passed to Tommy Pyatt --younger brother of Taylor Pyatt-- who one-timed the puck past Simeon Varlamov who never saw it. Owens stayed down for a few minutes after the big hit, while Hartford players got in the face of Godfrey...Josh eventually left with a shoulder injury.

Prospect Analysis

Artem Anisimov- A towering figure at 6'4", 205, he picked up a garbage goal in the second period. I was somewhat disappointed with his performance, because of my high expectations. He needs to work on his skating if he wants to make it to the next level. He only registered 2 shots, and I think he just had an off-game. I think he's good enough to play in the NHL, but he's still pretty raw. This is his second season in North America, and he could use one more after this one. Expect to see him in the NHL around 2010.

P.A. Parenteau- This guy is going to be a solid player in the NHL one day. As I mentioned earlier, injuries hindered the start of his career. Parenteau has great patience and great eyes. On the power play, P.A. likes to have the puck on his stick and usuallly finds the open man. He reminds me of Nicklas Backstrom in the sense that he is a pass-first kind of player, but if he just shot it more, he would be fabulous...Don't get me wrong, Pierre-Alexandre had 34 goals last year, but he has the potential for 40 or 45 goals this year if he decides to shoot more often.

Bobby Sanguinetti- Here's a player who can make the jump to the NHL as soon as a player gets injured or struggles. Sanguinetti is an offensive threat on the blue line and has great skating abilites for his 6'1" frame. He needs to add more weight (178, 183 depending on where you look) and use his body more. Bobby had 29 goals (in 61 games) last season for Brambleton of the OHL, and this is his first full year in the AHL. Sanguinetti is New York's second best prospect and I can't wait to see him play in the NHL.

Pre-Game: Hershey Bears vs Hartford Wolfpack

To be honest, going to college in Harrisburg, PA does not have many perks...but I have the privilege of being 20 minutes from the Giant Center and the Hershey Bears. Tonight will be my fourth Bears game (third this season), and Hershey has yet to lose in my presence.

The Hartford Wolf Pack (New York Rangers) will come to 'The Barn' looking to end Hershey's 9 game winning streak.

• Hershey leads the AHL with 37 points (18-5-0 OTL-1 SOL) and has not lost since November 9th. Hartford (10-10-1 OTL-2 SOL) is tied for last place in the Atlantic Division, but just six points out of first place.
• The Bears are 9-2 at home (best in the league) and own the third best home power play rate at 26%.
• Hershey recalled Johann Kroll from South Carolina of the ECHL. Kroll played his college hockey with Sean Collins and will be playing in his fifth AHL game.
  
• Hartford is 7-1 when leading after two periods.
• The Wolf Pack are led by Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau (11-12-23). Originally drafted by the Mighty Ducks in 2001, Parenteau broke his wrist in Anaheim's 2005 training camp, and was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks a few months after the injury. After making his NHL debut in the 2006-2007 season, Parenteau was traded to the Rangers in October of last season.

Check back tomorrow for prospect analysis on:

Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau
Artem Anisimov (really excited to watch this guy)
Miika Wiikman
Bob Sanguinetti (great offensive defense man)
Dane Byers (here's a fight versus Mr. Bahamas himself)

And whoever else is impressive.

Here is a preview of PA Parenteau:

Aucoin Recalled, Mink Sent Down

Keith Aucoin, the AHL's leading scorer, has been recalled, while Graham Mink has been sent down to Hershey...again.

Aucoin has 36 points (9-27-36) in 24 games for the Bears, who have won 9 in-a-row, with their last loss coming on November 9th.

Mink has 4 shots on goal in his two games played for the Capitals this season. Washington is 1-1 in games that Mink plays.

Sloan Assigned to Hershey

After playing in four games, Tyler Sloan was re-assigned to Hershey yesterday. He recorded his first career NHL goal against Dallas on October 25th, and became an instant fan favorite a few days earlier.

Checking in with Chocolate Town

Each week, I am going to sum up what the AHL's Hershey Bears are up to. The Bears are the Washington Capitals' minor league affiliate and are off to a fantastic start. Here are a few things you should know through eight games:

• The Hershey Bears are tied for the best record in the league (7-1).
• The Bears are averaging 5.5 goals per game (44 goals in eight games).
• Keith Aucoin is leading the league in scoring (5-12-17) and has recorded a point in every game this season.
• Alexandre Giroux leads the AHL with eight goals (in eight games).
• Aucoin, Giroux, Graham Mink, Chris Bourque, and Andrew Gordon are all averaging at least a point per game.
• Only one player has a negative +/- rating.
• Aucoin, Karl Alzner, and Semi Lepisto have +/- ratings of +8, +9, and +10, respectively (Lepisto is first in the AHL).
• Daren Machesney leads the league in Wins.
• The rookie line of Oskar Osala, Matthieu Perrault, and Francois Bouchard has combined for nine goals and six assists.

Upcoming Games:

October 29th at Hamilton Bulldogs
October 31st at Albany River Rats
November 1st vs Philadelphia Phantoms
November 2nd at Philadelphia Phantoms
November 7th at Albany River Rats