Bears Right Ship, Defeat Admirals

 

The Hershey Bears came back from a 2-0 deficit, scoring 3 unanswered goals en route to their 1st home win of the season, a 3-2 victory over the Norfolk Admirals in front of 7,542 fans Sunday night at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA.

 

Need to Know: 18 seconds into a Jeff Ulmer slashing penalty midway through the 1st period, Matt Ellison made it 1-0 Norfolk… 27 seconds later, Matt Keith beat Bears netminder Tom Lawson on a slap shot 5 feet over the blue line, giving the Admirals a quick 2-0 lead…at the 9:20 mark of the 2nd period, Cody McCormick beat a screened Michael Leighton glove side, netting his 1st goal of the season---a power play tally---making it a 2-1 Norfolk advantage…with Admirals defenseman Jim Vandermeer off for a holding penalty with 6 ½ minutes remaining in the 2nd period, Jeff Ulmer scored his 1st goal of the season, a tip off of a Brett Clark shot from near the blue line…Eric Perrin would score the game-winner 3:11 into the 3rd period, coming into the slot and burying a goal line feed from McCormick…Lawson earned his 1st win of the season, finishing with 27 saves…Leighton suffered the loss for the Ads, ending the contest with 21 saves.

 

Misc. Game Notes: With the loss, the Admirals remain tied with Albany for 1st place in the East Division with 10 points, while the Bears remain at the bottom of the division with 5 points…defensemen Darrel Scoville and Miiko Viitanen were scratched for Hershey, while Agris Saviels and Tomas Slovak were back in the lineup…the Bears started with a line of Ulmer, Bonvie, and Andre Savage, with Saviels and Jeff Finger on defense…2 ½ minutes into the 2nd period, Hershey's Dennis Bonvie, and Norfolk's Travis Moen "Had A Go," off of a draw in the Bears zone. Bonvie threw a few more punches than Moen, but neither landed a knockout punch before Moen lost his balance and fell to the ice, where the linesmen intervened.

 

Et Cetera: Coming into Sunday's contest, Hershey had scored the fewest goals in the AHL (8)…entering Sunday's game, Norfolk led the AHL in penalty kill percentage, a spot that was held by Hershey until Saturday, when the Bears allowed 3 power play goals to Rochester…The Bears donned special Halloween-themed jerseys for the game, which were auctioned off following the contest. The jerseys, which were black tie-downs, and included the current Bears logo crest, featured cob web trim and sleeves, crossing tridents with an "H" on the shoulders, and gothic-style lettering and numbering. The top 3 winning bids were: Bonvie ($3,350), Perrin ($2,800), and Lawson ($2,000)…faces in the crowd included former Bears Head Coach, and current Atlanta Thrashers bench boss Bob Hartley.

 

Coming Up: The Bears next game is this Friday vs the Philadelphia Phantoms at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia at 7 PM…the Bears next home games are this Saturday and Sunday, when the Providence Bruins come to town for their only visits of the 04/05 season.

 

 

Admirals goalie Michael Leighton makes a stick-side save as Hershey's Ryan Steeves (#14) and Norfolk's Jason Morgan (#17) approach the net during 1st period action.

 

 

Hershey's Jeff Ulmer celebrates as his 2nd period goal finds it's way past Norfolk netminder Michael Leighton, tying the game at 2-2.

 

 

Bears enforcer Dennis Bonvie (left) and Admirals left winger Travis Moen battle during an early 2nd period fight.

 

Sunday October 31, 2004 vs. Rochester (Posted 12:19 A.M. EST.)

 

Rochester Tames Bears

 

The Bears dropped their 3rd straight home game of the 04/05 season, and the Rochester Americans earned their 1st win of the season by trouncing Hershey 5-1 in front of 5,921 fans Saturday evening at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA.

 

Need to Know: After earning the shutout Friday night in Syracuse, Peter Budaj was back in net for the Bears on Saturday evening…Paul Gaustad got the Amerks on the board first, netting an unassisted goal---his 1st of the season---midway through the 1st period…the Bears would even things up with 9.1 seconds in the same period, as a Mathieu Darche redirection found it's way past Rochester goalie Ryan Miller…at the very end of an Eric Perrin slashing penalty 3:35 into the 2nd period, Jason Botterill would make it 2-1 Amerks, which was the first power play goal the Bears have allowed this season…6 ½ minutes later, after a Perrin holding penalty, Botterill struck again for Rochester, scoring his 2nd power play goal of the period, giving the Amerks a 3-1 lead…Jason Pominville would make it 4-1 Americans at the 13:27 mark of the 3rd period, tucking in a puck that had squeaked through Budaj's pads after a David Cullen slap shot…Derek Roy would cap the scoring for Rochester, netting the Amerks 3rd power play goal of the contest, making it a 5-1 game…Ryan Miller earned the victory for Rochester, stopping 27 of 28 Hershey shots, en route to the Amerks 1st win of the season…Peter Budaj suffered the loss for the Bears, finishing with 25 saves…Roy, David Cullen, and Chris Taylor accounted for 1 goal and 8 assists for the Americans.

 

Misc. Game Notes: After Saturday's win by Rochester, the Utah Grizzlies are the only AHL team that has yet to win a game this season…the Bears finished the game 0-4 on the power play, and have now converted only 2 of 28 chances this season…Hershey D Dean Arsene was involved in both fights of the game, taking on the Amerks' Chris Thorburn 2:27 into the 2nd period, and Paul Gaustad with 12.7 seconds left in the 3rd period. In the first scrap, Thorburn was the busier of the two, but neither landed any major blows before Arsene lost his balance, taking Thorburn down with him. His second fighting major was nothing more than a glorified wrestling match.

 

Did you know: Rochester Alternate Captain Jason Botterill was a member of 3 Canadian World Junior Championship, Michigan's 1996 NCAA Championship, and the Saint John Flames' 2001 Calder Cup Championship teams…Doug Janik, who was involved in the 1st ever fight at Giant Center (with former Bear Rob Voltera), was a member of the University of Maine's 1999 NCAA Championship team...Tomas Vanek was the 5th overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, and was a member of the University of Minnesota's 2003 NCAA Championship team...Cullen was a member of the Houston Aeros 2003 Calder Cup Championship team…since turning pro in 01/02, Jeff Jillson, who was the 14th overall pick in the 1999 NHL Draft, has skated with 3 NHL (San Jose, Boston, Buffalo), and 3 AHL (Cleveland, Providence, Rochester) teams…The Amerks roster features 5 former 1st round picks (Botterill, Jillson, Jiri Novotny, Daniel Paille, Vanek), and 10 former 2nd round choices (Milan Bartovic, Janik, Norm Milley, Nathan Paetsch, Geoff Peters, Pominville, Roy, Prestin Ryan, Taylor, Thorburn)…Sean McMorrow, who was a healthy scratch on Saturday, has led the Amerks in penalty minutes over the last 2 seasons, amassing 602 PIMs…Peters, who was the Amerks other healthy scratch, is the older brother Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters, who himself spent 3 seasons in Rochester.

 

6 Degrees of Separation: Amerks D Brandon Smith, and Bears C Andre Savage were teammates on the Providence Bruins' 98/99 Calder Cup Championship team…Rochester D Nathan Paetsch was a teammate of Bears D Johnny Boychuk on the 2002/03 Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)…Amerks D Steve Lingren, who served his second and last game of a suspension on Saturday, spent 2 seasons in Hershey, and was a member of the Bears 1997 Calder Cup Championship team…Rochester's Miller, who was the Hobey Baker Award Winner in 2001, was a teammate of former Bear and current Avs D John-Michael Liles for 3 seasons at the Michigan State University…Amerks D John Rohloff was a member of the Miami (Ohio) University team during the 2 seasons that Bears broadcaster John Walton served as the RedHawks play-by-play caller.

 

Coming Up: The Bears will play their first Sunday game of the season, taking on divisional rival Norfolk at 5:00 PM at the Giant Center. The Admirals are 2-0 against Hershey this season, defeating the Bears in a home-and-home series to start the 04/05 campaign.

 

 

The Amerks' Chris Thorburn, and the Bears' Dean Arsene exchange punches in a 3rd period fight.

 

 

Hershey defenseman Jeff Finger (left), and goaltender Peter Budaj (right) try to keep Rochester LW Jason Botterill out of the crease during 2nd period action. Botterill netted 2 power play goals, including the game-winning goal, in the Americans 5-1 win over Hershey.

 

 

Rochester goalie Ryan Miller turns aside a shot as Bears rookie Ryan Steeves looks on during 1st period action.

 

Friday October 29, 2004 at Syracuse (Posted 11:26 P.M. EST.)

 

Bears Take a Bite Out of Crunch for 1st Win of 04/05

 

In dramatic fashion, the Bears defeated the Syracuse Crunch 1-0 before 4,712 fans Friday evening at the Onondaga County War Memorial in Syracuse, NY…Marek Svatos and Eric Perrin netted shootout goals, with Peter Budaj stopping 35 shots in regulation and overtime, to give the Bears their 1st victory of the 2004/05 season.

 

Meat & Potatoes: For the shootout, Bears Head Coach Paul Fixter first sent out LW Mathieu Darche, the former Crunch winger, but alas, he could not convert…Syracuse Head Coach Gary Agnew summoned Joe Motzko as his first shooter, and he netted a 5-hole shot that beat Budaj, making it 1-0 Syracuse…Marek Svatos was second in-line for Hershey, and he evened things up at 1-1 after his backhand shot found twine behind Pascal Leclaire…Mark Hartigan, who had previously converted his last 3 shootout attempts for Syracuse, was stopped by Budaj, with the shootout score tied at 1-1…Eric Perrin, the Bears leading scorer and Stanley Cup winner from last season, then gave the Bears a 2-1 shootout lead, after netting a top right-hand corner shot…from there, Budaj secured the victory by stonewalling the remaining Crunch shooters: Matthias Trattnig, Aaron Johnson, and Brad Moran…Hershey's 4th and 5th shooters, Andre Savage and Jeff Ulmer, did not score on their shootout attempts…Fixter, who had missed last weekend's games due to family medical reasons, was back behind the Bears bench…Budaj earned his 1st win and shutout of the season for Hershey, stopping 35 shots in regulation and overtime, as well as another 4 shots in the shootout…Leclaire took the shootout loss for the Crunch, finishing with 21 saves…the Bears, who have had their share of woes on the power play this season, could not convert on a 5 minute man advantage in the 1st period, after Darche was high-sticked and bloodied by Syracuse's Andre Lakos. The Bears finished the contest 0-3 on the power play, and are now only 2-24 for the season…the Bears killed off another 6 short-handed situations, and have now successfully slayed all 21 opposing power plays they have faced this season---tops in the AHL…the battle of the heavyweights occurred at the 10:45 mark of the 2nd period, with Brandon Sugden and Dennis Bonvie locking horns. Each exchanged a couple of minor shots before Sugden landed a punch that took Bonvie down. Reports out of Syracuse indicate that the fight was uneventful, and that Sugden's knockout punch was nothing to write home about…Crunch D Francois Beauchemin left the ice early in the 3rd period, bleeding heavily from the forehead after apparently hitting a metal partition around the end boards… Syracuse had previously won their 2 other games that went to a shootout this season…At the end of the overtime period, Bonvie had to be restrained by Fixter, after Bonvie, who was on the bench, grabbed Syracuse's Jeremy Reich. Referee Wes McCauley assessed Bonvie and Reich each 4 minutes for roughing.

 

Misc. Game Notes: It was the Bears 1st game outside of the East Division this season, as well as their 1st contest outside of the Eastern Conference…Hershey had looked to avoid their worst start since the 1938/39 Bears team began the season 0-5-1…coming into Friday's game, the Bears were tied for last in the AHL with a 1.50 goals for per game average, and were second to last in terms of average shots allowed per game with 37…Cail MacLean made his 04/05 AHL debut, after starting the season with the Reading Royals (ECHL), where he recorded 0 points in 2 games. In his 1st shift of Friday's game, MacLean was called for a holding penalty… Bears D Darrel Scoville, who played in Syracuse from '01-'04 and was their captain in 03/04, also spent time in Columbus last season, netting 1 assist in 8 games…Darche played in Syracuse from 2000-2003, and also played in 24 games with the Blue Jackets during that same time frame.

 

I Did Not Know That: 12 members of the Crunch roster spent time with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2003/04 season…Crunch C Alexander Svitov was the 3rd overall pick in the 2001 NHL Draft by Tampa Bay. Prior to this season, he had played more NHL games (103 between Tampa Bay & Columbus) than AHL contests (41 between Springfield & Hamilton) in his first 2 professional years…coming into the 04/05 season, Crunch D Jamie Pushor had played 517 career NHL games between Detroit, Anaheim, Dallas, Columbus, Pittsburgh, and the New York Rangers…Sugden placed 6th in the AHL with 283 penalty minutes for Syracuse last season. During his junior career, he led the OHL with 264 PIMs for London in the 95/96 season…During his senior season of 2000/01 with the University of North Dakota, Crunch C Jeff Panzer led the NCAA in scoring with 81 points…Beauchemin was taken 75th overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft; taken 4 picks later---that would be former Bears LW Evgeny Lazarev, who signed this past Thursday with the Johnstown Chiefs (ECHL).

 

6 Degrees of Separation: The Crunch' Joe Motzko, and Mark Hartigan were teammates of Bears D Jeff Finger for 2 seasons at St. Cloud State…Syracuse C Brad Moran led the WHL in scoring with 120 points during the 99/00 season with the Calgary Hitmen, where his teammate---albeit for only 1 game---was Hershey rookie D Johnny Boychuk. For 3 seasons, Moran also played alongside former Bears LW Jordan Krestanovich in Calgary…Syracuse's Jeff Panzer, and netminder Karl Goehring were teammates with Hershey RW Jeff Ulmer at the University of North Dakota for 2 seasons…Hershey LW Sergei Klyazmin was a teammate of Crunch G Pacal Leclaire during the 2000/01 season with Halifax (QMJHL)…Crunch alternate captain Jeremy Reich was a teammate of former Bears D Rick Berry for 3 seasons with Seattle (WHL)…Syracuse forward Matthias Trattnig was a teammate of former Bears D Brian White ('98-'01) at the University of Maine in 97/98…Crunch D Ole-Kristian Tollefson was a teammate of former Bears C Ryan Craig (03/04) while with Brandon (WHL) in the 02/03 season…Lakos, who previously skated in the AHL with Albany and Utah, played in his hometown of Vienna, Austria last season, where he played with former Bears RW Mike Craig (00/01).

 

Coming Up: Saturday, the Bears return home to the Giant Center to play the Rochester Americans at 7:00 PM. It is the only time the Amerks visit Chocolatetown this season. On Sunday, the Bears are home again, taking on the Norfolk Admirals at 5:00 PM. The Bears will look to turn things around after dropping their first 2 games of the season against the Admirals.

 

Friday October 29, 2004 (Posted 1:11 A.M. EST.)

 

Bear Prints x 3

 

After spending Tuesday and Wednesday uncovering where many former Bears are playing this season, we thought we'd take a look at where many former Bears players and coaches are instructing this season. The parenthesis will denote what season(s) that person was either a player, or coach with Hershey.

 

NHL

 

• Atlanta: Bob Hartley, Head Coach (Head Coach '96-'98)
• Carolina: Kevin McCarthy, Asst. Coach ('85-'88, Head Coach 89/90)
• Columbus: Gord Murphy, Asst. Coach (87/88)
• Detroit: Jim Bedard, Goaltending Coach, ('77-'80)
• Ottawa: Bryan Murray, Head Coach (Head Coach '80-'82), John Paddock Asst. Coach (Head Coach '85-'89)
• Toronto: Keith Acton, Asst. Coach (94/95)
• Washington: Jay Leach, Asst. Coach (Head Coach '93-'96)

 

AHL

 

• Binghamton: John Paddock, Co-Coach (Head Coach '85-'89)*
• Hartford: Ryan McGill, Head Coach ('91-'93)
• Milwaukee: Claude Noel, Head Coach ('76-'81)
• Philadelphia: John Stevens, Head Coach (84/85, '86-'90), Craig Berube, Asst. Coach ('86-'89)
• Portland: Jay Leach, Asst. Coach (Head Coach '93-'96)

* Coaching in AHL until lockout ends

 

ECHL

 

• Mississippi: Bob Woods, Head Coach (93/94, 96/97), Steffon Walby, Asst. Coach (96/97, '99-'01)
• Pee Dee: Perry Florio, Head Coach (92/93)
• Pensacola: Dave Farrish, Head Coach (85/86)
• Toledo: Nick Vitucci, Head Coach (91/92)

 

UHL

 

• Muskegon: Todd Nelson, Head Coach (95/96)
• Rockford: Steve Martinson, Head Coach ('85-'87)

 

CHL

 

• Rio Grande Valley: Tracy Egeland, Head Coach ('93-'95)

 

SPHL

 

• Asheville: Jeff Brubaker, General Manager/Head Coach (86/87)

 

OHL

 

• Oshawa: Bob McGill, Head Coach (Asst. Coach '96-'98)
• Owen Sound: Mike Stothers, Head Coach ('84-'92, Asst. Coach '94-'96)
• Sudbury: Mike Foligno, Head Coach (Head Coach '98-'03)

 

QMJHL

 

• Chicoutimi: Sylvain Rodrigue, Goaltending Coach (96/97)

 

WHL

 

• Prince George: Stewart Malgunas, Asst. Coach (94/95, 00/01)
• Spokane: Al Conroy, Head Coach ('91-'93)
• Tri-City: Don Nachbaur, Head Coach ('84-'90)

 

NCAA

 

• American International College: Glenn Stewart, Asst. Coach (01/02)
• University of Minnesota-Duluth: Scott Sandelin, Head Coach ('88-'91)
• University of Wisconsin: Mike Eaves, Head Coach (Head Coach '90-'93)
• Princeton University: Andre Faust, Asst. Coach ('92-'95)
• Providence College: Rick Bennett, Asst. Coach (94/95)

 

Notes: Former Bears LW Evgeny Lazarev ('98-'02) signed a contract with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL on Thursday…former Bears D Tim Wedderburn (02/03), was released by the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks on Wednesday.

 

Wednesday October 27, 2004 (Posted 11:06 P.M. EST.)

 

Bear Prints, Too

 

Tuesday, we presented a list of where former Bears are playing around the US-based pro leagues in the 2004/05 season. Today, we take a look at where many former Bears are playing overseas this season. As you'll see below, the countries and teams are in alphabetical order, with the parenthesis denoting when that player spent time in Hershey.

 

Czech Republic

 

Finland

 

France

 

Germany

 

Italy

 

Norway

 

Russia

 

Sweden

 

Switzerland

 

United Kingdom

 

 

Steve Brule, shown here during a March 17, 2004 game against the Hartford Wolfpack, is just one of the many former Bears playing overseas this season.

 

Wednesday October 27, 2004 (Posted 4:01 P.M. EST.)

 

On Thursday, the Bears recalled RW Cail MacLean from the Reading Royals of the ECHL. MacLean spent last season with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, after playing in Hershey from '01-'03. He spent the 04/05 preseason with the Bears, before being assigned to Reading, where he recorded 0 points in 2 regular season games for the Royals.

 

In another related move, the Bears assigned C Greg Barber to the Quad City Mallards of the UHL. Barber, 24, had seen limited ice time in 2 games with Hershey this season, and was a healthy scratch in the other 2 games.

The Bears next game is Friday in Syracuse against the Crunch at 7:30 PM. The Bears then return home to the Giant Center, where they'll play the Rochester Americans Saturday night (at 7:00 PM), and the Norfolk Admirals Sunday evening (at 5:00 PM).

 

In other news, The Peoria Journal Star is reporting that the Peoria Rivermen will jump ship, leaving the ECHL for the AHL, beginning next season. The St. Louis Blues, who currently farm out their prospects to the Worcester Icecats, would become the NHL affiliate to Peoria. This wouldn't be the first time St. Louis and Peoria have worked together, as the Blues were affiliated with the Rivermen in the now-defunct IHL from the 84/85 to 94/95 seasons. Peoria would join the AHL's West Division, which has produced the last 3 Calder Cup champions (Chicago, Houston, Milwaukee).

 

 

Cail MacLean, shown here during training camp on September 30th, was recalled by the Bears on Thursday.

 

Tuesday October 26, 2004 (Posted 10:51 P.M. EST.)

 

Bear Prints

With a lull in the action until Friday night in Binghamton, we thought it would be interesting to take a look around and see where many former Bears are playing this season around US-based professional leagues. As you can see below, the leagues, teams, and players are listed, with the parenthesis indicating what season(s) these players spent in Chocolatetown.

 

AHL

 

• Binghamton: Charlie Stephens ('02-'04)
• Bridgeport: Graham Belak (97/98)
• Chicago: Brad Larsen ('97-'04)
• Cincinnati: Frederic Cassivi ('99-'02), Tim Wedderburn (02/03)
• Cleveland: Nick Bootland ('98-'01, 02/03)
• Edmonton: Dan Smith ('96-'01), Rocky Thompson (01/02)
• Hamilton: Raitis Ivanans (00/01), Gavin Morgan (03/04)
• Houston: Patrick Traverse (97/98)
• Lowell: Colin Forbes (95/96)
• Philadelphia: Neil Little ('93-'96)
• Portland: Jeff Paul ('01-'03), Jason Ulmer (00/01)
• Providence: Pat Leahy (01/02), Brent Thompson ('00-'03)
• Rochester: Steve Lingren ('96-'98)
• San Antonio: Paul Healey (95/96)
• Springfield: Nikita Alexeev (03/04), Evgeni Artukhin (03/04), Marc Busenburg (02/03), Ryan Craig (03/04), Darren Rumble ('89-'92, 95/96, 03/04), J-F Soucy (03/04), Shane Willis (03/04)
• Utah: Rick Berry ('98-'01), Sheldon Keefe (03/04)
• Worcester: Aris Brimanis ('93-'96), Mark Jerant (03/04)

 

ECHL

 

• Atlantic City: Luke Curtin (97/98), Brian Fahey (03/04)
• Bakersfield: Guy Dupuis (99/00), Vlad Serov (00/01)
• Dayton: Chris Bogas (02/03), Lanny Gare (03/04)
• Johnstown: Brent Bilodeau (00/01), Jeremy Van Hoof (03/04)
• Louisiana: Mike Omicioli (01/02)
• Pee Dee: Kyle Kidney (01/02)
• Pensacola: Dwayne Hay (03/04), Jordan Krestanovich ('99-'04)
• Reading: Cail MacLean (02/03), David Masse (03/04), Judd Medak (03/04)
• San Diego: Sylvain Deschatalets (02/03)
• Toledo: Scott Fankhouser (01/02)
• Trenton: Andrew Allen (01/02)
• Victoria: Rob Voltera ('02-'04)

 

UHL

 

• Danbury: Frank Bialowas (99/00), Brent Gretzky (98/99), Bruce Richardson ('97-'01, '02-'04), Scott Stirling (backup for 1 game in 02/03), Brad Wingfield (02/03)
• Ft. Wayne: Sean Venedam (99/00)
• Missouri: Jim Montgomery ('94-'96)
• Muskegon: Dave Van Drunen (97/98)
• Rockford: Paul Vincent (99/00)

 

CHL

 

• Memphis: Ted Crowley (98/99)
• New Mexico: Peter Ambroziak (97/98)

 

1 other former Bear, Peter Cermak (99/00), was found to be on the Asheville Aces' (SPHL) training camp roster. Incredibly, since his pro debut in the 96/97 season, Cermak has logged quite a few miles around the US, having played in the AHL (Hershey), IHL (Milwaukee), ECHL (Jacksonville, Johnstown, Roanoke, Wheeling), UHL (Madison, Saginaw, B.C. Icemen, Fort Wayne, Asheville, Flint, Knoxville, Adirondack, Port Huron), ACHL (Cape Fear), SEHL (Cape Fear, Winston-Salem), and the long-defunct Colonial Hockey League (CoHL) with Madison. Will he make it 7 different leagues…keep your fingers crossed!

 

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at where many former Bears are playing overseas in 04/05.

 

Saturday October 23, 2004 vs. Philadelphia (Posted 12:32 A.M. EST.)

 

The good news on Saturday night was that the Bears earned their 1st point of the 04/05 season-the bad news is that they lost their 4th straight game, 3-2 in overtime to the Philadelphia Phantoms before 7,352 fans at Giant Center in Hershey…for the first time this season, the Bears got on the scoreboard first, as Marek Svatos punched in his 1st of the season at the 5:40 mark of the 2nd period, scoring on a rebound in the crease that Phantoms goalie Neil Little was not able to cover up. Eric Perrin and Mathieu Darche earned assists on the tally…the game remained 1-0 Hershey until Philadelphia native Tony Voce tucked a shot under Lawson 1:19 into the 3rd period, tying things up at 1-1. R.J. Umberger and Ben Stafford assisted on the goal…with a little under 2 minutes remaining in the 3rd period, the Phantoms' Mark Murphy notched his 2nd goal of the season, giving Philly a 2-1 lead.

 

Coming into the Bears zone on an odd man rush, the Phantoms Patrick Sharp wound up to take a slapshot, but instead fed the puck to Murphy on the wing, who buried a shot into the open Bears net…with 4.1 seconds on the clock, Darche picked an excellent time to net his 1st goal of the season, a power play score that tied the game at 2-2. The Phantoms' John Slaney was called for holding with 1:06 remaining in the period, giving the Bears the man advantage. Hershey then pulled goalie Lawson, giving the Bears an extra attacker. The Bears had several chances, but finally hit pay dirt when Darche roofed a shot over a sprawled out Little. Bears captain Brett Clark and Svatos earned helpers on the game-tying score…just 1:09 into the overtime period though, Philadelphia's Voce, on an assist from Joni Pitkanen, netted his 2nd goal of the game, giving the Phantoms a 3-2 win…Bears goalie Tom Lawson fell to 0-2-0 on the season, finishing with 38 saves…Phantoms netminder Neil Little ended with 30 saves, earning his 1st win of the season, which was also his 1st game of 04/05…the Bears continue to shut the door on opposing teams' power plays, killing off the 1 Phantoms advantage on Saturday night. So far this season, the special teams have knocked off all 15 short-handed situations, tops in the AHL…the last Bears team to begin a season 0-4 was the 1992/93 squad, which did not qualify for the playoffs…with the loss, the Bears have lost 13 straight to the Phantoms, who took all 12 meetings last season…Hershey's Dennis Bonvie, and the Phantoms' Josh Gratton dropped the gloves at the 15:10 mark of the 1st period, with each throwing and landing numerous rights. Bonvie seemed to land the better shots though, and got a few more in on a tired Gratton, earning the "W" from this writer…Bears Head Coach Paul Fixter missed his 2nd straight game, as he is attending to family matters in Canada…with Fixter away, Paul Jerrard was manning the ship once again, with Avalanche Director of Player Personnel Craig Billington serving as Jerrards's Assistant Coach…Bears forward Greg Barber was back in the lineup after being a healthy scratch Friday night in Binghamton…for the 2nd straight game, D Agris Saviels was a healthy scratch…Phantoms enforcer Todd Fedoruk, who was just signed on Thursday, was a scratch…before the start of Saturday's game, the Bears observed a moment of silence in remembrance of Mike Mahoney, a former Hershey defenseman who passed away earlier this week at his home in Guelph, Ontario…Voce is the 1st Philadelphia native to play in the Flyers organization…Umberger, a Pittsburgh native, was originally a 1st round pick by Vancouver (16th overall) in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, and played collegiately at Ohio State, where he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award during his junior season of 02/03…Gratton, who is a cousin of the Avs' Chris Gratton, compiled a whopping 239 penalty minutes in only 30 games for San Diego (ECHL) last season, before getting recalled by the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks, where he added another 69 PIMs in 21 games… Stafford was a teammate of the Bears' Ryan Steeves during the 00/01 season at Yale… Pitkanen was originally the 4th player taken overall in the 2002 NHL Draft, and was 2nd among NHL rookie defensemen with 27 points last season…the Phantoms currently have 12 players on their roster with NHL regular season experience, as well as 4 former 1st round NHL picks (Slaney, Umberger, Pitkanen, and Ben Eager)…Phantoms Head Coach John Stevens is a former Bear, having spent all or parts of 5 seasons with Hershey…Phantoms 1st-year assistant coach Craig Berube is also a former Bear ('86-'89), and ranks 7th on the all-time NHL penalty minutes list with 3,149 PIMs in 1,054 games with Philadelphia, Toronto, Calgary, Washington, and New York Islanders…faces in the crowd included Flyers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock...the Bears next game is this Friday in Syracuse against the Crunch, game time at 7:30 PM…the Bears next home contest is this Saturday, vs the Rochester Americans at 7:00 PM at the Giant Center. The following evening, the Bears play host to the Norfolk Admirals at 5:00 PM.

 

 

Hershey's Dennis Bonvie, and Philly's Josh Gratton in action during their 1st period fight.

 

 

Bears goalie Tom Lawson makes a save on a point blank shot by the Phantoms during 1st period action.

 

 

The Bears tie the game 2-2 on a Mathieu Darche power play goal with 4.1 seconds remaining in the 3rd period.

 

Friday October 22, 2004 at Binghamton (Posted 10:10 P.M. EST.)

 

The Bears fell to 0-3-0-0 on the 04/05 season, after dropping a 3-2 decision to the Binghamton Senators before an announced crowd of 4,049 Friday evening at the Broome County Arena in Binghamton, NY…Binghamton RW Pat Kavanagh opened the scoring for the Senators, earning his 1st goal of the season off a Bears turnover…Bears rookie forward Ryan Steeves notched his 1st professional goal, tying the game at 1-1 midway through the 2nd period…3 ½ minutes later, 1st year pro d-man Johnny Boychuk got onto the scoresheet, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead on his 1st professional tally…Boychuk's goal was also the Bears 1st power play score of the 04/05 season, after failing on their previous 14 attempts…Sens and former Bears C Charlie Stephens evened things up at 2-2 with a little under 4 minutes into the 3rd period…with 9:50 remaining in the 3rd period, Denis Hamel scored the game-winning goal (his 2nd goal of the season) on a second effort, giving the Senators the lead for good…Binghamton goalie Ray Emery earned the win, finishing with 31 saves and improving to 2-1-0… Bears goalie Peter Budaj finished with 36 saves, and dropped to 0-2-0 on the season…the Bears have lost C Martin Hlinka for the immediate future, as he sustained a shoulder injury as the result of an open-ice hit by Sens D Jan Platil early in the 1st period…Bears D Jeff Finger, and Sens LW Grant Potulny fought 8:19 into the 1st period, with each getting a few punches in before Finger earned the takedown. Finger immediately left the ice for the Bears locker room, and did not return until the 2nd period…Hershey's Finger, LW Mathieu Darche, and RW Cody McCormick each earned their 1st point of the season… the Bears finished 1-6 on the power play, but remain the AHL's top penalty-killing team, having killed another 4 power plays on Friday. Through 3 games, Hershey has successfully killed off all 14 power plays they have faced…D Dean Arsene made his 04/05 debut after being a healthy scratch in the Bears 2 previous contests last weekend against Norfolk…Tomas Slovak was scratched due to injury, while Greg Barber (did not make trip) and Agris Saviels were healthy scratches…Anton Volchenkov (flu) and Arpad Mihaly (wrist) were scratched from the Binghamton lineup…Senators C Jason Spezza, who was the 2nd overall pick in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, spent the 03/04 season with Ottawa, where he finished 4th in team scoring with 55 points in 78 games. He earned his 1st point of the 04/05 season with an assist on Hamel's 3rd period goal…Sens LW Brandon Bochenski was the NCAA's 2nd-leading scorer with 60 points last season with the University of North Dakota, and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the nation's top college hockey player…Binghamton head coach Dave Cameron was Budaj's head coach while with the St. Mike's Majors of the OHL…Senators Co-Coach John Paddock, who was named an assistant coach of the Ottawa Senators this past summer, is a former Bears head coach who led Hershey to the Calder Cup Championship in 1988…Binghamton's Potulny was a member of the University of Minnesota's NCAA Championship teams in 2002 & 2003…Sens RW Danny Bois was originally a 3rd round draft pick of the Avalanche in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, and amassed 921 penalty minutes in 4 seasons with the London Knights of the OHL. While with London, Bois played with current Binghamton teammates Chris Kelly and (former Bear) Charlie Stephens…Binghamton D Brian Pothier was a member of the Orlando Solar Bears Turner Cup Championship team in the IHL's final season of 00/01…the Bears' Dennis Bonvie, Jeff Ulmer, and Chris Bala have previously played for the Senators…the meeting was the first of 6 between the 2 teams this season…Hershey returns home to play the Philadelphia Phantoms on Saturday night at 7:00 PM. Before the start of the game, the Bears will observe a moment of silence, after the passing of former Bears defenseman Mike Mahoney this past Monday at his home in Guelph, Ontario. Mahoney, 66, spent all or parts of 10 seasons with Hershey, and was a member of the Bears Calder Cup Championship team of 68/69.

 

Thursday October 21, 2004 (Posted 10:30 P.M. EST.)

 

Earlier today, the Bears announced that Head Coach Paul Fixter has taken a leave of absence due to family medical reasons, and will miss Friday's road game against the Binghamton Senators. In his place, Bears assistant coach Paul Jerrard will take the reigns, while Colorado Avalanche Director of Player Personnel Craig Billington will serve as Jerrard's Assistant Coach…Bears C Marek Svatos received some good news on Wednesday, as his 3 game suspension was reduced to the 1 game he already served this past Saturday against Norfolk. Originally, Svatos had been handed an Abuse of Officials misconduct Friday in Norfolk, with a mandatory 3 game suspension imposed by the AHL. Bears General Manager appealed to the league, and the AHL agreed, voiding the final 2 games of the suspension…Former Bears defenseman Mike Mahoney passed away this past Monday at his home in Guelph, Ontario. Mahoney, 66, spent all or parts of 10 seasons in Chocolatetown (61/62-70/71), and was a member of the Bears' 68/69 Calder Cup Championship team. He ranks 6th on the Bears all-time list of games played (538), and 5th amongst Hershey career defenseman scoring (195). He is survived by his wife, 4 children, and 9 grandchildren…the Philadelphia Phantoms received a shot of adrenaline with the signing of winger Todd Fedoruk on Thursday. Fedoruk, 25, is no stranger to Philadelphia, having played in the City of Brotherly Love since the 99/00 season, when he began his pro career with the Phantoms. He's also no stranger to fisticuffs, having racked up 145 penalty minutes in 42 career games with the Phantoms, and 491 PIMs in 220 career NHL games with the Flyers. He is expected to make his debut Friday, as the Phantoms open the home portion of their 04/05 schedule against the Hamilton Bulldogs. The following evening, Philly makes its 1st visit of the 04/05 season to the Giant Center to play the Bears at 7:00 PM…former Bears left winger, and current NHL unrestricted free agent Travis Brigley (2002-2004) has signed with Valerenga IF in Norway. Brigley, 27, is familiar with playing overseas, having spent time with the Cardiff Devils of the BISL during the early part of the 2000/01 season. Last year, he spilt time in both Colorado (36 games), and Hershey (18 games).

 

Saturday October 16, 2004 vs. Norfolk

 

The Bears opened the home portion of their 2004/05 season by dropping a 3-0 decision to the Norfolk Admirals before 7,208 fans at Giant Center in Hershey Saturday evening…Michael Leighton earned the shutout for the Ads, stopping all 25 shots he faced… with the win, Norfolk improved to 2-0-0-0, while Hershey dropped to 0-2-0-0…Rene Bourque netted the game-winning goal (which also happened to be his 1st professional point) with under a minute remaining in the 2nd period...also scoring for the Admirals were Matt Ellison and Brandin Cote… earlier in the day, Bears C Marek Svatos was handed a 3-game suspension by the AHL for an on-ice incident during the 3rd period of the Bears game Friday night in Norfolk…Hershey enjoyed a 2-man power play advantage for 54 seconds during the 3rd period, but could not convert…as the aforementioned power play concluded, Ellison netted the Admirals 2nd goal… Dennis Bonvie and the Ads Mike Brown lined up immediately following Ellison's goal, but the fisticuffs ensued 36 seconds later in Norfolk's zone… speaking of Brown, he made his 04/05 debut for the Ads, and has now played for 6 different AHL teams since turning pro in 99/00 (Syracuse, Manitoba, Cincinnati, St. John's, Binghamton, Norfolk)…Norfolk's Eric Nickulas tussled with the Bears Darrel Scoville with little under 6 minutes into the 2nd period…2 ½ minutes into the 3rd period, Nickulas was helped off the ice with an apparent injury, and did not return… D Tomas Slovak was scratched due to injury, while RW Ryan Steeves, and defensemen Dean Arsene and Ed Campbell were healthy scratches…Scoville, and forwards Greg Barber and Frantisek Skladany made their 04/05 Hershey debuts…Nickulas was a teammate of Bears C Andre Savage during the 98/99 season, when their Providence Bruins captured the Calder Cup…Bears goaltender Peter Budaj finished with 32 saves…Leighton also earned an assist on Ellison's 3rd period tally…the Bears finished 0-8 on the power play, and are now 0-13 to start the 04/05 season...the Bears next game is Friday versus the Binghamton Senators at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena at 7:05 PM…the Bears next home game is Saturday vs the Philadelphia Phantoms at Giant Center-7:00 PM start

 

 

Norfolk goalie Michael Leighton makes one of his 25 saves during 3rd period action of the Admirals 3-0 win over the Bears.

 

 

Norfolk Alternate Captain Marty Wilford wrists a shot past Hershey forward Chris Bala during first period action.

 

Friday October 15, 2004 at Norfolk

 

The Bears opened the 2004/05 season by dropping a 3-2 decision to the Norfolk Admirals before 5441 fans at The Scope in Norfolk, VA…Andre Savage notched the Bears 1st goal of the season midway through the 2nd period…Chris Bala scored the Bears other goal early in the 3rd period, briefly tying the game at 2-2…netting goals for the victorious Admirals were Matt Ellison, Quintin Laing, and Jim Vandermeer…Bears alternate captain Eric Perrin, and Admirals captain Ajay Baines took the opening faceoff, with the Admirals assuming first possession…13 members of Norfolk's opening night lineup sheet spent time with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 03/04 season, including Travis Moen, who was 2nd on the Hawks with 142 PIMs, and played in all 82 games…the Admirals debuted new jerseys, with new team colors reminiscent of parent club Chicago…Vandermeer was named 1st star of the game, primarily in part to notching the game-winning goal for the Ads…winger Marek Svatos wasn't around as the Bears tried to even things up late in the game, due to receiving a 10 minute misconduct (Abuse of Officials) penalty from referee Harry Dumas…netminders Craig Anderson and Tom Lawson each finished with 30 saves for their respective clubs…both teams each finished 0-5 on the power play…Bears enforcer Dennis Bonvie earned his first two fighting majors of the season, dropping the mitts with Moen late in the 1st period, and tussling with Vandermeer in the 2nd period…Bonvie finished with 14 penalty minutes, and was a +2 in the contest…the games' other fight involved the Bears' Cody McCormick and the Admirals' Anton Babchuk…Bears defensemen Brett Clark, Johnny Boychuk, and Mikko Viitanen accounted for all 3 assists on Hershey goals...Boychuk earned his 1st professional point on the 2nd period goal by Savage…speaking of Boychuk, he was a teammate of former Bear Jordan Krestanovich during the 00/01 season with Calgary of the WHL…Paul Cabana, who nearly made the Bears roster out of training camp this season, was recalled by Hershey on Friday, and loaned to the Quad City Mallards of the UHL…Tomas Slovak and Darrel Scoville were scratched due to injuries, while Greg Barber, Frantisek Skladany, and Dean Arsene were healthy scratches…former Bears Evgeni Artukhin (03/04) and Brent Thompson ('00-'03) fought during the 1st period of Friday night's Springfield/Providence game…in the same game, Artukhin and former Bear Ryan Craig (03/04) each had a goal in the Falcons' 3-2 win…Thompson was recently named a co-captain for the P Bruins this season-Jay Henderson will serve as captain for all home games, while "Thommer" will serve as captain on the road…former Bear Brad Larsen notched 2 assists in the Chicago Wolves' 4-2 loss to the defending Calder Cup Champion Milwaukee Admirals Friday night…former Bears d-man Rick Berry ('98-'01) scored a goal in the Utah Grizzlies' 4-3 loss at home to Cincinnati on Friday night…former Bear and current Hamilton Bulldogs winger Gavin Morgan (03/04), who was among the AHL leaders in minor penalties last season, took a minor penalty for hooking only 25 seconds into the game, as Edmonton bested Hamilton 3-2 in overtime. The Bears will conclude the home-and-home series vs Norfolk with their home opener at Giant Center on Saturday October 16, 2004 starting at 7 PM.

 

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