On Friday and Saturday, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hershey Bears faced off in a home-and-home series. The division rivals had faced off once already this season and after this weekend still have 9 more games between them. The Bears will hope that things start turning around for them as the Penguins have taken all 3 games so far with Hershey only managing a point.
Friday night, Wilkes-Barre hosted the Bears for the first game of the weekend between the two Pennsylvania teams. It was immediately clear that these two teams were rivals when the first penalty of the game came just over 2 minutes in. Just about 6 minutes in, the first fight of the game broke out. Hershey captain and enforcer Dane Byer squared off with Wilkes-Barre captain Tom Kostopoulos.
Just past the 13 minute mark, Hershey capitalized on a two man advantage. Derek Whitmore put home his third of the season to give the Bears the lead. Later in the first period, the Penguins added a power play tally of there own. Dominik Uher tied up the game with assists to Kostopoulos and Nick Drazenovic.
The second frame did not feature anymore fights, but did feature Hershey taking the lead once again. Dane Byers made it 2-1 in favor of the Bears just past the halfway mark in the second. Coming into the third, the Bears might have thought that had it under control. The referees might have thought the same thing but neither would be accurate. The Penguins tied up the game again, this time with Kostopoulos scoring the goal and Drazenovic adding his second assist. That goal gave Kostopoulos the Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist, and a fighting major).
With about 5 minutes to go in the game, the refs had to hand out a whole bunch of penalties. Hershey’s Byers got a minor and a game misconduct for charging as well as a fighting major. Philip Samuelsson got a minor for instigating, a fighting major, and a 10 minute misconduct. Brian Gibbons also ended up with a roughing minor and the teams held on for overtime.
In an unusual twist, Hershey’s Matt Watkins was awarded a penalty shot in overtime. But Jeff Deslauriers stood tall and kept Watkins from getting his first goal of the season. The attempt came on a rare overtime power play in favor of the Penguins. As the Bears penalty was about to expire, Brendan Mikkelson won it for the Penguins.
The two teams headed to Hershey for last night’s game. Once again, the Bears would open the scoring. David Kolomatis had the first goal just over 6 minutes into the game. Then, Hershey jumped out to a 2-0 lead 2 minutes later when Jeff Taffe added a goal for Hershey. That was the only scoring of the first period, but not the only action. Wilkes-Barre’s Adam Payerl and Hershey’s Tyson Strachan squared off after the halfway mark. Then, towards the end of the first Bobby Farnham of the Penguins took on TJ Syner of the Bears. Syner was playing in his first game with Hershey this season after staying with the Reading Royals of the ECHL.
When the teams came out for the second period, there was a serious shift in favor of the Penguins. Before scoring happened, the third fight of the game broke out between Garrett Mitchell of Hershey and Scott Harrington of Wilkes-Barre. After the fight, the Penguins put 22 shots on Hershey’s David Leggio just during the second frame. Three of those shots went in. Chris Conners had his fourth of the season at 4:54. Harry Zolnierczyk and Tom Kuhnhackl each had their fifth tallies of the season at 10:00 and 19:12 respectively.
Although Hershey came out still making an effort in the final period, it was for naught. The final nail in the coffin came when Penguins center Andrew Ebbett added a short handed tally with just under two minutes remaining. The Bears pulled their goalie for the extra attacker but they fell 4-2.
Hershey will be back at it this afternoon as they host the Norfolk Admirals. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be off until Wednesday when they host the Syracuse Crunch.
The Hershey Bears have recalled forward T.J. Syner from their ECHL affiliate Reading Royals. Syner is a second year pro from Springfield, Massachusetts and has played in 46 games for the Bears over the last two seasons. He has registered seven points (2g-5a) in six games with the Royals this season and has recorded at least a point in five of the team’s six games. He has had three multi-point games, and played to a team leading +6.
Last year, Syner was a key piece to the Royal’s Kelly Cup Championship, registering 21 points (9g- 12a) in the Kelly Cup playoffs.
In their last 10 games, the Anaheim Ducks have a 7-2-1 record and continued their success with a demanding win over the ever suffering Buffalo Sabres. With only 2 wins so far this season, the Sabres seem to be going backwards instead of trying to move forward and win some games. They have young talent that should be able to skate faster and work harder than some of the teams they are playing against. Yet they seem to be unable to make clean passes and stay out of the penalty box.
The first period was all about the goalies as neither team was able to find the back of the net. Both Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller and Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth faced only 7 shots, but they were able to keep all 7 shots in front of them.
The second period was where the Ducks really started to shine. Buffalo got on the board first with a power play goal from Cody Hodgson, his 5th of the season. However, it didn’t take long for Anaheim to answer that goal with one of their own from Ryan Getzlaf, his 6th of the season. The Ducks would then get two more goals in the second, both within one minute of each other. One from Sami Vatanen, his first of the season, and the other from Emerson Etem, his 3rd of the season. Those were enough to get the Sabres on their heels and it seemed that Anaheim took the wind out of the Sabres sails.
Anaheim netted two more quick goals early in the 3rd, from Corey Perry, his 7th of the season, and another from Etem, now his 4th. Buffalo was finally able to get another shot past Hiller from Henrik Tallinder, his first of the season. The Sabres looked like they good be getting back a little momentum as they were able to score again in the 3rd, from Tyler Myers to bring them within 2 goals. That would once again not be enough as Corey Perry was able to score his second of the night roughly 40 seconds later to put the Ducks up 6-3 and that would be the end of the Sabres for the night.
Buffalo’s losing record continues as they still struggle to find the back of the net. They begin a three game west coast road swing against the San Jose Sharks next Tuesday. Anaheim finishes up their long road swing with a game against the New York Rangers next Monday.
By Ariel Carron
Hockey– thousands of people around the world love this game, worship this game, and know its every aspect. It takes incredible athletic ability and superior coordination– and that’s just for the folks who play for fun. In all honesty, it provides some of the most interesting games to spectate and is immeasurable to other sports. With having said this, I am admittedly a new hockey fan. I don’t know all the rules nor do I have all the knowledge long-time hockey fans have about the game. However, I want to, so I am starting this venture with you all.
Here at the Pink Puck, we recognize that our readers range from the most passionate hockey fans to having very limited knowledge. And personally, I am embarrassed to be the Assistant Associate Editor of a women’s hockey website and only know a handful about the game. To remedy this, I decidedly skated to the net so to speak and am asking our readers to take a journey with me. Starting relatively at the beginning, I’m going to learn and explain different terms, hockey rules, and anything else that will further my (and your) understanding of hockey.
I decided to use the book “A to Z Guide to Hockey Terms” by Tim Moshansky to help me with my goal. I’m going to start with the basics–on ice positions and roles.
Right Wing – This player covers the right side of the ice.
Left Wing – This player covers the left side of the ice.
Centre – This position is responsible for “face-offs” and maintains the ice between the right and left wingers.
Defenseman – A player position that stays near and protects their goal.
Goalie, Goaltender – The responsibility of this player it to defend his team’s net and keeps the opposing team (or puck in general) from getting past him. Factoid: Moshansky mentions that they can also be called a backstopper or netminder.
Captain – Each team has a designated player to represent the team with on-ice officials and overall leadership. These players are determined by a team’s coaching staff and wears a “C” on the front left of his or her jersey.
Assistant Captain – There are two assistant captains per team. They need to be team leaders on and off the ice, can speak to the referees during the game, and can sometimes be known as alternate captains.
Linesmen – These guys are responsible for dropping the puck during face-offs and calling some on-ice infractions (we’ll learn what these are in the near future). They wear black and white striped jerseys with no armband. To distinguish their job versus a referee’s job, linesmen usually watch the center and blue lines, while breaking up altercations between players.
Referee – Most of us know the purpose of a referee, but in hockey, they are considered the “official” on the ice that calls plays, penalties, and drops the puck for period starting and after goal face-offs. They have more authority than a linesman and. Currently, the NHL uses two referees per game.
Face-Off – If we’re really starting from the beginning, it’s important I explain all jargon on our way to enlightenment. A face-off is needed to start the game, after a whistle, or any stop in play. The puck is dropped between two centremen to begin play.
Okay, so this week, there have been a lot of terms to learn. Next week, we’ll explore more terms and also have a special video from Manchester Monarch’s player, Sean Backman, explaining a few new terms. I’m looking forward to our new adventure, Pink Puck-ers!
References:
Moshansky, T. (2010). A to z guide to hockey terms (2nd ed.). Vancouver, BC: First Wave Publishing.
With back-to-back games this weekend, I’m both curious and anxious to find out the Blackhawks’ goaltending plans.
Starting goalie Corey Crawford has been solid in net this year. Backup Nikolai Khabibulin, not so much.
Before being pulled halfway into Tuesday’s game against the Senators, Khabibulin let six goals past in a loss to Tampa Bay last week. His first start of the year, Oct. 11, was a 3-2 win with just 14 saves against the Islanders.
Tuesday, four goals slid by in 22 shots, contributing to a dismal 4.73 goals-against average and .818 save percentage this year.
“Whatever reason after a couple of goals, it just kind of snowballs,” Khabibulin explained. “I think I got to relax a bit and just go play.”
Captain Jonathan Toews, and other teammates including Patrick Sharp and starting goalie Corey Crawford came to Khabibulin’s defense. Their camaraderie and sportsmanship is admirable, and true.
“We just knew we didn’t play well enough in the first half. Corey coming in made us realize we have to be better in front of our goaltender, and putting it on Khabby is unfair,” Toews said. “We gave up too many high-quality scoring chances and you saw what happened. We got better and better as the game went along.”
While the teammates are right that they need to do a better job protecting their goalie (which they did with an incredible offense Tuesday), I can’t help but notice a lack of agility and speed in netminder.
“To have confidence you have to play well,” Khabibulin said.
He said he needs to treat practices like games to build his confidence.
“You have to look at what happened in the games and work on flaws, try to clean things up, try to freshen your mind,” Khabibulin added. “It doesn’t matter what happens in front of me, I still try to find things I can do better so I don’t get scored on that (much).
“It’s nice of the guys to stick up for me but it’s pretty simple I have to do better.”
He does.
It’s only been three games and perhaps I shouldn’t be so harsh. Yes, at one point, Khabby was great. But now, he can’t bounce back once he lets a goal or two past him. He doesn’t seem to have the mental or physical speed to handle choppy plays or even basic rebounds. He commits early and can’t bounce back from it to make the saves.
Whether it spurs from “being rusty” with minimal playing time, or lacking confidence, it’s something a veteran player needs to either overcome these barriers or admit he’s just not up to it anymore.
Khabibulin signed a one-year, $2 million contract for the Blackhawks this year. He played 12 games for the Oilers last year with a 2.54 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. He last played for the Blackhawks from 2005-2009.
I don’t think I was alone feeling shocked at the signing. After the 2010 dismantling and reassembling of the team, I learned to trust the Blackhawks organization, but I haven’t been able to see the logic in this one. I want him to do well, but my stomach is in knots when they announce he’ll be in goal. (If he’s admitted he has a confidence problem, imagine how he feels and how that impacts his play.)
With games Saturday (Winnipeg) and Sunday (Calgary) this weekend–and two other sets of consecutive games in November– the Blackhawks haven’t announced when he’ll get another chance in net.
“Each set we’ll evaluate it,” Quenneville said. “We just want to get him confident and playing the way he can. The situation will dictate when we’ll get him back in. We’ll get to see in practice and he’ll show us when he’s ready. It’s a process to get him where he needs to be.”
They don’t seem to show interest in recalling Antti Rannta from the Rockford Icehogs despite his 5-1-0 record and .926 save percentage. The Finland native signed as a free agent this summer and has a 2.40 goals-against average in the AHL.
So… prove me wrong, Khabby. Rebuild that wall of yours from the inside out.
It was a busy Friday morning for Los Angeles and their AHL affiliate, Manchester Monarchs. Mayor John Hoven broke the news early this morning via Twitter that prospects Linden Vey and Tyler Toffoli were on the way up to LA. On the heels of this, Los Angeles Time reporter Lisa Dillman noted that Keaton Ellerby had been placed on waivers and then dropped the bomb that Jeff Carter was expected to go on IR. It created much buzz among fans and the media as the news was a bit shocking. Carter logged 23:03 of total ice time in the Kings’ 4-3 OT victory over the Sharks and did not show outward signs that he was suffering from any kind of injury/ailment.
The news was as much of a shock to Carter’s teammates as it was to the public. Both Anze Kopitar and Kyle Clifford admitted to reporters that they’d had no idea that Carter was even injured and only found out when they saw him entering the El Segundo practice facility wearing a boot. Coach Sutter refused to comment on the matter. Jon Rosen has all the details and comments at LAKingsInsider.com.
In an interesting twist, with two free roster spots, the Kings have chosen to call up two of their most promising prospects, center Linden Vey and right wing Tyler Toffoli, two thirds of Manchester’s top line. Last season, Vey, Toffoli and left wing Tanner Pearson were one of the top scoring lines in the AHL, routinely going up against other team’s top lines and successfully winning puck battles against them. Before his call up in March, rookie Tyler Toffoli was well on his way to being one of the top goal scorers in the AHL. Despite missing nearly a month of the regular season, Toffoli was given the title AHL Rookie of the Year while Vey capped off a stellar sophomore season with a team-leading 67 points, good enough for fifth in the league. While Manchester’s top line had a bit of a slow start, they have found recent success together, leading the team with a combined 30 points (Vey 3-8-11; Toffoli 7-5-12; Pearson 5-2-7 [Note: These numbers are prior to Monarchs’ Nov. 1st game]).
The decision to call up Vey is an intriguing one given how deep the Kings are at center with Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Jarret Stoll and Colin Fraser all currently holding roster spots and Trevor Lewis proving to be a viable option at center as well. Where the Kings lack highly skilled depth is on the left side. After Dustin Brown, there is a steep drop off in talent. Dwight King has recently proven himself to be a potential top six winger in the future and has been rewarded for his strong play by skating on the first line with Kopitar and Williams. However, Kyle Clifford and Daniel Carcillo are not top six players and have found themselves fighting for a spot on the 4th line. Rumors flew all week that a roster move would soon come as Dean Lombardi was in Manchester, NH just last weekend to check in on the prospects. The general consensus was that Tanner Pearson would get the first call up having had strong rookie and training camps, not to mention the fact that he’s a natural LW. But given the lack of offensive production from the Kings’ current bottom 6, perhaps it’s not such a strange idea that the first call ups go to Toffoli and Vey, Manchester’s two leading scorers.
For now, the Kings’ plans for the rookie calls up remain a mystery. It remains to be seen if either one or even both will draw into the lineup versus Nashville, a very tough conference opponent that is far superior to most other teams at blocking shots and collapsing down low (a source of frustration for many teams) or if they have to wait until Buffalo comes to visit on the 7th. Given Sutter’s lack of desire to express his plans, it’s far too difficult to predict what he might decide, although that doesn’t stop fans from trying. Jewels from the Crown decided to give line combos a try, even though lines are pretty fluid during a game. Give it a whirl in the comments below or head on over to JFTC or LAKI to chat with other fans about possible line combinations and how the prospects will be used.
In unrelated news, prospect defenseman Alex Roach, who started the season in Manchester before being assigned to the Ontario Reign of the ECHL, has been sent back to the WHL. He only played in a few games with the Reign and was considered a bit timid by head coach Jason Christie.
Vancouver, B.C. – The Vancouver Canucks will raise Pavel Bure’s No. 10 jersey to the rafters of Rogers Arena on Saturday, November 2, 2013. It’s a legacy somewhat tainted in some eyes by the way Bure left the city where he started his NHL career seven years ago, holding out a force trade to the Florida Panthers. Nonetheless, they’re finally retiring the number of the franchise’s first true superstar.
The Vancouver Canucks are also proud to announce the re-naming of two awards in honor of Pavel Bure for his exceptional skill, leadership and performance. The announcement was made earlier today at Rogers Arena’s Hall of Heroes at a special event hosted by legendary play-by-play broadcaster and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Jim Robson, Vancouver Canucks President and General Manager, Michael D. Gillis and two former players whose numbers hang from the rafters: Stan Smyl and Markus Naslund.
To further his legacy and influence on young hockey players in the province of British Columbia, Canucks Sports & Entertainment and the Canucks for Kids Fund, in conjunction with BC Hockey, have established the Pavel Bure Award for registered BC minor hockey players. The Pavel Bure Award is an annual award, recognizing candidates who demonstrate and exemplify the values of integrity, passion, teamwork and courage.
Winning candidates are presented with a trophy and letter of congratulations from the Vancouver Canucks at the Silver Skate Awards, which take place every June at the BC Hockey Annual General Meeting. For further information on how to nominate a player, please visit Canucks.com/community.
Canucks Sports & Entertainment also announced the re-naming of the Most Exciting Player Award to the Pavel Bure Most Exciting Player Award. The award will be re-designed and unveiled on the Canucks Awards night at the conclusion of the season. Over the span of his NHL career as a Canuck, Bure was the recipient of the Canuck’s ‘Most Exciting Player’ award five times from 1992 to 1995, and once more in 1998. It is one of six annual awards given out by the club at the last home game of the regular season. The award invites and welcomes the input of fans, allowing them the opportunity to vote for the player they believe is most deserving of the title.
Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks President & General Manager Michael D. Gillis announced today that the Canucks have re-signed forwards Daniel and Henrik Sedin to four-year contracts through the end of the 2017-18 season.
“Daniel and Henrik are exemplary leaders, teammates and humanitarians and we’re very pleased to have them as part of our team for the long-term,” said Gillis. “Few players in the history of this club have had more significant roles in contributing to the success of this team and to our community and we look forward to many more years with their positive influence leading the way.”
Henrik Sedin, 33, is the captain of the Canucks and currently holds franchise records for most points (792), assists (610), plus/minus (+200) and consecutive games played (629). The centreman moved past previous franchise scoring leader Markus Naslund with his 757th point February 15, 2013 versus the Dallas Stars. The Ornskoldsvik, SWE, native ranks second in franchise history in games played (940) and third in game-winning goals (33).
Daniel Sedin, 33, ranks second in franchise history in scoring, passing Naslund with a two-point effort April 22, 2013 versus the Chicago Blackhawks.
Daniel and Henrik along with their families have been big supporters of the British Columbia community since their arrival in Vancouver in 1999:
- Earlier this season, the Sedin families launched ‘Sedin Corner’ for the 2013-14 season at Rogers Arena. Sedin Corner is a 14-person suite that will host charities and groups from British Columbia that support children’s health and education as well as family wellness.
- Over the years, their support has benefited more than 50 charities, most notably the Canucks For Kids Fund, the Canucks Family Education Centre, Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, the YWCA and BC Children’s Hospital, where they made a $1.5 million donation in 2010.
The fans wanted goals, but it looked like they would only get ghouls at TD Garden as the Boston Bruins faced off against the Anaheim Ducks on Halloween, 2013. Having lost the night before to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Bruins were on game two in as many nights. The Boston faithful, who are known to have a couple or four superstitions were already wary when they saw the team come out for warm-ups in their third jerseys. However, they were all sporting Red Sox World Series Champions hats in honor of the “worst to first” climb that had culminated in the Red Sox winning the series at Fenway the night before.
The announcement of the recall of Ryan Spooner from the Providence Bruins had Twitter and the media abuzz and even prompted a quip from the mostly all business Bruins’ head coach, Claude Julien, when asked if he to play Spooner.
Fans had arrived in a myriad of costumes including representations of Rene Rancourt, Jesus, a Hanson Brother (can’t have a Halloween without folks dressing like Slap Shot’s finest) to more creative approaches that included Instagram selfies and a Red Sox “Duck Boat.” But after the drop of the first puck the fans were all business, and, to their horror, it seemed that the Bruins were suffering Red Sox celebration hangovers.
Tweets got uglier as the first period had less than five minutes and the Bruins hadn’t even registered a shot on the Ducks’ Jonas Hiller. To make the situation worse, the Ducks had scored on a Carl Soderberg turnover before the clock counted down the first two minutes.
To say the fans were displeased was an understatement. At the end of the first period, down one goal and with only one shot on goal for the Bruins, it was safe to say that no amount of Halloween candy could raise the spirits of much of the crowd at TD Garden, though those in costumes gave it a good try.
As the second period progressed, things weren’t looking to be much improved and the only major cheering from the crowd came when scenes from the World Series win were displayed on the jumbotron. Cue Soderberg to get the crowd to a happy place when he tied the game with 7:15 remaining. Breathing began again–even among the zombies who were present–and the ice felt a little more level. With that marker, Soderberg celebrated his first NHL goal and Spooner earned his first NHL point with an assist.
Despite the massive list of players who were on the injured reserve list, the Ducks were really trying to make it a nightmare on Causeway Street. It appeared they had when center Mathieu Perreault potted one with just 21 seconds left in the second period. It began to seem like the Bruins wouldn’t be able to resurrect the game–at least as far as the fans were concerned, despite there still being a full 20 minutes to play. Of course, by this point the Bruins had been rotating five defenseman for much of the second after Johnny Boychuk got hurt early in the period. How much ice time could the others handle on top of the all-out minutes they had played the night before?
Though it did seem that the Bruins themselves had been brought back to life in the third, as evidenced by the increasing shots on Hiller’s net, the score remained stubbornly in the favor of the Ducks. And as though the fates were laughing at the Bruins, Ducks’ Patrick Maroon was called for tripping at 17:02. There were some Twitter comments about watching two minutes of passing (aka the Bruins Power Play) when Bruins’ captain, Zdeno Chara, positioned in front of Hiller, managed to get one behind the Ducks’ tender.
Suddenly there was a roar within the Garden that could have woken the dead as everyone began to believe again.
They would have to suffer through a non-eventful, albeit stressful, five-minute overtime period before the shoot out determined the winner. Tuukka Rask remained tall, stoning all Ducks who attempted to sneak one by him, and fortunately for the Bruins, Jarome Iginla got it past Hiller.
Despite some frightful moments, the Bruins had managed to get the two points, and the Kelly-Spooner-Soderberg line proved to be a good combination. Chris Kelly, playing more on the wing than his traditional position at center, said that Spooner’s speed was an asset and that he thought Spooner had done well during the game.
As so often happens with the Bruins, it is almost as though they must have a certain level of adversity in order to succeed. Of course, they are taking years off the lives of their fans when they scare them like this. But then what would Halloween be without a little fright to go with the ghouls and goals.
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