Bears Enter 2014 On Winning Note
Published on December 30, 2013 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
The Hershey Bears Hockey Club followed up losses to the Binghamton Senators on Thursday and the Syracuse Crunch on Friday with a shootout win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday.
Nicolas Deschamps, fresh off of his CCM/AHL Player of the Week award just prior to the Christmas holiday, picked up where he left off and scored his ninth of the season to open the scoring late in the first period. The Bears held the lead until 6:24 of the second, when Stephane Da Costa tied things up. Cole Schneider then scored twice and set up Da Costa's second of the night, helping the Senators to a 4-1 win.
On Friday, the Bears found themselves in a 3-1 hole to Syracuse, similar to their game on December 18 when the club forged together a comeback victory. Peter LeBlanc scored first, but Brett Connolly netted a pair of goals and Geoff Walker added a strike for the Crunch, pushing the visitors to the two-goal lead. Tyson Strachan sent a long-range shot home at 13:09 of the third to pull the Bears closer, but Syracuse was able to hold on for the win.
On Saturday, the Bears came out of the gate with fire, while goaltenders Eric Hartzell and David Leggio put on strong performances in net. Former Bears center Mike Carman began the scoring in the middle frame, only to have David Kolomatis knot the score with his fifth goal of the campaign. The goaltenders were again the story through the third period and overtime, with Leggio making seven of his 30 saves in the five-minute extra session. Casey Wellman and Ryan Potulny scored in the shootout, allowing Leggio to pick up his eighth win of the season in a 2-1 final.
HERSHEY BEARS NEWS AND NOTES
DESCHAMPS CLIMBS TO TOP: LW Nicolas Deschamps, last week's CCM/AHL Player of the Week, picked up two more points over the last three games to move into a tie at the top of the Bears' scoring lead. He scored the Bears' lone goal on Thursday at Binghamton, and added an assist in Saturday's win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Deschamps now shows 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 23 games played and is tied with RW Brandon Segal (4-13-17) for the scoring lead.
KOLOMATIS MOVING UP: D David Kolomatis scored the Bears' lone goal in regulation in Saturday's win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and moved into a tie with D Julien Brouillette for the Bears' goal-scoring lead among defensemen (five). Additionally, Kolomatis climbed into the top 20 among all AHL defensemen in scoring, with his total of 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) ranking tied for 17th .
PK IS OK: After putting up their second consecutive perfect night on the penalty kill, the Bears climbed up to ninth overall in home penalty killing success (76-for-88, 86.4%). The Bears rank 15th in overall penalty killing (126-for-152, 82.9%).
STOA STILL ON TOP: LW Ryan Stoa missed his first shootout attempt on Saturday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, after converting his first five chances of the season. His five shootout goals still lead the AHL.
BROUILLETTE ON TOP: D Julien Brouillette leads the AHL in shooting percentage (5/16 = 31.3%). Additionally, four of his five goals have come on the power play. His four power play goals rank tied for fourth among AHL defensemen.
DOWN A MAN: LW John Mitchell has scored two of his three goals with the Bears shorthanded. His two shorthanded goals rank tied for third in the league.
LEGG WORK: G David Leggio ranks fifth among AHL goaltenders in saves (591), and is tied for second in shootout victories (three).
UP NEXT: The Bears will visit the Adirondack Phantoms on Friday night at 7:00 PM. The Rochester Americans visit GIANT Center on Saturday at 7:00 PM, and the Manchester Monarchs round out the weekend with their matchup on Sunday at 5:00 PM.
American Hockey League Stories from December 30, 2013
- Marlies Freeze Griffins, 4-3, in Comerica Shootout - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Hurricanes Aquire Greg Nemisz from Calgary - Charlotte Checkers
- Penguins Weekly - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Wolf Pack Weekly - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Jensen and Andersson Participate in World Junior Championships - Utica Comets
- Canucks Recall Corrado - Utica Comets
- Chicago Wolves Donning First Responders Jerseys for Fire and Police Charities - Chicago Wolves
- Rampage Recall F Logan Shaw from Cincinnati, Loan D Zach Miskovic - San Antonio Rampage
- Coyotes Recall Chris Brown from Portland - Portland Pirates
- Bracken Kearns Hits 500 Then 1st NHL Goal - Worcester Sharks Weekly - Worcester Sharks
- Rowney Recalled by Penguins from Wheeling - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Iowa Signs Peters to AHL Deal, Recalls Jobke from Orlando - Iowa Wild
- Minnesota Recalls Blum from Iowa - Iowa Wild
- Falcons Weekly Notes - Springfield Falcons
- Bears Enter 2014 On Winning Note - Hershey Bears
- Youth Jersey Night at the BMO Tonight, Week 13 Recap - Rockford IceHogs
- Wolves Weekly Notes - Chicago Wolves
- Bears, Royals Swap Players - Hershey Bears
- Admirals Reassign Mike Little to ECHL Florida - Norfolk Admirals
- Darling Named AHL Player of the Week - Milwaukee Admirals
- Milwaukee's Scott Darling Named CCM/AHL Player of the Week - AHL
- Jets Re-Assign Julian Melchiori to IceCaps - St. John's IceCaps
- Clarkson Returns from ECHL - Adirondack Phantoms
- 'Dogs Head to Abbotsford for Two Games this Weekend - Hamilton Bulldogs
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
