Hershey Weekly
Published on October 14, 2014 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
The Hershey Bears Hockey Club began their 77th regular season with a pair of games in Hampton Roads against the Norfolk Admirals. Following an opening-night setback on Saturday, the club rebounded with a solid Monday night victory and took two of a possible four points at Scope.
Saturday's first period saw three one-goal Hershey leads wiped out before the intermission. Kris Newbury scored the team's first goal of the season, while Philippe Cornet and Dane Byers tacked on power-play goals. But Norfolk's Chris Wagner would answer Newbury and Cornet with not one but two shorthanded goals, and Nathan McIver's first of the season helped the Admirals tie the contest with 3:25 left in the opening frame. Louis Leblanc would give Norfolk their first lead of the night early in the second period, but Steve Oleksy again pulled the see-saw back to level with his first tally of the campaign. Wagner finished a strong opening night by completing a hat trick with 9:21 left to play - a goal that would stand as the game-winner, as Norfolk netminder Jason LaBarbera helped hold off a furious Hershey rally attempt and guide the Admirals to a 5-4 win. Philipp Grubauer made 18 saves in the loss.
Pheonix Copley was called upon to tend goal in the Monday rematch, and his AHL debut was a memorable one. The 22-year-old made 29 saves, while his teammates gave him plenty of offense in a 5-2 victory. Newbury scored two more goals, including the eventual game-winner, and - along with his three-point effort in Saturday's setback - enters the week as the AHL's leading scorer. Stan Galiev and Chris Conner tallied first-period goals past goaltender Igor Bobkov, while Copley stopped all 11 Norfolk shots faced to keep his team ahead. The first of Newbury's two goals came on an early second-period giveaway, and would hold up as the winner. Wagner scored his fourth goal of the weekend to get the Admirals on the board, but Joel Broda's first tally with Hershey restored the three- goal lead and made a comeback difficult. Matt Bailey gave Norfolk life with an early third-period marker, but Newbury's second strike of the night, coupled with Norfolk penalty trouble late, sent Hershey to an easy victory.
HERSHEY BEARS NEWS AND NOTES
CONGRATS, COACHES: Hershey head coach Troy Mann and assistant coaches Bryan Helmer and Ryan Murphy earned their first victories as a staff in Monday's 5-2 decision over Norfolk.
THE EARLY LEADER: C Kris Newbury tallied five points on the weekend (3- 2-5) and enters the AHL's second week of play atop the league's scoring chart. His three goals rank third overall and his two power-play helpers are tied for second. Newbury joined the Bears last March 14 and posted 13 points (4-9- 13) in the Bears' final 17 games of the season.
SOLID SCHILLING: D Cameron Schilling is off to a good start, earning three assists and a plus-two rating in the two weekend games. His three assists are tied for the AHL lead. His next game will be the 150th of his Hershey career.
LOTS OF FIRSTS: Several players did not take long to earn their first points in a Hershey sweater. LW Philippe Cornet was the first, tallying a power-play goal and an assist in Saturday's setback. On Monday, D Jon Landry (0-2-2), C Joel Broda (1-0-1), RW Chris Conner (1-0-1) and C Tim Kennedy (0-1-1) all put forth their first Bears numbers.
FIRST WIN FOR PHEONIX: G Pheonix Copley joined a small list of Hershey goaltenders when he recorded his first victory in his first AHL start on Monday at Norfolk. The last goaltenders to record their first wins in their AHL debuts were: Jared DeMichiel, 2/11/11; Braden Holtby, 10/3/09; Davis Parley, 1/24/07; Jeff Pietrasiak, 12/30/06; and Daren Machesney, 12/29/06.
A CASE OF THE MONDAYS: Monday's matchup at Norfolk was the first regular-season Monday game for the Bears since the club took a 3-2 win away from the Syracuse Crunch on February 16, 2009.
OPENING NIGHT SHORTIES: The Bears have now been involved in four consecutive opening night contests in which two shorthanded goals were scored (Norfolk C Chris Wagner - 2, 10/11/14 at NOR; Hershey C Michael Latta & LW Derek Whitmore, 10/5/13 vs. ADK; Syracuse C Mike Angelidis & Hershey RW Garrett Mitchell, 10/13/12 at SYR; Hershey C Christian Hanson & LW Chris Bourque, 10/7/11 at BNG).
American Hockey League Stories from October 14, 2014
- Iowa Inks Gregoire to SPC, Assigns him to Alaska with Jobke - Iowa Wild
- Worcester Sharks Host Bruins in Home Opener at DCU Center on Saturday - Worcester Sharks
- Springfield Falcons and Pride Stores Partner for Pump for Pride - Springfield Falcons
- Phantoms Weekly - Home Opener Just Days Away - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Griffins Meet Checkers in Charlotte for Weekend Set - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Portland Pirates Announce Roster Moves - Portland Pirates
- Admirals Set Teddy Roosevelt Bobblehead Giveaway - Milwaukee Admirals
- San Antonio Rampage Weekly Update - San Antonio Rampage
- Hershey Weekly - Hershey Bears
- Wagner Named CCM/AHL Player of the Week - Norfolk Admirals
- Norfolk's Chris Wagner Named CCM/AHL Player of the Week - AHL
- B-Sens Weekly - Binghamton Senators
- Richard Park Joins Wild Staff, Bickel Assigned to Iowa - Iowa Wild
- NHL's Dallas Stars Recall Curtis McKenzie - Texas Stars
- Bowling with the Monarchs Returns - Manchester Monarchs
- Admirals Assign Three to Cincinnati - Milwaukee Admirals
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.
