Chocolatetown's hockey team has played some good hockey of late, but there are some areas in need of improvement for the Capitals' AHL club.
Welcome back to another Hershey Bears Wrap for Thanksgiving week here in the U.S., and welcome back to the Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate, as they will return home tomorrow night after a four-game road trip.
By most metrics, the trip was a successful one for the Bears. And dramatic, as every game but one — against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms — required extra hockey.
This all comes at the end of what has been an overall successful month for the defending Calder Cup champions, as they currently have a 6-2-1 record in November. Even better, they sit at 28 points through 19 games, which is good enough to sit atop the league in points.
Hershey came away with back-to-back wins against Springfield a 3-2 W on Nov. 9 and 3-2 overtime win one night later, split a set with Bridgeport on Nov. 12 (5-4 win) and 15 (6-1 loss) and a road win in Lehigh the night after (6-3) to start their four-game road swing.
They dropped a 4-3 OT decision on Nov. 20 against the Toronto Marlies, which handed Hunter Shepard only his third loss of the season. Mike Sgarbossa, Brennan Saulnier and Luke Philp would put Hershey up 3-0 in the first period, only to watch the lead fall away through the rest of the game. William Nylander's brother, Alex, who's since been called up, struck twice and added an assist on the game winner for Toronto.
On Nov. 22, Hershey paid a visit to Rochester and see a different result despite going to overtime once again. This time, it was Clay Stevenson who would grab the win in net.
Hershey and Rochester traded leads in this one, with Hershey leading 2-1 and 3-2 at points in the game, before yielding a 4-3 lead to Rochester. Mike Vecchione would tie the game with nine seconds to play in the third period, and then go on to score the game-winner in OT, leading Hershey to a 5-4 win.
The next night in Syracuse, the Bears (who are, apparently, **big** fans of giving road crowds the most bang for their hockey buck) would need even *more* time, this time coming away with a 5-4 shootout win against the Crunch (which is one of the coolest team names in sports — change my mind).
This would, unfortunately, be another example of Hershey letting a lead slip away, as Syracuse would score two in the third to tie it. Ethen Frank scored the lone goal in the shootout to get the win, and Shepard stopped 21 of 25 in the victory.
Hershey Bears Notes
- On three occasions (Nov. 12, 20 and 23), Hershey let leads slip late. While they managed wins in two of them, this is obviously a dangerous game to play.
Let's hope that Todd Nelson and co. address this trend quickly before these types of games turn into losses.
-As noted earlier, Hershey sits atop the AHL standings with a 13-4-2 record. They won't have time to rest on their laurels, as Laval is coming to town on the 27th with a higher win percentage and only one less point than the Bears.
- Hershey is also seeming to enjoy the road more than playing at their home Giant Center to start this season. While the Bears held a 5-4-1 record at home, they have an excellent 8-0-1 record on the road (and have played more overtime games on the road too, a flair for the dramatic. Which, c'mon, home fans want OT, too). Jokes aside, this is a great record away, but Hershey hopefully shakes any hometown jitters and starts getting more wins for the Chocolatetown crowd.
-Despite being part of some of those late-game giveaways, Shepard still sits at 10-2-1 on the season, with a respectable .909 save percentage and a 2.44 GAA. While tied for the most wins, his save percentage has slipped in recent weeks (he had a .934 on Nov. 4). He has generally been a stud between the pipes, so I'm confident this will climb back up. After all, he does do stuff like this:
-Frank still holds the team lead in points with 18 (7th in the league). He's also leading in goals with 12 (2nd in the league). Ivan Miroschnichenko sits at 2nd on the team with 14. -Speaking of Miroshnichenko, he's slotted into the lineup in two games for Washington, earning an empty-net goal against Florida.
I have high hopes for Miroshnichenko after his play in Hershey, so I'm hopeful he can stick with the Capitals long-term.
-Washington's ECHL affiliate South Carolina Sitngrays has continued to play well also, with 27 points in 15 games and sit at second-best in their conference.
Up Next
Hershey will take on Laval on the 27th at home, with contests Friday at Lehigh Valley and Saturday vs. the Penguins to round out the month. The game against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday is Hockey Fights Cancer Night, and caps off a month-long awareness campaign for the cause.
Photo courtesy of the Hershey BearsI wish all who celebrate a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Eat lots of good food, watch sports and don't talk politics at the dinner table.
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