Hershey (AHL) and South Carolina (ECHL) 2014-15 Season

[Cush]

Pass on goal #9 wasn't too bad. Taking lessons from Ovi?

 

[usiel]

Hershey up 10-2. Vrana is 1+2

Way to close out a series, Hershey.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

10-4 good buddy. Everything is going Well man.

 

[CapsJunkie]

I see what you did there...Great game

 

[Hivemind]

Gotta feel for Worcester fans. Losing their team to the AHL Western expansion and the last game they get is a butt whooping like that.

 

[tycoonheart]

What a friggin shot from Vrana. I'm impressed.

 

[Woo Hockey]

Gotta feel for Worcester fans. Losing their team to the AHL Western expansion and the last game they get is a butt whooping like that.

Yep, LOL.

Now we get to see you guys kick Hartford's ass in our own arena for Games 3 and 4. Should be interesting to see.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Game 1 vs. Hartford tonight at 7 PM. Galiev will not be in the lineup tonight after the dirty stick to the face he took against Worcester in the game 4 ass beating. Cornet will fill in his spot.

Here's the anticipated lineup:

Cornet-Kennedy-Conner
Vrana-J.O'Brien-Wellman
Gazely-Newbury-Brown
L. O'Brien-Stephenson-Mitchell

Schilling-Burgdoerfer
Schmidt-Oleksy
Moore-Carrick

Grubi
Copley

 

[strungout]

Freaking Bourque.

I always liked him though.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Yeah it was a good game last night. Both Gazely and Vrana missed on breakaways that would have sealed the deal by the 2nd period. Vrana also had a nice wrister from the slot and Hartford's goalie squeezed his pads just enough and he actually thought it went in. Not having Galiev really disrupted the flow of the 1st line. Cornet didn't play bad but you could tell the whole chemistry was off.

I know earlier in this thread I mentioned how Liam O'Brien wasn't playing well, but he has completely proven me wrong. He basically is the Bears version of Wilson out on the ice, except that he is contributing on the scoresheet. If he keeps playing at this level and adds on some weight, he will most likely have a full time bottom 6 role in the NHL soon

 

[4thTierSport]

Florida had to go to OT 3 stay alive in the series against the Ray.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Done in by Bor-Q and Crabb.

Get 'em next game Bears!

 

[Langway]

Bears even series on Vrana GWG. Schmidt with a goal, two assists and a +4. He's tied with TJ Brennan for most points among defensemen in the playoffs.

For the Bears regular viewers, thoughts on Jim O'Brien? Any bottom six NHL ability there? He's 26 so probably a long shot now but he's been very productive since joining Hershey. I liked him as a prospect back when he was coming through the NTDP.

 

[CapsJunkie]

Bears even series on Vrana GWG. Schmidt with a goal, two assists and a +4. He's tied with TJ Brennan for most points among defensemen in the playoffs.

For the Bears regular viewers, thoughts on Jim O'Brien? Any bottom six NHL ability there? He's 26 so probably a long shot now but he's been very productive since joining Hershey. I liked him as a prospect back when he was coming through the NTDP.

I would like to know more about this player also

 

[capitalsrock]

Are there any streams for this game?

 

[hb12xchamps]

The Bears lost last night 3-1. They play again Wednesday at home at 7PM.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Bears even series on Vrana GWG. Schmidt with a goal, two assists and a +4. He's tied with TJ Brennan for most points among defensemen in the playoffs.

For the Bears regular viewers, thoughts on Jim O'Brien? Any bottom six NHL ability there? He's 26 so probably a long shot now but he's been very productive since joining Hershey. I liked him as a prospect back when he was coming through the NTDP.

I like him, but I'm not sure he will be more than an AHL regular. Maybe he earns himself a contract with Washington after the season, but he already has a Calder Cup ring and he could make more money in Europe. He has the size, gets PK time, is decent at faceoffs, and has a nice shot, but at this point I don't think he will ever be more than an AHL regular. That's my opinion and I would like to see what other Bears regulars have to say.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Hershey loses in OT on a SH goal. Heading to Hartford for a do or die game 6. Game 7 is in Hershey on Sunday if necessary. Hopefully the Caps send Burakovsky and Schmidt down for game 6. Hershey is gonna need them and a healthy Galiev

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Go Bears!

 

[SimplySensational]

Ugh the Bears lose to the Rags AHL affiliate...

 

[CapsJunkie]

how fitting

 

[Corby78]

lose last 3 games too. well my evenings just freed up

 

[hb12xchamps]

Been waiting a little bit to kinda collect my thoughts before posting. This team should have went farther than it did and they had a legitimate shot at winning the cup. Not having Galiev really hurt the production and chemistry of the top line, which killed the Bears. In terms of production, Hershey's veterans were outmatched by Hartford's veterans, but Hershey's young guys outmatched Hartford's. You aren't going to win a series when defenseman are outscoring members of the top line.

The future is bright for the Bears. The prospects took a big step in terms of development and it is exciting to possibly have Burakovsky (longshot), Vrana, Chris Brown, Stephenson, Galiev, Carrick, Copley, Mitchell, Liam O'Brien, Caleb Herbet, Nathan Walker, Travis Boyd, Madison Bowey, Djoos, and a few more guys in the chocolate and white next season.

Yingst and Mann need to go out and evaluate and recruit the right veterans to mix in with the young guns and this team could be very good once again. Guys like Tim Kennedy and Chris Conner are great regular season players, but they clearly could not keep up with the physicality against a Hartford team that had big defenseman. Bringing in bigger, stronger guys is going to be beneficial moving forward. I look forward to next season and I'm excited to watch Washington's prospects develop.

On a side note, Hershey announced today that Dustin Gazely and Erik Burgdoerfer are already signed for next season.

 

[Langway]

From what I saw, albeit limited, Hershey needs better defensive defensemen and, not unlike the parent roster overall, better quality centers throughout the lineup. Schilling is typically sound defensively but the rest? Not so much. Schmidt helped from a skill standpoint and is also decent but the rest of the defensemen aren't that good in their own end. That's not exactly the calling card of Djoos & Bowey either so it's going to have to developed to a large extent.

Hopefully Burgdoerfer doesn't end up pushing Lewington to the ECHL because he might be that type of player for them. I guess the real question either way is if both Bowey and Carrick are ready to be top four defensemen for them. I'm not so sure about that. They're going to need some quality lefty defensemen at any rate...a Brennan/Chorney/Ellerby at least. (That's assuming Schilling moves on.)

 

[hb12xchamps]

From what I saw, albeit limited, Hershey needs better defensive defensemen and, not unlike the parent roster overall, better quality centers throughout the lineup. Schilling is typically sound defensively but the rest? Not so much. Schmidt helped from a skill standpoint and is also decent but the rest of the defensemen aren't that good in their own end. That's not exactly the calling card of Djoos & Bowey either so it's going to have to developed to a large extent.

Hopefully Burgdoerfer doesn't end up pushing Lewington to the ECHL because he might be that type of player for them. I guess the real question either way is if both Bowey and Carrick are ready to be top four defensemen for them. I'm not so sure about that. They're going to need some quality lefty defensemen at any rate...a Brennan/Chorney/Ellerby at least. (That's assuming Schilling moves on.)

You are totally spot on. Oleksy, Burgdoerfer, and Schilling were the only real defensive dmen on the team. Landry and Moore were more of a two way style, but Moore was affected by his elbow injury and lost most of the season and apparently he could require surgery to get the full range of motion back in his elbow. Landry was pretty solid in his own end and towards the end of the year he had confidence issues when Schmidt came down and pushed him out of the lineup. I fully expect Schilling to move on at this point and go to another organization that could use a bottom pairing guy/first call up option. He is a great AHL shutdown pair type guy and I'm not so sure he will ever be a full time NHL guy. Interesting offseason for the whole organization all around.