It was Hershey's 5,000th game and extended the Bears dominance over the Rats to 16 consecutive regular-season games. The streak dates back to 2004.
Tomas Fleischman opened the scoring for Hershey with a power play goal in the first period. Quintin Laing made it 2-0, 3:48 into the second stanza, but the Rats seemed to come alive as Johnney Boychuk netted a power play goal, with Ben Guite assisting. Matt Murley tied the game up on an even strength goal, but Fleischman come back just 47 seconds later to put the Bears on top again. Kyle Cumiskey tied up the game on the power play with just over a minute to go, and the teams would go into the locker room tied.
"It was a crazy game," Murley was quoted as saying in today's Albany Union Times. "We've been right there with them in all the games we've played except the one down there. We can beat up on that other division (5-1-1 vs. Atlantic teams) as much as we want, but these are the teams we're going to be battling for playoff spots."
But it would be all Bears after that as Dave Steckel and Trevor Byrne both tallied for Hershey and Laing finished up his hat trick with goals two even strength goals.
Shane Willis would try to get the Rats back into the game, netting a goal with assists to David Gove and Murley, but there was only five minutes left to play and the Bears lead was too much to overcome.
Guite's two assists extended his point scoring streak to seven games.
Game Summary
Game Report
Boxscore
In related news, Reggie Berg from the Florida Everblades was named the ECHL Inglasco Player of the Week. The Everblades serve as a shared farm team for the River Rats as well as the AHL Rochester Americans.
Berg closed out the week with two goals and four assists and a plus-1 rating as the Everblades finished with a perfect 3-0-0 record to run the team’s winning streak to six games and help move the team into a first place tie with Texas in the South Division standings.
A native of Anoka, Minnesota, Berg played in the Canes farm system as part of the Lowell Lock Monsters, but has spent most of his career (308 games, 136 g, 169 a) in an Everblades uniform (244 games).
The Everblades also acquired forward Dan Baum from the Phoenix Roadrunners for cash. A seventh round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers in 2001, Baum spent the entire 2004-205 campaign with the Oilers AHL farm team. Last season he played briefly (24 games) in the ECHL with the now defunct Greenville Grrrowl.
Baum is expected to be in an Everblades uniform for this weekend's home series against the South Carolina Stingrays.
- Location:In the locker room
- Mood:
cranky - Music:30 Seconds to Mars: The Kill
The Rochester Americans didn't skate on Saturday but not because they don't need the practice.
Sure, their 11-1 record is best in the 27-team American Hockey League, yet no part of their game is perfect and practice time is valuable.
Except there apparently was no available ice in the city so the players did some dry-land training and skill-enhancement work in the basement of Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.
The War Memorial ice was covered up for Saturday night's Trace Adkins concert and the ESL Sports Centre was booked by youth hockey tournaments.
Thus, the Amerks made the most of their day without ice. Kevin Collins, their strength and conditioning coach, put the players through foot-agility drills. They also did stick-handling drills using wooden balls.
Amerks don't let ice drought halt practice
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Next Game
===============================
Who: Chicago Wolves at Rochester Americans
When: Sunday, November 12, 2006; 6:05 PM
Where: Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial
TV: B2 Networks
Radio: WHTK 1280-AM
Internet: mms://168.75.182.197/rochester
Web site: www.amerks.com
He's the only current Florida Everblade with a Stanley Cup championship ring. He's the only Blade who was on a 2005-06 NHL postseason roster. And he's the only Florida player who has hoisted Lord Stanley's mug in front of a soldout arena.
Craig Kowalski, 25, played like a goalie with NHL experience Saturday night.
The Carolina Hurricanes prospect stopped 46 shots in leading Florida to a 3-1 ECHL win over the Columbia Inferno in front of 6,091 at Germain Arena. The Blades (7-3), who beat the Inferno 2-1 on Friday, can sweep their three-game series with the Inferno (3-5-3) when the teams meet again Tuesday night at Germain Arena.
Columbia's 47 shots Saturday night were a high for a Blades opponent this season and one of the highest for an opponent in Florida's nine-year history. The Greenville Grrrowl set the franchise record with 55 shots against the Blades on April 28, 2002.
K-Wol was a Hurricanes practice goal during their Stanley Cup season.
Blades' goalie stifles Inferno
A shortage of defensemen nearly caught up with the Florida Everblades on Saturday night, but goaltender Craig Kowalski took it upon himself to seal off the net to the Columbia Inferno.
Kowalski faced a mind-boggling 47 shots and stopped all but one in a 3-1 victory, Florida's third straight and second in as many nights over Columbia. The two teams meet again Tuesday night at 7:30 back at Germain Arena.
Rookies Derek Damon and David Brine and veteran Reggie Berg scored for the Everblades (7-3-0), with Damon and Brine connecting on the power play.
Columbia (3-5-3) got its lone goal 7:32 into the first period from Adam Tichauer on a one-timer from the blue line after Jeff Miles won the face-off outright.
The Blades also spend substanitally less time in the penalty box than they did the night before.
Blades finish sweep of Inferno
Two quality goaltenders — one a rookie and the other with significant professional experience under his belt — proved to be part of a successful formula for the Florida Everblades during their best season in franchise history.
Seven years later, head coach Gerry Fleming is hoping a similar tandem will yield even better results, perhaps even bringing Florida its first ever championship.
David Shantz, a 20-year-old rookie under contract to the NHL's Florida Panthers, has stormed out of the gate three weeks into the 2006-07 ECHL season to put himself among the elite goaltenders in the league. But he is not yet the clear-cut No. 1 goalie for the Everblades because Craig Kowalski still has a say.
One good turn in goal deserves another
Catching Up With Old Friends: Nov. 12
Around the ECHL: Nov. 12
Everblades win third straight; douse Inferno 3-1
Power play dooms Columbia
Inferno Drop Second Straight
Game Summary
Game Report
Boxscore
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Next Game
===============================
Who: Columbia Inferno at Florida Everblades
When: Tuesday, November 14, 2006; 7:30 PM
Where: Germain Arena
TV: B2 Network
Radio: Sportsradio 770 AM
Internet: www.abc-7.com
Web site: www.floridaeverblades.com
- Location:Cape Coral, Fl
- Mood:
tired - Music:Disturbed
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