After making a drive of approximately 420 miles back from Belleville, Ontario on Sunday and being granted the day off Monday, the Hershey Bears returned to practice on Tuesday at GIANT Center in preparation for heading back up I-81 for Wednesday's tilt at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.
The first leg of Hershey's current four-game road trip took its toll as injuries quickly piled up - Mike Sgarbossa, Jake Massie, and Hendrix Lapierre were injured in last Wednesday's game at Laval, while Henrik Rybinski was hurt in Friday's game in Belleville. Riley Sutter remained sidelined for all three games last week, while Brennan Saulnier sustained an injury during practice.
Still, the Bears managed to come away with four of a possible six points, and Hershey remains an elite road team in the American Hockey League with a 14-1-4-0 road record.
The good news?
"Of the guys that are banged up, there's some guys that are skating," Bears head coach Todd Nelson said. "There's still some question marks going into the game tomorrow, but at least we're starting to get healthy."
As the Bears returned to work Tuesday, Sgarbossa was back on the ice, albeit sporting a bright red non-contact jersey, while Sutter was back to full-contact, and both Lapierre and Saulnier were taking reps; only Rybinski and Massie did not skate. The club will also regain some firepower to the lineup with the return of Pierrick Dube after the forward finished serving a five-game suspension from the AHL.
Smith on cusp of 500th AHL game
On most AHL teams, Dalton Smith's nightly presence in the lineup would be all but assured; Hershey is not like most AHL teams, boasting seven players who are classified as veterans - including Smith - and thus the coaching staff is forced into making some tough decisions that inevitably relegates two of Hershey's veterans to the press box each game.
But the recent injury to Sgarbossa and the brief departure of Brad Hunt has allowed Smith to earn a more consistent spot in the lineup, with the forward playing all three games last week on a line with Grant Cruikshank at center and Matt Strome on the right wing. He even assisted on Jon McDonald's goal late in the second period on Sunday that gave Hershey a 3-2 lead and allowed the club to walk away its lone victory of the week.
The former second-round (34th overall) selection of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2010 NHL Draft is poised to skate in his 500th career AHL game as early as tomorrow against the Penguins.
"He's just playing his role. He's playing a good 200-foot game for us, playing simple hockey, getting pucks out [of the defensive zone], pucks in deep [offensively], he's finishing his checks, and if something happens where some tempers flare, he is there to take care of business," Nelson said. "That line's been one of the really bright spots I think over the past handful of games and he's a big part of that. He's been playing really well."
Limoges to take Frank's place at All-Star Classic
With Ethen Frank enjoying some early success in the NHL with the Washington Capitals, it became apparent that the speedy offensive forward would not be returning to the AHL in time to participate in this coming weekend's All-Star Classic event in Palm Desert, California.
Luckily, the Bears had a more than qualified replacement on hand. The league announced last Friday that Hershey forward Alex Limoges was one of several additions to the AHL All-Star roster, marking Limoges' first appearance at the league's midseason showcase, joining teammate Ethan Bear, along with the club's equipment and athletic training staff.
"We talk about his hockey IQ and how intelligent a player he is," Nelson said. "He's a pretty versatile player. I hear former guys that have played - like [Bears Hall of Fame and AHL Hall of Fame member] Keith Aucoin was one of them - saying that he would love to play with Alex Limoges because of how smart he is. He does a lot of little things great and he really compliments [playing on a line with Spencer Smallman and Mike Vecchione].
The hockey world by now is quite familiar with Frank's notoriety earned from his participation in the fastest skater event at the All-Star Classic's skills competition in the last two years. The question begs: what events will Limoges and Bear participate in?
"We were joking in the trainers' room that the guys were telling Limo that they have to defend the fastest skating title and he's getting the nod, but I'm not sure if he's going to do that or not," Nelson chuckled. "But anything with scoring, like they have the [pass and score] event or the [puck control relay]. I'm sure he is going to do well."
Looking ahead to this weekend's home series with Bridgeport
Without getting too far ahead of the All-Star festivities, Nelson knows the team will have a tough matchup Wednesday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and a two-game home set against the Bridgeport Islanders on Friday and Saturday. Despite occupying the cellar of the Atlantic Division, the Islanders own the distinction of dealing Hershey its largest margin of defeat in the Todd Nelson era, a 6-1 defeat at GIANT Center in the last meeting between the teams on Nov. 15.
Nelson knows his players cannot afford to take Bridgeport lightly despite the disparity in the standings.
"Well if they don't remember it already, I'm going to remind them. There's no easy games - we know what we're going to get from [Bridgeport]," Nelson cautioned. "They're going to be a hardworking team. For what they may lack in overall talent, they make up with work ethic. And hard work always beats skill there."
Written by Jesse Liebman, Bears media specialist
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
vs
