FREE-FALLIN’ 

      VERSUS       

Four consecutive losses became five when the Hartford Wolf Pack were trounced for the second time this season by the Hershey Bears 9-2 Sunday afternoon at the Giant Center in front of 7,302.

The horrible effort capped a three game weekend where the team was outscored 20-4, tied the team records for most goals allowed in a game, and largest margin of defeat, worst second period goals against with six,  and tied for most shorthanded goals allowed with two.

One of the things that made Head Coach Ken Gernander such a great AHL player was the level of commitment and intensity that he brought with him to the ice every game. He was a coach on the ice. He hasn’t lot that edge one iota since stepping behind the Pack bench when he retired in 2005. In the locker room after the game was over, you could visibly see the anger and frustration all over the Minnesota native. It was no surprise at all when he was asked for his assessment of the game, he responded saying, “What do you want me to say? We got what we deserved. It was not a good game.”

It started off with trouble right from the outset when just 3:06 into the game, Boyd Kane was left alone in front of the net and got two free uncontested shots on Steve Valiquette (11 saves on 16 shots, 0-2-0). Valiquette made his second start for the Wolf Pack since being sent to Hartford after clearing waivers last week by the New York Rangers. He has not been anywhere close to effective in either start. The rest of the Pack season will fall as much on Valiquette regaining the form that got him into the NHL as any other factor facing the Pack coaching staff.

Entering the game, the Pack had scored just three goals in their last 53 power play opportunities. Gernander had to do something to try and turn that around so he took the AHL’s leading scorer, Corey Locke and put him out on the right point. There’s always the danger of putting a forward out on the point for a reason. The Pack proved it when Evgeny Grachev’s pass was int othe skates and picked off by Andrew Joudrey on the right wing. The Hershey centerman made a nice feed off the boards to Gavin Morgan, who blew right past Locke for a one-on-one encounter with Valiquette. Morgan made a couple of fakes and Valiquette tried to stay with him, but the Scarborough, Ontario native slid the puck under the Pack netminder. It was Morgan’s first goal as a Bear in six years. It was also the Pack’s second shorthanded goal surrendered in two games.

The Pack had a great chance to get it back when they had a 3-on-1 odd man rush. With just Sean Collins back defending for Hershey, Andres Ambϋhl brought the puck up right wing with Locke in the middle and Dane Byers rushing up the left side. Ambϋhl’s lead pass to Byers didn’t connect and the opportunity was gone.

The Pack’s woes continued when they gave up a power play goal to Andrew Gordon for his first of two on the night. Corey Locke didn’t stay with Joudrey into the slot and he fired it over Corey Potter’s stick and over the glove of Valiquette. It was 3-0 as the first period came to a close.

Things didn’t improve for the Pack in the second. Gernander tried shaking up the defense pairings putting Potter and Bobby Sanguinetti out on the ice together. Just 50 seconds in to the period, Keith Aucoin followed his shot and took the rebound behind the net. He found Gordon all alone on the left side and gave him the puck which he shot over Micahel Sauer and into the empty net.

24 seconds later at 1:14, Jared Nightingale took a High Sticking call and sent the Hershey power play unit back on to the ice. After hitting their third post of the game, and on a delayed penalty that was coming to the Pack, Kyle Wilson broke in and with Michael Sauer chasing him beat Valiquette high over the stick side at 2:47. Having given up five goals on 16 shots, Gernander had seen enough and Valiquette was pulled for the second consecutive appearance and replaced with Matt Zaba. The former Rangers backup to Henrik Lundqvist has given up ten goals on 47 shots. He’s sporting an embarrassing 8.32GAA and a .787 save percentage.

Jordan Owens got his first goal in six games when he works real hard in front of the Hershey net while the team was shorthanded (again) on a David Urquhart slashing penalty and slipped it under Michael Neuvirth (23 saves, 10-5-2) putting the Pack on the board.

The joy in Mudville didn’t last long as Michael Dubuc pulled a puck from out of the corner, got by Sauer but a backhanded shot off the far post and hit Zaba’s skate and went just slid in over the line (15 saves).

After a couple of fights, including 5-11” 200 pound Devin DiDiomente taking on Patrick Weller at 6-3” 210 pound. DiDiomete did himself proud and fought to a draw with his bigger opponent as both landed some heavy shots, the Bears were not done putting pucks in the Pack net.

They scored three more times over the next 2:48. Chris Bourque tallied a power play goal through a screen by former Pack player Boyd Kane with Michael Sauer in the box at 15:23. Potter and Sanguinetti were both picked in front by Grant McNeill and couldn’t get to Steve Pinizzotto in front of the net and the center got his first of two on the night over Zaba’s stick.  Just 2:25 later Pinizzotto took the puck asway from Sanguinetti as he tried to enter the zone.  He and McNeill skated in o nthe break and past Dale Weise. Dave Urquhart was back to defend and went to the ice to block the pass to McNeill. But, the puck hit Urquhart’s stick and came right back to Pinizzotto who then rushed in and beat Zaba short side over the glove. It was 9-1 and the bears were leading in shots on goal 29-14 and outshot the Pack in the period 16-4.

The Pack did manage to do something in the positive that no other team has done to the Bears to this point in the season. After Weise put a shot on goal while on the power play, Dane Byers jammed it in under Neuvirth for the first goal scored against the Bears in the Giant Center on the power play in 53 tries.

After the Wilkes-Barre game, in speaking of the power play, Gernander spoke of the “peaks an valleys over the course of the season. You’ve got to stay the course. It’ll get turned around.” After this one, when asked if he felt this was the bottom of the valley, Gernander responded saying, “Unless you start climbing. If you don’t stop climbing you’ll keep falling.”

The Pack will have five days of hard work ahead of them to figure out if they’re heading north, or if they are, as Tom Petty sang, just “Free-Fallin’”

Bob Crawford not only had to call this one, which must have been hard enough, but he had to write about it as well. You’ll find his take of the game at Hartfordwolfpack.com.  Just like in Wilkes-Barre, the Hershey Bears, the AHL’s top drawing team, succeed in no small manner due to the tremendous coverage the team gets. Dan Sernoffsky was there for the Lebanon Daily News. Tim Leone was there for the Harrisburg Patriot News. Chris Rahn covers the team at A BEARS MINUTE, John Sparenberg was there for JohnWaltonHockey.com. They also had radio AND TV there as well.

Here is some video from the game. Watch it at your own risk…

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

NOTES:

*  Also on hand taking in the game was Atlanta Thrashers AGM Rick Dudley and Jim Clark from the Ottawa Senators as well as former tough guy Dennis Bonvie now of the Chicago Blackhawks organization.

* For the Pack, they will play their next five straight at the XL Center and six of the next eight with the only “away” trips to Springfield and Bridgeport. 

* The loss dropped the Pack into sixth place but tied in points with Providence and Portland in the Atlantic Division.

* The power play has fallen from the top spot in the AHL to number four while on the Penalty kill they’ve slipped to 24th.

* Corey Locke remains on top of the scoring title race with 35 points (12g, 23a)

MEANWHILE DOWN IN CHARLOTTE:

       VERSUS    

 CHECKERS DOUBLED UP BY GWINNETT 

The Checkers (12-6-2-0) will continue their five-game road trip on Wednesday in Florida and will return to Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday, Dec. 16 to host South Carolina. Game time is 7 p.m. and ticket information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com