AHL American Hockey League

The Hartford Wolf Pack with Sean Avery beat the Lowell Devils 5-2 this time. The Devils won their last game against the Wolf Pack by a score of 5-3 earlier this month, before Avery arrived. It was the first victory for the Wolf Pack in five games against the Devils. The loss ended the Devils' six-game unbeaten streak.

The only sign of hockey life that was noticed at last night's AHL game played at the Tsongas Arena certainly didn't come from any of the Lowell Devils' players, according to Sun Correspondent James Albert, writing in the Lowell Sun. It came from a little girl in the stands who drew up a sign that read: "Hey Sean Avery, how does it feel to be the Wolfpack's sloppy seconds"?

Hartford Wolf Pack took a one goal lead in the first period of their game against the Lowell Devils and hung on to it through the second period. They scored again, more than halfway through the second, to go up 2-0, even though they were being outshot 23 to 14 at that point.

They got another two goals before the period was finished. Lowell was outshooting the Wolf Pack 26 to 19 but Hartford was winning 3-0.

Lowell got on the scoreboard halfway through the final period.

P.A. Parenteau scored twice for the Wolf Pack. He got the first goal in the first period and the last goal in the second. Parenteau is the Wolf Pack's leading scorer with 62 points. Artem Anisimov and Patrick Rissmiller also scored for Hartford in the second period.

Barry Tallackson ruined Hartford's chance at a shutout.

Tomas Zaborsky got the Wolf Pack's fifth goal of the night late in the third period.

Olivier Magnan scored for the Devils with less than a minute remaining in the game.

Sean Avery was in the  Hartford line-up for the game at the Tsongas Arena. Avery was minus-1 for the night, with zero shots and a two minute penalty.

The Devils were 25-21-1-5, going into the game. The Wolf Pack was 27-23-2. The Pack is 1-2-0 since Avery joined them after being out of hockey for almost three months.

Saturday night's Wolf Pack game will be broadcast live on WTIC NewsTalk 1080. Fans can follow the game on U.S. Cellular Pirates Radio Network or watch the game live on the internet courtesy of AHL Live by clicking the icon on the left side of the home page.

Sean Avery will be in the lineup at the Tsongas Arena tomorrow night (Friday) when the Hartford Wolf Pack visits the Lowell Devils of the AHL.

The Devils play in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1998 to 2006, the team was called the Lowell Lock Monsters. In 2006, they were purchased by the New Jersey Devils hockey team and given their current monicker.

"The Avery Rule" in the NHL was created during the Stanley Cup playoffs last year when Avery screened goalie Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils, facing the reigning Vezina Trophy winner in an attempt to distract him with hand gestures.

Avery played with the Rangers for almost two seasons before signing with Dallas. With the Rangers looking to add spark to their lineup down the stretch, it's been speculated that they will attempt to acquire Avery.

Avery says he's a "changed man" since his suspension from the NHL earlier this year.
For Avery's trip to Tsongas tomorrow, kids can get into the game for $5 as part of a promotion for school vacation week. For tickets, call 978-458-PUCK.

You can see some of Avery's last game on YouTube under "Sean Avery Punches Tyler Haskins."

The Lowell Devils are one of the AHL's youngest teams this season. Seven of Lowell's top 15 scorers this season are rookies. They are led by Russian-born winger Vladimir Zharkov. The young Devils have also benefited from a strong group of experienced forwards. Rod Pelley, who spent the bulk of 2007-08 in the NHL with New Jersey.

The Devils have a 6-2-0-2 record in their last 10 games to pull into a tie with Worcester for the Atlantic Division's final Calder Cup Playoff berth.

The Devils are 25-21-1-5. They had a 5-3 victory over the Wolf Pack at Paul Tsongas Arena earlier this month. The Wolf Pack is 27-23-2. The Pack is 0-2-0 since Avery joined them after being out of hockey for almost three months.

Avery's second game back was an AHL game between the affiliates of the Rangers and the Islanders. The Bridgeport Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the first period and held on to it for the rest of the game. They out-shot the Hartford Wolf Pack 32-23.

Hartford was playing without defense-man Vladimir Denisov, who was suspended for four games for a blow to the head of a Lake Erie Monsters player in a game last Friday. Hartford forward Brandon Sugden was suspended for two games for an infraction in the same game.

It was Avery's second game with the Wolf Pack and just the second time he has been in a game since the start of December, when he was dropped by the Dallas Stars.

In the second period of the game against the Tigers, the intensity heated up as, Avery got in shouting matches with Pascal Morency at the start of the period and Tyler Haskins, according to a press release from OurSportsCentral, with four minutes remaining in the period. As Avery was stirring things up, Hartford had the best chance of the period.

Sean Avery had two shots and was a minus-1 in his second game with the Hartford Wolf Pack. He was up to his old antics late in the second period, according to Newsday. In the crease on a power play, Avery was knocked into goaltender Nathan Lawson, who got up and hit Avery, who then shoved Lawson.

The Tigers converged on Avery, especially Tyler Haskins. On the next face-off, Avery punched Haskins without a call. At the end of the period, Avery stood at the gate laughing at the Tigers as they exited the ice

Avery created another chance with 1:18 left but Lawson denied the shot from the right side, according to the Hartford Courant.

Avery said he felt better than in his Wolf Pack debut Saturday night, according to a press release from OurSportsCentral.

"As far as battles go and getting hits, it was better on the lungs than in the first game, so I'm happy about that," said Avery, who had two shots and was on the ice for the only goal. "They were coming at me from the start of the game, and I was a little quiet, which takes a little away from my game. Then I started to give back a little of what I was getting, which makes me play better.

"I'm targeted, but I know I did it eight years ago. They're all trying to get to the next level, so they wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't go after me. I'm not too happy about the loss, but I feel better for sure."

Tigers goalie Nathan Lawson got a snow-spray shower from Avery and a bump or two, according to the Connecticut Post.

With Sean Avery in the line-up for the first time, the Hartford Wolf Pack lost 4-1 to the Manitoba Moose. Three days ago, the Wolf Pack, without Sean Avery, lost 4-2 to the Moose.

Despite the loss, Moose coach Scott Arniel complimented Avery, saying it was easy to spot an NHL quality player on the AHL ice, according to the Winnipeg Free Press.

The victory finished the four-game regular season series between the Moose and the Wolf Pack. Manitoba went 3-1-0-0 versus Hartford. Manitoba improved to 19-4-0-3 on the road this season, which works out to a remarkable .788 winning percentage playing away from home. Manitoba owns the best record in the AHL at 37-14-0-5.

In tonight's game, the Moose led 1-0 at the end of the first period, went up 2-0 at the start of the second, and Hartford finally got on the scoreboard in the start of the third. The Moose added two more for the victory.

Karl Goehring had 24 saves for the Moose. Miika Wiikman stopped 24 shots for the Wolf Pack.

The game attracted 5,899 fans, which is 2,055 above the Wolf Pack's average attendance, according to the Hartford Courant.

Avery appeared in his first competitive hockey game in two months. He got lots of ice time, had three shots on goal, and was involved in two minor scrapes.

He was challenged on just his second shift by Manitoba defenseman Nathan McIver, but before Avery could fight back, Wolf Pack teammate Jared Nightengale stepped in, according to the Daily News.

Wolf Pack fans wearing Avery's No. 16 Rangers jersey, didn't have to wait long for the great agitator to mix it up, according to the Hartford Courant.

After entering the game 1:24 in, and then spending another short stint on the bench, Avery was soon involved in a scuffle behind the Manitoba net with defenseman Nathan McIver.

With 2:24 remaining in the second period, according to AP, Avery was quick to come to the defense of his new teammates, thrusting himself into the middle of another fracas behind the Moose net, and trading shoves with several Manitoba skaters.

Many fans wore their favorite Sean Avery jerseys and some even made signs to celebrate his appearance as a member of the AHL's Wolf Pack, according to Newsday.

Avery was used on the power play and penalty-kill units. He had 19 shifts and played a little less than 24 minutes. The play of the night from Avery came during the first period when he made a great no-look pass from behind the goal line to a trailing teammate.

Avery was involved in scuffles all night, but kept his composure and didn't throw a punch. He chirped at a Moose defenseman after a second-period skirmish and then skated away with a mischievous smile.

It was the first time Avery had played in a hockey game since Nov. 30.

Exiled Dallas Stars' forward Sean Avery is expected to be cleared from the NHL and NHLPA's Behavioral Modification program no later than early next week, according to Sporting News staff reports on Sportingnews.com.

He should be skating before Valentine's Day.

If he is claimed, the Stars would split the remainder of his contract with his new team.

The Sporting News staff  claimed Avery is scheduled to begin skating on Monday in anticipation of returning to hockey, and in order to do that, Avery knows he will have to regain NHL teams' trust which will very likely require time in the American Hockey League.

The Stars are revisiting their options on what to do with their suspended left winger. Avery remains Dallas property. The Stars may have to find an AHL team willing to take Avery on board.

Dallas does not have an AHL affiliate, but arrangements could be made with an AHL team. Plans are underway for the Texas Stars to play in the AHL in 2009 or 2010.

The AHL team closest to Dallas is the San Antonio Rampage, who are affiliated with the Phoenix Coyotes. The San Antonio team is currently in last place in the West division of the Western Conference of the AHL and in third last place overall.

Avery played for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks and for the  Motor City Mechanics, in the past, but those AHL teams no longer exist.

The Stars could then place Avery on waivers and, providing he clears, he will be reassigned. Avery's best chance of returning to the NHL may be via re-entry waivers.

The Stars could peddle him or waiver him. A team acquiring Avery would then be responsible for getting him back into game condition.

His contract has three-years and $12 million remaining after this season, but Dallas would pay half.

That's a half price sale. —Just don't refer to Avery as the Dallas Stars' sloppy seconds.'

Dear President Andrews,

Forty-three days are all that separate us from the season of green. Now those without a calendar handy may think I am referring to glorious springtime casting off winter's pall and bringing us warm weather again.

They would be wrong, and perhaps so upset about being mistaken, in need of a drink. But that's OK—because in 43 days it will be St. Patrick's Day and drinking is quite apropos.

Beyond the drinking and the bagpipes, the parades and the corned beef, the cabbage and the songs, there is the wearing of the green. The nation over dons the bonny color and where in most places, at least for a day, instead of gleaming snow, you see the shade of grass once more all about you. 

Well, all about you, unless you are a fan of the AHL. The American Hockey League, God bless 'em, haven't a single item for sale that's green (aside from the occasional Houston Aeros jerseys). 

The online NHL shop right now has nearly 200 items for sale that can be found when you search for St. Patrick's Day. Shirts, caps, sweatshirts, ladies tops, knitted caps—they're all there in brilliant green glory.  What a beautiful sight to see! Is it shrewd marketing?  Is it capitalizing on a patron saint not even of this country? Is it malarkey?

YES!

But who cares?  Sure, I may have the same shirt in my team's colors, but it's St. Patrick's Day. Throw it on a field of green, and I'll buy it! It is a day meant for fun and leaving your cares at the door, and on the best of days, that is what sports should be about, too.

We love when our teams do well and we can leave an arena with a win rather than a loss, but isn't it the time we spent immersed in these games so much that allows us to shrug off our worries, at least for three periods?

The NBA has 131 products available for a shamrock. The MLB, whose season doesn't even begin until two weeks after St. Patrick's Day, already has 32 products in stock and ready for your order.

While some may feel that the economic climate would not tolerate such frugality, it is my feeling that it is the exact opposite. The hardcore fans will find a way to budget so that they can buy a Toronto Marlies St. Patrick's Day shirt. The casual Philadelphia Phantoms fan will want to show off that he was at the game and that, in fact, he's not such a casual fan. And if Manchester Monarchs fan Jennifer doesn't buy it for herself, Jimmy will buy it for her.

President Andrews—please help your league's revenues by helping yourself to a helping of Irishness and give us the chance to wear the AHL green.

So much can happen in the world of professional hockey over the course of seven days.

 

Given that this is the first opportunity I've had to blog in a while, I shall focus on all three of the games that I have had the pleasure of attending over the last week.


NHL — Capitals vs. Bruins:

Last Saturday we headed to DC for the much-anticipated clash of the Eastern Conference Titans. The Boston Bruins were in town, and looking to continue a streak of road victories that commenced after their last visit to Washington.

 

The Verizon Center was rocking on Saturday night.

 

Both teams knew the importance of this game and the whole 60-minutes was filled with a level of intensity more appropriate for a playoff game.

 

Given how both teams have performed during the first half of the season, it remains probable that these two giants may clash in the postseason — so, the crowd was ready for a preview of things to come.

 

With some early penalty troubles, the Caps would give up the opening goal when Marc Savard beat Jose Theodore early in the second period.

 

Washington would respond just more than one minute later with a power play score from Mike Green.

 

The game remained 1-1 after two periods of hockey.

 

The sold-out crowd was very loud during the last 20-minutes of play and the decibel meter must have exploded when Alexander Semin broke away with some fancy puck handling, raced down the ice and beat Tim Thomas to give the home team the go ahead score.

 

I had the (dis) pleasure of being seated amongst Bruins fans, so it was nice to jump out of my seat and cheer like a man possessed.

 

The Caps would hold on to the lead, and kill a penalty in the dying seconds of the game to seal the win. Both teams had played a strong game, and I am sure that the two remaining games between these two teams up in Boston will be as equally intense.

 

AHL — Hershey Bears vs. Worcester Sharks:

Sunday evening was spent at the Giant Center where a regular season hockey game was completely overshadowed by the potential for Alexandre Giroux to break a 20-year record for goals scored in consecutive games.

 

AHL and NHL legend Brett Hull had established a record of 14 consecutive goal-scoring games and Giroux had equalled that impressive tally during a shoot-out loss to the Philadelphia Phantoms on the previous night.

 

Trailing 0-2 after some quick scoring opportunities from the Sharks, Hershey seemed lackluster until defenseman Sami Lepisto fired a rocket from the point into the back of the net.

 

The Lepisto goal sparked a stagnant Hershey team that dominated offensively down the stretch only to be denied by a strong performance from Worcester goaltender Thomas Greiss.

 

With a tripping penalty assessed against Worcester midway through the third period, the crowd at the Giant Center would erupt when Giroux beat Greiss and tied the game at 2-2.

 

With 13:33 left in the game on 18th January, Alexandre Giroux removed Brett Hull from the AHL record books and set a new benchmark of 15 consecutive games with a goal.

 

Congratulations to you Alex — what an accomplishment!

 

The score sheet would remain the same through the remainder of regulation and the overtime period. Michal Neuvirth, the rookie Bears goaltender, would stand tall during the shootout and deny all five of the Sharks attempts.

 

Griess was almost as impressive, preventing four of the five shots he faced — Kyle Wilson would connect and give the Bears not only the victory, but the icing on the cake for a night Alexandre Giroux will never forget.


AHL — Hershey Bears vs. Wilkes-Barre Penguins:

With a convincing road victory over Norfolk on Wednesday, the Bears returned home on Friday night to face the baby Pens.

 

The thought of having to watch the Penguins is always enough to make me frown, but I would be the recipient of "bad vibes" once I learned that our good friend Terry Koharski would be officiating the game.

 

Now, granted, Koharski is a much better option than Nygel Pelletier or the grinch David Banfield, but even so, to put it bluntly, Koharski is a little less than descent too.

This game was everything we knew it would be.

 

These two divisional rivals have no liking for each other — the usual physical altercations, cheap shots, trash talking and the like were to be expected, but for Koharski to penalize Chris Bourque five minutes for a simple tripping penalty was simply ludicrous.

 

Again, five minutes for a trip!

 

What next?

 

A game misconduct for too many men on the ice?

 

The Pens would rebound from a two-goal deficit with power play goals that resulted from the often-dubious calls from Koharski.

Hershey would go on to lose in a shootout, with goaltender Michal Neuvirth giving up two goals as opposed to John Curry who would be beaten only once.

 

The Bears played the better game, but the Penguins got the breaks from Koharski that kept them in it, and they won the old-fashioned way after the overtime period expired.

 

… And a big kudos to Keith Aucoin for dropping his gloves with Janne Pesonen during the second period.

 

Given his size, I was always concerned that Aucoin was an easy target for opposing teams, but he has proven time and time again that he is not only a great hockey player, but that he has the mental and physical attributes to stand his ground.

 

Well done, Keith!


The Bears can put this game behind them, and concentrate on the task at hand this evening as the Manchester Monarchs make an appearance at the Giant Center.

 

We can't wait for that one.


Notes:

* Congratulations to Bears goaltender Michal Neuvirth for being awarded the third star in the ECHL All-Star game. Neuvirth represented the South Carolina Stingrays.

* Good luck to former Bears defenseman Josef Boumedienne, who has returned to Europe. We still miss you Boomer.

* Nice to see Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau in attendance at the Giant Center last night.

* Good luck to Alexander Ovechkin during the All-Star weekend in Montreal — and props to Nicklas Backstrom for snubbing his invitation to the young stars game. Good luck also to the Bears players and coaches that will be part of the AHL All-Star game in Worcester.

With the Christmas break behind them, the Hershey Bears took to the ice last night at the Giant Center against the Binghamton Senators. What Hershey did not know, however, was that the Grinch would also be at the Giant Center.

The Grinch in question was a referee by the name of David Banfield—a referee who seemed bent on ruining any post-Christmas celebrations for the Bears.

I am not taking anything away from a Senators team who played a strong 60 minutes of hockey, but the Bears were royally screwed last night! With a remarkable effort between the pipes, Brian Elliot stopped all but one of the 44 shots on goal (the lone score coming from Keith Aucoin in the first period) and left Chocolatetown with a comfortable 4-1 victory.

Unfortunately for the Senators, however, their almost-perfect performance was both overshadowed and undermined by some terrible officiating from the Grinch.

Banfield would assess nine penalties against Hershey, while the Senators were called for five. Alas, for the Bears, it would be a string of missed blatant infractions that would prevent any opportunity to come back down the stretch. With this fine display of terrible officiating, it was clear that Banfield never received his copy of "Hockey for Dummies" in his Christmas stocking this year.

He most likely failed to get his eyes tested too, missing the tripping call from the stick that was literally thrown at the feet of Chris Bourque on a breakaway. I had never seen a crowd this hostile at the Giant Center, but it was completely justified. One man was ruining the game for everybody, and 10,000 plus were letting him know about it.

Behind the Bears bench, the normally mellow Bob Woods reached his boiling point after the aforementioned non-call. Tossing water bottles across the ice at Banfield in protest, Woods was ejected from the game, and faces a hefty fine and possible suspension for his actions.

While I do not condone the way in which Woods vented his frustration, I felt that his complaint was more than justified. The Senators had capitalized on the non-call against Bourque, and put the game out of reach for the Bears.

Woods, as the coach and leader of the team, stood tall and made sure that the officiating crew were informed of just how terrible they were. Worth every cent of his imminent fine and suspension, in my opinion.

So Binghamton left the Giant Center with the win, and thanks to the Wilkes-Barre Penguins taking a win over Bridgeport, no damage was done at the top of the division.

The Bears and the Sound Tigers remain tied for first place, albeit in a division that has become tightly contested right now as we head towards the New Year.

With a disappointing Texas road trip behind them, the Hershey Bears returned to the Giant Center last night to host the Lowell Devils.

Prior to puck drop, Oskar Osala was applauded for his AHL rookie of the month honors. Osala is developing quickly in his first professional season, and with one NHL game already on his resume this season, he could be on pace to make the transition to the Capitals roster a lot sooner than originally expected. Good luck to you, Oskar!

While a handful of Bears remain on the Capitals roster, those that dressed in the chocolate and white last night put in a solid effort against a team that played a lot harder than their record indicated.

Hershey fans would celebrate early after Graham Mink received a nifty pass from Keith Aucoin and slipped the puck into a wide open net just 11 seconds into the game. Kyle Wilson would extend the lead to 2-0 with just under four minutes left in the first period, with assists credited to Darren Reid and Bryan Helmer. Bears fans, in all their "ugly holiday sweater" glory, were in great spirits as the first period ended.

An early Hershey goal by Andrew Gordon just 1:34 into the second period was possibly the most exciting play of the period. Daren Machesney would be denied the shutout opportunity midway through the period as Lowell finally found the back of the net, and the score remained 3-1 as both teams went into the locker rooms.

The third period saw referee Nygel Pelletier become very trigger happy with his whistle.

Ten penalties would be issued over the course of the 20-minute period, six of which were assessed after an all-out brawl in the dying seconds of the game.

The Devils narrowed the deficit to one goal with four minutes remaining, but an outstanding pick pocket play behind the crease from Kyle Wilson led to his second goal of the night and the Bears' victory. With a great offensive effort from the Laing-Wilson-Gordon line, Kyle was the recipient of the first star.

Thursday Night Recap

We traveled to the Verizon Center last Thursday to watch the Capitals take on the St. Louis Blues in a battle of the injury-ridden rosters. It was great to see rookie netminder Simeon Varlamov in action for the Capitals, and he looked sharp as the Caps registered a 4-2 victory after goals from Viktor Kozlov (2), Tomas Fleischmann, and Alexander Ovechkin.

A price was paid for the victory, however, as both Mike Green and Alexander Semin sustained injuries and were once again listed as day-to-day in terms of when they would likely play again.

The missed cross-checking call on Semin was a terrible lack of judgment from the officials, with the feisty retaliation from the Great Eight being more than justified. The following bench minor assessed against Bruce Boudreau served only to make the officiating crew look dumber than they were—which was not really difficult on their parts.

Coming away with the two points kept the Capitals in a healthy position, but these injuries to key players serve only to challenge that pace and consistency.

If you aren’t going to the Amerks game tonight you can watch it for free online through a free preview night that the AHL Live is offering.  This is we typically watch most away games and it’s well worth the $6.  If you’ve always wondered about the quality of the feeds this is a great chance to check it out for free.  the Amerks and Crunch face off at Blue Cross Arena at 6:05pm.

For Immediate Release
December 10, 2008

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League and NeuLion are proud to announce that AHL Live will offer a Free Preview Night on Sunday, December 14. All eight AHL games scheduled for that night will be available at no charge for fans to watch worldwide.

AHL Live (www.ahllive.com) showcases high-quality live AHL games not available anywhere else on the Internet and gives hockey fans an opportunity to tune into their favorite team with a simple Internet connection. The subscription-based service gives fans an all-access pass to watch live games for the entire season or on a pay-per-view basis, as well as access to live game audio, archived games and video highlights and features. This exclusive service is the only way fans can watch live games online, where the viewing experience expands the reach of the AHL to a global audience.

Fans will be able to register for Free Preview Night on ahllive.com beginning at 6:00 AM ET on Sunday morning, December 14th. This all access viewing gives fans the availability to watch any or all of Sunday’s eight games:

Hamilton Bulldogs (MTL) at Toronto Marlies (TOR), 4:00 ET
Manchester Monarchs (LA) at Providence Bruins (BOS), 4:05 ET
Hartford Wolf Pack (NYR) at Worcester Sharks (SJ), 4:05 ET
Portland Pirates (BUF) at Albany River Rats (CAR), 5:00 ET
Peoria Rivermen (STL) at Lake Erie Monsters (COL), 5:00 ET
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (PIT) at Philadelphia Phantoms (PHI), 5:05 ET
San Antonio Rampage (PHX) at Chicago Wolves (ATL), 6:00 ET
Syracuse Crunch (CBJ) at Rochester Americans (FLA), 6:05 ET

For more information, visit ahllive.com.

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