Hershey Bears may stand out for their ability, but their details are less impressive.
That attention left an impression on the Hartford Wolf Pack's interim coach Steve Smith after the Bears beat his club 4-2 in Game 2 of the Atlantic Division Finals last night. The Bears take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series into Game 3 in Hartford on Wednesday.
A big, tough team, the Bears skate well. They work hard. Above all, they play a cohesive, consistent game. Smith, who played 804 NHL games and won three Stanley Cups, came away more impressed than anything else on the board.
“They bought into the program that the coaches are selling,” Smith said. “They are very flexible on face-offs. They are very compatible with breakouts. It is a simple structure. Using a neutral position, they push the pace forward. If they have a chance to make plays, they do. Otherwise they just tuck it in the back and make your 'D'.”
Said the Wolf Pack ahead Anton Blid“They do simple things very well.”
One example is Hershey forward Ivan Miroshnichenko, who had two goals in Game 2, including a highlight-reel drive to the net for his second tally. With the Bears up 4-1 and the Hartford goalie Dylan Garand out for an extra skater with 2:37 to go by regulation, head coach Todd Nelson sent Miroshnichenko over the boards in an attempt to ice the game and score a hat trick.
Instead, Miroshnichenko took a hit on the forehead 15 seconds later and ran to the Hershey bench to get fresh help up front. Matt Strome in the snow.
“It's a very unselfish game,” Nelson said. “It's a sign of maturity.”
It's a fancy but effective way to play winning hockey, but it's a commitment to the head coach Trent VogelhuberThe Cleveland Monsters hold a 2-0 lead in the North Division Finals series.
After a 4-1 victory in Game 2 yesterday on home ice, they will head to Syracuse for Game 3 of the best-of-five series on Wednesday.
The Monsters started to get faster, and they got to those pucks in numbers. It left Vogelhuber happy with his players.
“You give yourself a chance to win those 50-50 battles because at least you're even,” Vogelhuber told reporters after Game 2 yesterday. “He puts the team down in three seasons. He saw that as the third time happened that our bodies did not waver, and now we are getting more opportunities.”
All season the Coachella Valley Firebirds have emphasized that this is not the same team that lost the Calder Cup in overtime in Game 7 last year.
Not in personnel, and not in style. These Firebirds have plenty of talent, and led the AHL with 3.50 goals per game during the regular season. But they are a tough, physical team. Sure, they can run-and-gun with any team in the AHL, but they can also grind out games if the situation calls for it.
The Ontario Reign tried to test that talking point through the first two games of the Pacific Division Finals, and the Firebirds have backed up their words so far. Ontario has a roster with some size and, more importantly, a willingness to use it, but the Firebirds have shown they can handle that type.
“I don't think it's a good thing if they think that playing with us will take us out of our game because the boys have shown that it's not,” said the Firebirds coach. Dan Bylsma he told reporters after a 5-3 win in Game 2 on Friday gave his team a 2-0 lead in the series.
“Our guys continue to find ways to win hockey games, and it's a credit to them,” Bylsma continued. “It's playoff hockey. You will find different games. There will be ups and downs. Each of our wins, they were different types of games, and we needed different things to be able to come away with a win.”
― with files from Patrick Williams
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