Game Preview: Adirondack @ Hershey

The Bears kick off a four-game homestand, hosting the Phantoms tonight for the eighth and final match-up of the season's series.  Hershey has taken four of the seven games this season.  The Bears continue to defend their 24-game home winning streak, with the last loss on Giant Center ice coming at the hands of Adirondack on Nov. 28.  The Chocolate and White look to earn their franchise-record 54th win of the 2009-2010 campaign, currently sitting four wins shy of the AHL record.  

The Phantoms are 2-6-1-1 in their last 10 games and have lost three straight games.  David Laliberte and Jon Matsumoto each show six points in seven games against the Bears this season (2-4-6).  Patrick Maroon has posted six points in six contests (1-5-6).  The Phantoms show just 172 goals for on the season, 129 goals behind Hershey's league-leading 301.  Matsumoto paces Adirondack with 53 points (24-29-53). 
  

TEAM RECORDS

  


Hershey:  53-13-0-3, 109 points
(1st place in East Division, 1st place in Eastern Conference) 





Adirondack:  30-34-3-3, 66 points
(6th place in East Division, 13th place in Eastern Conference)

HOW THE BEARS AND PHANTOMS MATCH UP

2009-2010 HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORDS 
Hershey:  4-2-0-1 
Adirondack:  3-3-1-0

2008-2009 HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORDS  
Hershey:  8-2-0-2 
Adirondack:  4-7-1-0

THE LAST FIVE YEARS  
Hershey:  36-11-2-6 
Adirondack:  19-33-2-1

THE 2009-2010 SEASON SERIES  
Oct. 16:  Hershey @ Adirondack-- PHANTOMS 2, Bears 1
Nov. 27:  Hershey @ Adirondack-- BEARS 5, Phantoms 1
Nov. 28:  Adirondack @ Hershey-- PHANTOMS 5, Bears 4 (shootout)
Jan. 3:  Adirondack @ Hershey-- BEARS 4, Phantoms 1
Feb. 19:  Hershey @ Adirondack-- PHANTOMS 5, Bears 3
March 7:  Adirondack @ Hershey-- BEARS 4, Phantoms 2
March 12:  Hershey @ Adirondack-- BEARS 5, Phantoms 4 (overtime)

Keith Aucoin has posted eight points in six games against the Phantoms this season (3-5-8).  Bryan Helmer shows six points in six games (2-4-6), while Alexandre Giroux has notched four goals in five tilts (4-2-6).  

BEARS BY THE NUMBERS

ON THE OFFENSIVE
Keith Aucoin (34-55-89) and Alexandre Giroux (37-52-89) continue to vie for the AHL's scoring lead, now both showing 89 points this season.   Aucoin maintains his league lead in game-winning goals with 10 on the season.  Notching a goal on the man advantage last night, Andrew Gordon ranks second in power play goals with 16 and eighth in overall scoring (34-32-66).  Bourque has found the score sheet in three straight and eight of his last nine games.  Kyle Wilson is riding a four-game point streak, while Jay Beagle and Gordon have both found the score sheet in three consecutive contests.  The Bears own six of the top 10 spots in plus/minus.  

GOALTENDING
Jason Bacashihua earned his 10th straight win in net and his 15th overall in 19 starts Saturday night.  He shows a shootout loss in his only start against Adirondack this season.  Braden Holtby suffered a loss in his only start against the Phantoms.  
  
A STRONG CASE FOR THE DEFENSE
Grant Lewis added another assist in last night's win.  Bryan Helmer was a healthy scratch in Syracuse but still ranks fifth among defensemen and seventh overall in plus/minus at +30.  The Bears have allowed the second fewest goals against (171 in 69 games), trailing only the Hamilton Bulldogs in that category (160 in 70 games). 

SPECIAL TEAMS
Including two power play goals in four chances last night, the Chocolate and White have had a 22% conversion rate on the man advantage this season, the best power play in the AHL.  Hershey owns a league-leading 88.4% success rate and shows 16 shorthanded goals.  Steve Pinizzotto is tied for first in the league in that category with five on the season.  Boyd Kane sits in fourth with four shorties, while Andrew Joudrey boasts three. 

HERSHEY'S RECORD
In March:  7-1-0-1
At home:  29-3-0-2
On Sundays:  14-2-0-0

Opening faceoff between the Bears and Phantoms is slated for 5:00 p.m.  John Walton's call of the game is available on WQIC 100.1 FM or sportsjuice.com beginning at 4:40 p.m.