Game Preview: Hershey @ Adirondack

The Bears face off against the Phantoms in Glens Falls tonight for the seventh game of the season's eight-game series, the teams splitting the series at three games apiece.  The Bears have won 20 of their past 23 tilts and have already clinched a playoff berth.  A Hershey win coupled with an Albany regulation loss at Rochester tonight will guarantee the Bears the East Division title. 

The Phantoms are 3-7-0-0 in their last 10 games and have lost four straight games.  David Laliberte shows six points in six games against the Bears this season (2-4-6).  Patrick Maroon has posted five points in five contests (1-4-5).  The Phantoms show just 152 goals for on the season, 119 goals behind Hershey's 271.  Jon Matsumoto is Adirondack's leading scorer with 48 points (21-27-48). 
  

TEAM RECORDS

 


Hershey:  49-12-0-2, 100 points
(1st place in East Division, 1st place in Eastern Conference)





Adirondack:  28-32-2-2, 60 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:  3-2-0-1 
Adirondack:  3-3-0-0

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

THE LAST FIVE YEARS 
Hershey:  35-11-2-6 
Adirondack:  19-33-1-1


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


Keith Aucoin has posted seven points in five games against the Phantoms this season (3-4-7).  Bryan Helmer shows five points in five games (1-4-5), while Boyd Kane has notched four goals in six tilts (4-0-4).  

BEARS BY THE NUMBERS

ON THE OFFENSIVE
Keith Aucoin and Alexandre Giroux remain the top two scorers in the league with 84 and 81 points respectively.  Giroux and Chris Bourque have both posted points in four of the last five games.  Aucoin leads the league in game-winning goals with nine.  Andrew Gordon ranks second in the league in power play goals with 14 and 10th in overall scoring (30-31-61).  The Chocolate and White own six of the league's top 10 spots in plus/minus.  The Bears  have far and away the most goals for in the AHL with 271; Hershey averages 4.3 goals per game overall this season.

GOALTENDING
Braden Holtby shows a 19-5-1 record in 26 starts in net this season.  He owns a 2.26 GAA and 92.0% save percentage this season, ranking him sixth overall among AHL goaltenders.  Holtby shows a 5-3 loss in his only start against Adirondack this season.  Michal Neuvirth holds a 2-1 record against the Phantoms this season, with a GAA of 1.68 and a save percentage of 91.4%.

A STRONG CASE FOR THE DEFENSE
Bryan Helmer ranks ninth in the league in plus/minus ratings at +26 and is the all-time AHL leader in career assists by a defenseman with 387.  Karl Alzner is riding a three-game point streak.  He ranks seventh overall in plus/minus and fifth among defensemen with +28.  The Bears have allowed the second fewest goals in the league (149 in 63 games), trailing only the Hamilton Bulldogs (142 goals in 65 games).

SPECIAL TEAMS
The Chocolate and White have had a 22.2% conversion rate on the man advantage this season, the best power play in the AHL.  The penalty kill boasts a league-leading 88.8% success rate and shows 13 shorthanded goals.  Boyd Kane is fourth in the league with 4 shorthanded markers this season, while Steve Pinizzotto sits in ninth place with three.

HERSHEY'S RECORD
In March:  3-0-0-0
On the road:  21-9-0-0
On Fridays:  12-6-0-0  

Opening faceoff between the Bears and Phantoms is slated for 7:30 p.m.  John Walton's call of the game is available on WQIC 100.1 FM or sportsjuice.com beginning at 7:10 p.m.