Luckily, Holtby can do back to backs.

(When Holtby ever becomes an NHL goaltender, his backup will probably not get much work.)

On Neuvy injured - not again!

Does half the AHL play in New York?

Off the top of my head I can think of:
Binghamton
Rochester
Syracuse
Albany
Adirondack

The Binghamton goalie had a goal last night!

Traffic last night was a ringtailed b*tch.

I left my flat in Elkridge at 4:00, normally plenty of time to get to the game, and ended up arriving late in the first frame, about the time the first fight of the game broke out between Greg Amadio and Nicolas Blanchard (5:44, 1st frame).

I finally got to my row about the time the River Rats tied the game for the first time (15:01, 1st frame), and to my seat shortly after that.

When I went to turn on my camera, much swearing ensued, as my battery was still sitting on the charger in my car.

The end of the first frame had the Bears up 2-1, with goals from Chris Bourque (assisted by Jay Beagle and Brian Helmer) and Andrew Gordon (assisted by newcomer Grant Lewis and Patrick Weller).

I headed back to my car for the battery, and finally got back to my row… you guessed it, right about the time the River Rats tied the game again, with Jonathan Paiement making his second tally of the night, this time assisted by Chris Terry and Jerome Samson.

By the end of the second frame, though, the Bears had taken control of the game. The 2-2 tie became a 4-2 lead for Hershey when Keith Aucoin (assisted by Alexandre Giroux) and Michael Dubuc (assisted by Boyd Kane and Andrew Joudrey) both tallied goals for the Bears.

I resolved to be in my seat well before the beginning of the third frame, and so I was.

I have to admit that my phone call Friday afternoon to the Giant Center box office netted me a terrific seat. I was in section 119, row D, about two seats away from the tunnel where the Bears entered and exited the arena. About the only disadvantage was having to shoot through the glass and around the corner brace.

Action exploded in the third frame, with the Bears scoring four times (Kane, Giroux, Aucoin, and newcomer Ashton Rome each beat River Rat goaltender Mike Morrison), but the real fun was the bench-clearing brawl.

For a game that had seen only seven penalties prior to the third frame, this was amusing:

3 – HER Wellar, 4:56 – Hooking , 2 min (PP)

3 – ALB FitzGerald, 9:33 – Hooking , 2 min (PP)

3 – ALB Bowman, 11:11 – Fighting , 5 min
3 – HER Bouchard, 11:11 – Fighting , 5 min

3 – ALB Angelidis, 11:57 – Roughing , 2 min
3 – ALB Blanchard, 11:57 – Fighting , 5 min
3 – ALB Blanchard, 11:57 – Game misconduct – Persisting a fight (47.5), 10 min
3 – ALB FitzGerald, 11:57 – Elbowing , 2 min (PP)
3 – ALB FitzGerald, 11:57 – Fighting , 5 min
3 – ALB FitzGerald, 11:57 – Game misconduct – Secondary altercation (47.6), 10 min
3 – ALB Goertzen, 11:57 – Misconduct – Abuse of officials (40.4), 10 min
3 – HER Kane, 11:57 – Fighting , 5 min
3 – HER Kane, 11:57 – Game misconduct – Persisting a fight (47.5), 10 min
3 – HER Wellar, 11:57 – Fighting , 5 min
3 – HER Wellar, 11:57 – Game misconduct – Secondary altercation (47.6), 10 min
3 – HER Wilson, 11:57 – Roughing , 2 min

3 – HER Amadio, 14:30 – Boarding , 2 min (PP)
3 – ALB Osala, 14:39 – Charging , 2 min (PP)
3 – ALB Samson, 17:33 – Misconduct , 10 min
3 – ALB Borer, 19:24 – Fighting , 5 min
3 – HER Dubuc, 19:24 – Fighting , 5 min

I thought Bouchard being called for roughing when he was already in the box for the fight (#AnnouncerFail!) was highly amusing, and so, apparently, did he, giving a confused look and a shrug to the laughing crowd.

I did not get to see much of Michal Neuvirth’s first-period performance, due to my late arrival, and did not see what happened to injure him again (though rumor has it he got squished in a scrum by the goal). Braden Holtby came in for the second and third frames, and acquitted himself admirably, allowing only one goal on the 14 shots he faced (.928 SV%).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GIfvfV0P5o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNLNMPcvy2E (Fight starts ~2:25 in)