Giroux, Aucoin and Gordon on a line together. Mathieu Perreault scores the game-winning goal. Kyle Wilson adds a third period goal. No, the Bears didn't play last night. But on the eve of training camp here in Chocolatetown, Hershey took center stage last night as the Bears, um, Capitals defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in overtime. Goaltender Michal Neuvirth went all the way in front of a stunning preseason crowd of 19,734, making 24 saves. The most encouraging news from this game was that the Capitals left most of its regulars at home, letting the Bears essentially face Chicago's full lineup. And the Bears made the most of it. Washington's win vaults them to 2-0 this preseason, and it's expected that roster cuts are coming with the opening of Hershey's camp set for later tonight with Mark French's team meeting before the first on-ice practice Monday morning at 10:00 a.m. Two guys on the way already are Bryan Helmer and Greg Amadio, but they're far from alone by the time Monday rolls around. But a lot of guys that are likely ticketed here certainly gave George McPhee and Bruce Boudreau some good things to look at Saturday night.
As I mentioned in my East Division preview on Friday http://tinyurl.com/nd7fyk, one of Hershey's question marks is who takes the place of Graham Mink as the team's number one right wing. I thought it interesting, if not entirely unexpected, that Andrew Gordon got the nod there Saturday in Chicago with Giroux and Aucoin. Gordo obviously has the flashiest numbers returning on the right side from a year ago, but isn't as physical as a Darren Reid perhaps. As we move toward October 3, if Giroux and Aucoin both find their way to Hershey out of camp, it will be interesting to see how Mark French and Troy Mann approach that one.
Tarik El-Bashir's write up from Saturday's game, and a story on Karl Alzner and the numbers game he faces as he tries to make the big club out of camp...
http://tinyurl.com/mstpz5
http://tinyurl.com/m4nxnn
Unless they're otherwise occupied in Washington at the NHL camp, players coming to Hershey are required to be at Giant Center this evening for equipment fitting and physicals, followed by a team meeting. Nothing tonight is open to the public (or even all that interesting except for Mark French's first address to the team), but Monday at 10:00 a.m. will feature the first practice of the season at Giant Center. Your Best Bears Coverage will also begin tomorrow, with much video coverage of the first day at Camp French. One other programming note for you: The Old Barn Hockey Show returns to the air tomorrow evening at 6:00 p.m. on 1460 The Ticket with yours truly, Frank Schofield and Michael Parks. The show is also available on demand anytime at 1460TheTicket.com for those of you who follow the boys in Chocolate and White from afar. Among our guests for Monday's show will be Bears head coach Mark French as his team opens camp.
Remember, it's a pretty quick camp this year, with all the preseason games next weekend. Friday, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are coming to town at 7:00 p.m., with Norfolk in one week from today to wrap up the preseason at 5:00 p.m. Sandwiched in-between is a game in Wilkes-Barre Township against the Penguins Saturday night. All three games will be carried on the internet via Sportsjuice.com, with full radio coverage set to begin October 3 at home against Norfolk.
