Just getting settled in here at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, where honestly it's just nice to be inside. A howling wind accompanied by almost three inches of snow (and it's still coming down) is what we've been enduring all day today, so it will be nice to get back to the relative warmth of central PA tomorrow for the Philadelphia game.
Here's what's happening tonight as the Bears prepare to do battle with the Amerks, the 434th time these two teams have met in regular season play:
-Leading off tonight is news from Albany, and it's good news. Albany broadcaster John Hennessy was released from a Pittsfield, MA hospital today, and three of the four players admitted to the hospital after yesterday morning's bus crash have also been released. The River Rats were scheduled to play the Bridgeport Sound Tigers this evening and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday. Both of those games have been postponed to March, which means the Rats will take the ice again Wednesday night in Bridgeport at the Arena at Harbor Yard. In an event that could have been so much more tragic, we across the AHL are very thankful today.
-In another "hockey is secondary" story on this Friday, tonight's referee here at Blue Cross Arena is Jeff Smith. Smitty, his wife and two young children were to have been passengers on Continental flight 3407 that crashed last week about 60 miles west of where we are tonight. His children probably saved his life and their own, because they would have been separated on an overbooked flight out of Newark. They were changed to another flight, and landed safely in Buffalo just minutes after the crash near Clarence Center. It's always good to see Smitty doing a Hershey Bears game, because he's one of the best in our league. It's especially good to see him here tonight.
-It will be Daren Machesney making the start for the Bears Friday. Cheese will be in search of his 16th win of the season against a team he defeated 8-3 back on October 26. Only the Springfield Falcons have fewer wins this season than Rochester, who has just 20 in 56 games in 2008-09.
-The Bears are a bit of a banged up crew this evening. Kip Brennan is out with a concussion after taking a hit from Jon Mirasty on Monday in Syracuse. Good chance he'll be out Saturday against Philadelphia as well. Patrick McNeill left Monday's game due to injury, and did not make the trip to western New York. Darren Reid, Quintin Laing, Greg Amadio, and Grant McNeill are also out due to injury. But Bob Woods said on his pregame radio show with me that G-Mac might make his return to the lineup Saturday against Philadelphia.
-Rochester's attendance has fallen through the floor this season, averaging only 3,889 per game this season here at BCA. I've been told quietly by several people here that the actual attendance on any given night is significantly lower than that. Here's to hoping that the Amerks rebound off the ice, this is too proud and historic a franchise to be struggling this much.
-Keith Aucoin notched his 70th point of the season Monday in Syracuse. He continues to lead the league in scoring, as he has every day since opening night. Alexandre Giroux is second in the league with 64 entering play Friday. Hartford's Pierre Parenteau is third in the league with 60.
-More Giroux: Big G has 222 shots on goal this season, far and away the most in the AHL. Not bad for a guy in the NHL for part of the season! Second in the league is Quad City's Kyle Greentree, with merely 187. Chris Bourque is fourth in the league in shots coming into tonight's game with 182.
-In the lifetime series, the Bears are 200-180-53 all time against Rochester. |
