outing,despite another loss in the Chocolate city.In the four years since the Devils bought the Lowell team and renamed them,they have never won in Hershey.
Last night was no different as a late second period burst by the Bears was then followed by a fast start to the final period in a 5-2 Hershey win.
The Devils scored goals by Patrick Davis (13) and Matt Cohen (1) for their tallies for the evening.
Most of the Devils that I wanted to see played with the exception of Matt Halischuk,who was a
scratch.Matt Corrente,Tyler Eckford,Alexander Vasyunov,Nick Palmieri, and after missing last years game in Hershey,Jeff Frazee in net.The evening was a mixed bag for those players as Frazee left the game after allowing his fifth goal,but I didn't think that his night was as bad as his goals allowed show.
Frazee made some excellent stops,but his defense didn't help him much during the flurry of Hershey goals as an inability to keep the active Bears out of the Lowell zone overwhelmed the Devil defense and as a result Frazee.
Eckford made a few mistakes,one major one that cost Frazee a goal when his whiff of a clear left the puck laying in front of net with two Bears camped out in front of it.
That was a goal that you knew was coming as soon as you saw that scenario!
Palmieri was physical and had four shots on the evening,but only one was anything more than an average save by Hershey goalie Braden Holtby,while Vasyunov was quiet all game to the point of wondering where he was.
It wasn't until I saw the scoresheet that I saw he had five shots on net!
But the Devils that I was most impressed with was Matt Corrente,despite a -2 on the evening.
Last season's game in Hershey saw Corrente pound Steve Pinizzotto in a fight that helped salvage the evening,but tonight was the rematch and I didn't even realize that Corrente kicked the same ass again until the youtube below.
Pinizzotto was being a pest up and down the ice and wiped out Tim Sestito out on the same shift with two hard hits.
Clean hits,but hard and the Devils needed to stop that very quickly.
Corrente did that with ease in the rematch seconds after the second slam into the boards of Sestito.
You make the call...
I would like to see Corrente continue to mature his defensive game in Lowell for at least some of next season,but when he is ready-look out New Jersey!
The game was a sellout,despite some empty seats,but there really is no such thing as a bad seat in the 10,000 seat Giant Center.
We waited until a few days before to get tickets,so we sat on the last row of the upper section,but saw everything going on and very well to boot.
It was dollar dog night,so the Bears try to offer the occasional bargain.
The dogs weren't anything to brag about,but they didn't have red stripes on them,so
that was a good start!The Hershey fans are good hockey fans that know the game,although I do wonder if attendance would fall slightly if the Capitals changed their type of team from over aged non-prospects such as Keith Aucoin, Alexander Giroux,Chris Bourque,Bryan Helmer etc that are able to excel at the AHL level,but have little to zero chance of ever being a contributor to an NHL team.
Lowell will always have a difficult time competing with Hershey when you look at the differing philosophy of the parent clubs.Hershey's winning ways are more important to Washington than developing players,while the Devils prefer to concentrate on preparing younger players to become contributors in Newark for the lead club.
That is what led the Devils to purchasing the Lowell franchise to begin with after dealing with complaints for years from Albany about a losing team.
When you own the team as the Devils own Lowell (and ECHL affiliate Trenton),you can do things how you please.
The Devils worry about Stanley Cups,Washington appears to worry about the Calder Cup as being just as important.
I was very impressed with Hershey goalie Braden Holtby in the game though.
The twenty year old was excellent in the net for the Bears and looked to be the rare exception of not being 34 years old as a Bears standout (Sarcasm,Bears fans).
I suppose that Holtby will play until Jim Hrivnak returns from injury to take command of the net.
Ok,I'll stop now for the Hershey fans....
No autographs this time as the cards that I ordered didn't arrive in time,we
were with our friends and the wind was pretty brutal.I wasn't standing in that or subjecting anyone to the elements,I'll drop them in the mail and see the response.
Another great evening,despite the expected result.
Thanks to my ladies in red- the lovely Cherie and wonderful Rachel for putting up with my passion and thanks to our friends Corey and Krista Cunningham for coming up along.
Hopefully,we gained two Devils fans despite the loss!
Back later with Part one of our latest interview!
Photo Credits-Cherie and Rachel Heimberger
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