AHL Showcase- It is almost the holidays but that is not what created the festive atmosphere at Verizon Center last night. The ice was down and ready for a hockey game in Washington, DC. The Hershey Bears vs the Norfolk Admirals in the AHL Showcase was on tap for a sold out crowd of 18,506. Braden Holtby and Dmitry Orlov felt right at home and received huge ovations pre-game. But the comfort quickly dissipated as the first Norfolk shot of the game hit the twine over Holtby’s glove hand ten seconds into the game. Brandon McMillan launched a shot with a defenseman in front just inside the blue line that eluded Holtby. Both teams exchanged powerplays but came up empty through the middle of the first period.  At 13:54 Evan Barlow received a cross ice pass and buried it top right against Anderson to tie the game at 1.The period finished with an Admirals power play which gave some sustained pressure in the Hershey zone but Holtby stood strong until the horn.

The second period opened with some more back in forth play. Chances were pretty even at both ends of the ice but the teams started to get chippy after the whistle. The Bears and Admirals powerplay had yet to strike in a combined 10 attempts. The second period ended with Hershey having a one shot lead with a total of 20. The Bears were without Dmitry Orlov who suffered an upper body injury in the first period and would not return to the game.

          The Bears got an early power play in the third on an Admirals cross checking penalty. This seemed to help Hershey set the tone early in the third. Play seemed to even out 5 on 5 with some rushes both ways. At 4:26 into the third period Ryan Potulny potted one in the back of the net to give the Bears a 2-1 lead. It was a shot from low in the circle that beat Anderson high. The Bears ended up with another powerplay midway through the stanza but just couldn’t break the powerplay drought. The Admirals started to apply pressure on Hershey but then a late penalty by Norfolk slowed that effort. Norfolk got Anderson to the bench and had a great chance with 20 seconds remaining on the clock but Holtby was square and swallowed it up. One last faceoff and the victory was sealed. Ryan Potulny earned first star honors with the game wining goal and Evan Barlow followed as the second star with his first period tally. Holtby earned the third star with 26 saves on 27 shots on the night. The Bears tallied 30 shots to Norfolk’s 27 in the game. Neither team could take advantage of the man advantage as Hershey went 0 for 8 and Norfolk 0 for 6. A very entertaining game was played for all the hockey starved fans in DC and they appreciated it greatly. The building was pretty loud for being of mixed company and Bears chants could be heard throughout the game.

Has it really come to this? Word is the NHL Winter Classic will be cancelled today. In my opinion this will be a huge blow to the casual hockey fan. The NHL was building a great following by introducing others to the game via the Winter Classic every New Year’s Day. I am already gripping the truth that I feel the season is lost but with the cancellation of the NHL Winter Classic I feel the final nail in the coffin will be struck. Throw the dirt on the grave. The season will be dead. I just can’t believe it has come to this. Thank our lucky stars we live near an AHL team and incredibly get our own Winter Classic this year. Imagine what it would be like with out both?

Old Barn Brock

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I can’t wait until I get to the Giant Center on Saturday. I feel like I have been missing half of my family for months. The truth is I have.

It has been far too long since I have walked into the media entrance to have Pete open the door and greet us with that jolly “Hello” and “Look it’s the whole gang!”  It is always then a greeting by Carol and Steve. Steve always wants to see what jersey I brought to wear that night. He loves to hear the stories of how I acquired the jersey or to see who it is. Then it is a step into the elevator to see Sandy. Sandy typically has a small treat for Gabby and sometimes gets a hug. Sandy always asks how the whole family is and what we were up to earlier in the day. We make a quick stop on the press floor to say hello to friends and peers and then onto the main concourse. Bill greets us as we come into the bustling lobby. Bill has greeted me for 25 years as he was also the usher who tore my tickets as a season ticket holder at the Old Barn. He always gets a handshake from me and one from “his girlfriend” as he calls Gabby. From there it is a stop at the Bears Quebec table to say hi to Fran, Lori, and Mat. Always a quick conversation as they are busy but great to see them nonetheless. I will then take my stroll of the concourse seeing new and old Bears fans I have gotten to know over the years: Terry, Black Betty, the old section 25 crew, Kirk, and so many more. Then it is time to tackle the steps down into 102. A hello to the Mathers Family is usually first on the list. Numerous greetings left and right as we descend the flight of stairs to Row E. Also a wave to some of my old seat friends in 105 as we come down. Then it gets even more serious. If the people mentioned before were family, they were the cousins, uncles, aunts, etc. When we reach our rows in 102 it becomes the brothers, sisters, and mom and dad. The people that sit around us in 102 Row E know the game and the tradition in Hershey. While many of them in this specific area aren’t Old Barn converts, they still live for the Chocolate and White. These are my Bears Fanily. We live and die together depending on what unfolds on the ice before us. I have blood family that sits with me and shares in this sport too but blood isn’t what binds most of us together here. (Unless that blood is shed on the ice.) We agree on things. We disagree on things. We buy each other gifts. We share food with each other. My Fanily is the reason I arrive at the games so early. Warm-ups are great too but I need to make sure I greet my Bears Fanily before the players hit the ice to get their legs going. I am sure season ticket holders all over the building have very similar experiences. You just have to substitute the names to fit your story. Did you know Hershey has the earliest door open time before games of anyone in the AHL? The season ticket holders need their time to catch up before the game! This is all what makes being a Hershey Bears fan so amazing. I can’t wait to visit with my Fanily this weekend and watch some hockey.

Old Barn Brock