List of goalies Chris Bourque has scored on in his AHL playoff career:
1- **Philipp Grubauer- 6 Hershey
2- **Justin Peters- 4 Albany
3- **Jonathan Bernier- 3 Manchester
4- **John Curry- 2 WBS
5- Casey DeSmith- 2 WBS
6- **Tuukka Rask- 2 Providence
7- **Jeff Zatkoff- 2 WBS
8- **Adam Berkhoel- 1 WBS
9- **Antoine Bibeau- 1 Toronto
10- Alex Lyon- 1 Lehigh Valley
11- **Mike McKenna- 1 Portland
12- Martin Ouellette- 1 Lehigh Valley
13- **Carey Price- 1 Hamilton
14- **Cory Schneider- 1 Manitoba
15- **Jeremy Smith- 1 Providence
16- **Tyler Weiman- 1 Albany
Empty Net- 1
**=Played in NHL
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Friday, April 21, 2017
Gilbert's Guile A Definite Plus for Bears
By: John Sparenberg
When defenseman Tom Gilbert joined the Washington Capitals organization in a February trade from the Los Angeles Kings organization for future considerations, the move was viewed as a depth move down the road for the Capitals, who were looking to add to their roster for the playoffs should an emergency situation arise that called for a veteran like Gilbert, who has skated in more then 700 games a pro, including 655 in the National Hockey League.
But the move brought immediate relief to the Hershey Bears' blueline when Gilbert was immediately assigned to the club, adding a solid defensive presence, with an offensive touch to their young, weary defensive corps. At time of the deal, the Bears sported an impressive 25-14-8-3 record, yet a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs was anything but solidified, as the defense/goaltending began to buckle, in part due to the loss of minutes eating defenseman Madison Bowey to injury on December 28th. In the 20 games after Bowey went down, the Bears went a respectable 8-8-3-1, but at one point won only once in 10 outings, getting outscored 47-24 in the process.
"It was a good opportunity for me out in LA, but it just didn’t work out. When things don’t work out, just getting out there is probably the best thing any player can do. Landing a spot in this organization, and Washington is obviously number one in the league, and Hershey was I think 6th in this league (at the time of the trade). To get a chance to maybe get an opportunity to play up there, or play down here for a minor league team that was doing really well was really a no-brainer for me, and the trade worked out really well", said Gilbert.
Bears bench boss Troy Mann, who has been around the game a long time, is fully aware that the needs of his club have to be in line with the needs of the parent Caps before they pull the trigger on a trade, had to be breathing a huge sigh of relief when he learned that they heard his concerns and eventually closed the deal that brought Gilbert to central Pennsylvania.
“Two of the biggest areas I was hoping we could improve on in the second half was to acquire a top-four defenseman to replace Bowey’s minutes, said Bears' bench boss, Troy Mann, earlier this month. "It’s difficult to replace a 20-25 minute defenseman on a long-term basis. You can do it on a short-term basis, but to replace a guy like that is impossible. We were hoping the Caps could address that, and they did. It took some time because it’s difficult to make trades nowadays. It’s not easy to find the right guy", said Mann, of Gilbert an 11-year pro who, prior to this season, had not played in the AHL since his rookie campaign with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the 2006-2007 season.
Mann continued, “We preferred a right-handed shot to replace Bowey (who is also a right shot). Gilbert gives us a veteran presence back there. He’s a puck mover, and that fits into how we play. He enjoys the style of hockey that we play, and he’s been great in the room with the young guys. He’s giving us some quality hockey, and he’s a real good fit.”
A new team and a new organization always brings on a learning curve, and that's true of any player, even one possessing the abundance of experience of Gilbert.
In his first six games with the Bears, the club went 3-3 and Gilbert sported a solid +/- rating of +2, but he was only able to chip in a single assist on the offensive side. However, starting with the Bears' win at Syracuse on March 3rd, a game in which he scored the first goal of the game, and continuing through the end of the regular season, in 19 games, the Minnesota native was +10, and registered 12 points (3g, 9a), as he fit smoothly into what he confirmed is unique to him, the Bears' system.
"They are very much about puck possession in every single zone, especially in the offensive zone. If we get outshot in a game it’s not a big deal, and this is the first time that I’ve been on a team like that, where they’re not forcing shots on you and for a great reason too", said Gilbert, whose last two goals of the regular season where both scored at precisely the same time, 4:49 into the scond period.
Gilbert continued, "They want us to have the puck and wear teams down and they want us to have great shots in good spots on the ice. That’s been the biggest thing, the biggest chance since I got here, and obviously as an offensive guy like me it’s great. You’re allowed to lug the puck and it gives you a better feel for the game. Yeah, there are a lot of times you could probably shoot the puck, especially coming down the stretch and this playoff run and in the playoffs, you can watch it on TV now and goals are going in from everywhere and everyone’s shooting. But, you still have to have that mentality of just holding onto the puck and trying to wear teams down."
A lot has changed in the game of hockey since Gilbert's rookie season with the baby Pens, where he was actually property of the Edmonton Oilers at the time, as the Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins shared an affilaition, and Gilbert gives a unique observation on what changes his eyes see in the AHL now, 10 years later.
"Both in the AHL in the NHL, you just see better players. I think the game has gotten faster first of all and you can see that down here. There’s plenty of guys that given the opportunity to go play up top would fit right in. The skillset down here is great, there are guys that make the exact same plays that you see up in the NHL..".
As the Bears prepare to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, there will be few surprises for either team, thanks to the clubs clashing 12 times in the regular season, and although Gilbert only played in the last three of those dozen duels, he was lightning quick offering up an answer as to what the Bears have to guard against in the series.
"That’s an easy one, it’s their transition game. They are a very offensive team and they just kind of wait for their moments. When they get it, they are fast and they know how to score goals. For us, it’s going to be about how we control the puck and where we are positionally. We can’t be just flying around the ice because this team is just waiting for a turnover and they are gone.."
When defenseman Tom Gilbert joined the Washington Capitals organization in a February trade from the Los Angeles Kings organization for future considerations, the move was viewed as a depth move down the road for the Capitals, who were looking to add to their roster for the playoffs should an emergency situation arise that called for a veteran like Gilbert, who has skated in more then 700 games a pro, including 655 in the National Hockey League.
But the move brought immediate relief to the Hershey Bears' blueline when Gilbert was immediately assigned to the club, adding a solid defensive presence, with an offensive touch to their young, weary defensive corps. At time of the deal, the Bears sported an impressive 25-14-8-3 record, yet a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs was anything but solidified, as the defense/goaltending began to buckle, in part due to the loss of minutes eating defenseman Madison Bowey to injury on December 28th. In the 20 games after Bowey went down, the Bears went a respectable 8-8-3-1, but at one point won only once in 10 outings, getting outscored 47-24 in the process.
"It was a good opportunity for me out in LA, but it just didn’t work out. When things don’t work out, just getting out there is probably the best thing any player can do. Landing a spot in this organization, and Washington is obviously number one in the league, and Hershey was I think 6th in this league (at the time of the trade). To get a chance to maybe get an opportunity to play up there, or play down here for a minor league team that was doing really well was really a no-brainer for me, and the trade worked out really well", said Gilbert.
Bears bench boss Troy Mann, who has been around the game a long time, is fully aware that the needs of his club have to be in line with the needs of the parent Caps before they pull the trigger on a trade, had to be breathing a huge sigh of relief when he learned that they heard his concerns and eventually closed the deal that brought Gilbert to central Pennsylvania.
“Two of the biggest areas I was hoping we could improve on in the second half was to acquire a top-four defenseman to replace Bowey’s minutes, said Bears' bench boss, Troy Mann, earlier this month. "It’s difficult to replace a 20-25 minute defenseman on a long-term basis. You can do it on a short-term basis, but to replace a guy like that is impossible. We were hoping the Caps could address that, and they did. It took some time because it’s difficult to make trades nowadays. It’s not easy to find the right guy", said Mann, of Gilbert an 11-year pro who, prior to this season, had not played in the AHL since his rookie campaign with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the 2006-2007 season.
Mann continued, “We preferred a right-handed shot to replace Bowey (who is also a right shot). Gilbert gives us a veteran presence back there. He’s a puck mover, and that fits into how we play. He enjoys the style of hockey that we play, and he’s been great in the room with the young guys. He’s giving us some quality hockey, and he’s a real good fit.”
A new team and a new organization always brings on a learning curve, and that's true of any player, even one possessing the abundance of experience of Gilbert.
In his first six games with the Bears, the club went 3-3 and Gilbert sported a solid +/- rating of +2, but he was only able to chip in a single assist on the offensive side. However, starting with the Bears' win at Syracuse on March 3rd, a game in which he scored the first goal of the game, and continuing through the end of the regular season, in 19 games, the Minnesota native was +10, and registered 12 points (3g, 9a), as he fit smoothly into what he confirmed is unique to him, the Bears' system.
"They are very much about puck possession in every single zone, especially in the offensive zone. If we get outshot in a game it’s not a big deal, and this is the first time that I’ve been on a team like that, where they’re not forcing shots on you and for a great reason too", said Gilbert, whose last two goals of the regular season where both scored at precisely the same time, 4:49 into the scond period.
Gilbert continued, "They want us to have the puck and wear teams down and they want us to have great shots in good spots on the ice. That’s been the biggest thing, the biggest chance since I got here, and obviously as an offensive guy like me it’s great. You’re allowed to lug the puck and it gives you a better feel for the game. Yeah, there are a lot of times you could probably shoot the puck, especially coming down the stretch and this playoff run and in the playoffs, you can watch it on TV now and goals are going in from everywhere and everyone’s shooting. But, you still have to have that mentality of just holding onto the puck and trying to wear teams down."
A lot has changed in the game of hockey since Gilbert's rookie season with the baby Pens, where he was actually property of the Edmonton Oilers at the time, as the Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins shared an affilaition, and Gilbert gives a unique observation on what changes his eyes see in the AHL now, 10 years later.
"Both in the AHL in the NHL, you just see better players. I think the game has gotten faster first of all and you can see that down here. There’s plenty of guys that given the opportunity to go play up top would fit right in. The skillset down here is great, there are guys that make the exact same plays that you see up in the NHL..".
As the Bears prepare to take on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs, there will be few surprises for either team, thanks to the clubs clashing 12 times in the regular season, and although Gilbert only played in the last three of those dozen duels, he was lightning quick offering up an answer as to what the Bears have to guard against in the series.
"That’s an easy one, it’s their transition game. They are a very offensive team and they just kind of wait for their moments. When they get it, they are fast and they know how to score goals. For us, it’s going to be about how we control the puck and where we are positionally. We can’t be just flying around the ice because this team is just waiting for a turnover and they are gone.."
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
BEARS COUNTING ON COPLEY
By John Sparenberg
As the calendar year of 2016 closed out, the Hershey Bears seemingly had little to worry about in securing a spot in the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs. Entering their New Year's Eve outing at Giant Center against the Providence Bruins, the Bears sported a spiffy 18-6-5-2 after collecting points in eight of their previous ten outings, scoring 40 goals in the process, while their goaltending duo of veteran Joe Cannata, and rookie Vitek Vanecek, allowed a very respectable 26 goals against during that ten-game span.
But the Bruins bested Vanecek and the Bears in that outing, 4-1, and that started a disturbing ten-game spiral. Including the Providence game, and during the ensuing nine contests, the Bears’ offense sputtered as they registered but 24 lamp lightings, but more concerning were the struggles of the goaltenders, who combined to be beaten 47 times in the span..
Cannata, whose save percentage was never spectacular all season long, but whose win total was inflated by an abundance of offense during most of his earlier starts, started to stop making the big saves when the club needed them most, and Vanecek, who had pretty much battled Cannata for the number one goaltending slot up until this point, started to finally experience the typical rookie struggles that were to be expected of him as he grew up in the league. All totaled, the Bears managed just one regulation win during the ten tilts and suffered six regulation losses, including a combined five costly setbacks at the hands of division foes.
With the Bears fortunes having seen their seeding in the standings head south, and their record in their last ten one-goal outings in January and February resulting in just two regulation victories in the close encounters, the winds of change began blowing with a light breeze from the South. This resulted in journeyman netminder Parker Milner, who was having an outstanding season with the Bears' ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, being summoned to Hershey as the organization attempted to alleviate the goaltending ailments from within. But after a strong start that saw Milner allow a combined six goals in his first three starts, all wins, he allowed five goals in his next two outings, a relief stint that saw him allow only one goal, but one that turned out to be the game winner, and an abbreviated start that saw him allow 4 goals in 21 minutes of action in a game the Bears eventually dropped 4-3.
So with the search renewed for a reliable netminder who could be counted on to come through and make the big save in the pivotal remaining games in this season, the light breeze became a prevailing wind, emanating from the westerly direction, specifically the "Windy City,” and the "Gateway to the West" as the Bears/Capitals reacquired former Bear, Pheonix Copley, who was playing for the Chicago Wolves and was property of the St. Louis Blues at the trading deadline.
Bears' head coach, Troy Mann, who has to be elated that the Caps answered the signs of distress from his club down on the farm as far as their goaltending situation was concerned, said he has "no inputs in trades, the organization takes care of that.”
"There’s no doubt that the communication has been wide open with the Caps. They were trying to upgrade their #3 hole, not only for us to compete in our division, but also in case of injury up top. They were talking to four or five teams, I believe, trying to get an upgrade at that position. Just happened that St. Louis was one of those teams, and that’s where he came from. As far as my input, certainly no, but I knew they were trying to upgrade the position.”
Copley, 25, is a native of North Pole, Alaska, but was born in Fairbanks for a very good reason-- there were no hospitals in North Pole, which is just outside of Fairbanks. He began his career with the Bears in the 2014-2015 season, which was also Mann's first season behind the Bears' bench as their head coach. During his strong rookie campaign in which he appeared in 26 games, probably a few more than he was intended to, he accumulated 17 victories, including posting three shutouts, and was first in the league among rookie goaltenders in save percentage and goals against average while helping the Bears to a first place finish in the East Division.
"We had Philip Grubauer that year, too, and we wanted to manage Copley’s game. We wanted to manage him and wanted him to work with Scott Murray (Hershey’s goaltending coach) as much as he could. We were going to pick his games strategically in terms of who he was going to play against, and we were able to do that for the most part. Grubauer had spent some time up in Washington, especially the second half, when they didn’t have quite the confidence in Justin Peters."
Mann continued, "So, Copley started to get a lot more game action in that second half, and he even started in the first two games of the playoffs against Worcester. We certainly had a plan of attack when the season started in October in terms of how we were going to handle him, but things ultimately changed. We were trying to do that same thing with Vanecek this year, but it just didn’t work out that way in terms of being able to manage his games the way we had hoped prior to when the season started."
During his two seasons away from the Bears, Copley primarily patrolled the pipes for the Blues' top affiliate the Chicago Wolves, but made two appearances with the Blues, including his NHL debut, a period-plus relief effort against the Nashville Predators on February 27, 2016.
The Wolves, who were the Bears' opponents in the first ever playoff game contested at Giant Center during the 2003 Calder Cup Playoffs, have had a strong Hershey flavor in their front office for years with Wendell Young, who backstopped the Bears to a perfect 12-0 post-season record when they captured the Calder Cup in 1988, continuing to serve as the clubs General Manager, and Gene Ubriaco, a Hershey legend, also continuing to serve in his longtime role as the teams Senior Advisor/Director of Hockey Operations.
However, this season that Hershey flavor became a little more intense; well, actually way more intense. when Craig Berube, who started his professional career with the Bears in the 1986-87 season, when he accumulated a career high 325 minutes in penalty minutes, which by today's standards is a career total for many players, but wasn't even enough to lead the AHL back in that era that season, took over behind the Wolves' bench as their head coach. Under Berube's watch, Copley compiled an impressive 15-6-3-1 record, which is impressive in itself, but a closer look into his numbers is even more impressive, as he allowed one goal or less in five outings, and two goals or less in 16 contests
In addition to his time spent "tending the twine" for the Wolves, Copley finally made his NHL starting debut against the Winnipeg Jets four days before his 25th birthday, and although it was in a losing effort in which he allowed five goals, he did make 24 saves, and three of his best came against former Bear Mathieu Perreault. He shouldered away a slapshot by "Perry" in the first period, used every inch of his 6'4” torso to fully extend his left pad and deny Perreault from the doorstep in the second period, and finished up the game in fine form by making a late third period glittering glove save on Perreault, who was captured on video looking into the rafters in disbelief after being denied.
"It was unfortunate we didn’t get the win, but St. Louis gave me good opportunities there, and it was a dream come true to get a start in the NHL. I’m going to build off of that and work for the next one."
As good as he has been in his AHL career, Copley has given up his shares of goals against and has the occasional bad game, but those are occupational hazards for any 'keeper, regardless of their abilities, but to his credit, he has honed his ability to put the last goal quickly behind him, at least until the next video session, and focus on preventing the next puck he sees in the game lighting the red lamp behind him.
“When you give up a goal, you really don’t want to think about it. You have to have a short memory, and realize it happened, but forget about it for the rest of the game. After the games can see what happened and see what you may have done differently and what you can improve on and you can work on that in practice. But in the heat of the game, you again have to have that short memory and move past the goals right away.”
Since coming back to the Bears, Copley has for the most part, been predictably stellar. He allowed only a single goal against in his return to the lineup in Syracuse, but, did not finish the game, leaving in the third period after going down awkwardly, apparently injured, and then being helped off the ice. That scene undoubtedly caused a lot of angst for both the Bears' organization as well as their fans, but thankfully, it turned out to not be an injury, but something that was easily explained and subsequently remedied.
"It was just a little dehydration, probably due to I think, all the travel lately. I just needed to make sure I was eating and drinking a lot of fluids. After the game that night, I just made sure I started eating fruit and veggies and regrouped."
After the Syracuse game, Copley and his new teammates boarded the team bus and travelled through the night, arriving back in Hershey in the wee hours of the morning, with a date with their bitter rivals the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on the schedule later that night. There was suspense in the air, with the question being would Copley be well enough to play in his return to Giant Center, and that question was answered with a resound yes. Copley not only played, but played exceptionally well, limiting the visitors to only a goal as the Bears triumphed 2-1 in a game that had the feel of a playoff game, which it essentially what it was for the Bears in their pursuit of a playoff spot.
"I had no doubt,” said Copley, as to whether he had any that he would not play. "The support these fans give us every night is unbelievable. I’m glad to be back here, and to win tonight made it even sweeter.”
Heading down the stretch there is little room for error, and a one-goal game whether it be a win or a loss, could have a profound effect on whether or not the Bears make the post-season. Copley will undoubtedly carry the bulk of the workload, but it's important for Mann and his staff not to overwork him, and that is going to be a delicate balance that will depend upon the standings and the balance of the schedule.
"Copley gives us the ability to win the lowest-scoring close games. When we beat Wilkes-Barre 2-1 (in Copley's first home start), that was the first time we won a 2-1 game all season, and their goalie, (Tristan) Jarry, was unbelievable. To compete in our division, we have to have solid goaltending, because when you start looking at the goalies, you see they’ve got Jarry and Casey DeSmith, who I think is also a number one with Wilkes, you’ve got Zane (McIntyre) and (Malcolm) Subban in Providence, Jaroslav Halak in Bridgeport, and (Anthony) Stolarz and Lyon in Lehigh. Those are pretty tough goal-tending match-ups for us. We play most of our games against our division, so now I think we have a very good tandem against most of those teams, and we are going to need that down the stretch.”
Mann continued, "He’s definitely going to play the majority of the games. Obviously in the three-in-three ticket, it’s very difficult to play the same goalie in all three of the games, and it’s not really the smart thing to do either,” said Mann. "Vanecek had a very good season as a first-year player that was 20 years old when the season started. He’s had a good year, and the comparison for me is Alex Lyon in Lehigh. He’s had a really solid rookie year. He’ll get some starts down the stretch here, certainly with the three-in-three. As a coaching staff, we haven’t really talked about the weeks when we don’t play three-in-three quite yet. I think it’ll all depend where we are in the standings."
As for Copley himself, asked minutes after the final buzzer of his return to Giant Center, how he looks at his current situation with the Bears, where he is unquestionably going to be the number one guy the rest of the season, and is being counted on to backstop the club to the post-season, as opposed to when he was last in Chocolatetown when he was in more of a supporting role, with limited expectations, which he ultimately surpassed.
"I’m just trying to give the guys a chance to win every time I get the nod, and I try not to think about games played or being the number one goalie. I just try to go in there and work hard and give them a chance to win."
By John Sparenberg
As the calendar year of 2016 closed out, the Hershey Bears seemingly had little to worry about in securing a spot in the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs. Entering their New Year's Eve outing at Giant Center against the Providence Bruins, the Bears sported a spiffy 18-6-5-2 after collecting points in eight of their previous ten outings, scoring 40 goals in the process, while their goaltending duo of veteran Joe Cannata, and rookie Vitek Vanecek, allowed a very respectable 26 goals against during that ten-game span.
But the Bruins bested Vanecek and the Bears in that outing, 4-1, and that started a disturbing ten-game spiral. Including the Providence game, and during the ensuing nine contests, the Bears’ offense sputtered as they registered but 24 lamp lightings, but more concerning were the struggles of the goaltenders, who combined to be beaten 47 times in the span..
Cannata, whose save percentage was never spectacular all season long, but whose win total was inflated by an abundance of offense during most of his earlier starts, started to stop making the big saves when the club needed them most, and Vanecek, who had pretty much battled Cannata for the number one goaltending slot up until this point, started to finally experience the typical rookie struggles that were to be expected of him as he grew up in the league. All totaled, the Bears managed just one regulation win during the ten tilts and suffered six regulation losses, including a combined five costly setbacks at the hands of division foes.
With the Bears fortunes having seen their seeding in the standings head south, and their record in their last ten one-goal outings in January and February resulting in just two regulation victories in the close encounters, the winds of change began blowing with a light breeze from the South. This resulted in journeyman netminder Parker Milner, who was having an outstanding season with the Bears' ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, being summoned to Hershey as the organization attempted to alleviate the goaltending ailments from within. But after a strong start that saw Milner allow a combined six goals in his first three starts, all wins, he allowed five goals in his next two outings, a relief stint that saw him allow only one goal, but one that turned out to be the game winner, and an abbreviated start that saw him allow 4 goals in 21 minutes of action in a game the Bears eventually dropped 4-3.
So with the search renewed for a reliable netminder who could be counted on to come through and make the big save in the pivotal remaining games in this season, the light breeze became a prevailing wind, emanating from the westerly direction, specifically the "Windy City,” and the "Gateway to the West" as the Bears/Capitals reacquired former Bear, Pheonix Copley, who was playing for the Chicago Wolves and was property of the St. Louis Blues at the trading deadline.
Bears' head coach, Troy Mann, who has to be elated that the Caps answered the signs of distress from his club down on the farm as far as their goaltending situation was concerned, said he has "no inputs in trades, the organization takes care of that.”
"There’s no doubt that the communication has been wide open with the Caps. They were trying to upgrade their #3 hole, not only for us to compete in our division, but also in case of injury up top. They were talking to four or five teams, I believe, trying to get an upgrade at that position. Just happened that St. Louis was one of those teams, and that’s where he came from. As far as my input, certainly no, but I knew they were trying to upgrade the position.”
Copley, 25, is a native of North Pole, Alaska, but was born in Fairbanks for a very good reason-- there were no hospitals in North Pole, which is just outside of Fairbanks. He began his career with the Bears in the 2014-2015 season, which was also Mann's first season behind the Bears' bench as their head coach. During his strong rookie campaign in which he appeared in 26 games, probably a few more than he was intended to, he accumulated 17 victories, including posting three shutouts, and was first in the league among rookie goaltenders in save percentage and goals against average while helping the Bears to a first place finish in the East Division.
"We had Philip Grubauer that year, too, and we wanted to manage Copley’s game. We wanted to manage him and wanted him to work with Scott Murray (Hershey’s goaltending coach) as much as he could. We were going to pick his games strategically in terms of who he was going to play against, and we were able to do that for the most part. Grubauer had spent some time up in Washington, especially the second half, when they didn’t have quite the confidence in Justin Peters."
Mann continued, "So, Copley started to get a lot more game action in that second half, and he even started in the first two games of the playoffs against Worcester. We certainly had a plan of attack when the season started in October in terms of how we were going to handle him, but things ultimately changed. We were trying to do that same thing with Vanecek this year, but it just didn’t work out that way in terms of being able to manage his games the way we had hoped prior to when the season started."
During his two seasons away from the Bears, Copley primarily patrolled the pipes for the Blues' top affiliate the Chicago Wolves, but made two appearances with the Blues, including his NHL debut, a period-plus relief effort against the Nashville Predators on February 27, 2016.
The Wolves, who were the Bears' opponents in the first ever playoff game contested at Giant Center during the 2003 Calder Cup Playoffs, have had a strong Hershey flavor in their front office for years with Wendell Young, who backstopped the Bears to a perfect 12-0 post-season record when they captured the Calder Cup in 1988, continuing to serve as the clubs General Manager, and Gene Ubriaco, a Hershey legend, also continuing to serve in his longtime role as the teams Senior Advisor/Director of Hockey Operations.
However, this season that Hershey flavor became a little more intense; well, actually way more intense. when Craig Berube, who started his professional career with the Bears in the 1986-87 season, when he accumulated a career high 325 minutes in penalty minutes, which by today's standards is a career total for many players, but wasn't even enough to lead the AHL back in that era that season, took over behind the Wolves' bench as their head coach. Under Berube's watch, Copley compiled an impressive 15-6-3-1 record, which is impressive in itself, but a closer look into his numbers is even more impressive, as he allowed one goal or less in five outings, and two goals or less in 16 contests
In addition to his time spent "tending the twine" for the Wolves, Copley finally made his NHL starting debut against the Winnipeg Jets four days before his 25th birthday, and although it was in a losing effort in which he allowed five goals, he did make 24 saves, and three of his best came against former Bear Mathieu Perreault. He shouldered away a slapshot by "Perry" in the first period, used every inch of his 6'4” torso to fully extend his left pad and deny Perreault from the doorstep in the second period, and finished up the game in fine form by making a late third period glittering glove save on Perreault, who was captured on video looking into the rafters in disbelief after being denied.
"It was unfortunate we didn’t get the win, but St. Louis gave me good opportunities there, and it was a dream come true to get a start in the NHL. I’m going to build off of that and work for the next one."
As good as he has been in his AHL career, Copley has given up his shares of goals against and has the occasional bad game, but those are occupational hazards for any 'keeper, regardless of their abilities, but to his credit, he has honed his ability to put the last goal quickly behind him, at least until the next video session, and focus on preventing the next puck he sees in the game lighting the red lamp behind him.
“When you give up a goal, you really don’t want to think about it. You have to have a short memory, and realize it happened, but forget about it for the rest of the game. After the games can see what happened and see what you may have done differently and what you can improve on and you can work on that in practice. But in the heat of the game, you again have to have that short memory and move past the goals right away.”
Since coming back to the Bears, Copley has for the most part, been predictably stellar. He allowed only a single goal against in his return to the lineup in Syracuse, but, did not finish the game, leaving in the third period after going down awkwardly, apparently injured, and then being helped off the ice. That scene undoubtedly caused a lot of angst for both the Bears' organization as well as their fans, but thankfully, it turned out to not be an injury, but something that was easily explained and subsequently remedied.
"It was just a little dehydration, probably due to I think, all the travel lately. I just needed to make sure I was eating and drinking a lot of fluids. After the game that night, I just made sure I started eating fruit and veggies and regrouped."
After the Syracuse game, Copley and his new teammates boarded the team bus and travelled through the night, arriving back in Hershey in the wee hours of the morning, with a date with their bitter rivals the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on the schedule later that night. There was suspense in the air, with the question being would Copley be well enough to play in his return to Giant Center, and that question was answered with a resound yes. Copley not only played, but played exceptionally well, limiting the visitors to only a goal as the Bears triumphed 2-1 in a game that had the feel of a playoff game, which it essentially what it was for the Bears in their pursuit of a playoff spot.
"I had no doubt,” said Copley, as to whether he had any that he would not play. "The support these fans give us every night is unbelievable. I’m glad to be back here, and to win tonight made it even sweeter.”
Heading down the stretch there is little room for error, and a one-goal game whether it be a win or a loss, could have a profound effect on whether or not the Bears make the post-season. Copley will undoubtedly carry the bulk of the workload, but it's important for Mann and his staff not to overwork him, and that is going to be a delicate balance that will depend upon the standings and the balance of the schedule.
"Copley gives us the ability to win the lowest-scoring close games. When we beat Wilkes-Barre 2-1 (in Copley's first home start), that was the first time we won a 2-1 game all season, and their goalie, (Tristan) Jarry, was unbelievable. To compete in our division, we have to have solid goaltending, because when you start looking at the goalies, you see they’ve got Jarry and Casey DeSmith, who I think is also a number one with Wilkes, you’ve got Zane (McIntyre) and (Malcolm) Subban in Providence, Jaroslav Halak in Bridgeport, and (Anthony) Stolarz and Lyon in Lehigh. Those are pretty tough goal-tending match-ups for us. We play most of our games against our division, so now I think we have a very good tandem against most of those teams, and we are going to need that down the stretch.”
Mann continued, "He’s definitely going to play the majority of the games. Obviously in the three-in-three ticket, it’s very difficult to play the same goalie in all three of the games, and it’s not really the smart thing to do either,” said Mann. "Vanecek had a very good season as a first-year player that was 20 years old when the season started. He’s had a good year, and the comparison for me is Alex Lyon in Lehigh. He’s had a really solid rookie year. He’ll get some starts down the stretch here, certainly with the three-in-three. As a coaching staff, we haven’t really talked about the weeks when we don’t play three-in-three quite yet. I think it’ll all depend where we are in the standings."
As for Copley himself, asked minutes after the final buzzer of his return to Giant Center, how he looks at his current situation with the Bears, where he is unquestionably going to be the number one guy the rest of the season, and is being counted on to backstop the club to the post-season, as opposed to when he was last in Chocolatetown when he was in more of a supporting role, with limited expectations, which he ultimately surpassed.
"I’m just trying to give the guys a chance to win every time I get the nod, and I try not to think about games played or being the number one goalie. I just try to go in there and work hard and give them a chance to win."
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