We are four days into voting for our first ever SHOEY Awards and all races are still really close, especially the social media awards. There are three categories that fall under the social media awards: Tweet of the Year, Tweeter of the Year, and Social Media Champion. Three, it’s a magic number. Will that magic wear off on some of our nominees?
Yesterday we announced our first ever “SHOEY” Awards! Throughout this week, we will be breaking down each category and the nominees. The first two are Goal of the Year and Fight of the Year.
HERSHEY, PA – Dane Byers waves to the crowd after accepting his award as Hershey Bears team MVP (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
The award ceremony at the end of each regular season is normally a kick off to the playoffs for the Hershey Bears, but this season it’s a bit different. This year the Bears are out of the 2014 playoff race for time in eight seasons. Despite the disappointing end to the season, the Chocolate and White thanked the Giant Center crowd with a win Saturday night.
Michael Latta, seen here earlier in the season, had a goal during Hershey’s 5-3 loss to Norfolk Wednesday night (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
As the Hershey Bears left South Central Pennsylvania Tuesday morning for Hampton Roads Virginia, they knew they were heading down south for arguably the two biggest games of their season against the Norfolk Admirals. The Admirals were tied in points with Hershey coming into Wednesday night’s game, but Hershey had the first tiebreaker, giving them the control of their destiny, but after the game, Norfolk now controls the final spot in the Eastern Conference as they topped Hershey, 5-3.
Nate Schmidt, seen here earlier in the season, scored his first goal since opening night with Hershey on Friday night against Binghamton during the Bears’ 5-4 loss to the Senators (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
The Bears face another nearly must win situation tonight, when they face one of the best teams in the league, the Springfield Falcons. Hershey remains in control of the 8th and final playoff spot in the AHL Eastern conference, by just one point, with five games to go.
Bridgeport, CT – David Leggio celebrates Hershey’s 5-4 win with Cameron Schilling Sunday afternoon over the Sound Tigers (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
In all honesty, the intensity of a hockey team on the cusp on clinching the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs, in the season’s dying weeks is worthy of a documentary. But while the HBO Sports crew is off completing bigger and better projects, it’s now on our shoulders to recap the parade of American Hockey League events on Sunday.
The Hershey Bears entered the weekend finale with a game in hand against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Tigers were noted as a team of unknown rookies all bidding for future stays in the AHL. The Bears-Sound Tigers matinee was scheduled for a 3pm start time, as well as a game between the seventh seed Albany Devils and Adirondack Phantoms. Hershey entered play only three points back from the Devils with one less game played.
Lastly, also in Connecticut, the Hartford Wolf Pack played host to the Norfolk Admirals. Norfolk entered one point in front of Hershey for the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. It was an absolute perfect standings night for the Bears, as shortly after an entertaining 5-4 win in Bridgeport, both Albany and Norfolk fell to their respective opposition in regulation.
HERSHEY, PA – Philipp Grubauer makes a save on Devante Smith-Pelly during Hershey’s 3-2 loss to Norfolk Sunday night (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
Despite a recent slide the last few weeks, the Hershey Bears entered Sunday’s matinee against the Norfolk Admirals with a golden opportunity to reclaim a playoff spot. A win over the Admirals would put the Bears at eighth in the Eastern Conference with about a month to play.
Norfolk was held to 12 shots the entire night Saturday in Wilkes-Barre en route to a shutout loss. The Chocolate and White had 12 shots under their belt within the first period against Adirondack before cruising to a 4-1 win.
In Hershey’s 2014 St. Patrick’s Day spectacle, the Admirals squeezed past the Bears by a 3-2 final. It was a heartbreaking, regulation defeat for the Chocolate and White, which puts them four points behind eighth seed Norfolk.
HERSHEY, PA – Michael Latta joins teammates after Brandon Segal’s first period goal during Hershey’s 4-1 win over Adirondack (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
It’s has been high riding for the Hershey Bears this season against the Northeast Division, entering Saturday with an a 7-3-2-1 record in 2013-14. But Cal Heeter and the Adirondack Phantoms have haunted the Bears this season with three wins in the previous four meetings.
With the Phantoms in the Eastern Conference dungeon, their playoff chances are fading away by the second. But for the Chocolate and White, all 16 games remaining entering Saturday have the significance of playoff games. Two points removed from the eighth seeded Albany Devils, Hershey sought a needed home-ice victory.
Four different Hershey goal scorers propelled them to a 4-1 victory over the Phantoms. It was the team’s 20th win on Giant Center ice this season.
During Paul Fixter’s coaching tenure with the Hershey Bears about a decade ago, he implemented a motto, “Earned, never given.” The phrase captured the minds of his players in effort to spread the message that all positive results on the ice have to be earned, and are rarely handed over on a silver platter.
But unfortunately on Saturday night, a border-line joke of a 3-1 Norfolk Admirals win over the Hershey Bears was more on the given side.
Your highlight of the night was in the second period during a tied 1-1 hockey game. Nate Schmidt appeared to be slew footed in the Hershey offensive end and went down to the ice in a heap of pain. The Admirals’ countered down ice on a 2-on-1 rush, setting the stage for a game-winning goal by Chris Wagner at 14:18 of the period.
It was a fun game to watch on television, listen in on radio, or even follow on twitter. But most of all, it was an excellent way to end a six-game skid.
The Hershey Bears traveled to Virginia Beach and throttled the Norfolk Admirals by a 3-2 count. It was their first game played of the season at the Norfolk Scope, and it had a homecoming feel for Bears’ Head Coach Mike Haviland. Haviland was an Admirals’ assistant coach last season and the head bench boss for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns.
Dane Byers scored a third period insurance marker, which later proved to be the game-winner in a 3-2 decision. With out of town help by the Utica Comets, the Bears now stand within one point of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and three points within the division lead.