By Al Alven
(Special note: Due to logistics, the AHL South Report will be published on a bi-weekly basis from this point on. Thank you to everyone who has supported the report in its first few weeks of existence!)
Last night, the South Division’s own Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins helped the AHL kick off its 66th season as the team squared off against the St. John’s Maple Leafs in the league opener. It was an emotional night at the First Union Arena in Wilkes-Barre, as the Penguins raised their Western Conference championship banner and honored the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks with a moving pre-game ceremony.
In the end, before a sell-out crowd of 8,143, the Leafs wound up escaping with a 6-4 victory on the road. The visitors displayed a very balanced team effort, receiving goals from six different players: Doug Doull, Petr Svoboda, Luca Cereda, Paul Healy, Donald MacLean and Bobby House (empty net). The Pens got a pair of goals from Billy Tibbetts and one each from Alexander Zevakhin and Ross Lupaschuk.
Leafs goaltender Mike Minard was named the game’s first star after stopping 28 of 32 shots, 14 of which came in the third period. Veteran Robbie Tallas was unspectacular for the Pens, allowing five goals on 29 shots.
Tonight, the Philadelphia Phantoms and Norfolk Admirals will kick off their respective seasons as well. The Hershey Bears are set to debut on Sunday (see bottom of article for game listings). With this is mind, the following is a brief look at each of the South Division’s four teams as they prepare to enter the 2001-02 AHL season…
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
NHL Affiliate: Pittsburgh Penguins
Other Affiliations: Wheeling Nailers (ECHL)
Head Coach: Glenn Patrick (3rd season)
General Manager: Craig Patrick (3rd season)
2000-01 Record: 36-33-9-2 (83 points)
Outlook: From the outset, this is clearly not the same Penguins team that went to the Calder Cup Finals last season. In fact, the team will return only one defenseman (Brendan Buckley) from last year’s squad. However, the additions of Ross Lupaschuk and Brooks Orpik, both picked up in the Jaromir Jagr deal, should pay dividends on the blueline. The promotion of Milan Kraft to Pittsburgh hurts, but Eric Meloche, Tom Kostopoulos and Martin Sonnenberg should provide their fair share of offense. Veteran goaltender Robbie Tallas, a perennial NHL backup, could be an elite goaltender at the AHL level. Sebastien Caron was unspectacular in his rookie season last year, but he should prove to be an at least an adequate backup.
Roster: Goaltenders
Sebastien Caron, Joel Laing, Robbie Tallas
Defensemen
Brendan Buckley, David Koci, Ross Lupaschuck, Brooks Orpik, Shaun Peet, Peter Ratchuck, Darcy Robinson, Robert Scuderi
Forwards
Robert Dome, Jan Fadrny, Dylan Gyori, Tom Kostopoulos, Jason MacDonald, Alexandre Mathieu, Eric Meloche, Steve Parsons, Michal Sivek, Martin Sonnenberg, Tomas Surovy, Billy Tibbetts, Darcy Verot, Alexander Zevakhin.
Hershey Bears
NHL Affiliate: Colorado Avalanche
Other Affiliations: None
Head Coach: Mike Foligno (4th season)
General Manager: Doug Yingst
2000-01 Record: 34-39-4-3 (75 points)
Outlook: Nostalgia will reign in Chocolatetown this season, for this will be the Bears’ last campaign at the historic 65-year-old Hersheypark Arena. At the end of the season, the oldest pro hockey arena in North America will give way to the new $75 million Giant Center. No doubt, the Bears’ brass will make every attempt to close the 66 year old hockey temple on a positive note. Veterans Kelly Fairchild, Larry Courville and Matt Herr lead a solid offensive unit that also boasts promising newcomers Jordan Krestanovich, Mikhail Kuleshov and Radim Vrbata. AHL veteran Dave MacIssac will bolster an impressive defensive unit that also includes Brad Norton, Jeff Paul, and Alex Riazantsev. In addition, The goaltending tandem of Phil Sauve and Frederic Cassivi is simply one of the best in the league.
Roster:
Goaltenders
Andrew Allen, Frederic Cassivi, Phil Sauve
Defensemen
Sanny Lindstrom, Dave MacIsaac, Bryan Muir, Brad Norton, Jeff Paul, Alex Riazantsev, Matt Scorsune, Brent Thompson
Forwards
Yuri Babenko, Mike Cirillo, Larry Courville, Jeff Daw, Kelly Fairchild, Riku Hahl, Matt Herr, Jordan Krestanovich, Mikhail Kuleshov, Evgeny Lazarev, Steve Moore, Rocky Thompson, K.C. Timmons, Radim Vrbata
Norfolk Admirals
NHL Affiliate: Chicago Blackhawks
Other Affiliations: Jackson Bandits (ECHL)
Head Coach: Trent Yawney (2nd season)
General Manager: Al MacIsaac (2nd season)
2000-01 Record: 36-26-13-5 (90 points)
Outlook: Expect plenty of goals from the Admirals this season, but don’t expect great defense. The addition of Peter White, one of the top scorers in AHL history, will provide the team with plenty of firepower. Casey Hankinson will also supply some offense, and rugged winger Shawn Thornton will help in the grit department. On the defensive side, Nolan Baumgartner and Chris McAlpine (a veteran of 228 NHL games) will be expected to step up in the absence of departures Marty Wilford and Jeff Paul. The biggest difficulty for Norfolk, however, could be in goal. The unexperienced rookie tandem of Craig Andersson and Michael Leighton will replace veterans Michel Larocque and Jeff Maund as the team’s last line of defense.
Roster:
Goaltenders
Craig Andersson, Michael Leighton
Defenceman
Nolan Baumgartner, Vladimir Chebaturkin, Kevin Dean, Kent Huskins, Chris McAlpine, Rumun Ndur, Dmitri Tolkunov
Forwards
Syl Apps III, Tyler Arnason, Ajay Baines, Casey Hankinson, Matt Henderson, Ty Jones, Jean-Yves Leroux, Mike Peluso, Nathan Perrott, Richard Pitirri, Mike Souza, Shawn Thornton, Peter White
Philadelphia Phantoms
NHL Affiliate: Philadelphia Flyers
Other affiliations: Trenton Titans (ECHL)
Head Coach: John Stevens (2nd Season)
General Manager: Bob Clarke (6th Season)
2000-01 Record: 36-34-5-5 (82 points)
Outlook: For the first time in the team’s five-year history, the Phantoms failed to win a division title last season. The team sagged at times under first-year head coach John Stevens, but expect a turnaround this season. Top-flight AHL scorers Mark Greig and Mark Freer are back. The offense should also be bolstered by the acquisition of Marty Murray, one of the heroes of last season’s Calder Cup-winning St. John Flames team. On defense, John Slaney and Brad Tiley, the last two AHL Defensemen of the Year, are about as good as it gets at this level. Between the pipes, top rookie prospect Maxime Ouellet should get his share of minutes. His backup, Neil Little, is a veteran AHLer and former Calder Cup winner who comes to play every night.
Roster:
Goaltenders
Neil Little, Maxime Ouellet
Defensemen
Jason Beckett, Joe DiPenta, Dan Peters, Francis Lessard, Bruno St. Jacques, John Slaney, Brad Tiley, Jim Vandermeer
Forwards
Craig Brunel, James Chalmers, Tomas Divisek, Mark Freer, Mark Greig, Petr Hubacek, Kirby Law, Guillaume Lefebvre, Mike Lephart, Marty Murray, Vaclav Pletka, Peter Vandermeer, Mike Watt
Upcoming Games
The following is a listing of this weekend’s games involving the four South Division teams…
Friday, Oct. 5
Worcester @ Philadelphia (First Union Spectrum, 7:05 p.m.)
Springfield @ Norfolk (Norfolk Scope, 7:30 p.m.)
Saturday, Oct. 6
Worcester @ Hershey (Hersheypark Arena, 7 p.m.)
Springfield @ Norfolk (Norfolk Scope, 7:30 p.m.)
Rochester @ WBS (First Union Arena, 7:05 p.m.)
Sunday, Oct. 7
Providence @ Hershey (Hersheypark Arena, 6 p.m.)
WBS @ Philadelphia (First Union Spectrum, 7:05 p.m.)
