Point/Counterpoint: What to expect when you’re expecting a 48-game season

By Bob H
Posted on 01/08/2013 at 1:00 pm

Welcome to the newest edition of “Point/Counterpoint,” where a pair of Flyers Faithful scribes present both sides of one particular issue with their own unique view and flair. This week, Nick D. and Bob H. renew their Laurel and Hardy act, trading barbs on what exactly fans will see once the NHL agrees to a fixed number of games to complete the truncated 2012-13 season. Point, Nick: Nail-biting white-knuckling, heart-attack-inducing intensity. Every game, every minute, every point will be huge. Anything can happen. Basically what you can expect is all around great hockey every single night and since it is NHL …

Flyers prospect Stolarz leaving college

By Bob H
Posted on 01/07/2013 at 3:30 pm

Jackson, New Jersey’s own, Anthony Stolarz, has decided to depart the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he is expected to play in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights. “I’m obviously disappointed by Anthony’s decision,” said UNO head coach Dean Blais in a statement issued Monday afternoon. “He has been making a very challenging transition from the North American Hockey League to the WCHA, and we, as coaches, saw good progress from him in the first half of the season. But ultimately, it’s his decision where he wants to play, and we wish him the best in the next chapter …

Trenton’s Noebels named ECHL Rookie of the Month

By Bob H
Posted on 01/03/2013 at 12:15 pm

Trenton Titans forward and recent Adirondack Phantoms call-up Marcel Noebels has been named the ECHL’s Rookie of the Month for December. The 20-year-old native of Germany tallied nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 14 games last month helping the Titans go 7-4-3. Noebels tallied at least one point in 12 of 14 games during December, and recorded five multi-point games, including four points (3G, 1A) in a 7-6 win against Elmira on December 1, three points (1G, 2A) in a 5-2 win at Fort Wayne on December 22 and three assists in a highly-contentious 5-4 loss at …

Pair of Royals selected to start ECHL All-Star Game

By Bob H
Posted on 01/02/2013 at 3:45 pm

Two members of a local minor-league hockey club have been selected to start in their league’s All-Star Game. They’re not Trenton Titans, but Reading Royals. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer and defenseman Denny Urban got the nod on Wednesday to take the ice first in the league’s mid-point competition for bragging rights on January 23 at Loveland, Colorado. Since being sent down from Hershey of the American Hockey League in late October, Grubauer has ignited his club’s rise to the top of the league standings by going 18-4-1 with a 2.28 goals-against average, .912 save percentage in 24 appearances. The 21-year-old native …

Preserving the tradition in Glens Falls

By Bob H
Posted on 01/01/2013 at 8:00 pm

Glens Falls, New York is a great little town, and a great little hockey town with a long tradition of welcoming those who play and those who support the sport. That’s why some of us inveterate hockey nerds who would ordinarily have nothing else to do on a stormy weekend, would drive five hours into the teeth of the snow belt, then stay an extra night because they didn’t want to chance a 10-hour drive back through what is considered by locals to be “light” snow. But the hamlet located just South and East of the Adirondack Mountains which is …

Second-period burst sends rested Bruins past Phantoms

By Bob H
Posted on 12/28/2012 at 10:00 pm

Niklas Svedberg stopped 43-of-45 shots, as the Adirondack Phantoms were denied their chance at a season-high winning streak thanks to a 4-2 setback against the Providence Bruins at a packed Glens Falls Civic Center on Friday night. Lane MacDermid and Jordan Caron scored within a span of 3:31 in the second period, while Chris Bourque added an insurance tally for the Baby B’s (16-10-2), who had the luxury of a day’s rest since their Thursday game in Portland was cancelled due to weather. Making his second start in the last three games, Cal Heeter allowed three goals on 35 shots …

This Week in Flyers History 12/23-31

By Bob H
Posted on 12/26/2012 at 8:00 am

Welcome to the final installment of the second series of “This Week in Flyers History,” which aims to dredge up old memories, good and bad, of Flyers feats in the recent to distant past and to provide good fodder for trivia buffs. Thanks to all who followed this year-long journey but now we have to move on, dreaming up bigger and better things. We hope you’ve learned a lot and been entertained as well. December 23, 1979: Flyers 4, Whalers 2 – “The Streak” rolls on, 30 games strong now, as Brian Propp scores two goals and the Philly defense …

Reading the tea leaves in Reading

By Bob H
Posted on 12/25/2012 at 12:00 pm

As the Reading Royals and Gwinnett Gladiators battled for first place in the Eastern Conference standings in Berks County, 6,345 fans moved through the turnstiles at Sovereign Center to witness the hosts whip the best squad in the Southern Division. That wasn’t for one game. That was the entire weekend, which featured two wins by the home side by a 10-5 count. So who are the Purple and Black saluting exactly as they make their way up the standings? Situated literally on the “other side of the tracks” from the main attractions in the center of town, the Royals’ one …

Double fantasy: Royals beat Gladiators again for weekend sweep

By Bob H
Posted on 12/22/2012 at 10:00 pm

If the prospect of the two best teams in the entire Eastern Conference of the ECHL isn’t enough to restore your faith in the relevance of minor-league hockey, I don’t know what to tell you. In front of a crowd announced as 3,482 but which seemed much more vocal than that, the Reading Royals and Gwinnett Gladiators tussled for a second consecutive night, with the hosts coming away with a 6-3 victory and weekend sweep. David Marshall scored twice, Kirk MacDonald added a goal with two helpers, Adam Comrie and Ethan Cox chimed in with a score and assist each, …

Games cancelled through January 14; NHL’s fiscal cliff approaching

By Bob H
Posted on 12/20/2012 at 4:07 pm

More bad news on Day 96 of the lockout: the National Hockey League announced on Thursday the cancellation of its regular-season schedule through January 14. That brings the total number of contests lost to the lockout that started September 16 to 625 — more than one half of all games originally planned. For the Flyers, there goes their entire Holiday road trip, which was provisionally set to begin on December 31 in Phoenix. But that one, along with contests in Los Angeles on January 3, San Jose on January 5, and in Vancouver one day later have been deleted. Also …

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