#drewbannister

By: Sam Zis, Howlings Springfield, MA – The Springfield Thunderbirds set a franchise record with their seventh straight win after defeating the visiting Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 4-2 at the MassMutual Center on Friday night.   The T-Birds started quickly. After missing a high-quality scoring opportunity in the first minute, Keean Washkurak found the back of the net just four minutes into the game. The sneaky wrister found its way past the Penguins' starting goaltender, Taylor Gauthier. A recent AHL All-Star selection Matthew Highmore continued the early offense with a power play goal halfway through the first period. Highmore caught a pass from Matthew Peca and threaded the needle with a beautiful between-the-legs play past Gauthier.  With 2:45 left in the first, the Penguins cut the lead in half with a power play goal of their own. The Thunderbirds took a controversial Too Many Men penalty, which the Penguins capitalized on off a crazy double-deflection goal that was awarded to Colin Swoyer. At the first intermission, the Penguins were outshooting the Thunderbirds 14-10, despite trailing on the scoreboard 2-1. Springfield came out of the gates hard to start the second period. The Thunderbirds dominated play and peppered Gauthier with quality shots but couldn’t solve him. The Penguins didn't get their first shot on goal in the period until a slapshot into the glove of Thunderbirds goaltender Vadim Zherenko with only 8;42 left in the second period. The Thunderbirds' domination in the second period resulted in a power play goal with 5 minutes to play in the period as American Hockey League veteran Martin Frk buried a slapshot top shelf past Gauthier for his 16th of the season. The Thunderbirds flipped the shot total on the Penguins 25-22 after 40 minutes.  The Thunderbirds aimed to defend their lead in the third period; but, the Penguins had different ideas. Only 4 minutes into the period Penguins forward Alex Nylander snipped a blast past Zherenko to cut the lead down to one. With the Penguins pressing, the Thunderbirds found themselves on their heels being forced to fend off a flurry of shots only two minutes after Nylander's goal. The physical game heated up as the period progressed. The Penguins were frustrated by their lack of scoring chances, due to a smothering defensive performance by the Thunderbirds.  The Thunderbirds sealed the deal with Peca's empty-netter with 44 seconds left in the game. After the game, T-Birds Head Coach Drew Bannister praised his leadership group and the team's hard work. Washkurak's energy and physical play were very impressive throughout the contest. Bannister described him as, “a workhorse from day one.”  The Thunderbirds look to extend their streak to eight Saturday night when they face off against the Bridgeport Islanders in the team's highly popular, "Springfield Isotopes game."  SPRINGFIELD THUNDERBIRDS HOME Read the full article

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Sam Anas tallied twice for the second straight game and posted three points. Dakota Joseph scored a late power play goal propelling the Springfield Thunderbirds to a 3-2 win past the Hartford Wolf Pack, who dropped their fifth game in their last six. Hartford (.553) held onto fourth place and have a minuscule point percentage lead over tomorrow night’s opponent, the Hershey Bears (.548) who were shut out 2-0 in Providence by the second-place Bruins. Rookie Nils Lundkvist was called for the penalty and Anas began the winning play by launching the first shot. It was stopped by Huska. Veteran James Neal got a piece of the shot and Joseph was all alone in front of the net and was able to bury his fifth of the season into the back of the net at 15:09. The defensive duo of Matt Robertson and Zac Jones were both victimized just 19 seconds into the penalty. “We had a good first period and really good in the third period. We got a good power play goal, but they got two. I don’t think we deserved five penalties.” That was as far as Head Coach Kris Knoblauch would go in his criticism of the officiating. The Pack thought they might engineer a third-period comeback scoring a power play goal of their own at 6:36. Lauri Pajuniemi returned to the lineup and uncorked a rocket of a shot for his tenth of the season into the open right side of the net. His game has been missed and his whole game impressed Knoblauch. “For a guy who has hardly played in three or four weeks (one game in the last five weeks) to not only score a goal but play a heckuva of a game was not easy for a guy to come into our lineup. Lauri was impressive for us.” Springfield was granted another early power play in the second period. A power play specialist in his playing days in Hartford, Springfield Head Coach, Drew Bannister, put out five forwards and struck gold. “Springfield has very good and dangerous players whether they have five or four forwards or not out there. There tough to defend against.” Hugh McGing and James Neal were stopped, but three times was the charm as Anas scored his second goal in two games and collected his 18th of the season. Adam Huska kept the score close with some key goaltending. At 8:40 James Neal on a breakaway took away the intended right side of the net. Then just after the goal, the Thunderbirds' Mathias Laffiere was denied and then Anthony Greco hit his third post in two games. “Adam did a good job making it only a one-goal game after 40 minutes. He played really well for us. We gave up too many odd-man rushes.” At 14:58, former Wolf Pack Josh Wesley, the son of former Hartford Whaler Glen Wesley, came from his own zone and sprung Will Bitten for a breakaway. Huska made the stop. Puck management, or lack thereof, was the culprit in a less than a sterling second period where the Pack only generated five shots. “We were atrocious. We turned the puck over way too many times at the blue line whether on the attack or defending," Knoblauch said. "Six were a direct result of turning the puck over at the blue line. Nothing had to do with defending, it was the puck management.” With 2:05 left, Springfield’s Hugh McGing was stopped on the doorstep as Huska lost his stick in the process. Defenseman Zac Jones was backchecking and assisted him in keeping the puck out. The Wolf Pack grabbed the lead as rookie Brandon Scanlin sent a blast from the point. It was blocked in front and Jones found the biscuit and sent a short pass to Patrick Khordorenko who whistled his seventh goal of the season past Charlie Lindgren for a 1-0 lead at 12:37. “Scanlin played well he played a very good game for us, kept it simple, got the puck for us played very well, has a good shot from the point. and made a nice play and it can be a bit overwhelming in playing your first game from college he played a really good game.” The big guns of Springfield came through as Joseph was down low and found Anas and he scored his 17th goal and hit the half-century mark in points in the process. Anas was on the left-wing goal line and able to have his shot in a tight area. He had eyes and eluded Huska with 3:33 left. Huska made several big stops early as the Thunderbirds had an advantage in shots. He stopped two back-to-back attempts by Hugh McGing. Mathias Laffiere is the rookie from the Montreal area and has had one goal in the first 40 games. He left Matt Robertson in the dust. He got around Huska who went for the poke check but lost that battle, however, Laffiere hit the side of the net. Nick Merkley made a nice play in his second Wolf Pack game had a solid bid for his first goal on the right-wing. He made a good move on Lindgren who reached back and just made the save and the officials reviewed and confirmed no goal. LINES Merkley-Fritz-Lorito Ronning-Greco-Khordorenko Richards-Rueschoff-Pajuniemi Taylor-Whalen-O’Leary Tinordi-Skinner Jones-Scanlin Robertson- Lundkvist Huska Kinkaid SCRATCHES Guittari Gettinger (out until next week) Girduckis Reunanen DiGiacinto (still dealing with the effects of a facial laceration, day-to-day) NOTES Aaron Luchuk's release was simply a numbers game. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings At 6’6, Tim Gettinger is hard to miss on the ice and his stock is rising as tall as he is. Gettinger, a Hartford Wolf Pack rookie left winger, has had some strong, decent numbers posting 12 points in 23 games through the first quarter of this AHL campaign. Gettinger was drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round (141st overall) in 2016. His four-game audition was a bit from left-field even for the left winger. “I was a little surprised, for sure. I was so excited, and surprised when I got the call, like really? The experience was very good for me. I really got an idea of what it will take to play at the next level. I take a lot of pride to have gotten there, but now I have more work to do to get back up there.” This past weekend the Wolf Pack had a pair of games against the AHL’s best team the Charlotte Checkers. “They're fast and skilled with the puck and without it. We realized how good they were last week. We have had a good week of practice to prepare.” The onus is on the older players to handle some scoring and assist in the growth curve for prospects as well. “It’s been great and a great group of guys on any line I’ve been on. And everyone has helped in my transition even lately when we have guys in and out of the lineup.“ Gettinger uses his size effectively and on the PP, his ability to redirect pucks is quite good. “I’ve been working on that since juniors. Being net-front, that’s where a lot of goals are scored these days. The key to practice is making sure your taking away the goalie’s eyes is key.” His recall to the New York Rangers opened his eyes as to what the NHL is like for a player, but in person, he saw what it's all about. “The speed of the game was something else. Down here it’s fast, but the NHL is so much faster up there. They go by you in no time, and you have to be physical just to keep up with the speed.” Gettinger has been in involved in a period where the evolution of the big man’s role in the game is changing. “It’s all about pure puck possession now and everybody is fast and to make plays you have to keep up with it.” The Rangers were selective in putting together a veteran core of players like Peter Holland, Shawn O’Donnell, and Bobby Butler to shepherd their young flock. The older players brought in during the offseason are there to help in the mentoring/tutoring process. THose players have been important in Gettinger's growth. “We have an excellent group of older players, I think. They really have taken us under their wings and it's not really just one guy. It has been a collective group. In juniors, you really don’t have to worry about players coming in and out of the lineup as much as we do here. It’s a bit different. I think we're all getting used to it by now. You have to just keep working hard no matter who is here.” Gettinger played four years with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, two of which were as an assistant captain. His last year he was the team's captain. He finds himself in Hartford as he did with the Sault. “I had it my first year in Sault Ste. Marie. I was a first-year guy learning the league. Again, there it was older guys like Darnell Nurse (Edmonton) and (current Ranger and ex-Pack) Tony DeAngelo bringing us along, and by the end of my (OHL) career, there I was, one of those guys, and the captaincy was a sign of trust in me.” Gettinger comes from Ohio, a non-traditional hockey area, that has been producing new hockey players. “Coming from Ohio, it's not the mecca of the hockey world,” Gettinger, from North Olmstead which is just north of Cleveland, said with a laugh. “I was very fortunate to get into a good program, and it was a good area and team for up-and-coming hockey players.” He got his baptism in hockey early. “I was four or five, and my brother (Grant) was playing. When the (AHL) Barons were in town we got to see games and they sponsored the youth teams. I really benefited from it, and my brother kept pushing me into hockey. I don’t regret that at all,” Gettinger said with a broad smile. His trek to the Canadian major junior route was a direction he hadn’t thought of as he was growing and developing with the Cleveland Jr. Barons program, initiated by the former AHL tenant of the same name in that city. “I was 15 at that time. I had somewhat of an idea what the OHL was about, but like most American guys, you're looking at the college route. Sault Ste. Marie called and said they were kind of interested (in me). To be honest, when I heard about it (that he had been drafted) I really didn’t know where Sault Ste. Marie was. They brought me into a development camp and I liked it right away, and it’s a very good hockey town.” He was very fortunate to have a family support system as he started his major junior portion of his early hockey odyssey. “My grandparents turned out lived about an hour away, just south of Sault Ste. Marie (Cheboygan, Michigan), so they were up all the time and that was great. It was a dream come true getting to play a high level of hockey. I had four great years there, and it’s a move I don’t regret at all.” The Greyhounds had lots of success during his time there. They had a tough series with the Hamilton Bulldogs in the OHL Final last spring with a Memorial Cup invite on the line as well as the OHL title. “We just missed out in the OHL Finals from going to the Memorial Cup. We lost in a seventh game that was a heartbreaking loss. My first year, we had some really good players and lost, and last year was a special group too, and we came up just a little short. It was a great series. Both buildings were packed every night. It was a fun time, but I wasn’t happy with the final outcome.” Former Wolf Pack player, Drew Bannister, now the head coach in San Antonio, was Gettinger's coach in Sault Ste. Marie and played a big role in his growth as a player. “He really helped me learn what it was going to take to be a pro. There were days, of course, he harped on me a little more. but that is a part of the process. Having Drew as a coach for three years, no question helped me grow tremendously both on and off the ice.” Gettinger will be heading back to Ohio for the holidays. “It's nice to get away from the bus for a bit. I'm looking forward to a few days at home for Christmas.” NOTES: The Pack was able to keep the Checkers "in check" partly because they had one of their best players, Janne Kaukkonnen, on recall by Carolina when Jordan Staal was put on IR. Christmas hockey tournaments are big every year and one of them in Davos, Switzerland is the 92nd edition of the Spengler Cup that starts on Boxing Day. Six teams from across Europe and an entry from Canada participate. Quite a few familiar names dot the lineups of each of the six teams. Team Canada-Could be called Team Whaler with recently named co-GM’s Sean Burke and Ron Francis and the head coach being Kevin Dineen. HC Dynamo Pardubice (Czech Republic-CEL) - The team GM is former Sound Tiger, Dusan Salficky. HC Davos (Switzerland-NLA) - Features ex-Pack forward, Andres Ambuhl, and the recently added ex-Pack, d-man, Bobby Sanguinetti. Metallurg Magnitogorsk (Russia-KHL) - Ex-Pack defenseman, Alexei Bereglasov. Nuremberg (Germany-DEL) - A pair of ex-Pack in Chris Brown and ex-CT Whale and Wolf Pack, Brandon Segal. KalPa Kuopio (Finland-FEL) - The coaching staff is led by former Whaler great Sami Kapanen and his assistant coach is from the very first Sound Tiger team, Marko Tuomainen. Lastly, HC Ocelari Trinec (Czech Republic-CEL) has skating for them, ex-CT Whale, Tomas Kundratek, who just returned from Kunlun (China-KHL), and former Sound Tiger Tomas Marcinko. Former Yale goalie, Alex Lyon, continues his season-long shuttle from Lehigh Valley to Philadelphia. Another goalie, Jon Gillies, (Salisbury Prep) is recalled from Stockton while Paul Carey (Salisbury Prep) is returned to Belleville by Ottawa. Mitch Eliot, the son of former Nighthawk, Daren Eliot, has signed a three-year entry-level deal with Vancouver. He is currently playing with the Sarnia Sting (OHL). Goalie Charlie Millen, the son of former Whaler goalie, Greg Millen, was loaned by Birmingham (SPHL) to the Reading Royals 9ECHL). Greg Chase, the nephew of former Whaler, Kelly Chase lands on his third ECHL team this year. He leaves the Allen (TX) Americans for the Maine Mariners. -Ex-Sound Tiger Greg Mauldin leaves Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia-EBEL). They are in deep financial trouble and released most of their players for a second time in two years. Mauldin signed for the rest of the season with the Stavanger Oilers (Norway-NEL). Read the full article