OK, everyone, I realize that this might be old news to some, but here goes.
 
Neil Little, former goaltender for RPI, signed with the Flyers and was
sent down to their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.  Well, Neil made his
first pro appearance April 9, replacing Scott LaGrand (formerly of BC) at
the beginning of the third period, against the Hamilton Canucks.  Hershey
was shut out 4-0 in that game, but Little made some great saves.  He only
allowed one goal on 12 shots, and that 1 was due to a misread play by
Hershey's defense.   He had no chance of stopping it.  There were a couple
of other tough saves; the one that sticks out in my mind is a two-on-one
breakaway in which Neil absolutely stoned the shooter.  He played that
one flawlessly.  Hershey fans are notoriously tough on goalies, but Neil
lived up to expectations, and we expect great things from him next year.
With Little, LaGrand, Frederic Chabot, and former collegian Norm Foster
(where did he attend? Can anyone help me out here?) on the team, the Bears
are in great shape.
 
BTW, for BC fans, Scott LaGrand has improved greatly since last year, his
rookie season.  He played 40 regular season games this year, winning 16
losing 13 and tying 3, with two shutouts.  His GAA was 3.45 and SV% was
.880, and he finished 7th on the goaltending leaders list for the season.
He and Chabot are the top 2 goalies for the playoffs.
 
Chris Therien (Providence) has also been playing well, adding more size
and strength on the blue line.  Aris Brimanis (Bowling Green) has been a
workhorse for Hershey this season, playing in 75 games and compiling 23
points(third in scoring among defensemen).  Mike McHugh (UNH) has been
invaluable and a large reason why the Bears were at the top of the
standings in their division this season.  He won the Arlene Tighe Trophy
(the team's unsung hero as voted by the booster club). Chris Winnes (UNH)
has also played well, and was called up a few times.  Lance Pitlick (can't
remember) was voted the top defenseman and the most improved player.  He
is the most consistent d-man on the team.  Andre Faust (Princeton) spent
the first 20 games or so with the Bears, then was called up to the Flyers.
He was sent back down to help in the playoffs, and made an immediate
contribution, scoring a goal and assisting on another his first game back.
He was among the team's scoring leaders last year, and was named Rookie of
the Year for the 92-93 season.
 
Sorry that this is longer than I expected, but I figured I might give some
info and let those who saw them play in college know how they are doing in
the pros.  Thanks to Wayne and the rest of the regular posters (you know
who you are :) ) for keeping me up to date on college hockey in the land
where even pro hockey takes a backseat to just about everything, aka DC!
 
If you want to know more about any of the players, feel free to post the
questions or e-mail me.  Try not to get suicidal as we enter our annual
hell, which will end next October! :)  (I know, it's gonna be tough!)
 
Maria Neve ([log in to unmask])
The Skate for Eight!  Hershey's eighth Calder Cup in 1994!
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GO BEARS!!!   GO FLYERS!!!   GO CHIEFS!!!      #10
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Hershey Bears contact
Hershey Bears  7 time Calder Cup Champions
Philadelphia Flyers  2 time Stanley Cup Champions