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Post by Ryan on Feb 1, 2011 12:45:26 GMT -5
Beast Back On Track?By: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - Scott Hartnell had scored just two goals through the first 30 games of this season, but may have found his scoring touch as he has now netted three scores in the past two, both are Beasts victories. After a surprising start to the season the Beasts had hit somewhat of a rough patch which prompted coach John LeClair to make some small lineup adjustments, the moves have paid off over the past two games with the team outscoring opponents 8-4 with six different players scoring goals. This time it was a 3-2 victory over the Cebu Typhoons, led by Hartnell's two goals which were both assisted by winger Patric Hornqvist. The top line also got into the scoring with Loui Eriksson's sixth tally of the season being set up by captain Mike Richards and Phil Kessel.
Notes: -The Republicans bounced back from a tough 6-4 loss to the Warriors with a nice 4-2 victory over the Gatineau Bolts. Newcomer Lars Eller scored his first goal in a Montpelier jersey.
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Post by Ryan on Feb 3, 2011 9:18:58 GMT -5
Richards Leads Way As Beasts Beat VikesBy: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - Captain Mike Richards scored twice in a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Vikings and Steve Sullivan scored for the first time in 18 games. Eric Staal picked up an assist and Loui Eriksson added two to create a three way tie with Richards for the team scoring lead as each player now has 27 points through 33 games this season. The victory is the third straight for the Beasts who remain two points back of the leading 67's who have won two in a row and two points ahead of the surging Nordiques who have won a league high five straight. The Beasts goalie rotation continued with Marc-Andre Fleury stopping 29 of 30 for his 12th victory of the season. Tomas Vokoun is expected back in net tomorrow when the Ottawa 67's come to Burlington, a regulation win would return the Beasts into a tie for first place with one game in hand.
Notes: -The two goal game was the first of the season for Richards, however Loui Eriksson's two assists was the sixth time he has recorded two helpers in a game. -Expect Eric Staal to gain a point tomorrow against the 67's. Staal has picked up all of points in streaks this season and with an assist against the Vikings it's a safe bet that he continues that trend. -The Republicans continued their turnaround with a 4-2 win over the league leading Carbondale Pups led by a goal and two assists from Artem Anisimov. The Republicans are now one victory short of climbing back to .500 with the last place Northern Lights coming to Montpelier Saturday.
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Post by Ryan on Feb 11, 2011 13:29:00 GMT -5
Making The Case For MikeBy: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - Mike Richards is on fire. In the second game of a home-and-home series with the Typhoons the Beasts bounced back from a 3-2 loss to torch the Typhoons 4-1 behind a goal and two assists from the captain. Richards has an impressive nine points during a season high six game scoring streak that includes four goals and five assists. The team is 4-2 during the scoring streak and have won seven of the last ten once again climb within a single point of first place The most unfortunate game of the ten was a 5-1 loss to conference leading Ottawa. A victory there would see the standings reversed and John LeClair would be headed to Moncton to coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars. They did not win however and it is instead the 67's Wally West leading conference stars. "I don't mind too much" Said the classy LeClair "It will be a chance for me to take a few days and tweak our plans for the stretch run and into the playoffs." Richards is hoping to make the squad and is believed to be among the top three vote getters among eastern conference centers in all-star voting. Notes: -The farm team Montpelier Republicans have gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 to climb above .500 for the first time this season. It's the best record in the conference over the last 10 and has the young team thinking about a playoff run of their own as they sit only three points out of fourth.
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Post by Ryan on Feb 18, 2011 11:38:50 GMT -5
Keeping PaceBy: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - Jockeying for position in the week before the all-star break, the Burlington Beasts are staying just ahead of the teams chasing them. Two games separate the first place 67's from the fifth place Citadels in the tight Eastern Conference. While star center Mike Richards is now scoreless in three games after a season high seven game scoring streak, it's third line two-way center David Legwand who has now scored goals in consecutive games assisted by linemate Scott Hartnell. The Beasts sit one point behind the 67's and one point ahead of the Mariners who are riding a league best eight game win streak. Notes: -Eric Staal managed two assists against the Citadels and also scored the shootout winner a day earlier against the Vikings -The last place Typhoons visit Burlington on Sunday. -The Montpelier Republicans received a boost to the lineup when center Mike Comrie and defensemen Dustin Byfuglien and Mike Commodore were sent down to the minors. The move will help get them some ice team headed down the stretch in the event that they are called upon to help the Beasts should an injury occur. It paid off for the Republicans as Byfuglien and Commodore combined for five points in a 5-3 victory over the second place Exports.
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Post by Ryan on Mar 1, 2011 11:01:13 GMT -5
Flower PowerBy: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - Big trade news from the Beasts today. The team has decided to put all of their eggs into the Marc-Andre Fleury basket as they sent Tomas Vokoun to the Toronto Scottish in a multi-player deal that will be felt for years to come. Not only was Vokoun sent out but along with him went 2/3rds of an all-star first line with wingers Loui Eriksson and Phil Kessel being included in the trade. Each player was tied for 3rd in goalscoring with 11 each. Eriksson was also 3rd in total scoring with 35 points. The last part of the deal was minor league forward Mike Santorelli who had yet to see action for Montpelier. The return at the moment is iffy, but could end up as one of the greatest building blocks of the franchise. Immediate help coming back is winger Nikolai Kulemin who debuted today on the top line along with Patric Hornqvist. The futures are two exciting young forwards Sam Gagner and Jordan Eberle, as well as the Scottish's first round pick in the next draft. One thing we know for sure is that this team will be okay if they faced the Nordiques every night. The two teams met in Burlington for last game before the all-star break with a 4-2 Beasts victory. Eric Staal was the hero as he recorded the first hat trick in team history. Coming out of the break it was a return game in Quebec that saw the Beasts route the Nordiques 6-2, again it was Staal who led the way with 2 goals and 2 assists. The next game on the schedule is back at home against... the Nordiques. Also the teams will meet four more times after that. Staal now has 10 points in the previous 5 games and has vaulted into a tie for 5th overall in league scoring, despite playing the fewest minutes per game of the top 20 scorers. The Beasts have 31 games remaining on the schedule with 14 games until the trade deadline. Are there more moves on the horizon? The Beasts have made a few moves this season but have been very quiet for most of the year, word around town is that the GM is content with his roster, but that was also what they said before the big trade yesterday.
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Post by Ryan on Mar 1, 2011 11:07:48 GMT -5
One additional note, goaltender Jonas Gustavsson was also acquired in the deal, he we become the likely starter for the Montpelier Republicans as Ondrej Pavelec was called up to Burlington to back up Fleury.
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Post by Ryan on Mar 19, 2011 19:15:39 GMT -5
New Direction?By: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - Rumors are currently swirling around Burlington that Beasts ownership is not content with the city as a base of operations. They have pointed out that the majority of the local population (of only 40,000) remain mostly fans of NCAA hockey and the University of Vermont Catamounts unwilling to jump on board with the professional ranks of the NLHS, despite a first place team. "It may have been a bit of a dream to locate a franchise in such a small metropolitan area." Said majority owner Ryan Voshell. "It's a beautiful setting, but there probably isn't enough room for two teams. We hate that it's come down to considering another city to call home, but at this point it looks like this is a one and done situation. We have offers from several larger cities, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, New York, Dallas, Denver and St. Louis to name a few interested groups." One fan who was not named seemed apathetic to the whole idea. "I enjoy having access to watch the NLHS, but Burlington will always be a UVM town. So it probably makes sense." Other rumors revolve around the upcoming trade deadline, although the team has overtaken the Ottawa 67's for first place in the conference, it's apparent that trading both first line wingers was a mistake and the team is heavily pursuing more top-six scoring help. No specific names have been confirmed, but it's hard to ignore what some are calling a growing rift between captain Mike Richards and the front office group over the trading of his linemates.
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Post by Ryan on Mar 21, 2011 21:48:06 GMT -5
Winds of ChangeBy: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - Beasts GM Ryan Voshell made a move to appease captain Mike Richards yesterday when he traded for winger Troy Brouwer, but may have angered the other star center Eric Staal by sending his brother Marc to the Herbalists in return. "Obviously we were very high on Marc Staal" Said Voshell "But to get something you have to give something, that's basically got to be your motto in this business. We sent away some good defensemen, but brought in some help on the wing and the blueline, we sent some future pieces away and brought in some future pieces. So it all works out and if we are a better team for it then it just makes sense to do the deal" The entire deal breaks down like this: To the Herbalists are defensemen Marc Staal and Braydon Coburn. Staal was perhaps the most all around talented defenseman on a blueline that includes Ryan Suter and Coburn has been sought after by Kitchener nearly all season. The Beasts also send minor leaguers Lars Eller and Michal Repik to the Herbalists along with their 2nd round pick in this summer's draft. The Beasts bring in scoring help on the wing with Troy Brouwer, he should be slotted into a top line role immediately which would allow Patric Hornqvist to skate less minutes and recover more during the game from the pounding he takes in front of the net every shift. On the blueline Jay Bouwmeester comes over from Kitchener and is expected to slot into the first pairing in the void left by Staal, he would probably be the biggest return in the trade if not for the pressing need on the wings. Young Keith Yandle is along with him, but he will more than likely be a frequent scratch. In the minors Yannick Weber returns to the franchise after being traded earlier in the season for... Lars Eller. Dustin Byfuglien was called up from Montpelier to skate in Coburn's place on the third pair with Ryan Whitney. Although Brouwer is a big addition, the Beasts may not be done looking for scoring help, with the coming salary cap it may not be practical to keep both Eric Staal and Mike Richards under contract if that money could be used on an elite winger, the team has several good young centers in the system. On the Relocation front, groups in Los Angeles and St. Louis have decided to drop their bid for the Beasts and instead will focus on landing an expansion team. The front-runners to be the new home for the franchise appear to be New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Denver and Dallas. A bid from Boston could not be confirmed.
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Post by Ryan on Mar 24, 2011 9:47:15 GMT -5
Roster Set?By: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - The Beasts continue to add forwards leading up to the deadline in response to winning just two games in the previous ten. Again it was the Kitchener Herbalists as trade partners. The Beasts gave up their first round pick in the upcoming draft, as well as young forwards Jamie Benn and David Krejci. Coming back are winger R.J. Umberger, center Jordan Staal and the Scottish's third round pick in this summer's draft. The new players arrived in Burlington to practice with the team this morning, it appears that Mike Richards is being switched to the second line with Troy Brouwer and Nikolai Kulemin. Eric Staal takes over the top line with R.J. Umberger and Jordan Staal is shifting to the wing to skate with his brother. The moves shift Scott Hartnell and Patric Hornqvist to the third line with David Legwand. Martin Erat and Kyle Okposo are not skating on the fourth line and the team has called up center Colin Wilson to replace Krejci on that line. The only other move the team made was sending Ondrej Pavelec back to Montpelier and calling up Jonas Gustavsson to be Fleury's backup. We will see the new lineup tomorrow against the Nordiques, a game that the Beasts need to win if they hope to retake first place from the 67's who jumped back in front with a victory today over the Mutiny. So with one more day before the deadline will we see any other trades for the Beasts? Not likely unless a stud winger is offered in return, the Beasts have made offers for two unnamed elite wingers but both deals were turned down. Beasts ownership has also been rumored to have turned down offers to relocate the team to Dallas, Chicago and St. Louis noting that ultimately wish to remain on the east coast which leaves New York, Philadelphia and possibly Boston as destinations for the franchise. In an effort to retain team history and as a tribute to the founding of the league, the farm team Montpelier Republicans will reportedly be remaining but will split their games between Montpelier Burlington as well as adopting the Beasts identity, they will be known as the Vermont Beasts.
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Post by Ryan on Mar 25, 2011 12:58:55 GMT -5
Burlington Staal's against NordiquesBy: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - Although the Beasts have had great success against Quebec recently, they were unable to continue the trend today, instead picking up only a single point in a 3-2 overtime loss. The Beasts remain hopeful for a division title however as they sit one point behind Ottawa with one game in hand and the Scottish up next on the schedule. Despite the loss there is a lot of optimism in the dressing room. Five players, Jay Bouwmeester, Troy Brouwer, R.J. Umberger, Jordan Staal and Colin Wilson, made their debut for the Beasts. The newly formed first line clicked for the tying goal late in the third when Eric and Jordan Staal assisted on R.J. Umberger's 15th goal of the season (first as a Beast) with 1:32 remaining in the third. The debut was spoiled however when Olli Jokinen scored his first goal of the season midway through the overtime period. Despite winning just two of the last ten, the Beasts have also lost only three in regulation during that stretch along with five losses in overtime. The five extra time losses are by far the most in the league over the last ten. The farm team Republicans continued their recent success, and actually climbed above .500 for the first time this season with a 2-1 victory over the Marlies. Marc Mancari and Tim Kennedy each had a goal and an assist. The club remains in last place, six points out of a playoff spot. Artem Anisimov notched his 30th assist of the season and Sam Gagner continues his excellent play with 13 points in 15 games since coming over in a trade from the Marlies. The trade deadline is set for tomorrow, but don't expect the Beasts to make any moves unless a top scoring winger is offered in a no-brainer deal.
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Post by Ryan on Mar 26, 2011 17:45:24 GMT -5
Something To ProveBy: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - Proving Beasts management wrong was on the agenda today when the Scottish came to Burlington. Former Beast goaltender Tomas Vokoun was named the first star after stopping 45 of 47 shots and all five attempts in the shootout. Another former Beast Loui Eriksson scored in regulation and the lone shootout goal to give Toronto the 3-2 victory. The Shootout loss was number 6 for the Beasts in the last 10 games, with only one victory during that stretch. They have managed to stay in the hunt for the division title by virtue of so many "losers points", but find themselves now just 6 points ahead of the 5th place Vikings with 17 games remaining. The good news is that they were able to generate so many scoring chances as evidenced by the 47 shots on goal, and this game can be chalked up to a huge performance by Vokoun. Also the Staal-Staal-Umberger line clicked again when Jordan Staal tallied the tying goal assisted by brother Eric and Umberger. It was the second goal-assist-assist in as many games for the newly formed first unit. Troy Brouwer scored the other Burlington goal, his first in a Beasts uniform. Mike Richards assisted on the score to keep pace with Eric Staal as the team scoring leaders each have 19 goals and 29 assists in 58 games. The Republicans score was not very close as they allowed 5 first period goals in a 5-2 loss to the Northern Lights. With 15 games remaining and still playing inconsistent hockey, it's almost assured that the Republicans will not be able to overcome the 6 point deficit in the standings to reach the playoffs.
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Post by Ryan on Mar 27, 2011 11:48:34 GMT -5
With the team struggling to find victories, many observers in the hockey world point to the public search for a new home city as one huge distraction to the Beasts, and it appears that there is an end in sight. Here is what we know for sure...
1. Boston is not a serious bid, which leaves New York and Philadelphia as the two possible destinations for the franchise to be relocated for the next season.
2. The ownership group toured New York yesterday and Philadelphia is on schedule for today.
3. The selection of the winning bid will be announced on Wednesday.
The hope is that once a decision is made, the players can focus on hockey and giving the fans of Burlington something to remember in their one and only season of NLHS action.
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Post by International Hockey Club on Mar 27, 2011 12:25:01 GMT -5
That makes the Beasts and Northern Lights moving.
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Post by Ryan on Mar 30, 2011 17:19:49 GMT -5
New Home FoundBy: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - Amid the worst stretch of the season, losing their seventh game in a row, the Burlington Beasts can at least rest easier knowing which city they will call home next season. Hopefully the announcement can get the team focus back to the ice and back in the win column. There isn't much to report about another tough loss, this time 3-2 to the Citadels. Another game that the Umberger-Staal-Staal line hooked up for a score, another game that the Beasts outshot their opponents by a wide margin, and another game that saw them give up the winning goal late in the third. The Beasts slip back to fourth place in the division while Quebec takes over the top seed. Without wins in the next few games the Beasts could easily slip out of the playoffs all together. Well, lets not waste any more time on the announcement. It's the most historically important city in the United States, the fifth largest population in the union, known for hard workers and tough fans, home of the Cheesesteak and Rocky... the great fighting city of Philadelphia! The Beasts will call the City of Brotherly Love their home following this first season, and with the Beasts moniker staying with the farm club in Vermont, they will adopt the nickname the Bullies. The Logo... Home Black Jerseys... Road White Jerseys... Third Orange Jerseys... And if things don't turn around soon on the ice, then Philadelphia can't come soon enough!
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Post by Ryan on Mar 31, 2011 8:48:40 GMT -5
It Just Gets WorseBy: Dickie Dunn Beasts Beat Writer Burlington - The Beasts may have finally hit their low point, losing their eighth straight game and fourteenth out of sixteen. This time they fell asleep for forty-five seconds in the first period of a 6-3 loss to the Maroons in Chatham. After Patric Hornqvist put the Beasts ahead 1-0 at the beginning of the game, Ilya Kovalchuk tied it up near the midpoint of the opening frame. Then betwen 15:59 and 16:44 the Maroons exploded for three goals by Darren Helm, Kovalchuk and Corey Perry. The flurry left the Maroons with a huge 4-1 lead. After the scoring outburst, emotions took over and Jordan Staal ended up being ejected after instigating a fight with Nick Lidstrom. The show of emotion may have sparked the Beasts as they put two on the board in the second period, but it was too little, too late. The team was not available for comment as they held a closed door meeting in the locker room that lasted nearly two hours. We will see if it has any affect when the Herbalists visit Burlington on Saturday. The Beasts are 3-0 against Kitchener this season and have outscored them 9-3 in those games, the most success they have had against any team in the league. Could it be a launching pad to turn the season around? Notes: -R.J. Umberger scored again, assisted by Eric Staal. So far this line has connected for a goal in every game since the deadline, Jordan Staal was not involved this time as he had earlier been ejected from the game. -The Montpelier Republicans are headed the opposite direction of the Beasts. The Repubs have the best record in the Eastern Division next to the Northern Lights in the last 10 games. They have managed to cut their playoff deficit from 12 points to just 5 with 13 to play. -Tim Kennedy netted his 20th goal of the season for Montpelier, second on the team behind Petr Prucha's 23. Kennedy does lead the team in overall scoring with 49 points in 63 games.
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