Under the Elms: The Beast of New Haven

By Michael Horn

The Beast of New Haven, the Elm City's American Hockey League (AHL) franchise, kick off their second season on Fri., Oct. 9, with a game at the New Haven Veterans' Memorial Coliseum against their intrastate rival, the Hartford Wolf Pack.

COURTESY BEASTOFNEWHAVEN.COM

Optimism is running high on the Beast. In their inaugural season of play, they skated to a 38-35-7 record and made the Calder Cup playoffs, they earned third place in the New England Division and seventh in the AHL Eastern Conference.

Beast owner and general manager David Gregory summed up the team's enthusiasm, commenting, "We're really excited about our team. We had the second-best record in the league in the second half of the season [last year]. We can't wait to get the games started."

As a minor league affiliate, the Beast will once again showcase the top prospects of the NHL's Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes. Most of the squad remains intact from last year. "[There will be] 70-75 percent familiar faces," Gregory said.

Beast center Ryan Johnson, last year's second leading scorer is returning, as is their fourth-leading scorer, Craig Ferguson.

Other good news for the Beast is the return of coach Kevin McCarthy, who led them to last year's playoffs. McCarthy, who holds a 185-165-50 career record in four seasons in the AHL, signed a contract extension with the Hurricanes that will keep him coaching in New Haven for at least the next three seasons.

In addition, Joe Paterson, who was an assistant coach with the Beast last year, will return to the club as an associate coach. "We have the two best coaches in the American League, no doubt," Gregory said.

McCarthy and Paterson will get a chance to live up to their billing this Sat., Oct. 10, when the Beast take to the road to meet the Lowell Lock Monsters and their new player, Ray Giroux, BK '98, who was the captain of the Yale men's hockey team last year. Giroux recently signed a two-year, $1 million contract with the New York Islanders. The Lowell squad is the Islanders' minor league affiliate.

The Beast will return to Lowell on Sat., Sept. 17, to take on the Lock Monsters, and Giroux will return to New Haven on Sun., Nov. 1, when Lowell meets the Beast at the New Haven Coliseum.

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