Beneath the Elms: Beast of New Haven

By Alison Morris

With the second half of the season well underway and the first game of February in the books, the Beast of New Haven is gearing up for the final stretch of the American Hockey League (AHL) season. Currently, the Beast holds third place in the Eastern New England Division with 53 points and a 23-22-3 record, but the team is in prime position to make a run for the front. Seated atop the division are the Providence Bruins, who currently have 68 points and a 32-12-2 record following a rout of the Beast on Wed., Feb. 3.

On Wednesday night, Providence steamrolled into New Haven and taught the Beast how hard the team will have to work to be the best. Coming off their first loss in six weeks, the Bruins danced their way across the ice, demolishing the Beast 9-3. The home team took the first lead of the game when center Craig Ferguson scored 1:13 into the first period to make it a 1-0 game. However, the Bruins just needed a little warming up, and by the end of the second period the Beast found itself in an 8-2 hole. Providence star Randy Robitaille spearheaded the Bruins' attack, with two goals and two assists, driving Beast goalie Todd MacDonald out of the home net at 13:23 into the second period.

Although the game was a veritable disaster for the Beast, it was hardly a true indicator of the team's recent play or its chances of ascending in the division. Although the loss was the Beast's second in a row, in its previous 10 games the team posted a record of 8-1-1. If the Beast is to move out of third place and achieve postsea-son success, several aspects of the team's game must improve. The Beast went 0 for 6 on the power play against the Bruins, who capitalized on 4 of their 7 opportunities. Had the Beast managed to score on half of its power play chances, the team would have demonstrated a far more competitive performance and might have remained contenders until the end.

Furthermore, both defense and goaltending have to rise to the challenge standing before them. The Bruins only managed to take a total of 31 shots on goal--an average tally. However, of the 14 shots on MacDonald, six slipped past him. MacDonald hung in the game for nearly two periods before the coach pulled him, a sign that the mounting goals were primarily the fault of an inefficient defense.

The game against Providence, though atypical of the Beast's recent performance, demonstrated the need to fintune. If the Beast truly has its sights set on the ultimate victory this season, the team needs to start focusing on the smaller battles and take over the division one game at a time.

Beast of New Haven logo courtesy www.beastofnewhaven.com.

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