VARLAMOV EXPECTED TO START SUNDAY

January 3, 2010

HERSHEY looks to win its tenth game in a row Sunday as goaltender Semyon Varlamov draws the start against the Adirondack Phantoms at 5:00 p.m. Goaltender Braden Holtby was named the game’s number one star Saturday as HERSHEY defeated the Binghamton Senators 5-3 at Giant Center. The win was the club’s ninth in a row dating back to December 12. Chris Bourque, Alexandre Giroux, Boyd Kane, Keith Aucoin and Oskar Osala all scored single goals to lead the HERSHEY offense, with Kane’s marker coming just 68 seconds into the first period. The victory gave the Chocolate and White its biggest lead of the season in the East Division standings, a 13-point bulge over second place Albany with a game in hand. Varlamov, assigned from the Capitals this week while Washington traveled to the west coast, is expected to start Sunday against Adirondack. Varlamov was 19-7-1 with a goals against average of 2.40 last season for HERSHEY. He is 12-1-2 this season for the Capitals with a 2.21 GAA. Adirondack defeated Norfolk Saturday night 3-2 at the Glens Falls Civic Center, the sixth win in the last 10 games for the Phantoms. Jon Matsumoto leads Adirondack in scoring with 29 points, Stefan Legein leads the team in goals with 16. The Phantoms are currently in fourth place in the East Division, 20 points behind HERSHEY, however the Phantoms do have three games in hand on the BEARS heading into Sunday’s action. Sundays’s game can be heard via the BEARS Radio Network (100.1 FM and www.Sportsjuice.com) beginning at 4:40 p.m. John Walton, Ed Coffey and Jim Jones have the call from Giant Center.