Monthly Archives: April 2012

Beetes in the Majors, NAHL sets attendance records

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Three former Alexandria Beetles players broke spring training with their Major League clubs to start the regular season in Lucas Duda, Danny Worth and Nick Hundley.

Duda made the biggest impression in the first week as the starting right fielder for the New York Mets. The 2006 Beetle hit two home runs in the second of a three-game series against Atlanta to open the season. He has struggled since then, hitting .189 with three home runs and five RBI through the first 10 games this spring. Duda hit .304 with three home runs and 34 RBI during his summer in Alexandria.

Worth opened the season with the Detroit Tigers but was recently optioned to Triple-A Toledo after collecting a hit in just five at-bats. The move was made to make room for Brandon Inge on a loaded Tigers team that come into the season as the clear front-runner to win the Central Division. Worth hit .307 with three home runs and 31 RBI during the 2006 Beetles’ season.

Hundley has also gotten off to a slow start in nine games played for the San Diego Padres. He went hitless in his first 21 at-bats before going 1-for-2 with two walks in a loss to the Dodgers on Sunday. He broke out of that slump with a double and three RBI on a 3-for-5 day from the plate against the Rockies on Monday. Hundley played for the Beetles in 2004, hitting .293 with four home runs and 27 RBI.

Former Beetle Allen Craig opened up the season on the disabled list because of a knee injury. Last year’s World Series hero figures to play a prominent role in the Cardinals outfield once he comes back, which is expected to be soon after he started rehabbing in St. Louis in early April.

*NAHL sets attendance records

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) announced its attendance numbers recently, which showed that the league has reached new highs in both total and average attendance this winter.

The NAHL drew a record 1,128,098 fans through 840 regular-season games this season. The 28-city league averaged 1,342 fans per game, helped out in large part by the Fresno franchise, which welcomed 106,718 fans in 30 home games.

The Blizzard had the 16th highest attendance in the league with an average of 866 per night. Alexandria welcomed in 25,995 fans total in a season that saw the organization finish with a record 40 regular-season wins.

Bitzer making the most of his minutes with the Blizzard

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Alexandria Blizzard goaltender Michael Bitzer seems to improve his stock almost every time he gets a chance in net.

It has been well documented that Bitzer will likely have options as to where he plays hockey next season. With the way he has played in limited opportunities, there is no doubt Alexandria would love to have him.

Photo by Eric Morken/Echo Press: Blizzard goaltender Michael Bitzer watched the puck during the first period on Saturday night.

Bitzer continued to improve his stock with the way he played in a 5-0 shutout of Austin on Saturday night. Alexandria was facing an 0-2 hole in the Central Division playoffs before the former Moorhead standout turned aside 32 shots in a game that the Blizzard controlled in all facets.

Bitzer credited his defense, and they did play great in front of him, but during a stretch in the second period, he made a series of big stops with his team holding onto a 2-0 lead. The Bruins had 19 shots in the middle period and three power plays that they could do nothing with.

“I thought he came up with some really big saves in the second period,” head coach Doc DelCastillo said. “He kept Austin off the scoreboard, and it’s frustrating when you’re playing against that. We kind of ran into that [Friday] night. That’s how [Austin goalie Tyler] Bruggeman played. He stole some from us, and it gets really frustrating when you’re playing against a goalie that’s stealing good scoring chances away.”

For Bitzer, it’s a matter of taking advantage of his chances in goal in his role as a backup behind starter Jacob Meyers. Meyers has been strong all season, finishing the regular season fifth in goals against average (2.09), third in save percentage (.929), second in wins (30) and third in shutouts (6).

He got the start in game one against Austin and took the loss after turning aside 26 of the 30 shots he faced. Meyers has been struggling with an ankle injury the last few weeks of the season, but DelCastillo said starting Bitzer had more to do with wanting to give him a chance than a lingering injury to Meyers.

“Jacob played OK,” DelCastillo said. “But we didn’t win. You give Michael an opportunity, and he took the opportunity and made the most out of it.”

He’s done that almost every time out. Bitzer is now 4-0-1 in his five games in net for the Blizzard. He has 110 saves in 118 shots faced.

“I just feel like I’ve gotten the chance to play,” he said. “Get a few games under your belt, a few minutes. I got used to the speed, and there’s nothing better than playing playoff hockey. I’m getting another run here after the high school season. Hopefully we can run with this and have some fun.”