A jolt of confidence: While Craig has struggled lately, linemate Ville Nieminen brought a new attitude back from his 13-game stint with the National Hockey League's Colorado Avalanche.  Nieminen has played six games for Hershey since being sent down on Dec. 21. Over the last five games, he has two goals and four assists.  "When you come back from the NHL, you bring confidence back with you," Nieminen said. "You feel as though you have a split-second more time to make a play. That's why it seems my playmaking ability is better than it was at the start of the AHL season. I feel like there is more time for me to make something happen."  This is Nieminen's fourth season with the Bears, but now he has a different outlook on his career.  "For a European guy, spending three full seasons in the minors and then re-signing for a fourth year that starts in the minors again, you don't have much confidence about your future," Nieminen said. "I thought, 'Am I ever going to make it?' "But that recall showed me what is possible. I got a little sniff of what my goal should be: Playing in the NHL full-time for the Avs. Now, I'd say I'm definitely hungrier for it than ever before."

That wasn't the case back in September when Nieminen hinted during training camp that a change of scenery might be in his best interest.

Now, he wouldn't dream of playing for anybody else.

"Right now, I want to play for Colorado because that's the team that drafted me," Nieminen said. "It would be the best place to be. I still want to look at it as Colorado being my No. 1 goal. I don't even want to think about asking for a trade or anything like that. I want to play badly for the Avs."

Nieminen will make his all-star debut later this month when the 2001 AHL All-Star Classic is held at Wilkes-Barre's First Union Arena. Last year, Hershey's Serge Aubin turned his All-Star Game effort into a full-time NHL job with the Avs down the stretch.

Is that something Nieminen ever thinks about?

"When you have success in the minors, there are always scouts watching you," Nieminen said. "When you get the call to the NHL, it's all about timing.

"Serge [Serge Aubin, a teammate in Hershey, who plays now with the Blue Jackets] had good timing because he was playing great here, he got called up and played great there, so it worked out for him. I just have to keep playing my game and be at my best."