When the Hershey Bears began their playoff quest in April, Garrett Roe was not in the lineup. The veteran Hershey forward, who made his return to the American Hockey League in a decade, waited his turn. After jumping into the lineup in Game Four of the Atlantic Division Semifinal, Roe has been irreplaceable. On Wednesday night, Roe etched himself into Bears history by winning Game Seven in overtime by a 3-2 final.
All-Out War in Hershey
The two teams collided for the seventh and decisive game of the series. Cleveland forced the series to go the distance on Monday with a win in overtime. Suddenly, Hershey was on the verge of joining four other teams in AHL history of being reverse swept. The Bears had lost three games in a row for the first time all season, and the Monsters looked to finish the job.
Despite Hershey’s longest single skid of the season, the team still sat one win away from the final round. It all came down to one single game to decide it all before a sellout crowd at Giant Center.
Trading Tallies
As has been the case in this series, the two teams traded scoring opportunities in the first period. Momentum swung like a pendulum at times in the opening stanza. In a similar vein to the previous game, both teams scored in the final minute of the frame. Trey Fix-Wolansky buried his own rebound on the power play for his third goal of the postseason. All three of his goals have come during this playoff series.
The Monsters were seconds away from heading into intermission with the momentum. However, before the clock could hit zero, the Bears evened the count at one. Logan Day hammered a shot from the point that got past Jet Greaves. Cleveland’s goaltender had no chance on the shot due to Owen Sillinger launching Jimmy Huntington onto him. The contact was deemed to be a result of the defender, and the goal stood to send the teams to intermission even at one.
Dubé’s Big Return
Entering the second period, the go-ahead goal loomed as perhaps the most critical one. On a power play early in the frame, Hershey’s Pierrick Dubé made a statement: he’s back. Dubé missed the last three games due to a gruesome injury he sustained in Game Three. A shot from Ethen Frank struck Dubé in the mouth, knocking out multiple teeth and forcing him to undergo surgery.
Although Dubé will certainly need more work after the season concludes, he made a bold statement by suiting up for Game Seven. He did not ask; he told the coaching staff he was playing in this game. Dubé jumped into the lineup and wired a wrist shot high through traffic on the power play to put his team ahead.
“Being in the stands and seeing my teammates lose three games in a row was the worst thing in my life,” Dubé said. “I wanted to make a difference. As soon as we lost Game Six I went to the medical room and said, ‘I’m playing’. I’ll do whatever it takes to play.”
“I lost probably 12 pounds in a week,” Dubé said after the game, still struggling to speak. “I had surgery last Wednesday, so a week ago, and the next couple days were pretty hard. Still have pain killers at night. It’s a long process, but I’m supposed to have new teeth on Friday and then the real work will be after the season.”
Final Frame Fury
With their season hanging in the balance, Cleveland gave it all they had in the third period. Their furious rally saw a 17-6 shot advantage and put host Hershey on their heels. Suddenly, the Bears were just surviving, and that’s been a recipe for disaster in this series. The Monsters found the tying goal inside of six minutes remaining in regulation. James Malatesta found a loose puck after Day blocked a shot. He spun the puck back on net from the right circle and beat Hunter Shepard.
Even, again. And for the fourth straight game at Giant Center, sixty minutes was not enough to determine a winner.
The two teams returned to the ice to play until the next goal. Whoever tallied it would earn a trip to the Calder Cup Finals to take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The Western Conference winners have been in Hershey, waiting patiently to see who they’d face. Ahead of game action, scenarios were already put into place for how the final round would play out.
Roe Finds Twine
Cleveland had the majority of strong chances early in the extra session. Their momentum from the third period carried over to start play, but it was about to swing back. Jake Gaudet was called for delay of game at the 5:05 mark of overtime, sending the Bears to their third power play of the night. Momentum has been a key in the series, and although the Bears didn’t score with the advantage, the puck stayed on their sticks.
Logan Day teed up a shot from the center point. The shot was blocked in the slot by David Jiricek and dropped to the ice, free for a crucial moment. Roe found the loose puck and whipped it over the goaltender’s shoulder to end the game. The faithful at Giant Center were in a frenzy as their team punched their ticket to the Calder Cup Finals.
Roe, reflecting on the goal, immediately thought of his family. Specifically, his mom, who passed away and his kids.
“I feel like she had a helping hand in this,” Roe said of his mom. “I saw a cardinal the other day and it just felt like it was her. My mom would have been thrilled to go through this with us. It’s cool to share those memories with my brother, his wife, our kids.”
“After Game Six, with the disappointment, I imagine our guys woke up angry like I did. The difference was I had two kids going, ‘Daddy, daddy’! It gives you a gentle reminder of how much life means.”
How Sweet It Is
The Bears advance to the Calder Cup Finals for a rematch with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. It’s an extremely short turnaround, with the first game set for Friday night in Hershey. The Bears are a bit weathered on their blue line, with Vincent Iorio missing time during the game. Head coach Todd Nelson mentioned he was being evaluated, and his status is unclear for Game One. The same applies to both Ethen Frank and Aaron Ness, who are day-to-day.
“It took about five years off my life,” Nelson said of the series. “It was a great series. First off, I want to mention how much respect we have for the Cleveland Monsters, their coaching staff and players. They never quit.”
“I’m proud of our guys, we never quit either. We were taking on water a bit, this series was physical and it took its toll on us.”
One big difference between this year and last year’s Finals is the Bears hold home ice advantage. The first two games are at Giant Center before shifting to California for three straight games. Hershey will have the luxury of hosting the sixth and seventh games, if needed. It’s a truncated schedule, with games taking place every other day with no additional day even for travel.
