The weather forecast for Hershey, Pennsylvania this week signals an early start to spring. Temperatures are expected to hit 70 degrees on Thursday. It’s fitting, then, that the Hershey Bears have clinched a berth in the Calder Cup Playoffs on this week. The Chocolate and White became the first time to earn a spot in the postseason dance. They’ll play beyond 76 games when playoff hockey returns to Giant Center in late April. Of course, last year’s run had a pretty unforgettable ending.
Bears Clinch
The Bears clinched their playoff spot while idle on Sunday. It involves a lot of math, but the Providence Bruins took a 5-0 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds to officially seal the deal. The loss of points by the Thunderbirds, who occupy the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division, eliminates the possibility that the Bears would miss the postseason. Hershey’s big win on Saturday set the stage for a little bit of help to lock in the chance to defend their title. Last summer, Mike Vecchione scored in overtime in Game 7 to raise the team’s 12th Calder Cup Championship.
Now, the Bears will roar for even more as the team will pursue their 13th title in the spring. Hershey locks in their playoff spot with 15 games and over a month left in the regular season. Positioning becomes important the rest of the way, as the Bears lead the Atlantic Division with a record of 42-11-0-4 good for 88 points. They lead second-place Providence by 13 points and third-place Wilkes-Barre by 22 points. The top two teams in the division earn a bye from the first round of the playoffs, a best-of-three format.
The Road Ahead
With 15 games and 41 days separating the Bears from the end of the regular season, there’s plenty for the team to achieve still. The team will try to clinch both the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference crowns as they ramp up their game for the postseason. Hershey’s remaining schedule has plenty of good tests ahead of the postseason, including matchups with Providence, Charlotte, and Wilkes-Barre. Two major road trips to Cleveland and Iowa serve as unique tests for the team as well.
Hershey’s roster is locked in at this point, but there’s still room for change. The Bears are set to receive Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko back from the Washington Capitals when their season ends. In the interim, the team might pursue a center before the AHL’s trade deadline on Friday. With the loss of Evgeny Kuznetsov to trade and Mike Sgarbossa being ineligible to return, Hershey’s center depth is a bit thin. Head coach Todd Nelson mentioned possibly addressing that gap at the deadline, but only time will tell with limited possibilities.
Roaring For More
The Bears will aim to win back-to-back Calder Cup Championships for the third time in franchise history. Hershey is the last team to win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010, a testament to how difficult it is to accomplish the feat in the modern AHL. The task will be a tall one with every team in the league gunning for the defending champs. Hershey will start the journey sometime after April 20.
