The Hershey Bears earned their second straight win on Giant Center ice this weekend. After a “come to Jesus” meeting prior to Saturday night’s tilt, Hershey’s big response continued in a 4-0 final score. The Bears matched a franchise record with their tenth shutout of the season as Hunter Shepard stopped all 26 shots he faced. Four different Bears players found the back of the net in the win.
Frank Finds Twine
Hershey found the back of the net early on Sunday evening. Ethen Frank scored his first goal since returning from injury on the power play on a shot from the left faceoff circle. That sentence is music to the ears of the Hershey faithful, who filled Giant Center for the second straight night. Frank’s goal is his 22nd of the season as he pushes to match last season’s total of 30.
It was an excellent start for the Bears, playing their third game in as many nights. The visiting Wolf Pack played an equally tough schedule, having traveled in overnight from Hartford. The miles traveled didn’t stop the two teams from rekindling their rivalry, playing a physical game against each other. Naturally, there were times where the two teams traded momentum, but for a long stretch this was a one-goal game.
Battling Bears
Hershey added to their lead with seconds to spare in the second period. The newly formed trio of Alex Limoges, Henrik Rybinski, and Bogdan Trineyev played with a noticeable edge. Rybinski put the puck towards Dylan Garand on the rush, and an unusual bounce saw the puck land perfectly to Limoges at the side of the net. He tallied his 19th goal of the season in an important tally with just 16 seconds to play in the second.
The Bears added to their lead with a nice break for a frequent flyer on the score sheet of late. A dump-in by Lucas Johansen took a bad bounce on the boards behind the net on Garand. The puck skipped past him and right to Riley Sutter on the other side. Sutter quickly tucked the puck into the net for his ninth goal of the season to continue a red-hot stretch for himself. He has goals in three consecutive games and five points in that stretch (four goals, one assist).
The final tally on the scoreboard came off the stick of Ryan Hofer. With Garrett Roe unavailable to the team due to injury, Hofer slotted in and made his presence known on the ice. The rookie forward has not been a regular fixture in the lineup this season, but with performances like Sunday’s, it’ll be hard to take him out of action easily. Sutter and Matt Strome combined to center the puck to the slot, sitting flat for Hofer to step into a blast that found twine. His fourth goal of the season made it 4-0 Hershey. Strome has four assists in three games in a strong offensive showing.
Shepard’s Strong Showing
Hunter Shepard racked up 26 saves to pick up his third shutout of the season. Shepard’s biggest save of the game came late in regulation, stopping a shorthanded breakaway with his blocker hand. With Shepard’s third shutout combined with Clay Stevenson’s seven, the Bears matched their franchise record for clean sheets with ten. Hershey still has 12 more games to try and break that mark. Overall, the effort and the response impressed head coach Todd Nelson.
“He was outstanding,” Nelson said of Shepard. “We get a power play with a minute thirty left and put two defensive defensemen out there and gave up a breakaway. He was outstanding tonight, especially in the second period. There were some flurries in front of our net and he stood tall. He was very solid and we’re happy for him.”
“This was a really good weekend for us. We had our meeting and the boys really rose to the challenge last night. I was concerned about our energy level today, but it was fantastic. The guys had a lot of energy tonight and that’s why we condition them during the week. We work them pretty hard for times like these. I’m very happy with what we went through this weekend. There was a bit of adversity and the guys rose to the occasion. We played a solid game today.”
“Every individual in there, if they care more about the guy next to them than themselves, we’re there. We’re almost there right now, but we still have time right now.”
Traveling to Cleveland
Hershey’s record improves to 44-11-0-5 on the season, good for 93 points. Sunday’s win gives them a four-game point streak and at least a point in five of their last six. The tests won’t stop for the Chocolate and White as they’ll travel to Cleveland for a pair of games against the Monsters. Hershey aided Cleveland’s efforts to retake the lead in the North Division by defeating the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday. They’ll trade one North Division leader for another in their only trip to Cleveland in the regular season.
