The Hershey Bears and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins met up for the second matchup of 12 in the 2023-24 season, but Sunday’s edition had extra meaning to it. The two teams joined together to honor the memory of former Penguins forward Adam Johnson, who tragically passed away playing hockey for the Nottingham Panthers on Sunday. Both teams gathered together before the game to have a moment of silence as players on both sides shared ties to him. Hockey fans across the world chimed in on social media on the tribute.
Emotional Night
“Before we get going, I want to make a statement,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said after the game. “What happened last night to Adam Johnson was a shock to everybody in the hockey community. On behalf of myself, the players, and the staff, our deepest prayers and condolences go out to him and his family, and hopefully they can get through this tragedy.”
Hot Chocolate (and White)
After careful consideration, the Bears and Penguins played the game as scheduled. Hunter Shepard made his return to game action at Giant Center for the first time since posting a shutout in Game 5 of the Calder Cup Finals and loomed large in this game with 24 saves. The Bears jumped out to an early lead in this game by scoring two goals on their first two shots, both tallies by Ethen Frank. The first goal was courtesy of a slick feed from Mike Sgarbossa behind the goal, while the second tally was a slick shot on the power play.
The Bears tacked on one more goal when Alex Limoges picked the pockets of the Penguins’ defense, sending the puck to Joe Snively and Jimmy Huntington on a short two-on-none rush. Snively deposited the puck past an outstretched Garret Sparks to give the Bears a three-spot heading into the first intermission. Hershey endured a push from their visitors to the north, as Wilkes-Barre finally got on the board courtesy of Sam Poulin stashing the puck home for his first of the season.
Hunting For More
Hershey countered in the second period with Snively’s second goal of the game. Huntington and Pierrick Dube won the puck at the side of the net, with the former sliding the puck past the defense to an open Snively at the side of the net. Huntington added a goal in the third in addition to Bogdan Trineyev’s first AHL goal to put an exclamation point on a 6-1 decision in favor of the Chocolate and White. The only bad news saw Sgarbossa depart late in the third after an awkward collision with Rem Pitlick along the boards, as the team’s co-leader in scoring wasn’t able to put any weight on his leg on his way out.
“The game in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, we didn’t play with structure. We were disconnected. Tonight, and last night, was a different hockey team. We played together as a team, weren’t spaced out in the neutral zone. That’s the type of hockey we have to play to be successful, to bounce back with this kind of win is huge for us.”
Snively, Limoges, and Huntington all tallied three points in the win. Among the other noteworthy moments, rookie forward Ivan Miroshnichenko dropped the gloves for his first AHL fight with Penguins captain Taylor Fedun, earning pats on the back from teammates as he departed in the third period. Two points gives Hershey sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division to conclude the month of October on a high note. The two teams are set to rematch four times in the month of November starting on Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena.
