The Hershey Bears wrapped up their schedule before the Christmas break on Saturday. Unfortunately, despite Santa being in the house, the Bears didn’t get any presents on this night. Hershey dropped a 1-0 decision to their rival, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, as they limped into the break. The loss is not only Hershey’s third straight overall, but third straight on home ice.
I Guess I’ll Just Limp Home Then
Hershey limped into the break with a myriad of injured players. The Bears lost defenseman Ethan Bear on Saturday, adding to a lengthy injured list in addition to recalled players. With their ECHL affiliate in South Carolina in the midst of a busy stretch, the Bears didn’t make any recalls. Hershey missed the likes of Mike Sgarbossa, Alex Limoges, Pierrick Dubé, Henrik Rybinski, and Ivan Miroshnichenko in their forward group.
That group accounts for four of the team’s top five scorers and five of their top eight point producers overall. Hershey’s lineup on Sunday consisted of all 12 of their healthy available forwards. Only Jon McDonald remained as a healthy option. Head coach Todd Nelson expects some players to be back following the break.
“I think Limoges is the closest out of the group,” Nelson said after the game. “Dubé isn’t even skating right now. We’ll see what happens in Washington, too, depending on what happens with their games. They should be healthy as well and have to make some transactions. Hopefully they’ll get through unscathed and we’ll get some guys back.”
There were even injury concerns during and after the game. Forward Zac Funk missed some time but returned at the start of the second period. Riley Sutter exited in pain towards the end of the game, which Nelson did not have an update on at the game’s end.
Close, But Not Close Enough
Hershey turned in a better effort defensively in contrast to a day prior. Hunter Shepard made some crucial saves when needed, taking the loss with 24 saves. The only goal to beat him came on a scramble in the second period with a rebound jammed past him. At the other end of the ice, the Bears couldn’t buy a fortunate enough break to find the back of the net. Filip Larsson endured a late push to earn the shutout with 33 saves.
“I thought the first period, we were fine,” Nelson said. “The second period, we sucked. Third period, we were better again. Shep was outstanding tonight, he was awesome for us to keep the game tight. It was a better defensive effort; we had some chances in the third to tie it up but it didn’t work out.”
“We’re struggling offensively because we don’t have the firepower we normally have. You take Sgarbossa, Limoges, Dubé out, it’s a big part of your offense. Rybinski is up, Miro has been up for a while now. The group we have has to find a way to manufacture goals. The guys gave us what they had, I was happy with the effort, but it goes to show you how much it hurts missing key guys.”
Unfamiliar Bears Territory
Hershey’s recent struggles have hit unfamiliar territory. The Bears have not lost three games in a row at home since the 2021-22 season, per Jesse Liebman. It’s another nod towards how great and unprecedented the last two seasons have been. The team has lofty expectations around them now and unfortunately weren’t able to keep up with a competitive division on Sunday.
For now, the Bears will rest with six days until a rematch against these Penguins on Saturday. It’s a lighter stretch of game action in contrast to what the Bears have played, and it gives Hershey a chance to get healthy. The Bears will be off entirely until Friday when they return to practice, and time away with family is likely just what they need.
