The Hershey Bears shipped up to Providence for a pair of road games against the Bruins to open a four-game road trip. Amica Mutual Pavilion hasn’t been kind to the Chocolate and White in recent years, with the Bruins being unbeaten in regulation in that matchup for 14 consecutive games (13-0-0-1). The Bears broke that drought over the weekend and collected two wins in a 3-2 regulation win on Friday and a 5-4 shootout win on Saturday to extend their win streak to three heading into the final game of three in as many days on Sunday afternoon in Bridgeport.
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Both games had a similar start, as Providence opened up a 1-0 lead on their first shot on goal twice. Friday’s game saw Luke Toporowski score on a sharp shot shorthanded, while it was Oskar Steen’s third goal of the season only 1:18 into action a day later. The Bears responded to the early deficit with three straight goals in both games to take leads which would be cut into or erased entirely by the host Bruins.
Saturday’s game turned into a barn burner between two teams notorious for strong defensive hockey. It looked like the Bruins might not erased a 2-1 deficit after coming up empty handed on six power play opportunities. Those chances included a double minor penalty as well as two extended two-man advantages in rapid succession. The Bears did an impressive job, but the defensive time took its toll eventually. Moments after Hershey took a 3-1 lead, Providence clawed back with a pair of goals to tie the game at three and then equalizing again with nine seconds left in regulation time.
Sweating Out a Shootout
It’d be Hershey’s first foray back into extra time since Mike Vecchione’s Game 7 overtime goal to earn the team’s 12th Calder Cup Championship. Neither team could settle the matter in the three-on-three session, so they’d settle it in the skills session where Joe Snively had the decisive tally. The Bears can exhale after a solid effort turned a bit ugly in the third period, where failed clears cost them a second regulation win. Hunter Shepard played both games after missing opening weekend due to illness but handled the larger workload well by closing the door in the shootout.
Among the standouts for the Chocolate and White on Saturday was the standout new line of Alex Limoges, Jimmy Huntington, and Snively. Limoges and Snively are both natives of Virginia and train together in the summer, making the line a natural combination to try. Limoges racked up three assists while Huntington tallied his first two goals in a Hershey sweater as standouts offensively. Chase Priskie registered three assists in two games as a nice addition to the blue line group. Ivan Miroshnichenko tallied his first AHL goal on Friday to help round out the offensive production this weekend.
However, top marks need to be given to Hershey’s top line of Ethen Frank, Mike Sgarbossa, and Vecchione. The only intact line in its entirety from the team’s championship year, this group has helped set the tone for the Chocolate and White. Frank racked up six points (three goals, three assists) in three games while Sgarbossa has five (two goals, three assists). Mr. Game 7 himself has four points (two goals, two assists) in that same span. The line has helped the power play tally five goals over three games, with the trio lining up on the top unit.
“It wasn’t pretty but there will be games like that,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson told his team in a social media video. “We’ll learn from our mistakes when we have a team on the ropes, but to come into a building where we haven’t had success in and get two wins? Good job.”
This Bears team is young and has some growing to do still, and Saturday’s finish was evidence of that. Saturday’s lineup featured the AHL debuts of Ryan Hofer and Nicky Leivermann as Nelson balances the team’s desire to win with the need to play some of the team’s rookies. However, it’s an impressive feat to exorcise the demons of the recent past even in an early season game in October. The Chocolate and White will wrap up this stretch in Bridgeport on Sunday, and a Wednesday meeting with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins is all that stands between them and returning to Giant Center.
