The Hershey Bears continue to rack up the frequent flyer miles in game six of a historic ten-game road trip. Hershey’s latest destination on Wednesday saw them take on the Springfield Thunderbirds in Atlantic Division action. The Bears saw a lead evaporate in the third, but Ethan Bear scored the game-winning late to give Hershey the win. Hunter Shepard earned the win with 18 saves on 20 shots. Hershey improves to 5-0-0-1 on the road trip with the decision.
Wednesday Night Rivalry
It’s been a long time since the two division foes met up. The two teams last met at Giant Center in early November, with the Bears taking all three of the previous games. It’s a measuring-stick game for Springfield looking to move up in the standings in a tight race. Hershey outshot Springfield by a 43-20 margin for the game, one of their largest margins of the season.
It took until the midway point of the game to find some scoring. Vincent Iorio made a strong play to keep the puck in the offensive zone at the point. Matt Strome grabbed the puck and wired a shot past Colten Ellis (39 saves) for his sixth of the season. Iorio is taking on a larger role as one of the team’s top defensemen after a whirlwind year on the blue line. He finished with two assists and a plus-four rating.
Hershey doubled the lead a few minutes later courtesy of a few familiar faces. Chase Priskie, celebrating a birthday on Wednesday, passed perfectly to Henrik Rybinski over the blue line. Rybinski found Bogdan Trineyev with some space, and he made no mistake with a quick shot past Ellis.
Priskie extends his point streak to six consecutive games with ten points (one goal, nine assists) in that span. The duo had a big performance when Hershey beat the Chicago Wolves last weekend. Their contributions have given Hershey scoring up and down their lineup to find success in this road trip.
Grin and Bear It
Despite getting outshot, the Thunderbirds managed to turn the tides in the third period courtesy of their power play. Mackenzie MacEachern scored the first goal followed by Dalibor Dvorsky’s 20th goal of the year just a minute later. The second goal was on a two-man advantage as Hershey surrendered two goals on four power play opportunities. Hershey won despite not scoring on three power plays of their own.
Hershey responded to the goal late in the third period. Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko combined to set up Ethan Bear sneaking in from the point. Bear, who leads the Bears in points, scored his tenth goal of the season with the finish.
The Bears defended their newfound lead down to the final moments. With Springfield’s net empty, Hershey put on a strong defensive showing with Pierrick Dubé finishing the play. Mike Vecchione made a nice indirect pass for his 100th assist as a Bear. Dubé took some abuse on the shift, cross-checked by Nikita Alexandrov moments before the goal.
“It builds character when we can stick with it,” Bear said after the game. “We found the next one. When the playoffs roll around, it’s not always going to go your way and it’s important to bounce back.”
“We have a good group of guys here. Everyone has fun every day, coaching staff included. We have a goal which is a championship. That’s Hershey Bears hockey. We have a standard that we have to play to every day. It’s a privilege to be here.”
Homeward Bound
The Bears make a couple more stops before returning to their home beds, at least for a little while. Hershey will travel to Hartford on Friday followed by a stop in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday. They’ll stop at home for a few days before traveling to Bridgeport next Wednesday.
Hershey clinched a playoff spot last weekend, but the job is not done for them as they seek a first-round bye. Two points puts them at 82 with a record of 38-15-5-1. They’re eight points ahead of second place Wilkes-Barre and nine ahead of third place Providence. The Bears are in control of their own destiny with the success they’ve had on the road trip. The head-to-head matchup against Wilkes-Barre on Saturday figures to be an important game.
