There’s not a more fitting named player in the American Hockey League than Hershey Bears defenseman Ethan Bear. The blue liner, who was one of the last assignments to Hershey this season, scored his second goal of the season as the game-winner on Saturday. Hershey snagged a 3-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds in the first of two matchups this weekend. They’ll rematch on Sunday afternoon at Giant Center.
Familiar Territory
The Thunderbirds looked to build upon a 5-3 comeback win over the Bridgeport Islanders earlier in the week. In that game, Springfield got goals from five different skaters to turn a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 win. The Thunderbirds continued the momentum with the first two goals on Saturday night. Rookie forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki tucked a loose behind Hunter Shepard for his second goal of the season. The third-round pick of the St. Blues in 2023 has five points in 12 games so far.
Springfield doubled their lead early in the second period. Hershey turned the puck over in their defensive zone one time too many and it ended in their net. Another rookie forward Marcus Sylvegard got the payoff with his third goal of the season. Sylvegard, 25, signed a one-year, entry-level contract with St. Louis after spending most of eight seasons in the Swedish Hockey League. He had a goal and an assist on Saturday.
It’s the second straight time in the short regular season series that the Thunderbirds went up by two goals. When the teams met up previously on October 26, Springfield took a similar edge but saw it slip away in a 6-2 final score. They’d look to lock down a win on enemy ice.
Heavy Lifting Bears
The Bears got a needed break with a goal from their fourth line. Hershey’s Calder Cup hero Matt Strome intercepted a puck in neutral ice and went the other way. He’d drop the puck to Brennan Saulnier, who beat Vadim Zherenko for his first goal as a Bear. Neither Saulnier nor Strome may have played on Saturday, but the recall of Mike Sgarbossa and late injury to Bogdan Trineyev required it.
Hershey’s fourth line did a lot of heavy lifting in this game. Forward Pierrick Dubé missed a lot of the second period but returned in the third, despite being “questionable”, according to assistant coach Patrick Wellar. Strome filled in with some good shifts on the third and fourth lines in addition to penalty killing. Saulnier and Sutter had excellent efforts.
Another player who had a great game was rewarded in forward Henrik Rybinski. He’d tally his third goal of the year off a nice setup pass by Ivan Miroshnichenko. Rybinski, playing up on the second line in Sgarbossa’s absence, thrived with the larger role with a plus-two rating on the night.
“You’re seeing the development, step-by-step,” Wellar said. “He really took a step forward for us in the playoffs last year and had a great training camp in Washington. He’s been very consistent, matured physically, and he’s a smart player. Rybinski protects pucks well, extends plays in the offensive zone, and he’s a great kid trying to figure this out. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Bear’s Bears
Hershey broke the tie late in the third period. After a magnificent performance by Zherenko, the game-winning goal is one he ultimately might want back. Bear skated the puck around behind the net off a pass from Miroshnichenko. He’d slide the puck towards the net and beat Zherenko to the post, a goal that stood up as the winner. Zherenko had 27 saves while Shepard made 25 stops for the win. Wellar, standing in for head coach Todd Nelson while he’s away, noted the fourth line’s strong effort.
“We needed them. The energy they brought, the speed and pace at which they played, it was exceptional. We didn’t have all four lines rolling tonight, they brought us back in the fight a little bit. It was a great effort and it’s great to see those guys get rewarded.”
“We have surrendered leads that are a bit uncharacteristic compared to last year. Every season is different, but there was no panic tonight. We were down 2-0, but we have a veteran team that believes and we’re starting to find our rhythm and identity. It could have gone sideways, but this group said no, and I hope we can use that going forward.”
Afternoon Action
The two teams will meet up again for a 3:00 PM game on Sunday in a short turnaround. Despite sharing the same division, Sunday’s game will be the last time the Thunderbirds are in Hershey during the regular season. The two teams have just one more matchup that won’t take place until March. It’s a short turnaround with intent as the Bears will have to travel to Bridgeport for a 10:30 AM game against the Islanders on Tuesday.
