Sometimes in hockey, a team gets what they deserve. That was the case for the Hershey Bears on Sunday afternoon in a 1-0 loss to the Charlotte Checkers. The proof was in the pudding as Hershey could not score on seven different power play attempts and registered just 16 shots on goal. Ken Appleby picked up a fairly easy shutout as the visitors defended well. Clay Stevenson made 21 saves in the loss.
Bears’ Power Outage
The loss is the latest black eye for the Bears’ power play, which has not connected since December 8. Hershey’s drought has lasted for seven games without a power play goal. There’s little surprise that it connects nicely with a 2-5-0-0 record in that span. The Bears struggled to sustain pressure and get pucks through to the net, with an aggressive Checkers penalty kill giving them fits.
When a drought occurs, it’s also common to see bad breaks in bunches. Hershey had an abundance of broken sticks and flubbed shots add to the frustration on Sunday. On the flip side, Hershey’s penalty kill came through with four successful kills and only one shot on Stevenson. Unfortunately, Hershey’s prolific offense seems to have officially run dry with two shutout losses in their last three games.
“Missed opportunity for our hockey team. We had a lot of power plays, didn’t execute. We have to get the power play going. (Charlotte) is very aggressive on the penalty kill, if you bobble the puck, they’re going to pressure you. We bobbled the puck, and we have to execute. Otherwise, they win a puck battle and it’s down the ice.”
“We’re a bit disconnected. It’s been like this for the month of December. Lot of work to do in all parts of the game, we have good practice time this week and need to get better. Can’t win a hockey game without scoring goals. That’s the bottom line.”
Lappy’s Back
The Bears did get some good news in the return of a familiar face. Their NHL affiliate in Washington assigned forward Hendrix Lapierre to Hershey on Sunday afternoon. Lapierre, Hershey’s playoff MVP, has not donned a Bears sweater since lifting the Calder Cup in June. His addition plus the return of Alex Limoges from injury should be a shot in the arm for this group.
“I hope he brings (offense), because right now we don’t have a lot. Lappy’s a really solid player at this level. He wants to get his confidence back; he was MVP in the playoffs this past year which speaks volumes. He should give us a shot in the arm when he gets here. Alex Limoges will probably be back this weekend.”
“We’re getting the parts back but now we have to get in sync and get some chemistry going with our lines. Lappy should be a guy who sparks us a bit.”
Lapierre returns at a good time for the Bears after chalking up 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 20 postseason games. Both player and team are looking to get their confidence back in a tough stretch. Adding Limoges to the mix gives Hershey a much more potent group to attempt to right the ship.
Atlantic Challenge
When Hershey returns to action, they’ll take on another team nipping at their heels in the Providence Bruins. The Bruins and Checkers are only four points back of the Bears with the latter holding plenty of games in-hand. Hershey’s early lead was always predicated a bit by their busy schedule, but now their lead is tenuous at best amidst these struggles. Providence is red hot and poses an even bigger challenge for Hershey.
It’ll be important for the Bears to figure out their offense ahead of Sunday’s game particularly. Hershey is set to host their world-famous Teddy Bear Toss, and offense is required to get the fur flying. The Bears were blanked in the 2023 iteration of the event and the team would do well to avoid any furry fury. It’ll be important to hit the ground running this weekend after some question marks entering this weekend.
