Another day, another win for the Hershey Bears in a bizarre fashion. Concluding a four-game road trip against mostly North Division teams, Hershey wrapped up against the Syracuse Crunch. The Bears led by two goals three separate times but saw the Crunch erase leads each time. It took extra time and a shootout to decide this one as Ethen Frank scored and Hunter Shepard made the save in a 5-4 Bears win. The Bears finish the road trip with a 3-0-1-0 record, but many similar trends remain for the team to address.
Bears Dominate Early
By all counts, it was a pretty good start for the Bears in the first period. The opening 20 minutes haven’t been kind to Hershey so far this season, but the team bucked that trend on the road. Hershey got off to a strong start with the opening goal for the fourth straight game. Chase Priskie found a streaking Grant Cruikshank, who found a seam and beat Brandon Halverson.
It’s Cruikshank’s first goal as a Bear as he was rewarded with a recall from the South Carolina Stingrays. At the time of his call-up, Cruikshank led the Stingrays in scoring with 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 12 games. He jumped in the lineup and tallied his second AHL goal after impressing in the preseason.
Hershey doubled the lead on a bizarre bounce benefitting Frank. Dyllan Gill’s clearing attempt up the boards hit Brad Hunt and skipped back towards the slot. The puck skipped and bounced over the sticks of two Syracuse players. Frank took advantage and beat Halverson to give the Bears a 2-0 lead after two.
Down, But Not Out
Syracuse looked down and out at times in the game, particularly early on. They only had three shots on goal in the first period and struggled to get offensive pressure on Shepard. It all changed in the back half of the middle stanza as Niko Huuhtanen scored to give the Crunch some life. The goal, combined with a late scrum following a hit that caused Declan Carlile to leave the game, sparked the Crunch.
The third period saw the teams combine for five goals. It’s an unexpected mark considering the goaltending matchup, with Calder Cup winner Shepard and the current league-leading Halverson. Hershey regained their two-goal lead at 3-1 when Henrik Rybinski took a stretch pass from Nicky Leivermann. Rybinski made a play to stay on-sides and lifted the puck over Halverson’s shoulder. The goal is his fourth of the campaign.
The script played out the same way over the next few goals. Huuhtanen scored again to cut the lead to one off another wild bounce. Shepard played the puck around the boards but off the skate of Hunt to Huuhtanen. He beat the diving goaltender to breathe life into the building. Hershey responded with a power play goal from Pierrick Dubé off a nifty pass from Alex Limoges. However, Syracuse responded with a goal 22 seconds later from Tobie Bisson through traffic. Then, with the goaltender pulled, Syracuse evened the score at four courtesy of Dylan Duke.
Defensive Debacles
It’s the latest time the Bears have seen a lead evaporate while allowing a lot of goals. Saturday marked the sixth straight game Hershey has allowed three goals or more. Hershey lost leads in all four games of this trip but managed to earn seven of eight possible points. Head coach Todd Nelson said that Friday’s win in Rochester “wasn’t a Picasso” but applauded the will to win.
“You know what? All in all, I’m pretty satisfied so far,” Nelson said ahead of Saturday’s game. “A lot of work has to be done, but the players are starting to get it. I was worried about a Calder Cup hangover, still concerned somewhat, but our guys have handled it well. We’re finding ways to win, and good teams find ways to win. That’s the bottom line, and that has to continue.”
Hershey’s offense continues to find ways to power them to victories. Saturday marked the first time that a team managed to beat Halverson for four goals in a single game. He turned a strong performance with 31 saves and kept his team in this one. Hershey knows they are a matchup circled on the calendar for most of their opponents. Despite the goals against, they are finding ways to win tough games.
More Points, More Wins
Hershey went beyond regulation time for the third consecutive game against North Division foes. This time, the game would go to a shootout. Neither team found goals in the first three rounds, leaving it to extra innings like baseball. Frank kept up his strong play with a goal and Shepard slammed the door shut to give Hershey two points. Shepard stopped all four Syracuse shooters and had five saves in overtime to help the cause.
The Bears had a lot of personnel changes for Saturday’s game. Matt Strome, Garrett Roe, and Hardy Haman Aktell missed action and were listed as injured. Hershey utilized nearly every player available to them over the course of the trip. They’ll get home and assess the status of their players with some time off. Hershey will be in action on Wednesday for their traditional Thanksgiving Eve game against the Laval Rocket.
Hershey won’t have to go far over the month of December as they’ll largely be in the state of Pennsylvania. The Bears improved to 8-0-1-0 on the road and to 13-4-2-0 overall. Although there’s plenty to work on for their game, their 28 points moved them into first place in the AHL at the conclusion of Saturday’s game. It’s no Picasso, but that’s pretty darn good.
