Second verse, same as the first. The Hershey Bears met up with the Iowa Wild to conclude a weekend set of games at Giant Center, with both teams looking for points in the American Hockey League race. The Bears raced out to an early lead, but the Wild drew to within a goal and pressed to even the score. Hershey backstop Clay Stevenson held steady with 26 saves, including a whopping 18 of 19 stops in the second period to earn first star honors in a 2-1 Bears win.
Roaring Back on the Power Play
Hershey broke out of its recent drought on the power play in a big way to open the scoring. After not getting a chance to utilize their power play in a 2-1 win a night prior, Hershey struck in 40 seconds with their first try. Ethen Frank ripped a familiar looking blast from the top of the left faceoff circle past the outstretched Zane McIntyre to make it 1-0. Frank continues a hot streak in which he’s tallied seven points (three goals, four assists) in his last six games. Chase Priskie tallied an assist to give him three helpers in his last two games.
The Chocolate and White needed even less time to capitalize on their second power play. Off the faceoff, the Bears got the puck to Alex Limoges at the side of the net, and the Penn State alumni made no mistake banking it off McIntyre’s pad to double the lead for the home team. Mike Sgarbossa earned assists on both goals for his fifth multi-point night of the season, with his 16 assists total tied for second in the AHL while his 19 points overall is good for a tie for sixth.
Limoges, an offseason addition to the Bears, has slotted in on the top power play unit well this season. His goal on Sunday comes in familiar territory along the goal line, where he’s made some impressive plays to find open teammates. A busy weekend brings him to a tie for third on the Bears in scoring with 14 points (five goals, nine assists).
“(Limoges) has a good skill set,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said after the game. “Very intelligent hockey IQ, smart hockey player. He compliments the first unit where he’s at the net front but is crafty enough to move around to different spots, get open, and make plays. He’s been doing that all season for us.”
A Wild Ride
Iowa pulled to within one in a fittingly Wild second period. Jake Lucchini tallied a power play goal after his shot popped off the top of the crossbar. It then took a fortunate bounce off a defender’s skate to find its way to the back of the net. It’d be the only puck to get past Stevenson on this night, who made numerous ten bell saves including a pair of outstretched stops with his pad. He used all 6’4 of his frame to keep the puck out of the net in this game. Iowa’s 19 shots on goal in the second set a season high for the Wild in a single period.
The Wild pushed, but ultimately could not find the equalizing goal in the third period. Iowa concluded the trip to the Sweetest Place on Earth empty on points and their losing streak extended to five games. They deserved a better fate in this set of games but show potential that impressed the Bears’ bench boss.
“They’re a good hockey team, they work hard and have skill,” Nelson said of the Wild. “I know they’re going through a tough stretch, but they’re better than their record shows. As a measuring stick, it’s good to know we can compete with teams from the west. It was a good weekend to see a fresh team. They’re a competitive group over there, I know some of the coaches, they’ll right the ship. That’s a playoff team to me.”
This Bear is Best
The win is Hershey’s sixth straight win and the third consecutive time the Bears have won by a 2-1 count. They’re the first team in the AHL to reach 30 points in the 2023-24 season. They have the stingiest defense of all 32 clubs with only 40 goals against in 19 games. Despite their strong offensive additions, their strong team play has lifted them to a 15-4-0-0 record. Winning close games is huge as the team builds confidence in its structure, as Nelson said.
“It is, it gives you confidence and you feel comfortable in those kinds of situations. Last season, we did the same thing, and you look at Game 7 of the Finals last year. Our guys were calm in that overtime session. We went through situations and faced adversity. We had to kill off a penalty late in the game, it’s good for our hockey team to build confidence.”
After signing autographs in a busy night for the team, the Bears will hit the road for four straight games starting on Wednesday night in Wilkes-Barre. They’ll make their first trip to Charlotte for a pair of games on Friday and Saturday before finishing off with a trip to Syracuse on December 8. Hockey will be back at Giant Center a day later when the Bears take on the Cleveland Monsters.
