For the first time since 2022, there will be a new Calder Cup winner in the AHL. The Hershey Bears were eliminated on Wednesday night at Giant Center in a 6-3 loss to the Charlotte Checkers. The loss brings an end to Hershey’s attempt at winning three consecutive Calder Cup titles. It’s the end of an era in the Sweetest Place on Earth with many questions heading into the offseason.
Checked Out
Charlotte took control of the game in the second period. Hershey established a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Bogdan Trineyev and Mike Vecchione early in the second period. The Vecchione goal would be one of just two shots on goal for the Bears the rest of the way. Charlotte poured on 20 shots on Hunter Shepard, who did everything he could to keep Hershey in this game. Three shots found the net, and the Checkers never looked back.
Everything that could have gone wrong happened in short order in the third period. The dagger happened early on as Will Lockwood’s shot hit a defender and floated over Shepard, dropping into the net. Charlotte added one more courtesy of Kyle Criscuolo before the frame was five minutes old. Hershey couldn’t find more than a goal from Ivan Miroshnichenko, and that was all said from Giant Center.
Ironically, it’s the first time since 2019 that the Bears’ season has come to an end in the playoffs at Giant Center. At that time, it was a different sweep of the Bears by the Checkers that ended the campaign. Hershey only lost in the best-of-three playoff format to Wilkes-Barre in 2022 in that time. The Bears did get the better of the Checkers in the 2023 playoffs on their way to the first of two Calder Cup titles.
End of an Era
Simply put, the Checkers were the better team in this series, and it showed in almost every aspect. In a shorter best-of-five series, the two losses on the road by a tight margin were ultimately too much to overcome. Charlotte’s second period shot advantage of 20-2 reflects a tidal wave of Hershey turnovers leading to extended time defending. With the long changes in the second period, the distance to the bench seemed like miles.
“Everything you saw all year reared its ugly head today,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said. “We’re going pretty good up 2-0, once again we turn the puck over. We got stuck in our end, and they scored. I don’t know what we were doing on the four-on-four, goal against. Another turnover, and suddenly they’re up 3-2. Suddenly, the puck goes off Nicky (Leivermann) and over Shep’s head.”
“I give Charlotte a lot of credit, they’re a hard team to play against. They pressure you all over the ice. I felt that they executed their game plan better than us.”
The loss ends an incredible and unmatched run in Hershey’s storied history. The Bears won nine consecutive playoff series including the team’s third set of back-to-back titles. Nine straight series wins is a new AHL record, one better than the last Hershey team to win two championships. Despite a step back overall in 2024-25, the Bears still finished second in the AHL as a whole.
“It’s a hell of a ride, to win nine series in a row is something else. People have to understand, when you get in the playoffs, it’s tough enough to win one series, one championship. We went back-to-back and clawed our way into first place. I think the series is closer than a sweep, but it didn’t work out that way. You have to give them credit.”
Bears of the Future
The attention now turns to preparing the 2025-26 iteration of the Hershey Bears. Once the sting has worn off a bit, the Bears and their NHL affiliate in Washington will shape the next iteration of the club. The Bears have quite a few key players set to be free agents this summer. Key faces like Vecchione, Shepard, Riley Sutter, and Alex Limoges are all set to be free agents. Other restricted free agents will be in need of new contracts.
All the while, Hershey is shaping up to be a much younger team in 2025-26. Players like Andrew Cristall, Ilya Protas, Patrick Thomas, Ryan Chesley, and David Gucciardi headline the incoming player list. Others, like Ryan Hofer, Alexander Suzdalev, and Zac Funk are looking to earn bigger roles in Hershey. Many key decisions will need to take place in the coming months before the puck is ready to be dropped on a new year.
