It was down, but not out for the Hershey Bears on the road in a big-time tilt against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Arena. There were big points up for grabs that, at one point, looked like Hershey might not get any of. Late heroics from Chase Priskie tied the game, and Hendrix Lapierre won the game in overtime. It was a playoff-style game in February that saw Hershey take the win by a 4-3 final score. Clay Stevenson took a solid win with 29 saves.
Worthy of the I-81 Rivalry
The two perpetual Pennsylvania rivals met for the second time this week. Hershey took a win earlier in the week with a game that went down to the wire. In this iteration, the teams similarly traded blows on the ice and the scoreboard. Wilkes-Barre, looking to repeat a beatdown a few weeks ago, got on the board first. Avery Hayes opened the scoring with the only goal in the opening stanza.
Not long after the goal, Lapierre was on the receiving end of a hit that briefly sent him to the locker room. Emil Bemstrom appeared to stop and backtrack to catch him with the hit. Lapierre returned, which ultimately proved to be a big factor in the game. The two teams clashed early and often in scrums with some genuine hatred brewing.
Hershey netted the only goal of the second period on the power play. Lapierre wisely spotted Alex Limoges battling in front of the net with his stick available. Hershey’s All-Star forward made no mistake in deflecting the shot up and over Filip Larsson. Both teams had their cracks at the power play, with this goal the only one to connect.
Thriller in the Third
The two teams traded goals in the third period. Wilkes-Barre scored two goals in less than two minutes to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead. It looked like Hershey might leave Mohegan Arena with no points as the clock wound down. They threatened and got the tying goal on a wild bounce. Ethan Bear’s point shot rang the post and fluttered in the air on a vacant wing. Priskie, who snuck in from the point to the open ice, plucked the puck out of the air and fired it home with his stick.
The goal beat the clock with 12 seconds to spare, sending it to overtime. It was an entertaining, back-and-forth extra session with each team getting chances. In the end, Luke Philp and Bear won a board battle with the latter finding Lapierre all low in open ice. Lapierre’s third point of the night was the winning goal in overtime.
Lapierre, who won the Jack Butterfield Trophy as the MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs, is heating up. Saturday’s goal is his second in as many games after no goals this season at the NHL or AHL levels. In Lapierre’s last two games, he has five points (two goals, three assists). Bear has similarly had a great stretch with five points (one goal, four assists) in that same span.
Bears Battle Back
Hershey is playing a lighter schedule in this stretch, making the points available all the more important. Wilkes-Barre is playing some of their games in-hand this week, gaining only two points over three games. The Bears moved their lead over the Penguins to seven points with Saturday’s win. Wilkes-Barre has four games to try and close the points gap starting on Sunday against Lehigh Valley.
In the meantime, the Providence Bruins leapfrogged Wilkes-Barre in the standings. Providence has one fewer game played than Hershey and will likewise be watching Wilkes-Barre and Charlotte closely. It’s a huge pair of wins for Hershey in a crucial stretch. Two losses the other way would have nearly eliminated their standings lead.
Although Hershey allowed three goals, it was an improved performance for Stevenson and the defense. Stevenson made several key saves to keep the Bears in this game. His save count of 29 is among his highest of the season. It’s been a struggle in recent times for Hershey defensively, but this game has been a step in the right direction.
Grin and Bear It
Hershey will be away from game action for a week. Their next two games will be in Charlotte in another essential Atlantic Division set. The Checkers are eight points behind the Bears with three fewer games played. It’s another set where a team pursuing Hershey has a path into contention for the division crown. No doubt, it’ll be another major test for the Bears.
