May 1, 2024 marked the start of the Hershey Bears’ journey back to the Calder Cup. The Chocolate and White hosted Game One against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Giant Center. Despite the poise the Bears played with as the league’s top team, it’s easy to forget a number of players made their playoff debuts. Among those players was Matt Strome, who’d go on to score the Calder Cup winner just under two months later.
Strome Takes His Place in Bears History
Rewinding back to the regular season, the Bears counted on Strome, Henrik Rybinski, and Bogdan Trineyev to take the next step. All three players were extras during the team’s run to the Calder Cup a year prior. The trio became staples of the team’s bottom six and penalty kill roles while chipping in points. Their contributions often helped get the Bears some points on nights when other lines weren’t finding the back of the net. All three players in addition to Riley Sutter made up the penalty kill, which led the league at 87.7% efficiency in the regular season.
It was fitting in so many ways for Strome to bury the all-important Game Six overtime goal. The trio of Sutter, Trineyev, and Strome went to work keeping the puck in the zone and preventing their opponent from moving anywhere. The Firebirds circled back to free the puck. However, a smart play by Trineyev to check the stick of the defender sprung it loose into the middle of the ice. Neither Sutter nor Trineyev were credited with an assist on the goal.
Strome, who was shadowing the puck in the middle, saw his opportunity and jumped in. He took the puck from his right and smartly skated left, dodging a sprawling defenseman. The shot came from the middle of the slot, hit the post with a distinct ping, then twine.
Then, bedlam.
“Suttsy, he’s been our best player all year,” Strome said about the goal. “I’ll be honest about that. He brought in so much. Great forecheck, it just popped to me in the slot and I just shot it. I blacked out after that, the rest is history.”
Calder Cup Contributions
Although this year’s iteration of the Bears features plenty of familiar faces, it’s far from the same group. Hershey signed many new faces nearly a full calendar year ago who were essential to this team’s success. Many of those, like Pierrick Dubé and Alex Limoges, left a massive mark on Game Six. For the win, it’s fitting for the players who grew internally to have the moment.
It’s a blueprint that other players in the organization need to follow. Strome, for his part, is a free agent as of writing and may not be back. Players like Ryan Hofer, who is in a similar situation to Strome, will be counted on for bigger roles in the future. So too will the likes of Zac Funk, who spent time with the Bears and is expected to be in Hershey in the fall. Hershey will once again have a familiar team and try for something never seen before in team history: a three-peat.
Overtime Magic in Hershey
It’s the second straight year that the Bears have captured the Calder Cup with a decisive goal in overtime. Last year, Mike Vecchione scored the iconic goal in Game Seven to lift the Bears to their 12th championship. Prior to that, Hershey’s big playoff moments have preceded the wins rather than facilitating them directly. The closest final series in team history was their first Calder Cup: a 4-3 series win over the Pittsburgh Hornets in 1947.
Strome’s goal is no doubt the biggest single goal in Giant Center history. The stars aligned in a major way, as the building hosted its 100th Calder Cup Playoff game in Game Six. A record crowd of 11,013 packed the building, breaking the record set during the championship game in 2010 by 11. It’s just the second time the Bears won the Calder Cup on home ice since 1980.
One More Chance
2024-25 may mark the last full season with this group. Washington made short work of their to-do list in free agency, but the vast majority of players will need new contracts in 2025. That list includes players on Hershey contracts, with the likes of Aaron Ness and Mike Vecchione needing new deals. It’s a massive chance for the Bears to do something new for the organization and unheard of in the modern AHL.
