The time is now for Hershey Bears forward Hendrix Lapierre. The former first round pick of the Washington Capitals mans the top line in Hershey right now. He scored a natural hat trick on Monday against the Belleville Senators including the game-winner in a 4-2 final score. Hershey earned their 39th win of the season to take the first two games of their trip through Canada.
(Hat) Tricks are for Kids
Lapierre, who turned 22 just recently, kicked off the scoring just over seven minutes into play. The puck took a fortunate bounce off of a defenseman and past Mads Sogaard. It’s the first time the Bears solved the Senators netminder this season after he blanked Hershey back on opening night.
A bigger role for Lapierre means more time on special teams, another area in which the sophomore sensation ruled the day. Henrik Rybinski freed the puck up on the boards and sent Lapierre in with a head of steam. He’d wire a wrist shot past the goaltender for his second of the day and his second shorthanded tally of the campaign.
It’d be a natural hat trick of goals at all different situations for Lapierre, who tallied on the power play in the second period. A quick passing play with Alex Limoges and Pierrick Dubé led Lapierre to deflect his third of the day into the net. The Bears had vaulted to a 3-0 lead on the road.
Belleville Battles Back
The third goal sparked the Senators, who pushed hard in the second period. Matthew Highmore struck just over two minutes later to get Belleville on the board. The Senators outshot the Bears 9-6 in the second period and looked to get back into the game in the third period. However, Hershey’s fourth goal proved to be the backbreaker on the power play. Chase Priskie buried a perfect pass from Ivan Miroshnichenko in the slot for his fifth goal of the season.
The goal was a crucial one to get. Belleville had a big opportunity to draw even as Dylan McIlrath was given a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct. McIlrath dropped Brennan Saulnier with a punch after it appeared the two would square off in a fight. However, the Hershey captain was the only one to drop his gloves and dropped Saulnier to the ice. Saulnier would get off the ice but dropped to his knees briefly on the runway to the locker room. He’d exit and not return in this game.
The Final Countdown
The Senators scored once in the major power play, with Zack Ostapchuk tallying his 12th goal of the season. Hershey defended well down the stretch, and the fourth goal kept the game well in-hand. The Bears secured a 4-2 win behind a solid 19-save effort by Clay Stevenson. Monday’s win gives the Chocolate and White 80 points on the season, the latest notch in the team’s belt.
It’s a high standard for the Bears. Despite earning a 3-2 win in overtime on Saturday, head coach Todd Nelson wasn’t happy with his team’s effort. He called the game “one of the worst” in his tenure with the team and challenged them for Monday’s game. The win is a solid response for the team, who collected their fourth win in their last five games.
Lapierre Leads
It’s a nice mark for Lapierre, who has been tasked with more responsibility of late. He’s filling in for forward Mike Sgarbossa, who was recalled to the Washington Capitals earlier this month. Former Bears head coach and current Caps bench boss Spencer Carbery had the role in mind for Lapierre.
“I think Sgarbs has earned the opportunity for a look,” Carbery said of the decision. “The reason behind that is that Lappy has done a lot of meaningful things, played a lot of meaningful games. Where we’re at, bringing that veteran player in that’s played a lot in the National Hockey League. Letting Lappy play big minutes in a large role in the American Hockey League at this portion of the season is the best decision.”
Lapierre has responded to the task. He has tallied eight points (three goals, five assists) in his last five games, nearly doubling his point output over 20 games this season. It’s hardly a coincidence that his linemates have been productive over that stretch, too. Alex Limoges has been on a tear, putting up points in eight straight games (five goals, seven assists) while Joe Snively has already set new highs in assists (31) and points (41). Both players only trail Sgarbossa in terms of points for the team lead.
Roaring for 40
The Bears will conclude their road trip by visiting the Laval Rocket on Wednesday. If the Bears win, it’ll give them 40 on the season and match the fastest pace to the mark in team history. Wednesday will be the last time in the regular season that the Bears will face a Canadian team.
It was a reunion and some good news for the Bears, specifically members of their 2023 Calder Cup team. Hershey was reunited with Garrett Pilon, who skates for the Belleville Senators. Pilon scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Bears to a 3-2 series lead. Hershey improbably won all three games at home to turn a 2-0 deficit into a series lead heading back to Palm Springs.
Assisting on that goal was forward Mason Morelli, who made his NHL debut with the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday. It paid immediate results as Morelli scored his first NHL goal on the power play and later added an assist. Morelli skated for the Bears over three seasons, earning his first NHL contract with the Golden Knights. It’s safe to say his success was received with overwhelming support from the Bears.
