There was good, bad, and a lot of ugly for the Hershey Bears on Wednesday in Toronto. Hershey vaulted to a 3-0 lead in the first period but ultimately saw the game slip away and become a 4-3 overtime loss. It’s a loss that encompasses the best and the worst of this team early this season. Hershey still has work to be done to shape into the team that won back-to-back championships in this new iteration.
The Good Bears
The good news for Hershey is that they started the game exactly the way they wanted. Mike Sgarbossa got a break as his pass hit a defenseman and went top corner to give the Bears an early lead. The Bears tallied two more times before the period was over to build a comfortable three-goal lead. Brennan Saulnier had a brilliant read of a point pass, drawing a penalty shot call. He’d cash in for his second goal of the year.
Only a minute later, the Bears got more offense from their second line on a hardworking shift. Luke Philp kept the puck alive in the offensive zone and handed the puck to Henrik Rybinski along the boards. Rybinski spun the puck back to Philp, who pulled the puck from skate to stick for a shot to the back of the net. Philp was a healthy scratch in Hershey’s last outing but is a known offensive threat in his career. The Bears need him to find the back of the net in the Chocolate and White.
Hershey has not fared well in the first period this season. Wednesday’s game is just the third time the Bears have carried a lead into the first intermission all year. The Bears had broken through and taken a lead to the room after twenty minutes. All they needed to do was hold the lead and protect the lead, but there was lots of hockey to be played.
The Bad Bears
The second period would be a different type of animal. Toronto brought a five-game point streak into action on Wednesday and wouldn’t go away quietly. Goaltender Dennis Hildeby kept the Marlies in the game with a few key stops, one notably on the rush from Mike Vecchione.
Toronto hung around in the game and got two goals before the period’s end. The Marlies tallied a goal with less than two seconds to spare in the frame. Ethan Bear had the puck on the boards and tried to make a pass rather than contain it. The pass hit a defenseman, rolled in on Hunter Shepard, and popped right out to none other than Alex Nylander. Hershey knows all too well that Nylander will find twine more often than not, and the back-breaking goal made it 3-2.
The Ugly
Penalty trouble reared its ugly head in the third period as the Bears went to the box a few times too many. Toronto, boasting the fifth-best power play in the AHL, made Hershey pay for this with Nylander’s second goal of the game. The Marlies are among the best in the league on the power play and penalty kill, with special teams earmarked as an important factor in deciding the game.
Overtime loomed, but it wouldn’t take long to find a winner. Nylander capped a three-point night by finding Nick Abruzzese on a clear-cut breakaway to give Toronto the extra point. The goal is a dagger to the Bears, who once again saw their opponent find the back of their net at least three times in each of their last four games. It’s the sixth time in eight games in November that the Bears have seen a lead evaporate at some point, a concerning trend.
The counter to this point is that the Bears still own a record of 5-2-1-0 in the current month. Sure, some of the wins have been a bit ugly, but the bones of a good team are there. Hershey has some cleanup to do as they’re known to be a responsible defensive team. The concerning trend has been a lot of back-breaking goals allowed at poor junctures.
Nelson Hits 1,000
The Bears did celebrate a milestone for head coach Todd Nelson as Wednesday marked his 1,000th game behind the bench. It’s a milestone that spans games in the now-defunct United Hockey League as well as the NHL and AHL. Nelson, who sports a lengthy playing career that includes a stop in Hershey from 1995-96, is still enjoying what he does.
“It is special and a lot of good memories over the years,” Nelson told broadcaster Zack Fisch before the game. “When you say 1,000 games, that’s a lot of hockey and that reminds me how old I’m getting. I’m enjoying the ride, and I love what I do, like working with the players and staff that’s outstanding here. Those are the memories I’ll cherish going forward.”
Although game 1,000 won’t likely be one Nelson will remember fondly, his team has the chance to get right back at it. The Bears will be in Rochester to take on the Americans on Friday night. They’ll make a stop in Syracuse before returning home to Hershey for the Thanksgiving Eve tradition game.
