Dmitri Osipov might not have been in the lineup for the Hershey Bears on Sunday evening. The versatile player is one of the few extra players on Hershey’s lineup. He was pressed into action when captain Dylan McIlrath was recalled to Washington. Osipov made his presence felt, dropping the mitts and earning his first point with the Bears. He blocked a shot that led to Jimmy Huntington’s shorthanded game-winning goal in a 4-1 Hershey win over Wilkes-Barre. The Bears returned the favor after the Penguins won by the same margin a day prior. Hunter Shepard made 23 saves in his 27th win of the year.
Playoff-Style Game
Sunday’s game was the second matchup in as many days between the Bears and the Penguins. On Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Penguins snapped Hershey’s five-game winning streak. The rematch at Giant Center was a test for the Bears against an opponent they might see again in the postseason. Sunday also marked the 12th and final installment of the I-81 rivalry, with the Bears taking nine matchups. Both teams hit the ice missing key players due to recall, but the intensity heated up early at Giant Center.
Hershey scored the only goal of the first period with seconds to spare. On a power play late, Logan Day fired a shot from the point that beat Joel Blomqvist through traffic. The blue liner has been red hot of late, tallying six points (three goals, three assists) in his last five games. He’d finish with a goal and an assist, both points on the power play. Wilkes-Barre evened the score with the only goal of the second period off the stick of Vinnie Hinostroza. The forward made it into the lineup after being assigned to Wilkes-Barre hours prior to puck drop.
Osipov’s Big Block
At the end of the second period, Osipov made his presence known. After Jake Massie was hit from behind into the boards, Osipov dropped the gloves with Raivis Ansons. A few big punches helped fire up the crowd and the Hershey bench. Later, with the Bears shorthanded, Osipov laid out on the ice to block a shot off the stick of Jack Rathbone. The puck careened to Riley Sutter, who then sprung Huntington on a shorthanded breakaway. He beat the goaltender for his 16th goal of the season to give Hershey the lead.
Hershey tallied an important goal on the power play with a full two minutes of a two-man advantage. A nice passing play led to Mike Vecchione ripping a shot past Blomqvist as the net came off its pins. Vecchione, Day, and Joe Snively all registered multiple points in the game with all three factoring in on his 17th of the year. The Bears added an empty net goal off the stick of Matthew Phillips. Hershey snapped Wilkes-Barre’s seven-game winning streak with the win. Osipov was named the game’s first star and recipient of the team’s Bears Head after the game.
“(Osipov) sacrificed himself and made a huge block,” head coach Todd Nelson said. “It ended up resulting in Jimmy Huntington getting the breakaway and scoring a big goal for us. It was an outstanding job, couldn’t be more proud of him.”
More Bears History Made
Sunday’s win moves the Bears to 52-13-0-5, good for 109 points. The win made AHL history for the most wins in a 72-game season, just the latest accomplishment this team made. Hershey won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy earlier in the weekend, securing home ice advantage for the duration of their stay in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Despite the missing players, Hershey continues to find ways to win under Nelson’s direction.
“Tonight, we wanted to get the 52nd win. I’m grasping at straws trying to motivate the guys, but it’s not a bad thing we dropped that game last night. It got the guys more focused for today’s game, and it was a grind. 1-1 game, suddenly we broke it open a bit. We’ll see how it goes on Wednesday.”
“We’re close, there’s always room for improvement, but we’re close. The guys played hard for each other tonight, which I like to see. We’re going to see a whole other level during the playoffs. It’s playoff-style hockey right now, but it’s going to elevate when the playoffs start. We’re happy to play against good hockey teams like Wilkes-Barre, they’re a heavy hockey team that we have to out-compete.”
Playoff Positioning
Wilkes-Barre missed out on a chance to close the gap for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Springfield Thunderbirds bounced back to take a regulation win over the Providence Bruins. That left opportunity for the Penguins to pull to within two points of second place, but the loss sets them back. The Penguins would need to win both of their remaining games while seeing the Bruins drop all three of their contests to change positions.
Hershey wraps up the regular season with a pair of games at Giant Center against the Charlotte Checkers. Until then, the Bears will be watching the end of the NHL season on Tuesday for their NHL affiliate in Washington. The Capitals are in the thick of the battle for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. If they make it, Hershey will continue to be without key players like McIlrath, Hendrix Lapierre, Vincent Iorio, Ivan Miroshnichenko, and Lucas Johansen.
