The Hershey Bears and the Hartford Wolf Pack are set to square off in the Atlantic Division Final. It’s a rematch of last year’s series at the same stage, when the Bears swept the series 3-0 on their way to a Calder Cup title. This year’s iteration of the rivalry once again presents a trip to the Eastern Conference Final to the winner.
Hershey finished as the top seeded team in the Atlantic and the AHL as a whole. Hartford finished in fifth place in their division during the regular season but upended a few teams to reach this point. This year marks the third playoff encounter between the two teams, with each club winning once. Hartford took a decision in 2015 while Hershey took the matchup in 2023.
Three Reasons the Hershey Bears Advanced
Team Effort
The Bears got contributions up and down their lineup against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Nine different players tallied multiple points over four games, paced by Ethen Frank (three goals, two assists). Four different players tallied their first Calder Cup Playoff goals during the series. Each line has stepped up at different parts of four games against the Phantoms as a major factor in the team advancing. Role players like Henrik Rybinski tallied when the team needed it early on, and top guns such as Joe Snively have performed well. Game Four showed how deadly the Bears can be with some experience under their belt.
Goaltending
Hunter Shepard has been as advertised to open the Calder Cup Playoffs. The reigning MVP from a year ago led all goaltenders during the regular season in statistics. He’s picked up right where he left off with only seven goals against in four games. The only goaltender to allow fewer to this point is Erik Portillo of the Ontario Reign. Shepard’s heroics include an incredible stop during Game Four that ultimately preserved Hershey’s lead. His efforts will be important to help the Bears defensively as he can be a game-changer.
Necessary Lineup Changes
Hershey did not get to this point by resting on their laurels. Head Coach Todd Nelson and his staff have made adjustments to get the most out of their group. This includes shaking up line combinations after Game One despite taking a 2-1 win. More recently, the team made the bold decision to pull Matthew Phillips from the lineup in favor of Garrett Roe. It might look wild on the surface, but Roe’s addition sparked his line with Ivan Miroshnichenko and Mike Vecchione to a key performance in Game Four. Nelson, a master at getting the most from his team, is a difference maker for the Bears in his role.
Three Reasons the Hartford Wolf Pack Advanced
The first reason the Wolf Pack advanced to the Atlantic Division Finals is their overtime heroics. The Wolf Pack won Games Three and Four over the Providence Bruins in overtime, by scores of 3-2 and 2-1, respectively. Veteran forwards Riley Nash and Jake Leschyshyn supplied the OT GWGs. Meanwhile, goaltender Dylan Garand has been sensational in net, especially during Hartford’s overtime contests. The Wolf Pack have won all three Calder Cup Playoff games that required extra time, with Garand’s wizardry in net at the forefront of the victories.
The Wolf Pack’s scoring depth is another reason they’re in the Atlantic Division Finals. Of the 21 players to take the ice for Hartford during their playoff run, 17 have recorded at least one point. The Wolf Pack’s veteran core has led the way, with Nash, Leschyshyn, and Tyler Pitlick each recording multi-point games against the Bruins. Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith noted that scoring by committee is important for his team’s success. Smith told The Calder Times at a recent practice:
It’s very important that everybody is making a contribution, and I think we’ve promoted that all season long. It hasn’t been one line or one guy, it’s been by committee every night.
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith, 5/13/24
Veteran forward Anton Blidh believes his team is willing to do the dirty work in the playoffs. Blidh told The Calder Times:
I do think everyone on our team is capable [of] scoring goals and points. It’s playoff hockey. I think everyone is willing to go do the dirty work and it’s been paying off.
Wolf Pack forward Anton Blidh, 5/13/24
Finally, Garand’s continued success in net is a key reason for Hartford advancing on. During the Wolf Pack’s series against Providence, Garand faced an average of 34.25 shots per game. In the deciding Game Four, Garand made 26 saves through 69 minutes of hockey as the Wolf Pack earned an overtime win. As of today, Garand leads all AHL goaltenders in both shots against, with 248, and saves, with 231. Without Garand rising to the occasion, Hartford doesn’t make it to the Atlantic Division Finals.
Regular Season Series
The two Atlantic Division rivals met up only four times during the 2023-24 season. Their series didn’t kick off until the calendar year 2023 got underway. Hershey boasted a mark of 3-1-0-0 in the regular season, with the last matchup decided in a shootout in the Bears’ favor on March 30.
Hershey Bears Storylines and Players to Watch
The series represents Hershey’s biggest test to date. Hartford is a battle-tested team that has upset a pair of the Atlantic Division’s top seeded teams. It’ll be a challenge for the Bears in all areas to prove their mettle, and they’ll need to be at their best. This includes taking advantage on the power play, where the Bears scored just twice in 16 opportunities. Hershey had the top power play unit in the Atlantic in the regular season, and finding their form would be a huge difference maker.
In terms of players to watch, Game Four saw some new faces take the next step. Ivan Miroshnichenko and Pierrick DubĂ© scored their first playoff goals to help the Bears this far. If they get hot, the rest of the league will be in trouble. Another top player to watch is Alex Limoges, Hershey’s second-highest point producer in the regular season. He’s been quiet so far but is due for a breakout very soon as one of the top scorers in the regular season series. It’s a tall order to keep all four of Hershey’s lines in check for an entire game, and a breakout is music to the team’s ears. It’ll be worth watching to see if Riley Sutter or Vincent Iorio check into this series at any point. Both players are on the mend from injuries and were significant contributors for the Bears. Iorio’s first Calder Cup Playoff goal came against the Wolf Pack nearly a year ago to the day the series gets underway.
Hartford Wolf Pack Storylines and Players to Watch
Who can step up in place of Riley Nash?
In the Wolf Pack’s Game Four win over the Bruins, veteran forward Riley Nash suffered a lower-body injury. Nash exited the game early, and did not return to the contest. Nash also did not skate with the team at Hartford’s practice on Monday. The loss of Nash is a big hit for the Wolf Pack. Nash is a veteran leader on the team, and he leads the Wolf Pack with four goals and six points in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
As a result, the Wolf Pack will need someone to step up. Jake Leschyshyn stepped up on Friday, filling in for Nash on the top powerplay unit and scoring a pair of goals, including the overtime game-winner. Another player to pay attention to is forward Bobby Trivigno. Trivigno has been a healthy scratch for all but one of the Wolf Pack’s playoff games. However, Trivigno practiced on the fourth line with Bryce McConnell-Barker and Jaroslav ChmelaĹ™ on Monday. Trivigno is the most likely candidate to draw into the lineup if Nash is unable to play.
Can the Wolf Pack enact sweet revenge?
This will be the second year in a row that the Wolf Pack and Bears meet in the Atlantic Division Finals. Last year, Hershey swept Hartford in three close games. This year, the Wolf Pack seek sweet revenge over their division rivals.
The Wolf Pack have played the Bears tough all season. In the four meetings between the Atlantic Division foes, Hartford earned a win and sent another contest to a shootout. Smith has liked his team’s effort against Hershey all year, but knows it will take an impressive effort to dethrone the reigning Calder Cup Champions. Smith told The Calder Times:
[HERSHEY IS] A BIG, STRONG, GROUP, THEY’RE A VETERAN GROUP. WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO HAVE A SIMPLE GAME, WE’LL NEED GOOD SPECIAL TEAMS. WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO STAY OUT OF THE BOX, THEY HAVE A DEADLY POWERPLAY. I THINK WE STAY THE COURSE ON WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING TO THIS POINT.Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith, 5/13/24
Wolf Pack interim head coach Steve Smith, 5/13/24
Players to Watch
Victor Mancini
The tail end of the AHL season is filled with teams signing their parent club’s prospects to amateur tryout contracts (ATOs). This gives prospects their first taste of professional hockey and serves as an early evaluation tool for the following season.
Very few of these prospects on ATOs have transitioned to the pro game more seamlessly than Wolf Pack defenseman Victor Mancini. In seven regular-season games with Hartford, Mancini recorded three assists and was +1. He’s been even better in the playoffs, tallying two assists and a +4 in seven playoff contests.
Mancini has been skating on the Wolf Pack’s top defensive pairing with former college teammate Brandon Scanlin. He’s also become one of Hartford’s go-to penalty killers. His early development in the Connecticut capital has been a lot of fun to witness.
Mancini also brings an incredible toughness to the ice. In Game Four against the Bruins, the young defenseman was hit in the face with a puck and skated off the ice. Mancini later returned to the game, wearing a bubble, and recorded the primary assist on Jake Leschyshyn’s series-winning overtime goal.
Mancini hasn’t played Hershey yet, so the Bears may not be expecting his physical presence and high hockey IQ. Mancini has a chance to make a huge impact in Hartford’s toughest series to date.
Dylan Garand
You didn’t really think one section on Garand would be enough for this article, did you?
Not enough can be said about the second-year netminder’s play during the Calder Cup Playoffs. Through seven games, Garand leads qualified goaltenders in saves, with 231, and minutes, with 439:55. His .931 SV% is good for fourth, and his 2.32 GAA places him in seventh. When the lights shine brightest, Garand is not afraid to step into the spotlight.
In Game Two of Hartford’s series against Providence, Garand, on paper, had his worst playoff outing. Providence scored on Garand six times, picking up a resounding 6-0 win to tie the series at one game apiece. At Hartford’s practice the following week, I asked Garand how the team can bounce back from that brutal loss. Garand told me:
It’s the playoffs, so you gotta have a short memory. Obviously that last game didn’t go great for us. At the same time, when they score six goals, they don’t get extra points for winning. The series is 1-1.
Wolf Pack goaltender Dylan Garand, 5/7/24
It was a profound observation from Garand, and it showcased the type of competitor he is. The Wolf Pack responded to the loss with a pair of dramatic overtime wins over the Bruins to advance on. Garand was sensational in those two games, making 59 saves on 62 shots to eliminate Providence. Below is just one example of Garand’s incredible goaltending in the contests.
Garand will need to outduel Hershey’s own impressive netminder in Hunter Shepard, but it’s a challenge he’s willing to accept.
Bold Predictions
Corey: Hershey’s only getting started after facing a similarly hot team in Lehigh Valley. The Bears quelled them and are seeing some key players contribute. It’d be easy to see young players like Hendrix Lapierre, Frank, and Miroshnichenko take the series by storm. Another bold prediction is that Roe will have a Henrik Borgstrom style moment in this series as last year in his return to the lineup.
Keegan: I don’t think anyone is more due for a goal than Victor Mancini right now. The rookie blueliner nearly potted the series-clinching goal against the Bruins in Game Four. However, his shot rung the iron before clipping the skate of Jake Leschyshyn and trickling into the net. Mancini’s gotten some great looks recently, so I think he’ll finally find the back of the net and record his first professional goal in this series.
Series Predictions
Keegan’s Prediction
This should be an easy prediction, right? The Hershey Bears handily won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy, recording 111 points and a .771 points percentage. Meanwhile, the Wolf Pack struggled down the stretch. Sure, they’ve caught fire in the Calder Cup Playoffs, but now they face a team who put together a historic campaign. The choice should be obvious.
But what if it wasn’t obvious?
What if the bounces favor Hartford? What if Garand becomes a brick wall in net? Most importantly, what if the Wolf Pack play their best hockey of the season and shock the hockey world?
Crazier things have happened.
I’m going Wolf Pack in 5.
Corey’s Prediction
It’s impossible to bet against the Bears right now. This team faced a tough challenge in their first opponent and overcame it. Hartford has upset a few teams, but Hershey has proven to be a taller test than any other. The Bears’ offense took a step forward at the end of their playoff series that should worry the rest of the league.
Provided everyone comes to play in this series, this will be Hershey in four games. Shepard has been magnificent, multiple lines finding the back of the net, and with more room to improve still, the sky is the limit.
