The Hershey Bears remain perfect in games decided in overtime. The Chocolate and White extended their record to 7-0 in games decided in three-on-three on Saturday. Two of those wins are against the Toronto Marlies, as Garrett Roe scored in the extra session to lift Hershey to a 3-2 win. Roe’s goal prevented the Marlies from mounting a comeback down 2-0 earlier in the third.
No Place Like Strome
The Bears embarked on a three-game road trip against a trio of Canadian opponents on Saturday. It’s a chance for several players on Hershey’s roster to play in front of family and friends. Matt Strome is one such player, hailing from nearby Mississauga, and had family and friends in attendance. Strome was powered up for the occasion and opened the scoring with his third goal of the season.
“It’s going to be a nice family homecoming,” Strome told broadcaster Zack Fisch. “Just awesome to be here and having them watch me. It’s hard, we only come here once a year, but the support when I’m here is awesome and it’s great to have.”
In a convenient bit of schedule overlap, Ryan Strome happened to be in town with his team, the Anaheim Ducks. The brothers were able to spend some time together before their respective games. It’s a rare occurrence for the hockey family.
“I don’t think we’ve ever been in the same city, they don’t really overlap,” Strome said. “I don’t get to see him very much with him being out in Anaheim. It’s so great to see him, going back home to see mom, home cooked meal. It was awesome.”
Powered Up
It was a parade to the penalty box at times for the Marlies, who were shorthanded seven times in this game. The Bears took their time to capitalize on all those chances, but it was worth the wait. Alex Limoges deposited the rebound of a blocked shot past Luke Cavallin on their seventh chance to make it 2-0. Limoges has tallied goals in five consecutive games, 14 on the season. His return to the lineup is a massive help to a team that’s missing several key pieces right now.
Toronto struck back to send the game to overtime. Joseph Blandisi scored his 100th AHL goal on a shot that narrowly beat Hunter Shepard. His milestone goal sparked the team, with Dylan Gambrell tying the game just over one minute later. The two teams headed to overtime for the second time in two matchups this season.
Virginia Connection
For all the players with ties to Canada, it’d be a pair of players from Virginia who made the difference in overtime. Hendrix Lapierre dropped the puck to Limoges inside the Toronto zone and quickly went off for a line change. Garrett Roe hopped on the ice and buried the feed from Limoges to lift the Bears to the extra point and a 7-0 record in overtime.
The Bears earned a win for captain Dylan McIlrath in his 600th AHL game. Joe Snively, the third player in Hershey’s trio hailing from Virginia, tallied his 100th AHL assist on the goal from Limoges. Shepard earned his 20th win of the season with 20 saves for his sixth straight win and 11 in his last 12 games. He’s the first goaltender since Frederic Cassivi to earn 20 wins in back-to-back seasons for the Bears.
Up Next
The Bears continue their road trip through Canada with a 2:00 PM EST start time against the Belleville Senators. It’s the first time the two teams will have played since opening night. Among players in the lineup will be Calder Cup Champion Garrett Pilon, who matches up with his former team once again. They’ll head to Laval on Wednesday before returning to the Sweetest Place on Earth.
