Sports are made for comeback stories. A player who overcomes adversity to have a big performance for his club is an easy one to cheer for. On Saturday night, the story was about Hershey Bears forward Garrett Roe. He scored his first goal since April 14, 2013, after returning from a decade absence in the AHL. Not only did Roe score one, he’d tally three for a hat trick in a 7-1 win for the Bears over the Laval Rocket. Roe’s performance is a reward for the hard work he’s done in his return to the AHL.
Tic-Tac-Roe
Roe and the Bears had a hot start, with the veteran forward connecting on a two-on-one rush with Hendrix Lapierre. The Virginia native made his return to the AHL after playing overseas in the years following the 2012-13 season. Roe made his return to the AHL by signing with the Bears over the summer as a veteran presence. After waiting his turn in the early stages, Roe has been an invaluable part of Hershey’s forward group.
One connection Roe had going into Hershey is his previous ties with the team’s broadcaster, Zack Fisch. The two spent time together at St. Cloud State University, with Fisch calling Roe’s games there. The call of Roe’s first goal in Hershey was a callback to those times. Roe’s second goal was not as flashy, with his shot dribbling in off of goaltender Strauss Mann’s skate and just over the line.
Shep Steals the Show
Hershey ultimately tallied seven goals, tying the mark for the most goals in a single game this season. Ivan Miroshnichenko finished a sweet passing play by Roe and Hendrix Lapierre for his eighth of the year. The Bears had a big night on special teams, tallying three times on five power plays and killing off their only penalty. One of their penalty kill specialists, Riley Sutter, matched his career-best by tallying his fifth goal of the season in the second.
Laval’s only goal came off the stick of William Trudeau, who was the only player to beat Hunter Shepard on a perfectly placed shot. Shepard didn’t face a lot of shots in the game but earned his 11th win in 13 games so far this season. His likeness was featured as a bobble head giveaway, with the item drawing a hefty crowd before the doors opened. His stops included a breakaway save on former Bear Phil Maillet to prevent Laval from gaining any momentum.
Roe Caps a Big Night
It was all Hershey in the third period, outshooting Laval 35-15 for the game and getting three goals. Alex Limoges would get in on the action with two goals, bringing his total to eight on the year. In the absence of Joe Snively, who was recalled to Washington, ties to Virginia dominated the score sheet. Limoges had two goals and an assist, with the helper setting up Roe’s hat trick goal in the final minute of play. Roe, with family members in attendance, sent the hats flying for his first hat trick at the AHL level.
“In previous games, we’ve had him with some young players and his role was to teach them to play a good 200-foot game,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said of Roe. “We knew he had offensive in him, but it was one of those nights where things were feeling good for him. The last goal, Limoges set up Roesy for the hat trick. He was feeling it, he was playing on a line with Lapierre and Trineyev and they seem to compliment each other well.”
Among other big performances for the Bears, Logan Day and Hendrix Lapierre each tallied three assists. Mike Sgarbossa had two assists to keep him in third place in league scoring. Forward Pierrick Dubé had an assist in his first game against his former team.
Sunday Showdown
Nelson emphasized that the team is going to turn the page quickly. Hershey has a date with the Springfield Thunderbirds on Sunday for the first time this season. Hershey’s bench boss is already tuning his team for the game by keeping recent history in mind.
“It’s a solid team effort, but we were in this position last week. We won 6-0 on Saturday and then put up a stinker on Sunday. That’s what I’m trying to guard against. It’s nice to get the two points but we’ll take our five minutes with it, then cut it loose and get ready for tomorrow.”
Sunday will be a reunion of sorts for the Bears, with a pair of former players on the other side. The Thunderbirds boast former Bears players Nathan Walker and Jakub Vrana, who played together on Hershey’s 2016 and 2017 squads. Walker, a fan favorite in Hershey, has skated in 300 games as a Bear and is one of the AHL’s top scorers. Vrana made his Springfield debut with a pair of assists on Saturday. Both teams boast top scorers in the AHL on their rosters, adding to the intrigue of Sunday’s showdown.
