The Hershey Bears visited the Chicago Wolves for the first time in almost 20 years on Saturday night. It was a big game with standings implications for both teams down the stretch in the regular season. The two teams quickly found animosity for each other, but Hershey had the offensive answers in a 5-0 win. Hunter Shepard picked up the clean sheet with 21 saves while Henrik Rybinski and Bogdan Trineyev each had three points.
Da Bears
Not to be confused with the nearby football team of the same name, the Bears nearly put up a touchdown on Saturday. Hershey put up five goals despite not having a single opportunity on the power play. They’ve only had one opportunity in their last two games. The Bears wouldn’t need a power play as they’d strike in all three periods of play.
Rybinski got started with the first goal of the game on a pretty play. Chase Priskie’s pass got deflected in the air, but Trineyev stayed with it by catching it out of the air. He’d spin a pass to Rybinski, who was all alone for the finish. The goal happened moments after the Wolves had a goal disallowed for being batted in with a hand. The goal ends a lengthy drought for Rybinski, who had not scored since December 7 due to injury and recall.
The tally would be the only one of the first period, but tensions rose quickly. Riley Stillman laid a huge hit on Hershey’s Alex Limoges, which would sideline the forward for the night. The physical play ramped up considerably with Matt Strome later exacting revenge on Stillman with a hit.
Roaring for More
Hershey pulled ahead with two goals separated by 30 seconds early in the second period. Strome picked off a pass by Chicago netminder Dustin Tokarski behind the net, flinging it back in front. Despite Tokarski’s best efforts to get back in goal, Pierrick DubĂ© was too fast with the quick finish.
Quickly following the goal, Spencer Smallman stepped up to pick up a loose puck. Smallman, who won the Calder Cup with Chicago in 2022, created space with his body and fed a trailing Jon McDonald. The defender made no mistake with his shot to give Hershey a field goal just under halfway through the game.
Hershey had another goal in the frame, with familiar faces factoring in on it. Rybinski won a battle on the boards just inside the offensive zone. He’d find Priskie, who made a nice pass to Trineyev down low. Trineyev’s shot beat Tokarski and ended his night in goal as Ruslan Khazheyev took over in net.
Rybinski’s Beauty
Hershey capped off the scoring with a gorgeous goal to cap off a big night for Henrik Rybinski. Trineyev once again made a nice play to find him all alone, and Rybinski went between-the-legs for his second of the night. It’s an easy candidate for Hershey’s goal of the year as well as the best in the AHL. The duo had three points each in Hershey’s victory.
The goal happened just days after teammate Ryan Hofer scored a similar goal with Hershey’s ECHL affiliate in South Carolina. The twist? Rybinski and Hofer are roommates in Hershey, and Hofer’s move influenced the goal.
“Bogey made a great play to me, I was all alone,” Rybinski said after the game. “It just felt right in the moment, so I went after it. My roommate Ryan Hofer did it the other day, maybe it was in the back of my head. I couldn’t let him have all the glory.”
Quick Turnaround
Hershey earned the win to extend their point streak to four games (3-0-0-1), the same record for their historic road trip. They reduced their magic number to clinch a Calder Cup Playoff berth to just two points. The Bears can lock in their spot with a win in the rematch on Sunday afternoon between the two teams. Chicago figures to respond after seeing their three-game win streak snapped in the loss.
It’s a fast turnaround in the rematch with less than 24 hours until puck drop. The two teams split the previous matchups in Hershey way back in October, though the Bears took three of four possible points. The Wolves are looking for points to try and ascend the Central Division leaderboards. It’s a race that will only intensify inside the final month of action.
