There’s a saying that goes something like, “don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”. In a scoreless game between the Hershey Bears and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday, the saying might be different. Both teams are likely smiling because it’s over, with neither team lighting the lamp through 65 minutes of hockey. In fact, neither team even hit 20 shots on goal. Both Clay Stevenson and Cal Petersen recorded shutouts in the game. The Phantoms took the extra point by way of a shootout to assist their ailing playoff hopes.
Milestone For the Birthday Boy
Both teams were digging deep in their rosters for this game. Each club missed significant faces due to injuries or recalls, leaving coaches to fill roster voids in any way possible. Both teams struggled to score goals coming into action on Sunday, with the results speaking to their recent struggles. Each club suffered shutout losses to the Utica Comets over the weekend, and the only Phantom to score on Saturday was out with injury. It led to a grinding, physical game between two teams without their top talent.
Try as they might, the Bears continued to be snake bitten in this one. Mike Vecchione and Garrett Roe hit the post in the third period on different chances. Clay Stevenson, celebrating his 25th birthday, turned aside all 18 shots he faced to record a shutout. It’s his seventh of the season, moving him into a tie all-time in Bears history for shutouts. He ties Nick Damore (1944-45) and Alfie Moore (1938-39) for the mark in club history.
No Escape From a Winner
Unlike the old days, a 0-0 tie is not a possibility in the AHL. The two teams decided the extra point via a shootout. Lehigh Valley claimed its second win over Hershey in a skills competition this season. JR Avon and Wade Allison scored, and although the Bears countered with a tally from Kevin O’Neil, that was it. The Phantoms collected the extra point to pull to within two of the Springfield Thunderbirds for the Atlantic Division’s final playoff spot.
The two teams will sit back and see how the NHL’s trade deadline alters their future. Neither team will play game action until pencils are down for the final day of trade action for their affiliates. With both teams in contention for playoff spots, it remains to be seen if there will be any action off the ice to speak of.
Calling Kuznetsov
Hershey had plenty of action off the ice this weekend. Their NHL affiliate, the Washington Capitals, placed longtime scorer Evgeny Kuznetsov on waivers on Saturday. Kuznetsov successful cleared waivers prior to puck drop on Sunday afternoon and was assigned to Hershey. During the Capitals’ broadcast earlier in the day, it was mentioned that Kuznetsov would report to the Sweetest Place on Earth. Kuznetsov spent time in the NHL’s Player Assistance Program and was cleared to practice, but not yet to play.
It makes for an interesting situation to watch. The Bears would no doubt welcome his services were he to play a game for them. He’d become the highest paid player on an AHL roster ever, per initial reports, with the split called a “fresh start” for both parties. Hershey head coach Todd Nelson plans to welcome him to the team if he plays there.
“Anytime we’re able to get a player like Kuzy, exceptional talent, there’s a reason he’s played in the National Hockey League for 11 years,” Nelson said on the Bears’ pregame show to Zack Fisch prior to the game. “We’ll just have to wait and see what happens, how everything unfolds. If he reports to Hershey, we’re more than welcome to have him.”
