The Hershey Bears had a rare exercise on Tuesday in a morning game against the Bridgeport Islanders. It was a school day game with a scheduled 10:30 AM start time before a listed crowd of 7,068. Kids from schools in the area filled the crowd and screamed loudly during play. They saw a good game that saw Spencer Smallman score with less than eight seconds remaining in regulation. His goal lifted the Bears to a 5-4 win, their fourth in a row. The two teams are set to rematch at Giant Center on Friday night.
School’s In
It was a bit of a sleepy start for the Bears to start the game, fitting for the atypical start and one the kids can relate to. Host Bridgeport scored just a minute and four seconds into play on Fredrik Karlstrom’s deflection goal. They’d score again with less than two minutes to play on former Bear Brian Pinho’s ninth goal of the season. Pinho, one of the AHL’s top scorers early this season, is tied for third in the AHL in goals.
Before the frame ended, Hershey forward Brennan Saulnier sparked his team by dropping the gloves. He’d fight Wyatt Newpower at the buzzer, a scrap that seemed to spark the Bears.
“It’s easy to say what we need, but to go out and do it, put your face on the line, credit to him for that,” Bears forward Garrett Roe told FOX43’s Todd Sadowski. “It gave us energy and set the tone for the next period.”
They’d answer 44 seconds into the middle stanza as Ivan Miroshnichenko ripped a shot off a feed from Chase Priskie. The goal is Miroshnichenko’s seventh of the season and another goal eerily similar to one that Caps legend Alex Ovechkin might score. Only a couple minutes later, Ethen Frank found a seam and beat Jakub Skarek seconds after a power play expired. The goal is his tenth, tying for the top spot in the AHL in terms of goals and came just after a power play ended.
Bet on the Bears
Hershey was not done in the second period. After falling behind again after Bridgeport scored shorthanded, Hershey tallied two goals in rapid succession. Pierrick DubĂ© pulled the puck off the boards and fed Garrett Roe for the veteran’s first of the season. Roe tallied again less than a minute later by burying a point shot from Ethan Bear. Suddenly, Roe returned to the bench with two goals under his belt and the Bears had a 4-3 lead.
Dubé has two assists in each of his last two games while Bear has a point in four straight games. Bear has tallied a point in seven of his last eight games from the blue line, with his eight points overall leading all Hershey defenders. Things got dicey in the third period after Marc Gatcomb evened the score at four apiece. It appeared that the school crowd would be treated to some bonus hockey.
However, the visiting Bears sent the kids back to school on time like a prompt school bell. Hershey forced a turnover as Vincent Iorio cut off a play to get out of the zone. He flung the puck on goal that Smallman deflected past Skarek with his body to put the Bears ahead with seven seconds to spare. Smallman has goals in back-to-back games and was the game’s first star, adding an assist.
Milestone Matchup
The two teams will meet up again in the Sweetest Place on Earth on Friday. The game is set to be a milestone for Islanders forward Chris Terry, who is set to skate in his 1,000th professional game. His count includes 828 AHL games, 152 NHL games, and 19 KHL games. Terry is one of the most decorated scorers in the AHL, tallying 50 or more points in 11 different seasons. He has 752 points (312 goals, 440 assists) over his time in the AHL, very near a point-per-game pace.
Hershey collects their tenth win of the season and move to 10-3-1-0 on the season. The Bears have won four straight, all of which have been decided by one goal. Hershey is building upon a solid weekend against Springfield as the team continues to find its identity. Friday’s rematch starts at 7:00 PM for puck drop. Hunter Shepard picked up his eighth win of the season, his third in a row.
