The last present Santa might have brought for Christmas might have been tickets to see the Hershey Bears and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday night. The two teams clashed for the seventh time this season at Giant Center in a heated Atlantic Division showdown with points on the line. In the end, the Bears shook off the rust and delivered a total team effort in their final home game of the calendar year with a 4-1 victory. Joe Snively, Mike Sgarbossa, and Alex Limoges each posted two points in the win.
Snively Scores, Bears Roar
It was a sloppy start for both teams fresh off of an extended break for the holidays. Each team had uncharacteristic turnovers as they got their feet back under them. The Bears would capitalize first as the Penguins turned the puck over to Limoges, whose shot found the twine. It’s the ninth goal of the season for Limoges, who continues his hot start as a Bear.
Hershey took control of the game in the second period. Snively continued an electric regular season series against Wilkes-Barre by chipping in points on both of Hershey’s next two goals. He set up Ethen Frank for his 14th goal of the season before scoring his eighth goal of the campaign on the power play. Snively has torn the Penguins up during his time with the Bears, tallying 11 points (seven goals, four assists) in the seven games played so far in 2023-24.
Bear Bond
The close bond the Bears share was the difference in this game. Hershey got the power play when Corey Andonovski hit Limoges with his back turned, forcing him out of the game for much of the second period. The first player to answer the bell for his fallen teammate was leading goal scorer Pierrick Dubé, who held his own well against a much bigger foe. It resulted in the power play that Snively would score on.
“The way our team stuck together after the hit, that was great. It shows the boys care about each other. When Dubé got in there after Limoges got hit, that’s pretty courageous on his part. There was no hesitation with him. The guy who hit Limoges was a big man, he’s also a pretty tough man. It’s a nice luxury to have guys who can score goals when it has to be timely, and he’s one of those guys.”
Selfless Play
It’d be a close finish, with the Penguins pulling to within two goals and pulling their goaltender in the third period. With the game on the line, Ness sacrificed his body to block a shot for Limoges to kick without his stick to Dubé. He iced the game with the empty net goal for his 17th goal of the season. The goal gives Dubé sole possession of first place in goals scored and goals in four straight games. Ness limped to the bench and eventually exited with the game in hand.
“He’s one of our leaders and there’s a reason for that,” Nelson said of Ness’s block. “It’s a very selfless play, he put his body in harm’s way and did it for the team. Plays like that don’t go unnoticed by the coaching staff. That means you care about the team, about something bigger than yourself. We’re starting to see that with our group, same as the Dubé situation. That’s a good sign from a coaching staff perspective that we’re developing that earlier this season.”
Road to Rochester
It all added up to a 4-1 Bears win to wrap up a pretty great 2023 at Giant Center. It’s Hershey’s 25th win of the year, bringing their point total to 50 and extending their win streak to six. The Bears have a staggering 15-point lead in the standings over the next best team in the Atlantic Division. It’s an incredible accomplishment amongst so many great feats for the Bears in 2023.
Hershey’s next test is returning to Rochester for the first time since the 2023 Eastern Conference Final on Friday night. The Bears dispatched the Americans in six games, punching their ticket to the Calder Cup Finals in the building back in early June. One trip to Lehigh Valley rounds out the calendar year in a pair of tough road games for the Chocolate and White.
