The calendar is set to flip from May to June in a few short days. The summer is here, and with it the peak opportunity to visit Hersheypark. It’s fitting that, in the shadow of the park, another roller coaster was taking place at Giant Center. The Hershey Bears and the Cleveland Monsters met up in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. In the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals, extra time was necessary to find a win. A familiar face ended the game as Mike Vecchione scored the game-winner.
Let Me Be Frank With You
With a crowd of 9,226 on a Thursday in Hershey backing them, the Bears capitalized early. Hendrix Lapierre fired a pass across the neutral zone to Ethen Frank. The pass eluded a Monsters defenseman pinching up to try and deny it but found Frank in stride. With all kinds of time and space, Frank buried the shot past Jet Greaves to send the building into a frenzy.
The goal is Frank’s sixth of the playoffs and fourth goal in as many games. Frank was the team’s leading scorer in the regular season and picked up right where he left off. Hershey exited the opening frame with a 13-3 shot advantage and the early lead.
I Feel Like a Monster
Cleveland found scoring in bunches during the game, turning the tables on their hosts. Hunter McKown tallied his second goal of the playoffs early in the second period. He got the puck along the goal line off a pass by David Jiricek and beat Hunter Shepard low. The power play tally evened the game at one. Hershey came up empty in eight minutes of power play time in the first, and suddenly Cleveland scored on their first chance.
The Monsters took the lead for the first time only a minute and change later. Josh Dunne threw a smart shot to the net that popped a rebound to Alex Whelan. The second-year Monster made no mistake to put his team in the driver’s seat with his third of the playoffs.
“He Touched the Butt”
The Bears got a good break to even the count at two. Vecchione picked up the puck over the blue line with Aaron Ness driving the net. With the defender providing the screen, Vecchione took a shot that deflected off of Ness’s backside and in. The tally is Ness’s second Calder Cup Playoff goal in his career, with his first nearly a year ago to the day.
“I think he purposefully did it,” Ness said of Vecchione’s shot. “He knows I’m not going to score any other way, right? He owed me one, I guess! No, it was a great play by him, great shot, lucky bounce. It’s part of the game, I guess.”
“It was a big moment for us to tie the game,” Vecchione said. “(Ness) does everything for us out there. He’s blocking shots, he’s a leader, he makes all the right plays.”
Bears Roar for More
Before the second period ended, Hershey got back on the power play and ended any doubts about their efficiency. Chase Priskie got some time and space, teeing up for a big slap shot. The shot blistered past Greaves for Priskie’s second goal of the postseason and gave the Bears the lead. He leads all Hershey defenders with eight points in as many games.
Lapierre gave the Bears what appeared to be an insurance goal at the time. After the Monsters cleared the puck on the penalty kill, Lapierre swung back and took it himself. He flew in and beat Greaves with a wrist shot to make it 4-2. Lapierre was one of three Bears skaters to finish with multiple points in game.
Monster Mash
With as good as the Bears have been all season long, it might have been curtains for the Monsters. Hershey became the latest team to learn not to give an inch to Cleveland late in the game. A late penalty allowed the Monsters to get back into the game when Trey Fix-Wolansky scored to cut the lead to 4-3. The goal was eerily similar all around to Cleveland’s first tally, a shot from low that found a seam.
Much like Cleveland’s prior outing against the Syracuse Crunch, the Monsters found another goal with time running out. Jiricek activated from the point and took a spin around the Hershey zone with the puck. He was able to cycle all the way back to the point and fired a perfect shot through a screen. With less than 20 seconds to spare, it was suddenly 4-4 and heading into extra time.
Vecchione’s Clutch Factor
Both teams have impressive resumes in overtime. This game was Hershey’s first foray into extra time in the playoffs, while Cleveland had two prior wins in extra time. Dating back to the regular season, Hershey was perfect in games decided in overtime with eight wins. Neither team was willing to give an inch in the extra session, with the Monsters getting some good chances early.
Hershey’s experience paid off in the end. The Bears forced a turnover in their own zone and beat a defenseman to create an odd-man rush. On a quick passing play, Vecchione fired a picture-perfect shot to the top corner for his second goal of the postseason. Hershey took the game by a 5-4 final score and a 1-0 series lead in the process. Vecchione did the roar and jumped into the arms of Dylan McIlrath in celebration.
“He relishes the pressure,” head coach Todd Nelson said of Vecchione. “I thought he played well tonight, he’s been working hard. Certain players rise to the occasion in overtime and he’s one of them. That line was good for us that sparked us a bit and we scored not long after.”
Nelson Knows
Hershey’s head coach got straight to the point in his postgame thoughts. Although the third period didn’t end as he’d like, it’s all part of the battle in this series.
“We’ve done it quite a bit this year where we’ve taken a penalty when we’re up by a goal or two and it finally bit us tonight. There’s some adversity that’s good for our hockey team. That would be a tough one to lose but we got the job done.”
“We’ll talk about it as a group, I’m glad that we went through it and got the win. That’s a good hockey team we’re playing over there. They’re not going to quit. Now we know what we’re facing, we can see the adjustments they made on us.”
With this series being a best-of-seven, the chess match between the teams has only just begun.
The Road Ahead
The two teams will match up again at Giant Center in Game Two on Saturday night. With the series set to shift to Cleveland for as many as three games, it’s a big game on tap. If Hershey seizes the game, they’ll guarantee at least one more home game in these playoffs. Should the Monsters earn a split, they will have a chance to take control on home ice.
