The Bears got a significant boost to their lineup on Wednesday with the return of center Mike Sgarbossa, who had been out of action since March 1 with an injury.
The 13th-year pro is in his seventh season with the Washington organization. He was limited by injury to just four playoff games when Hershey won their 2023 Calder Cup title, and he finished last season in the NHL with the Capitals. Head coach Todd Nelson slotted Sgarbossa on the team’s top line between Mike Vecchione and Pierrick Dubé.
“He just adds more depth up the middle for our hockey club,” Nelson said. “He hasn’t played for a long time, but for the most part he kept it pretty simple, which I liked.”
With Sgarbossa back for an already crowded roster, breaking into the lineup will be an even tougher task for Nelson’s players. He wants them ready.
“I told them that we’re going to need everybody if we go into a deep run,” Nelson said.
Each step through the Calder Cup Playoffs is a new learning opportunity, as the Phantoms discovered on Wednesday night.
“They were calm,” head coach Ian Laperriere said of the Hershey Bears. “We weren’t.”
Lehigh Valley surrendered four power-play chances to Hershey and came away unscathed. But the penalty trouble disrupted the team’s lines, Laperriere acknowledged.
“We need to be smarter, and we will be. We turned the puck over. They didn’t. They waited for their chances, and they’re champs for a reason. Let’s learn and move on.”
Laperriere planned on spending Thursday digesting a lot of video from Game 1. He stressed the need to manage pucks better, get behind the Hershey defensemen, and be harder on the inside and in one-on-one battles. Simple, straightforward hockey.
“There are no secrets,” Laperriere stated. “That’s how they play. We need to beat them at their own game. They play the right way for 60 minutes, and we need to do the same. It’s as simple as that.”
Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel stepped back behind the bench Sunday after being away from the team for more than two weeks. Mougenel’s father, Ron, passed away on Apr. 20.His players pulled out a win over Springfield that sent them on to face Charlotte in an Atlantic Division semifinal showdown.
“It could have gone [either] way,” Mougenel said this week. “I think from a coaching standpoint, we like to be around each other. We enjoy each other. We really enjoy the guys. It’s just a fun group. It’s good energy. It’s rewarding when you come to the rink and everybody works, and you don’t have to bark at guys to get going.
“We’re very lucky and very grateful for the group that we have.”
― with files from Patrick Williams
