Photo: Eric Lord
Last season, the Hershey Bears met the Hartford Wolf Pack in the Atlantic Division Finals and swept the series in three games to move onto the Eastern Conference Finals. The two franchises met again in the same round of the Calder Cup Playoffs this season and history repeated itself. The Bears took the matchup once again, sweeping Hartford three games to zero. With the series victory, Hershey has now progressed to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Cleveland Monsters.
Series Schedule
Game 1: Thursday, May 30, Cleveland @ Hershey – 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, June 1, Cleveland @ Hershey – 7 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, June 4, Hershey @ Cleveland – 7 p.m.
Game 4: Thursday, June 6, Hershey @ Cleveland – 7 p.m.
Game 5: Saturday, June 8, Hershey @ Cleveland – 7 p.m. *
Game 6: Monday, June 10, Cleveland @ Hershey – 7 p.m. *
Game 7: Wednesday, June 12, Cleveland @ Hershey – 7 p.m. *
* If Necessary
Playoff History
The cities of Hershey and Cleveland have a long playoff history in the American Hockey League, dating all the way back to 1949. The Bears and old Cleveland Barons faced each other seven times in the Calder Cup playoffs with the Barons winning four of those seven series.
Hershey has squared off with the current incarnation of the Cleveland franchise when the team was known as the Lake Erie Monsters. That meeting came in the 2016 Calder Cup Finals. The Bears dropped the first two games of the series at home by scores of 4-1 and 5-3. The finals shifted to Cleveland for games three and four. Oliver Bjorkstand tallied in overtime in game three for a 3-2 victory to bring the Monsters within a game of the title. Game four was decided in overtime as well and Bjorkstrand was again the hero with the deciding goal for a 1-0 win that earned Cleveland the Calder Cup.
How They Got Here
Cleveland
After winning the North Division, the Monsters had a bye in the opening round and then were matched up against the Belleville Senators in the North Division Semifinals. Cleveland fell 2-1 in game one in Belleville, but bounced back with a 4-3 overtime win in game two. Cole Clayton netted the decider at the 4:06 point of the extra session.
The series moved back to Ohio and game three would be decided in double overtime. Owen Sillinger scored four minutes and 41 seconds into the second overtime to give the Monsters a 3-2 victory. Cleveland closed out the series in game four, scoring once in each period en route to a 3-1, series clinching triumph.
The Syracuse Crunch awaited the Monsters in the North Division Finals. The first game was a low-scoring affair with Justin Pearson’s third period shorthanded goal being the difference in a 1-0 home win for Cleveland. Syracuse jumped in front with a power play goal in the first period of game two, but the Monsters responded with four unanswered goals and prevailed 4-1 to put the Crunch on the verge of elimination.
In Syracuse for game three, the Crunch held a 3-2 advantage after two periods. Cleveland exploded for four goals in the third for a 6-4 victory to send the Monsters to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Hershey
With a bye in the opening round, the Bears opened their playoff run versus the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the Atlantic Division Semifinals. In game one, Hendrix Lapierre put Hershey ahead in the first and Henrik Rybinski tallied in the second to give the Bears a 2-0 lead after one. The Phantoms netted a goal in the third, but Hunter Shepard made sure nothing else got by him and Hershey triumphed 1-0.
Game two saw Ethen Frank net two goals in the first period in a three-minute and 29 second stretch to give the Bears a two-goal advantage. Lehigh Valley potted a late one in the opening stanza. In the final two periods, Hershey recorded just seven shots on goal. However, the Bears made the most of those chances. They scored twice on five shots in the second frame with Rybinski and Alex Limoges finding the back of the net and then Lapierre converted on one of their two third period shots to defeat the Phantoms 5-1.
The series shifted to Allentown for game three and the Lehigh Valley avoided elimination by winning the special teams battle. Hershey took two early penalties and the Phantoms scored on both power plays. Lehigh Valley committed five high sticking penalties, including a double minor, but the Bears failed to convert any of their opportunities and the Phantoms prevailed 2-0.
The first period of game four was wide open. Rhett Gardner batted home a rebound to put Lehigh Valley, but Ivan Miroshnichenko finished off a breakaway 17 seconds later to even the scoreline. Garrett Wilson put the Phantoms back in front. Then, Pierrick Dube snapped a shot by Cal Petersen’s glove to tie the game at two. The scoring continued in the scoring period and Todd Nelson’s charges earned their first lead of the night when Miroshnichenko beat Peterson. Frank pushed the advantage to two, only to be answered by Tanner Laczynski and the chocolate and white carried a one-goal edge into the third. Hardy Haman Aktell sealed the series win with a marker in the third and the Bears claimed the series three games to one.
For the second straight year, Hershey competed against the Hartford Wolf Pack in the Atlantic Division Finals. The opening game began sloppily for the Bears and they were not sharp in their passing and committed several turnovers. The fourth line delivered a strong shift that finished with the first goal of the contest. Rybinski won a battle along the right boards and backhanded the disc to Chase Priskie just above the right circle. Priskie sent a snap shot through a Bogdan Trineyev screen and by Olof Lindbom to give Hershey a 1-0 lead. Frank upped the advantage to 2-0 with a power play tally in the second. Hartford got one back when Jake Leschyshyn scored on a breakaway. Limoges restored the two-goal edge by redirecting a Lapierre shot. The lead grew to 4-1 when Garrett Roe deflected a Lucas Johansen shot home a minute and seven seconds later. The Bears added two more in third, an even strength goal from Miroshnichenko and a shorthanded marker from Jimmy Huntington, to cruise to a 6-1 game one victory.
Miroschnichenko put on a show in game two. The rookie opened the scoring with a power play goal in the first period when he elevated a shot over Dylan Garand from the bottom of the left circle. The Hershey penalty kill came up huge later in the opening stanza by killing off 1:55 of a five-on-three Wolf Pack power play with Matt Strome leading the way. Six minutes and 28 seconds into the second, Miroshnichenko cultivated a highlight reel goal to double the lead for the Bears. Roe won battle along the boards in front of the penalty boxes and passed to Miroshnichenko at center ice. The rookie drove at Matthew Robertson in the left circle and dangled his way to goal. Miroshnichenko then cut to the front of the net and waited for Garand to drop down. The Russian lifted his shot over a sprawled Garand from the right of the goal to up the Hershey lead to 2-0. The Bears used third period goals from Frank and Lapierre to increase their edge to 4-0. Hartford scored twice late to make things interesting, but the chocolate and white emerged with a 4-2 win.
In Connecticut for game three, the home standing Wolf Pack earned their first lead of the series in the first period. Mac Hollowell found Jaroslav Chmelar uncovered in front of Hunter Shepard. Chmelar pulled the puck from his backhand to his forehand and slipped his shot past Shepard to make it 1-0 Hartford. The Wolf Pack would carry that advantage into the second period. However, the Bears equalized with 1:56 expired in the frame. Haman Aktell feathered a feed to Garrett Roe in front. Roe tipped the pass by Garand’s blocker and the game was even at a goal apiece. Roe put Hershey in front at the 7:29 point of the middle stanza. On a two-on-one rush with Priskie, Roe tried to pass to the defenseman in the right circle. The feed hit Priskie’s skate and fell into the slot. Roe leapt on the loose biscuit and placed a shot by the blocker of Grand for a 2-1 lead for the Bears. Strome potted an insurance goal at the end of a power play in the third period and Mike Vecchione secured the triumph with an empty netter. The 4-1 win advanced Hershey to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season.
Team Playoff Leaders
Hershey Cleveland
Points: Hendrix Lapierre – 8 Justin Pearson – 6
Goals: Ethen Frank/Ivan Miroshnichenko – 5 Josh Dunne – 3
Assists: Joe Snively/Chase Priskie – 6 Pearson/Bjork/Jiricek – 4
Wins: Hunter Shepard – 6 Jet Greaves – 5
2023-24 Season Series
The Bears and Monsters met four times during the regular season with the chocolate and white winning all four contests.
The first matchup came on the second night of the season at the Giant Center on October 15. Hershey scored three times in the first period to jump out to an early lead. Ethen Frank posted a three-point night and Mike Vecchione and Pierrick Dube each contributed a goal and an assist in a 5-2 triumph for the Bears. It marked the first victory of the campaign for Hershey.
The two sides met again in Chocolate Town on December 9 and it was a good night for the Bears. Hershey scored twice on the power play in the first period and finished with three power play tallies. Frank netted a goal and dished out three assists. Dube added a pair of goals. Clay Stevenson made 21 saves for his first shutout of the season in a 6-0 win for the Bears.
A few months would pass before the Monsters and Hershey finished the season series with games on back-to-back matchup in Cleveland on March 22 and 23. It was another first period outburst for the Bears on the 22nd with three markers in the opening frame. The visitors received goals from six different players and skated to a 6-3 victory. One night later, Matt Stome scored with 35 seconds remaining in the second period for the game’s first score and Hershey then scored four more times in the third period. Hunter Shepard stopped 20 shots and the Bears blanked the Monsters 5-0.
Season Series Leaders
Hershey Cleveland
Points: Ethen Frank – 11 Stefan Matteau – 2
Goals: Ethen Frank/Pierrick Dube – 4 5 Players – 1
Assists: Ethen Frank – 7 Stefan Matteau – 2
Wins: Clay Stevenson – 3 No wins
Roster News
The Bears currently are dealing with a few injuries. Riley Sutter has not played in these playoffs, but has been practicing for over a week. His return is imminent. Defenseman Logan Day missed the entire series with Hartford after suffering an upper body injury late in game four with Lehigh Valley. He returned to practice over the weekend wearing a non-contact jersey. Day is still a bit away from returning to game action. Winger Ethen Frank was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury for the clinching game against the Wolf Pack, but has been a full participant in practice. Defenseman Vincent Iorio returned in game three from an upper body injury he sustained while on recall with the Washington Capitals.
As for the Monsters, captain Brendan Gaunce has been out for the entirety of the Calder Cup playoffs while remaining on the Columbus Blue Jackets roster. He was placed on waivers on Sunday, cleared Monday and is now available for the series. Gaunce was Cleveland’s fourth leading scorer during the regular season with 39 points in 46 games. Winger Carson Meyer injured his oblique in April when he was in the National Hockey League (NHL) with Columbus and has not played since. Defenseman Jake Christiansen played games one and two versus Belleville, but has not taken to the ice since. Christiansen was the Monsters’ second leading scorer during the regular season and quarterbacks the team’s power play.
Series Keys/Outlook
Hershey enjoyed a great deal of success against the Monsters during the regular season. That means little now and Cleveland is playing a more all-around game now than when the Bears met them during the regular season. Hershey needs to expect a different level from the Monsters in this series and prepare for a bigger fight than they got from Cleveland in the regular season.
During the regular season series, the Hershey power play was lethal. The unit converted on eight of their 15 opportunities against the Monsters. The Bears struggled on the power play versus the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the Atlantic Division Semifinals, but the unit woke up against Hartford in the last round. Hershey netted a power play goal in each of the three games and was 4 for 13 in the series. Cleveland’s penalty killing was in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference during the regular season with an 80.7 kill percentage. The story has been similar in the playoffs with the Monsters killing off penalties at a rate of 80%. The matchup is an important one for the series. If the Bears can replicate their regular season success against Cleveland on the power play, it will give them a leg up offensively.
Both teams have been getting offensive contributions from numerous players. The Monsters have had 18 different players record a point with 16 different players scoring a goal. On the Hershey side, 19 players have registered a point and 12 different players have netted a goal. The team that gets the most contributions from their depth players will have a strong chance of winning the series.
Depth scoring is a difference maker, but the Bears do need more out of a few of their top six forwards. Mike Vecchione, Pierrick Dube, Alex Limoges and Jimmy Huntington each only have two points thus far in the playoffs. Vecchione scored his first goal of the playoffs with the empty netter in game three against Hartford, but has been pretty quiet overall. Dube was held of the scoresheet in the series. Limoges has two power play goals in the postseason. He has not recorded a point five-on-five. Huntington potted a shorthanded goal and added an assist versus the Wolf Pack, but also has not produced much at even strength.
The Monsters have tightened up their defense this postseason. They had a minus five goal differential during the regular season. Cleveland has surrendered two goals or fewer in five of their seven contests during the playoffs. The Monsters have gotten solid play from Marcus Bjork and top prospect David Jiricek. Jakub Zboril, a trade deadline acquisition, brings 76 games of NHL experience to the ice. Hershey needs to find a way to Cleveland in their own zone and keep the offensive pressure on. Jiricek struggled during the regular season defensively and was a -16 in 29 games. Pressure him and force him into turnovers.
By Eric Lord
