Photo: Eric Lord
After racing out to a three games to zero series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hershey Bears had to sweat it out as the Cleveland Monsters battled back to win the next contests to force a decisive game seven. Garrett Roe played the hero in overtime to propel the Bears back to the Calder Cup Finals and avoid a monumental collapse.
A familiar foe awaits Hershey in the finals, the Coachella Valley Firebirds. It will be a rematch of last year’s Calder Cup Finals.
Series Schedule
Game 1: Friday, June 14, Coachella Valley @ Hershey – 7 p.m.
Game 2: Sunday, June 16, Coachella Valley @ Hershey – 5 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, June 18, Hershey @ Coachella Valley – 10 p.m.
Game 4: Thursday, June 20, Hershey @ Coachella Valley – 10 p.m.
Game 5: Saturday, June 22, Hershey @ Coachella Valley – 9 p.m. *
Game 6: Monday, June 24, Coachella Valley @ Hershey – 7 p.m. *
Game 7: Wednesday, June 26, Coachella Valley @ Hershey – 7 p.m. *
* If Necessary
Playoff History
This is the second consecutive season that Hershey and Coachella Valley have met in the Calder Cup Finals. Last season’s finals went seven games.
The series started in California for the first two games and it did not go well for the chocolate and white. The Firebirds got third period tallies from Andrew Poturalski, Jesper Foden and Alexander True to blow open a two-goal game and prevail 5-0 in game one.
The Bears started well in game two, outshooting Coachella Valley 15 to 5 in the first period. However, they could not find a way past Joey Daccord. In the second frame, Hunter Shepard denied Carson Twaryinski on a penalty shot. That was the highlight of the period for Hershey as things went downhill from there. Foden netted a power play marker to put the Firebirds ahead. Then, Austin Poganski fired home a rebound to make it 2-0. Ryker Evans’ shot went off the skate of Lucas Johansen and in to push the lead to three and Cameron Hughes completed the second period barrage by splitting two defenders and coming in all alone on Shepard. The four goal stanza was all Coachella Valley needed in a 4-0 win.
The series jetted back east to Hershey for the next three games. The Bears finally solved Daccord when Ethen Frank beat the netminder over the blocker for a power play goal in the first period of game three. Brogan Rafferty answered for the Firebirds with a first period power play marker of his own. Joe Snively gave Hershey the lead back in the second. Sam Anas then upped the advantage to two after his shot went in out of the net quickly. The power play goal was initially waived off, but was awarded after a review. Twarynski brought Coachella Valley within one in the third period, but Garrett Pilon restored the two-goal edge just 48 seconds later.
The Firebirds rallied late. Shepard stopped Ryker Evans and Hughes, but could not keep out Hughes on his next try and Coachella Valley was within one with 4:34 left in the third. Daccord was pulled for the extra attacker and Hughes again played the villain to tie the game with 51 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Bears weathered a push from the Firebirds at the start of overtime and then the Hershey fourth line came through with six minutes and 26 still to be played in the extra session. Mason Morelli fired a shot from the left circle that was paddled away by Daccord. Riley Sutter got to the loose puck and it up and over Daccord to give the Bears a 5-4 win.
Morelli was involved in Hershey’s opening goal at the 4:27 mark of the first period of game four. After drawing a high sticking penalty, Morelli attempted to jam the disc past Daccord on the power play. Daccord kept Morelli’s attempt out. However, Mike Vecchione soon elevated a shot over Daccord’s glove for the 1-0 advantage for the home side. In the second half of the opening stanza, the Firebirds evened the score on a snap shot from Poganski. Vecchione and Frank found the back of the net in the second period to give Hershey a two-goal advantage heading to the third. Froden got Coachella Valley within one in the third frame and pulled the goalie, but the Bears received big defensive plays from Johansen, Dylan McIlrath and Henrik Borgstrom to close out a 3-2 triumph to even the series.
Game five was a tight defensive contest. Neither team scored through 60 minutes. In overtime, Hershey was on a power play when Morelli dropped a puck back to Pilon. Morelli headed to front of the net after making his pass and Pilon moved to the center point. Pilon wristed a shot through Morelli’s screen and over Daccord’s glove to lift the Bears to a 3-2 victory.
Heading back to California, Hershey was one game away from claiming the title. However, the Firebirds were not ready to see their season end in game six. Connor McMichael gave the Bears a 1-0 lead a minute and 33 seconds into the first period. Max McCormick equalized on the power play with 9:50 left in the period and John Hayden’s goal on a rebound of an Evans shot came less than two minutes later to put Coachella Valley in front. Hughes tallied before the opening period was over. The Bears go within one in the second when Beck Malenstyn’s feed went off the skate of Evans and into the net, but that was as close as Hershey would get. Kole Lind potted a power play goal in the middle stanza and then added another in the third. The Firebirds forced a winner-take-all game seven with a 5-2 victory.
Hershey started tentative in game seven and Coachella Valley was the better team for the first half of the game. The Firebirds potted the contest’s first goal when Evans fired a shot through a Hughes screen for a 1-0 lead. They upped their advantage to 2-0 in the second period when McCormick beat Shepard. An important moment of the game came later in the middle frame. The Bears were on a power play, but Twarynski burst in on a shorthanded breakaway. Shepard denied Twarynski to keep the deficit at two. The save loomed large when Hershey got on the scoreboard with 6:08 still on the clock in the second. Morelli dished to Connor McMichael on the left side of goal and McMichael knocked home his shot to make it a one-goal game. Three minutes and 17 seconds later, the Bears evened the game at 2-2 when Hendrix Lapierre redirected Vincent Iorio’s shot past Daccord. Neither team scored and game seven of the Calder Cup Finals headed to overtime for the first time since 1953. Hershey killed off a Coachella Valley power play early in the extra session. Then, lightning struck with 3:41 remaining in overtime. Borgstrom carried the puck through the right circle and below the goal line. Borgstrom threw the puck out in front. The disc was knocked down in front and a scramble ensued. Vecchione skated in and swept the puck home to lift Hershey to a 3-2, Calder Cup clinching victory. Shepard was the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy winner as playoff MVP, sealing the award with a 45-save effort in game seven.
How They Got Here
Coachella Valley
The Pacific Division champions had a bye in the opening round and then squared off with the Calgary Wranglers in the Pacific Division Semifinals. The Wranglers scored three times in the third period to defeat the Firebirds 4-1 in game one. Coachella Valley salvaged a split in Calgary with a 4-3 overtime win in game two. Max McCormick tied the game with five minutes and 27 seconds left in regulation. Devon Shore potted the winner 7:54 into overtime to even the series at a game apiece. Back home in California, the Firebirds prevailed 7-5 in a wild affair that saw a total of seven goals in the third period. Both teams scored twice on the power play in the final frame and Coachella Valley also netted a shorthanded tally. McCormick’s power play marker was the difference. The Firebirds closed out the series in game four by blanking the Wranglers 3-0. Cale Fleury had the game-winning goal and Chris Driedger stopped 31 shots in earning the shutout.
The Ontario Reign awaited Coachella Valley in the Pacific Division Finals. In game one, Andre Lee opened the scoring in the first period for Ontario. McCormick and Shore answered back for in the first for the Firebirds and Jimmy Schuldt added another in the second. Samuel Fagemo got one back for the Reign in the third, but Driedger stood tall with 13 saves on 14 third period shots. Coachella Valley jumped out to a 3-0 lead in game two behind goals from John Hayden, Fleury and Jani Nyman. Ontario raised their level in the second and third period, outshooting the Firebirds 28 to 16 over the final two frames. However, the deficit was too great and Coachella Valley won 5-3. Alex Turcotte and Taylor Madden netted markers in the first period of game three for the Reign, but the Firebirds responded in the second period on goals by Kole Lind and Schuldt to even things up. Lind tallied 46 seconds into the third and Ontario could not find a tying goal. Coachella Valley completed the sweep with a 3-2 victory.
For the second straight season, the Firebirds faced the Milwaukee Admirals in the Western Conference Finals. The series began with Hayden giving Coachella Valley a lead with a power play marker in the first. Zach L’Heureux evened the score in the third for Milwaukee, but Hayden provided the deciding goal three minutes and 29 seconds later to supply the Firebirds with a 2-1 win. In game two, Andrew Poturalski scored 28 seconds into the game and Coachella Valley never looked back. Ryker Evans and Lind also found the back of the net in a 3-1 triumph for the Firebirds. Going on the road did not slow down Coachella Valley in game three. The Firebirds blitzed the Admirals for three goals in the first period. Fleury got the party started 31 seconds in. Evans and Ryan Winterton also tallied. McCormick made it 4-0 early in the second and Coachella Valley cruised 5-2. Milwaukee decided that they did not want to be swept and scored five unanswered goals after the game was even at two after 20 minutes. Fedor Svechkov had two goals as the Admirals avoided elimination with a 7-2 rout. The loss did not unnerve the Firebirds. Coachella Valley poured it on in the first period, scoring four times to end any hopes Milwaukee had of a comeback. Hayden completed a hat trick in the second and Fleury dished out three assists as the Firebirds sailed to a 5-1 victory to capture the series four games to one.
Hershey
With a opening round bye, 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 provide the Bears with 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 with Rybinski and Alex Limoges finding the back of the net in the second and 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 ahead, but Ivan Miroshnichenko finished off a breakaway 17 seconds later to tie it. Garrett Wilson put the Phantoms back in front. Then, Pierrick Dube snapped a shot by Cal Petersen’s glove to even the game at two. The scoring continued in the opening period and Todd Nelson’s charges earned their first advantage 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 matchup. Chase Priskie sent a snap shot through a Bogdan Trineyev screen and past 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. Six minutes and 28 seconds into the second, Miroshnichenko generated 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 when Jaroslav Chmelar pulled the puck from his backhand to his forehand and slipped his shot past Shepard to make it 1-0 Hartford. The Bears equalized with 1:56 expired in the frame. Roe tipped the pass by Dylan 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 4-1 triumph and series sweep with an empty net goal.
The North Division champion Cleveland Monsters were Hershey’s opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Bears controlled the first period, outshooting the Monsters 13 to 3. Frank tallied 4:24 into the contest, but the lead was just one because the chocolate and white failed to convert on four power plays. Cleveland got their first power play of the night in the second and converted when Hunter McKown placed a shot by the left pad of Hunter Shepard to tie the game at one. The Monsters moved in front a minute and 21 seconds later. Alex Whelan backhanded a rebound from a Josh Dunne shot to make it 2-1 Cleveland. Hershey answered a minute and 23 seconds later. Aaron Ness laid the disc off to Mike Vecchione at the top of the left circle and then drove to the net. Vecchione flung a shot that hit Ness on its way to goal and went by Jet Greaves to even the score at 2-2. With 2:48 left in the middle stanza, the Bears leapt back in front. Priskie ripped his shot by Greaves’ glove for a power play tally to give Hershey a 3-2 advantage. The power play unit upped the Bears lead to 4-2 at the 8:43 mark of the third period. Lapierre carried the puck up the left wing, glided into the left circle and unleashed a wicked wrist shot that beat Greaves over the left pad. Down by a pair, Cleveland pulled Greaves for an extra attacker and then gained a two-man advantage when Ness was called for a slashing infraction. Trey Fix-Wolansky then put his shot inside the far post from a bad angle to cut the deficit to 4-3. Within one, the Monsters again yanked Greaves for an extra skater. David Jiricek controlled the puck along the left halfboards, skated back to the point and over to the right. He snapped a shot through a Dunne screen to make it a 4-4 game with 19.1 seconds left in regulation. In overtime, Vecchione tipped the puck up to Alex Limoges in the neutral zone and the duo broke into the offensive end on a three-on-two rush with Jimmy Huntington. Limoges passed back Vecchione, who immediately returned the disc to Limoges and then moved into the slot. Limoges slid the puck to Vecchione, who was only on the ice because Pierrick Dube lost his helmet and had to exit the ice. Vecchione elevated his shot high over the glove of Greaves to provide the Bears with a 5-4 overtime win.
Following a scoreless first period in game two, Roe wristed a shot through a Vecchione screen for a power play goal to put Hershey up 1-0 in the second period. Late in the frame, Shepard charged out in an attempt to prevent a breakaway for Justin Pearson. Shepard got his stick on the puck, but hit Miroshnichenko with his clear. Chaos ensued as Pearson gathered the puck. Priskie blocked Pearson’s first pass, but then snuck his second try through to Dunne in front. Dunne slid the biscuit into the empty net and it was 1-1. Hershey moved back in front with 8:39 remaining in the third. Frank redirected a feed from Lapierre over the glove of Greaves to put the Bears up 2-1. Down by a goal, the Monsters pulled Greaves for an extra attacker while on a power play with two minutes and 36 seconds left. As the delay of game penalty to Jake Massie expired, Jiricek ripped a shot through a screen and by Shepard to make it a 2-2 contest. The deciding of sequence began with a strong backcheck by Dube behind the net of Shepard. Dube then collected the puck and skated the puck up the ice. The winger fed the puck to Huntington in the neutral zone. Huntington feathered the biscuit back to Dube into the offensive zone. Dube drove through the left circle and elevated an off speed shot by Greaves’ glove to deliver a 3-2 triumph for Hershey.
The series headed to Ohio. The Bears struck first in game three on the second half of a double-sticking minor to Brendan Gaunce when Priskie sent a shot through a Huntington screen, off the stick of Greaves and in to make it 1-0 Hershey. The power play came through again in the second to up the lead to 2-0. Frank wired a shot over the shoulder of Greaves for the goal. A minute and 10 seconds later, the Monsters got on the scoreboard. Whelan whipped a shot from the upper inside edge of the left circle that found its way through a screen and by Shepard to make it a 2-1 game. Cleveland equalized with 7:43 left in the middle stanza. The Monsters took advantage of a power play with Fix-Wolansky threw a shot from the right point through a bunch of bodies and past Shepard to tie the game at 2-2. The Bears moved back in front with two minutes and 46 seconds left in the second. From the middle of the left circle, Limoges beat Greaves to the short side to put Hershey up 3-2. A minute and nine seconds after Limoges’ goal, the lead became 4-2. Priskie’s slap shot got knocked down, but Vecchione gathered the loose puck and dished to Miroshnichenko below the left circle. Miroshnichenko exhibited patience and opened up Greaves. The winger then slid the puck through Greaves’ five-hole. The second period offensive onslaught was not over Todd Nelson’s charges. On a power play, Snively cruised slightly to his right and slapped a shot over the glove of Greaves and Hershey was up 5-2. Rybinski added an empty netter in the third and the Bears gained a 6-2 win.
With their season on the line, Cleveland came out energized in game four and scored two minutes and 10 seconds into the game when Dunne scored from the left circle. With a minute and 53 seconds still on the clock in the opening frame, the Bears equalized on the power play. Frank wristed his shot through a Limoges screen and over the glove of Greaves to tie the game at 1-1. The Monsters regained the lead at the 7:46 mark of the second period. Jakub Zboril’s pass attempt hit the skate of Logan Day, but the disc bounced right to Roman Ahcan. Moving the puck to his left, Ahcan snapped a shot under the glove of Shepard to give Cleveland a 2-1 edge. Jake Gaudet increased the advantage for the Monsters to 3-1 in the third by depositing a shot past the blocker of Shepard. Roe sent a loose puck in after a scramble to bring Hershey within in 3-2, but the Bears could not find a tying goal and Cleveland stayed alive with a 3-2 victory.
In game five, Hershey weathered an early push from the Monsters and then netted the night’s first tally. Day sent a wrist shot from the right point off the post and into the net to put the Bears up 1-0 with 7:49 remaining in the first period. Day’s marker would be the high point of the game for Hershey. Cleveland came on strong in the second period and the Bears fell apart. First, Shepard denied Jiricek’s shot from right circle with a right pad save. The netminder than blockered away Pearson’s followup attempt. However, Shepard could not bail out his team a third time. Whelan lifted a shot from the left circle over a sprawled Shepard and the game was tied 1-1. At the 9:35 mark of the middle stanza, the Monsters moved in front with a power play goal. Denton Mateychuk threw the puck off the back boards. The disc bounced off the boards and then was knocked into the net by Josh Dunne to put the Monsters up 2-1. Cleveland increased their to 3-1 with eight minutes and 11 seconds still on the clock in the second frame. Michael Pyyhtia controlled the puck behind the net and slipped a pass to Brendan Gaunce in front. Both Vincent Iorio and Riley Sutter were near Gaunce, but neither covered him. As a result, Gaunce was open to put his shot by the right pad of Shepard. The downward spiral continued for the Bears when the Monsters tallied again with three minutes and 31 seconds left in the middle frame. Gaunce sent a wrist shot from the left circle under Shepard’s glove to push Cleveland’s lead to 4-1. Dunne added another one in the third and the Monsters won 5-1 to live to fight another day.
A third chance to close out the series presented itself to Hershey on home ice in game six. The Bears committed their second too many men on the ice penalty of the first period and Owen Sillinger fired a shot from the right circle by Shepard to make Hershey pay for the undisciplined penalty. The power play marker gave Cleveland a 1-0 advantage. The Bears evened the scoreline with nine minutes and 23 seconds left in the second period. In the high slot, Rybinski one-timed a Limoges feed over Greaves’ glove to create a 1-1 score. The contest would remain tied until Snively’s fluttering shot beat Greaves with 49.3 seconds remaining in the third period. The goal seemingly sealed the series for Hershey, but the Monsters were not done yet. With the goalie pulled, the Bears turned the puck over to Cleveland in the neutral zone. Then, Gaunce threw the puck at the net from the right corner. The shot banked off Shepard’s skate and into the net to tie it at 2-2 with 32.9 seconds left in regulation. In the extra session, Jake Christian flung a shot through a Dunne screen and past Shepard to stun the Bears for a 3-2 overtime triumph.
Everything came down to game seven. It was win or go home time. On a first period power play, Mateychuk slid a pass to Fix-Wolansky in the bottom of the left circle. Fix-Wolansky showed patience and then elevated a shot over Hunter Shepard as the netminder got hit by the stick Dylan McIlrath. The tally provided the Monsters with a 1-0 lead with 57.2 seconds left in the first. The Bears responded quickly. Limoges had the puck behind the net and threaded a feed to Day at the top of the right circle. Day wristed a shot over Jet Greaves and in. Cleveland protested because Huntington made contact Greaves. However, Sillinger knocked Huntington into Greaves. The goal stood and the game was even 1-1 with 19 seconds left in the first. Hershey leapt ahead with four minutes and 14 seconds elapsed in the second. Gaunce was sent off for hooking. On the ensuing man-advantage, Snively threw a shot towards the net from the left circle that was blocked. The puck came out to Dube in the slot. Dube snapped a shot by the glove of Greaves to put the Bears up 2-1. Once again, the Monsters struck late to tie the game. This time the equalizer came with 5:52 remaining in regulation. Hershey got hemmed in their own zone after failing to clear the puck out. James Maletesta skated into the left circle, turned and ripped a shot past Shepard to make it 2-2. For the fourth home game of the series, the game went to overtime. In the extra session, the Bears failed to convert on a power play that came beginning at the 5:05 mark. Thirty-three seconds after the power play expired, Hershey produced a magical moment. Day wired a shot from the center point that was blocked in front. Roe pounced on the free disc and lifted his shot over Greaves’ glove to send the Giant Center into a hysterics. Roe’s marker gave Hershey a 3-2 victory to cinch the series.
Team Playoff Leaders
Hershey Coachella Valley
Points: Hendrix Lapierre – 15 Devin Shore – 11
Goals: Ethen Frank – 9 John Hayden – 7
Assists: Hendrix Lapierre – 11 Cameron Hughes – 9
Wins: Hunter Shepard – 10 Chris Driedger – 10
2023-24 Season Series
Coachella Valley and the Bears did not meet in the regular season.
Roster News
Hershey was decimated by injuries in the Eastern Conference Finals. Defenseman Lucas Johansen went down with a lower body injury in game two and missed the rest of the series. Head coach Todd Nelson said in his pre-game interview with Zack Fisch that Johansen would be out awhile. He is unlikely to play in the finals. Top pair defenseman Aaron Ness exited game three after blocking a shot and was not seen in the remainder of the series. Nelson stated that Ness has been skating and listed him as day-to-day. Game six saw winger Ethen Frank limp off after taking a big hit. He missed game seven and is availability is up in the air. Pierrick Dube underwent dental surgery after being hit in the face with a puck in game three, but returned to score in game seven.
The Firebirds are relatively healthy with the exception of center Shane Wright, He has missed the last six games for Coachella Valley. Wright suffered a lower body injury after taking a hard, illegal hit from Ontario’s Hayden Hodgson in game two of the Pacific Division Semifinals.
Series Keys/Outlook
After winning game seven on Wednesday, there will be a quick turnaround for the Bears with game one of the finals taking place on Friday. Coachella Valley is well rested and has been in Hershey for several days. The series with Cleveland took a lot out of the Bears, both physically and emotionally. Hershey will need to find the energy and focus for game one because the Firebirds will be fresh and ready to play from the start. They are motivated to exact revenge on the Bears after losing in seven games to Hershey in last years finals.
Good starts will be needed in the series. Coachella Valley was lethal in the first period versus Milwaukee in the Western Conference Finals. The Firebirds scored in all five opening frames and tallied 12 first period goals in the series. This included four markers in game five and three in game three. They also tallied twice in the game’s first minute. The Bears have to be ready from the hop and keep the Firebirds in check. It will be a long series for Hershey if they cannot slow Coachella Valley in the initial frames.
The Bears had difficulty closing out games in the Eastern Conference Finals. They surrendered late third period leads in all four home games. The chocolate and white could have saved a lot of wear and tear on their bodies if they could have just made the plays to see out the game. This is a pattern that Hershey does not want to continue in the Calder Cup Finals. The Bears have to find a way to hold a lead and finish the game off.
Another area in which Hershey struggled in the last four games against Cleveland was clearing the puck out of the defensive zone. There were a few reasons for this. One issue was holding onto the puck too long. Instead of taking the opportunity to presents itself instead of hanging onto the disc and turning the puck over. Another problem was their clearing attempts were too predictable. The Monsters would position players at spots where the passes went. This inability to get the puck out of the zone contributed to the team’s inability to hold onto late leads. Coachella Valley has a deep and talented forward corps and the Bears cannot afford to give them extra chances to score because of poor zone exits.
Special teams almost always play a role in a playoff series. After not giving up a power play goal against Hartford, the Bears surrendered six power plays goals in the Eastern Conference Finals. Cleveland scored a late power play goal in game one to start their rally & Josh Dunne’s goal with the man-advantage was the decider in game four. Hershey’s penalty kill percentage dropped eight percentage points in the series. The Bears have to get back to their strong penalty killing. The Firebirds have nine power play goals in 44 opportunities in the playoffs, but did score twice on the man-advantage in their game five win over Milwaukee. Coachella Valley has defensemen Cale Fleury and Ryker Evans quarterbacking their power play units with forwards such as Devon Shore, Andrew Poturalski, John Hayden, Max McCormick, Cameron Hughes and Kole Lind up front. That is a lot of talent that can get hot at any time. The Hershey power play tallied eight times on the power play against the Monsters, but failed to convert in key moments. The Bears did not register a shot on overtime power plays in games six and seven. The unit at time gets too deliberate and does not move the puck. This allows the penalty killers to stay in their formation and close down the shooting lanes. The Firebirds have struggled on the penalty kill at times this postseason. Hershey needs to win this matchup.
With Ethen Frank possibly out of the lineup due to injury, the Bears are going to need other players to pick up the slack offensively. Frank has a team high nine goals in these playoffs. Henrik Rybinski has elevated his play and Garrett Roe has provided needed secondary scoring, but some big names can bring more. Pierrick Dube netted a pair of big goals versus Cleveland, the overtime winner in game two and a power play marker in game seven, but he still only has four points in the playoffs and can bring more offensive to the table. Mike Vecchione potted the overtime decider in game one against the Monsters, but has just two goals in the postseason. Alex Limoges had four points against Cleveland, but has passed up open shots. He needs to shoot more. Bogdan Trineyev started the playoffs off hot, but only has one point in his last 14 games. Ivan Miroshnichenko recorded 23 shots in the last round, but found the back of the net only once and was a -4 in his last three games. If Frank is out, Hershey will need him to convert more often
Defensively, Aaron Ness missed the final four games of the series versus the Monsters and his absence was felt. The Bears struggled in their own end without him and could not replace him on the top defensive pairing. Hardy Haman Aktell did not mesh well with Dylan McIlrath in Ness’ place. McIlrath altered his game at time because Haman Aktell cannot provide the same coverage and trust that McIlrath and Ness have built over the course of the series. If Ness remains out, Hershey has to figure out how to compensate.
Also, defensive coverage was a problem for the Bears in the latter half of the series. There were too many instances where Cleveland players were left wide open. In game four, Vincent Iorio and Riley Sutter were both near Brendan Gaunce in front, but neither picked him up and Gaunce scored to put the Monsters up by two. In the third period of the same game, there was not a player within 20 feet of Josh Dunne in front when he added an insurance goal. Other time players were left open in the left or in the circle and Hunter Shepard had to bail his teammates out. Hershey needs to communicate better to ensure players are covered. Coachella Valley will make the Bears pay if they continuously give the Firebirds open looks.
By Eric Lord
