Photo: Eric Lord
The Hershey Bears began their defense of their Calder Cup championship with a series against their in-state rivals, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The Bears exterminated the Phantoms in four games to move onto the Atlantic Division Finals. For the second straight season, Hershey will square off with the Hartford Wolf Pack for the opportunity to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Series Schedule
Game 1: Thursday, May 16, Hartford @ Hershey – 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, May 18, Hartford @ Hershey – 7 p.m.
Game 3: Wednesday, May 22, Hershey @ Hartford – 7 p.m.
Game 4: Friday, May 24, Hershey @ Hartford – 7 p.m.*
Game 5: Sunday, May 26, Hartford @ Hershey – 7 p.m.*
* If Necessary
Playoff History
The Bears and Wolf Pack will be meeting for the third time in the Calder Cup playoffs and the second straight season the two sides will meet in the Atlantic Division Finals. Each organization has emerged victorious in one series.
On their way to a Calder Cup championship last campaign, Hershey swept Harford in three games. The Bears trailed by two heading into the third period in game one. Connor McMichael tied the game with 2:09 left in regulation to force overtime. Then, Henrik Borgstrom snapped a shot over Dylan Garand’s blocker to lift the chocolate and white to a 3-2 victory.
Game two was less dramatic for the Bears. Hershey got goals from four different players and skated to a 4-2 win. With their backs against the wall at home in game three, the Wolf Pack came out flying and outshot the Bears 13 to 4 in the first period and scored the frame’s lone goal, but Hunter Shepard kept his team in the contest. Vincent Iorio equalized in the second period on a delayed penalty. A Lucas Johansen third period marker put Hershey ahead in the third stanza and Garrett Pilon added an insurance tally to seal the sweep with a 3-1 triumph.
The first head-to-head matchup between the two franchises came during the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Hartford bested the Bears in that meeting, winning the last three games to capture the series four games to two. Hershey legend Chris Bourque played for Hartford in the series and torched his former team, scoring three goals, including the decider in overtime in game one, and also dished out five assists. Current Bears captain Dylan McIlrath played for the Wolf Pack during that series as well.
How They Got Here
Hartford
After finishing sixth in the Atlantic Division, Hartford had to play an opening round series with the Charlotte Checkers, with three games of the series played in Charlotte. The Checkers used a late shorthanded goal from Will Lockwood and added an empty net tally to take game one by a score of 3-1. With elimination facing them in game two, Ryder Korczak tied the game 3:05 into the third period and Alex Belzile beat Spencer Knight in overtime to lift Hartford to a 3-2 win. In the series decider, Riley Nash netted what would prove to be the game winner shorthanded in the third period and Brett Berard added a power play goal in a 3-1 win that eliminated Charlotte.
For the second consecutive season, Hartford squared off against the Providence Bruins in the Atlantic Division Semifinals. The Wolf Pack came away with a 4-3 road triumph in game one in a back-and-forth affair. Anton Blidh’s marker at the 1:28 point of the third period was the difference. The Bruins hammered Hartford 6-0 in game two, scoring three times in the first period. Game three saw each team score twice in the first period. The next two stanzas were scoreless and the game headed to overtime. Riley Nash put a shot by Brandon Bussi in the extra session to lift Hartford to a 3-2 win. It was a similar story in game four. The Wolf Pack moved ahead in the first and Providence equalized in the third to send the game to overtime. Jake Leschyshyn played the hero in the extra session to clinch the series for Hartford.
Hershey
As the Atlantic Division champions, the Bears had a bye in the first round. Rust could have been a problem in game one of the Atlantic Division Semifinals with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, but Hershey was ready to play. Hendrix Lapierre vaulted the Bears in front by redirecting Chase Priskie’s shot from the left points past Cal Petersen with 3:29 gone in the first. Henrik Rybinski slid a puck through Petersen later in the first to provide the chocolate and white with a two-goal advantage. Tanner Laczynski got one back for the Phantoms in the third, but Hunter Shepard shut the door and the Bears prevailed 2-1.
In game two, Ethen Frank netted two markers in a span of three minutes and 29 seconds in the first period to put Hershey up two. The Bears had two power play chances to increase their lead, but failed to capitalize. Lehigh Valley gained momentum and moved within one with 1:15 remaining in the opening frame on a goal by Hunter McDonald. Hershey only had five shots on goal in the second period, but scored on two of them. Rybinski deflected Bogdan Trineyev’s shot for the third goal and Alex Limoges tallied on the power play to give the Bears a 4-1 edge after two periods. Hershey only recorded two shots in the third period, but netted the lone goal of the stanza when Lapierre backhanded his shot into the empty and the Bears won 5-1 to go up two games to none in the series.
Special teams were the difference in game three in Allentown. Hershey took two early penalties and the Phantoms made the Bears pay. Emil Andrae and Olle Lycksell each put a shot past Shepard and the two power play marker allowed Lehigh Valley to lead 2-0 after one. The Phantoms were whistled for five high sticking penalties, including a double minor, but Hershey’s power play could muster nothing and Lehigh Valley staved off elimination with a 2-0 victory.
With another opportunity to close out the series in game four, the Bears fell behind in the first period when Rhett Gardner batted a rebound out of mid air and in. Seventeen seconds later, Ivan Miroshnichenko equalized when he finished off a breakaway by elevating a shot over Petersen’s glove. Lehigh Valley took the lead back later in the first on a Garrett Wilson wrist shot, but Hershey again answered back as Pierrick Dube snapped a shot over the glove of Petersen. Miroshnichenko gave the Bears their first advantage of the night when Miroshnichenko again beat Peterson over the glove. The lead increased to 4-2 later in the second when Frank placed his shot over Petersen’s glove. A Hershey turnover in the third allowed the Phantoms to move within one when Laczynski scored from in close. With Lehigh Valley on a power play just past the halfway mark of the third, Shepard came across to deny Lycksell with his blocker. The save was important as Hardy Haman Aktell would beat Petersen to give the Bears an insurance. In what was a pattern all game long, Haman Aktell’s shot went over Petersen’s glove. The tally sealed a 5-3 win in game four and allowed Hershey to send the Phantoms to the golf course.
Team Playoff Leaders
Hershey Hartford
Points: Ethen Frank – 5 Riley Nash – 6
Goals: Ethen Frank – 3 Riley Nash – 4
Assists: Priskie/Snively/Trineyev – 3 Brett Berard/Brennan Othmann – 4
Wins: Hunter Shepard – 3 Dylan Garand – 5
2023-24 Season Series
The division rivals played four times in the regular season. Hershey prevailed in three of the four matchups and won the last three games of season series after dropping the first meeting.
The two sides did not meet until January 6 when the Wolf Pack visited the Giant Center. Jimmy Huntington and Alex Limoges tallied early in the second to put the Bears up 3-1, but Hartford would score the game’s next four goals to rally for a 5-3 triumph.
The second game took place 13 days later in Connecticut. The Wolf Pack opened the scoring, but Hershey potted the next four tallies, including power play markers from Pierrick Dube and Mike Vecchione. Hartford scored a power play goal with a second left, but the Bears prevailed 4-2.
The last two meetings of the regular season came in March and Hershey netminder Hunter Shepard was the star of both contests. On March 17, Shepard made 19 saves in the final 40 minutes and stopped all 26 shots he face in a 4-0 blanking of the Wolf Pack. Then, the Minnesota-Duluth alum turned aside 15 first period shots in a 32-save effort. The only shot that beat Shepard went off the skate of a defenseman. The Bears outgunned the Wolf Pack 3-2 in the shootout with Limoges putting home the decider in a 2-1 Hershey shootout victory.
Season Series Leaders
Hershey Hartford
Points: Frank/Limoges/ Sutter – 3 Alex Belzile – 4
Goals: Ethen Frank – 3 Jake Leschyshyn – 3
Assists: 5 players – 2 Alex Belzile – 3
Wins: Hunter Shepard – 3 Louis Domingue – 1
Roster News
Hershey played their opening series without the services of defenseman Vincent Iorio and center Riley Sutter. Iorio is still recovering from an upper body injury suffered in the Stanley Cup playoffs while playing with the Washington Capitals. He is skating, but the timeline for his return is unclear. Sutter was injury in the buildup to the start of their series with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Defenseman Logan Day skated off with what appeared to be shoulder injury late in the series-clinching win in game five against the Phantoms. His status is uncertain. Winger Alexander Suzdalev had joined the Bears after the conclusion of his junior season, but is unlikely to see any game time and will skate as a Black Ace.
Hartford recently added prospect Bryce McConnell-Barker to their lineup after his season ended with the Soo Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) playoffs. The center played the final two games of their series with Providence. The 19-year old posted 51 points for the Greyhounds and added 15 more in 11 playoff games. Goalie Louis Domingue is currently serving as the third goalie for the New York Rangers during their Stanley Cup playoff run. Forward Adam Edstrom is also with the Rangers as an extra forward.
Series Outlook/Keys
Special teams need to be better for the Bears. The power play netted just two goals in 16 opportunities versus Lehigh Valley. It has to be better in all aspects and must move the puck quicker to open up shooting lanes. The unit looked lost at times and struggled to even get set up. Also, Hershey gave up too many shorthanded chances, including a few breakaways. Sooner or later, this will cost them if they do not clean things up. The penalty kill surrendered two goals in eight chances, both in game three. The Phantoms had quality looks in other games, but Shepard was strong. The unit got caught running around at times and needs to stay in their system. Hartford has players who can hurt the Bears. Mac Hollowell had 20 power play assists during the regular season, tied for the second most among AHL defensemen and third most in the league. Brennan Othmann potted 10 power play goals in the regular season Veteran Riley Nash has two power play markers in the playoffs thus far.
Generating shots consistently is something Hershey needs to do a better job of. There were five periods in the Lehigh Valley series where they registered six or fewer shots. In game two, the Bears recorded seven shots total in the final two stanzas. The offense cannot go asleep for lengthy periods of time and continually rely of Hunter Shepard to bail them out.
A few big guns for Hershey were quiet in the Atlantic Division semifinals against the Phantoms. Mike Vecchione was held without a point, as was Jimmy Huntington and Matthew Phillips (only had one shot on goal in three games and was a healthy scratch in game four). Alex Limoges netted a single goal and only took three shots in the series. The Bears need more from these four players to keep advancing in the postseason.
The Wolf Pack have a pair of defensemen that are excellent passers. Hollowell was second in the AHL in assists by a defenseman in the regular season with 41. Teammate Nikolas Brouillard totaled 31 helpers. Hershey needs to contain these blue liners and not allow them to control the play. The Bears have to take space away from the duo and pressure them. Brouillard is prone to take penalties, finishing the regular season with the second most penalty minutes by a defenseman in the league with 137. By applying pressure, Hershey can force him into committing infractions.
By Eric Lord
