Dmitry Orlov and T.J. Syner helpfully showcase both the front & back of this year’s Pink in the Rink uniform (All Photos Credit: M. Richter)
In Hershey’s calendar of specialty jerseys, November brings Pink in the Rink. This year, Hershey opted to go with a design that was much more subtle than last year’s while they showed their support for the fight against breast cancer. The good choice in fashion led to a great performance on the ice, with the Bears defeating the visiting Toronto Marlies 4-2 (including two goals 45 seconds apart in the second period.)
Notable Numbers:
Four Hershey Goals:
– Alex Berry started things off with his first goal with the Hershey Bears (he’s currently called up from Reading, though no stranger to the AHL, and was originally drafted by Toronto back in 2005). He was assisted by Zach Hamill & the newly-healthy Patrick McNeill.
– Hamill added a goal to his point total for the night (only Bear to notch both a goal & assist this game), assisted by Jeff Taffe & Evan Barlow (who is not only recently called up from Reading, but also recently acquired by Reading itself via trade with the San Francisco Bulls).
– Cameron Schilling scored the game-winner, 5:17 into the second period, with help from Alternate Captain Ryan Potulny & Captain Boyd Kane.
– 45 seconds later, Hershey’s other Alternate Captain, Jon DiSalvatore, scored an insurance goal with help from Dmitry Orlov & Taffe. That goal also happened to be his 500th career AHL point, for which he deserves hearty congratulation.
Two Toronto Goals:
It’s worth noting that, at the time DiSalvatore scored Hershey’s fourth goal, the Marlies had yet to get onto the scoresheet for anything aside from penalty minutes. By the end of the night, the Marlies tallied 42 shots on net (compared with Hershey’s 19), but only earned two goals for their troubles.
Matt Frattin was the one who eventually torpedoed Braden Holtby‘s bid for a shutout (11:10 into the second), with assists from Nazem Kadri and former-Hershey Bear & Washington Capital Keith Aucoin. Mark Fraser tallied the other goal for Toronto almost exactly a period later (12:05 in the third), again with an assist from Aucoin.
Two Fights, Two Almost-Gordie Howe Hat Tricks:
In an odd bit of luck, the latter of the two fights on Sunday evening was between goal scoring forwards. Alex Berry dropped the gloves in the name of Hershey (on Cam Schilling’s behalf), while Mark Fraser scuffed his knuckles on behalf of a teammate on the blue and white.
Earlier in the game, Steve Oleksy and Toronto Captain Ryan Hamilton had been involved in an altercation resulting from an injury to the Marlies’ Mike Zigomanis.
Charitable Endeavours:
The obligatory post-game jersey auction brought in over $30,000 this time around, with a portion of the proceeds earmarked for the American Cancer Society. The Bears’ Wives & Girlfriends also got in on the action, selling T-Shirts, megaphones, and some snazzy pink hockey sticks.
Top earners amongst the jersey auction included Braden Holtby ($2200), Ryan Potulny ($2100), Steve Oleksy ($1400), Kevin Marshall ($1500), and Garrett Mitchell ($1325).
Below, you’ll find a few more examples of the specialty jerseys.
