Hershey Bears

Bears Playoff Primer: Monsters Among Us

via the Bears

For the third time in history, the Hershey Bears and a franchise from Cleveland, Ohio — this time, the Lake Erie Monsters — will do battle for the Calder Cup. The previous two times (1940-41, 1944-45), the Cleveland Barons defeated the Chocolate and White. The Bears hold 11 Calder Cups to their name in the 79 previous seasons of the AHL; the Barons won nine before the franchise met an end in 1973.

In 1972, the Barons had new neighbors courtesy of the World Hockey Association, the Cleveland Crusaders. They immediately destroyed the market for minor league hockey and forced a mid-season relocation to Jacksonville, Florida. After the tumultuous year, owner Nick Mileti folded the 36-year-old franchise, who still held the record for most Calder Cups until Hershey won its tenth in 2009.

In 2001, the Kentucky Thoroughblades were purchased by the owners of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, who subsequently moved them to Cleveland and revived the Barons nickname. The new Barons never advanced passed the second round, in 2003-04, and soon relocated to Worcester, Massachusetts to become the Worcester Sharks. To keep a team in Cleveland, Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert purchased the Utah Grizzlies — inactive at the time — and moved them to Ohio. This team became the Lake Erie Monsters.

LAKE ERIE MONSTERS

Once a five-year agreement with the Colorado Avalanche expired, the Monsters signed an affiliation agreement with the nearby Columbus Blue Jackets. In the first year of that affiliation, this year, the Monsters achieved their highest point total in franchise history, 97, and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.

After a three game sweep of the Rockford IceHogs, a six game battle with the Grand Rapids Griffins, then a resounding four game sweep of the Ontario Regin, the Monsters come in to the Finals only playing 13 games all playoffs. Hershey played 13 games through the first two rounds: five games with Portland then a seven game war against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

This marks the first time since 1994 (New York Rangers and Knicks) where a hockey team and the same city’s basketball team made the finals of their respective leagues. Add in the Arena Football League’s Cleveland Gladiators and Quicken Loans Arena will be very busy in the next couple of weeks.

Twelve players on the Monsters played in at least one game for the NHL club this season for a combined 140 games, including goaltenders Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo. Korpisalo played every minute for the Monsters until Game 5 against Grand Rapids, a 6-1 loss where Forsberg came in to mop up after the fifth goal. Korpisalo got the start in the next matchup, the series clincher, but yielded three goals in 21:48. Forsberg shut the door with a 23 save shutout to anchor the comeback victory, 4-3 in overtime.

Head coach Jared Bednar has not looked back since, giving Forsberg all four starts against the Reign. With his six games played, Forsberg leads all playoff goalies in goals against average (1.30) and save percentage (.955); he is one of six goaltenders with a shutout in the playoffs, Justin Peters of the Bears is the only one with multiple shutouts (2).

The roster has remained largely consistent throughout the playoffs, with just three skaters not earning a point in the playoffs (Nick Moutrey, John Ramage, Michael Paliotta). Former Washington Capitals’ defenseman Steve Eminger is a distant second in scoring by defenseman on the Monsters to University of Michigan standout Zach Werenski. Werenski., Columbus’s first pick in 2015, jumped to the pro level after completing his sophomore season as a Wolverine. In 13 playoff games, he has four goals and seven assists, none of which came against Ontario.

Lucas Sedlak (eight goals, five assists) and Josh Anderson (seven goals, five assists) pace the Monsters up front. Sedlak’s emergence in these playoffs is a welcome surprise; the Blue Jackets’ sixth rounder finished the regular season with just 18 points in 54 games. He now leads the playoffs in goals scored. Regular season leading scorers T.J. Tynan (five points), Michael Chaput (six), and Daniel Zaar (seven) are outside the top seven on the roster.

HERSHEY BEARS

Though falling one game shy of a sweep, the Bears knocked out the AHL’s best regular season team in a memorable, short series. After going the distance in the previous two rounds against Portland and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, the Bears needed some measure of rest before the final round. For the fifth time in the 11-year affiliation with Washington, the Bears are in the Calder Cup Finals.

Hershey’s balanced attack and stable defense spelled doom for the AHL’s best team from the regular season and won the Richard F. Canning Trophy as the Eastern Conference Champions. In the Games 2 and 3, the Bears had Chandler Stephenson and Christian Djoos respectively score their first goals of the playoffs. Only Aaron Ness, Madison Bowey, and Erik Burgdoerfer have yet to score a goal in the playoffs.

Carter Camper‘s 15 points sit three behind now-eliminated Connor Carrick for the playoff lead. He had a nine game point streak until Game 3 when the Marlies shutout Hershey’s offense. Joining him in the top five of the team is Jakub Vrana (seven goals, six assists), AHL MVP Chris Bourque (four goals, six assists),  Ness (nine assists), and four skaters tied at eight points: Zach Sill, Dustin Gazley, Travis Boyd, and  Djoos.

Despite this offensive evenness, the Bears do have a major weakness: penalty trouble. Nine players average over one penalty minute per game. The Chocolate and White allowed the Marlies 16 power plays, of which they converted on three, all in Game 4. If the Monsters can improve their power play efficiency from the 2-for-19 (.105) against Ontario, the frequent trips to the sin bin will spell trouble for Hershey.

After taking the starting job in Game 2 against Portland, Peters has played 982:57 of hockey. He is one of three goalies with a GAA below 2 (1.95), and the only one of the group to play more than 10 games. After getting pierced for two goals by the Marlies comeback efforts in Game 5, he resettled into the game and shut the door from there.

THE MATCHUP

The last time these teams met came in early 2013, with Lake Erie taking both decisions by scores of 3-2, the second came in a shootout. Of all the players from those Bears, only Garrett Mitchell remains; none of the 2013 Monsters are leftover.

When scoring three goals, the Hershey Bears are 7-1 in these playoffs, the lone loss coming in Game 1 against Portland. Lake Erie is 9-1 by comparison, losing only Game 4 against Grand Rapids.

Game 1 will feature a feeling out process as both teams are unfamiliar with one another. Both rosters are structured with a balance of veterans playing out their last few years and young guns trying to make it to the NHL. Both sides also will have full rosters to choose from as their ECHL and NHL teams are both out of the playoffs.

SCHEDULE

If you are wondering why there is a five day break between Games 3 and 4, you can thank the National Basketball Association. Since the Monsters share their arena with the Eastern Conference Champion Cavaliers, the AHL must work around their home schedule.

Game 1 – Wed., June 1 – Lake Erie at Hershey, 7:00
Game 2 – Fri., June 3 – Lake Erie at Hershey, 7:00
Game 3 – Mon., June 6 – Hershey at Lake Erie, 7:00
Game 4 – Sat., June 11 – Hershey at Lake Erie, 7:00
*Game 5 – Sun., June 12 – Hershey at Lake Erie, 6:00
*Game 6 – Tue., June 14 – Lake Erie at Hershey, 7:00
*Game 7 – Fri., June 17 – Lake Erie at Hershey, 7:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern

Max Wolpoff

Churchill High School graduate (2015) and current Boston University journalism student. Follow me on Twitter (@Max_Wolpoff) for game-day tweets or my random musings about being a college student.

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