In much the same way as last week, the Bears dropped their first game after regulation and went on to win two straight, keeping a six game points streak in tact. The Bears last regulation loss came November 28th at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In the three weeks since, the Chocolate and White are 4-0-1-1 (W-L-OTL-SOL).
Despite Connor Carrick and Mike Moore scoring in the first and second periods each period off sublime passes from Chirs Bourque and Travis Boyd respectively, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms fired 12 shots at Dan Ellis in the third. Petr Straka and Danick Martel added goals late to force the overtime period where Nick Cousins ended the game with 1:15 left until the shootout. Ellis finished the night with 28 saves.
The Bears learned from their Wednesday night loss and held off the late rally for the Binghamton Senators on Saturday to win 5-3. Hershey exploded for four goals in the first period form Riley Barber, two from Carrick — with his second on the power play –, and another from Chandler Stephenson with under a minute to go in the opening frame. Penalties defined much of this game with 13 penalties in total for 34 minutes between both teams. Amazingly, Hershey’s only power play goal on eight chances came from Carrick in the first. Colin Greening and Eric O’Dell scored for the visitors in the second and Buddy Robinson cut the deficit to one with just five minutes left to play in regulation. Bourque added his ninth on the year with a last minute empty-netter to secure the victory. Hershey is now on a seven game home winning streak.
Justin Peters started for the Bears again after staving off the Senators in the Sunday battle with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The first and second periods stayed even between the two teams with the Bears getting 10 shots on Chirstopher Gibson in each period while 18 made it to Peters. The only goal for Bridgeport came from Ryan Pulock on the Sound Tigers’ fourth power play of the game. Likewise, Sean Collins scored on Hershey’s fourth power play in the early minutes of the third period. Peters stood tall the whole night, stopping 32 of Bridgeport’s shots in regulation and overtime as well as the only two shootout shots he faced. Carrick and Travis Boyd scored after Dustin Gazley missed the first attempt and the Bears walked away from Webster Bank Arena victorious.
NEXT WEEK
Hershey will once again begin the week in Allentown for a Friday night date with the Phantoms. They will return home to face the North Division’s top team, the Toronto Marlies, on Saturday night before welcoming the Syracuse Crunch on Sunday afternoon.
CURRENT STANDING
2nd in Atlantic Division, 14-6-1-5 (W-L-OTL-SOL), 34 points
