Two games originally schedued for this weekend had to be reassigned for later dates due to the imapct of Winter Storm Jonas on the east coast. The only game that did not get played in time for this recap, and will not be played until February 10th, was against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Before hunkering down in Hershey to ride out the storm, the Bears traveled to Binghamton and won big at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. Chris Bourque, Paul Carey, and Scott Gomez ended the night with eight combined points. For Gomez, his first AHL point came on Bourque’s goal to open the second period and his first AHL goal three minutes later. For reference, Gomez scored his first NHL goal with the New Jersey Devils during the 1999-2000 season. Travis Boyd finished the scoring thanks to the Bears forecheck to wrap th scoring at 4-0. Dan Ellis made all 30 saves, including one on a shorthanded penalty shot by Ryan Penny, for the shutout.
Back at the GIANT Center after a brief snow break, the Bears resumed their rivalry with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Monday. Despite four first period penalties on the Phantoms, the visitors ended up on top due to Cole Bardreau’s shorthanded goal. MIke Moore started the Hershey response, followed by Madison Bowey and Paul Carey. Immediately afterward, the Phantoms scored three goals of their own (Bardreau, Davis Drewiske, and Taylor Leier) to keep a one goal lead into the third.
Colin McDonald looked to put the game away with his goal at 4:14 of the period, but Boyd and Bourque pushed the game to overtime with late goals of their own. Overtime solved nothing and both Herhsey shooters were stopped in the shootout while Leier and Nick Cousins scored to give the Phantoms a victory.
Ellis returned to the net for the road trip up to Albany for a date with the Devils. Mike Sislo and the Devils power play possesed the Bears killers for the opening goal. It would be until 14:39 of the second for the next goal when Erik Burdoefer bombed Gomez’s pass for the tying goal. That would be the only goal allowed by Devils starter Scott Wedgewood as he left the game halfway through the third period with an injury. Riley Barber pirece Yann Danis to break the deadlock, but Raman Hrabarenka knotted the game again with the extra skater on and forced the extra frame. Corey Tropp’s stretch pass to Reid Boucher preceded the game winning slap shot.
Hershey has not lost in regulation in seven games (4-0-2-1).
NEXT WEEK
A home-and-home with the Syracuse Crunch, first at War Memorial Arena then at GIANT CENTER, is all for the Bears this Friday and Saturday.
CURRENT STANDING
44 Games Played, 3rd in Atlantic Division, 22-13-4-3 (W-L-OTL-SOL)
