A quick roster swap opened a successful week for the Hershey Bears. The Calder Cup Playoffs, guaranteed for Chocolate Town, will begin after this weekend’s slate of games.
Leading off, Dylan Margonari joined the Chocolate and White on an Amateur Tryout after a four-year career with the Minnesota State University – Monkato Mavericks (WCHA). His Mavericks were eliminated from the WCHA Tournament by eventual winners Ferris State. Margionari is from Greensburg, a mere three hour drive west toward Pittsburgh.
Soon after, Swiss forward Jonas Siegenthaler exercised his option to return to Switzerland after appearing in six games. He recorded one assist in a game against Lehigh Valley on March 23rd. The 2nd-rounder is expected to rejoin the Capitals for Development Camp in June.
All the scoring the Bears would need against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers came in the first period on the power play. Dan Ellis stopped 25 of 26 for the fourth win of the season agianst the boys from Connecticut.
Marc-Andre Cliche, in his first Sound Tigers game, hit the showers early after taking a five plus game misconduct penalty for boarding 5:10 into the first period. Nathan Walker suffered the full force of the hit.
On the major power play, Chandler Stephenson and Aaron Ness put the Bears in front for good.
Around the same time in the second period, the Bears’ Liam O’Brien took a cross-checking minor. No matter, as the Bears penalty kill continued the offensive momentum. Garrett Mitchell took the puck after Erik Burgdoerfer blocked it and skated the length of the ice.
He pulled a curl-and-drag between his legs to get around Matt Finn before tucking the puck behind Stephon Williams, and jumping into the glass like his captain counterpart, Alex Ovechkin. Burgdoefer’s blocked shot registered as an assist.
With the final frame came more Hershey offense. After Travis Boyd won the faceoff, the puck came to Ness at the left point. Ness caught the Bridgeport defense puck watching, getting a cross-ice pass to the wide-open Jakub Vrana for his 15th goal this year and 31st point in 31 games
After around 90 seconds of zone time, the Bears fourth line got rewarded with a goal. Ness’ final keep-in of his long shift made its way to Zach Sill, who found Mitchell in the high slot. His shot was saved, but O’Brien at the net front put home the easy rebound.
Mike Halmo broke the shutout with 2:51 left to play, but the Bears rolled to a 5-1 victory at GIANT Center.
A very different story wrote itself out on Saturday. Ellis was yanked after the defense gave up four goals to the Wilkes-Barre/Scrantn Penguins before head coach Troy Mann put Justin Peters in.
None of the four Penguins goals from Dominik Simon (2), Carter Rowney, or Jarret Burton were the fault of Ellis, but something needed to change after the visitor’s fourth goal.
Especially after a weak penalty shot — Josh Archibald missed — was awarded to the Penguins to start the second, something needed to change.
O’Brien did net one from behind the net, banking it in off Brian Foster’s skate, at the end of the first to keep the Bears in the game.
Carter Camper redirected Ryan Stanton’s point slapshot to make the deficit two. After outshooting the Penguins 10-6 in the second, the Bears had life.
With Ryan Bourque holding the puck and Foster down in a heap, Tim Erixon did what any good defender would do: purposefully knock the goal off the pegs for a two-minute delay of game penalty. On the ensuing power play, Ryan’s brother, Chris, scored his 200th AHL goal.
The furious comeback fell just short, with the visitors clinching a playoff berth by virtue of the 4-3 win.
The rematch on the opposite end of Pennsylvania started favorably to the Bears. Ellis returned to the blue paint with 33 saves as Hershey took the rematch 5-3.
The Bears would be without forward Zach Sill, recalled by Washington on an emergency basis early in the day to step in for Jay Beagle.
On a defensive zone faceoff, Travis Boyd won the puck forward to Jakub Vrana. Vrana and R. Bourque broke up ice 2-on-1, with Vrana electing to slide it for R. Bourque, who slammed it past Casey DeSmith for his 11th in the AHL and first with the Chocolate and White.
Mitchell continued his scoring tear, chucking a backhand toward the net and catching DeSmith off the post. Kael Mouillierat pulled the Penguins within one before the second period horn sounded.
Simon and Mitchell traded goals 61 seconds apart, followed up by a power play goal from Rowney 1:28 later. Stephenson gave the Bears a late lead and C. Bourque put home the empty net goal for his first career 30-goal season.
NEXT WEEK
The Bears have one more road game, in Binghamton, on Friday before two consecutive home games to end the regular seson. Hershey will welcome intra-state rivals Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to the GIANT Center.
CURRENT STANDING
73 games played, 41-20-5-7 (W-L-OTL-SOL), 94 points, clinched playoff berth, 1st in Atlantic Division
The Bears are two points gained by them or lost by Wilkes-Barre from clinching the Atlantic Division title.
