HERSHEY, Pa. — Imagine a game getting as close as humanly possible to an overtime period.

Then, think about a game coming even closer. Think about the Bears 1-0 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday evening. The Bears battled fiercely in both the second and third periods. They fought until the very last tenth of a second. Ultimately, they came up short.

Hershey trailed in shots in both the opening and middle period in the loss, but led 33-28 after the final horn of the game. That is largely due to the final effort they put together in the final minute of the game. They put many shots on target but, like the entire night, just couldn’t convert.

““We just couldn’t find the back of the net. We’re struggling offensively because we don’t have the firepower that we normally have,” said Bears coach Todd Nelson. “So with the group we have, we have to find a way to manufacture goals. Last night we scored three – and gave up too many, obviously – but all three goals we had were basically shots from up top, with good traffic and found the back of the net. I think that the guys gave us what they had, so I was happy with the effort. But it goes to show you when you miss key players from your lineup, it does hurt.”

The offense couldn’t drum up much, but Pens’ goaltender Filip Larsson was a brick wall in front of the net. The Bears ended up with the puck in their possession for the final moments of the second and third periods. With this possession, they put multiple shots on net, pouring in from whoever could get a stick on the puck. In both of these challenges, Larsson remained agile and strong to not let anything sneak through the cracks.

The Bears will catch a break going into the Holiday week. They have a break from Monday through Friday, running through Christmas Eve and Day. Next up, they’ll be right back at home against the same Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Bears have lost four out of their last five, and three in a row, so the break is much needed to press the reset button. They get back in action after Christmas and into 2025 with WBS, Charlotte and a doubleheader against Providence.

“Obviously you’d like to come away before going into a break with a win. We’ve lost a handful of games now,” said captain Aaron Ness. “We know that to beat them, we’re going to have to bring our best. And now let’s take the break, you know, get away from the game a little bit, and come back energized and ready to go.

The Bears’ meeting with the Penguins is next Saturday, 7 PM.