Tori Hartman

After claiming 14 of a possible 20 points on a franchise-record 10-game road trip, the Hershey Bears were unable to even the series against the Utica Comets, falling 7-4 on March 30. The Bears boast a league-best 22-5-5-1 record away from home, but the struggles at home continue for the Chocolate and White, as they have now dropped to 17-13-1-0 at home. Prior to puck drop, the Hershey Bears were proud to induct four new members into the Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Fame. The festivities celebrated Lou Franceschetti (player), Michel Harvey (player), Mike Stothers (player) and Mark French (coach). The Hershey Bears have honored their distinguished alumni dating back to 2012, and since the tradition began, a grand total of 57 members have been added to the Hall of Fame. All fans in attendance received a Hall of Fame postcard, presented by Toyota. 

Clay Stevenson got the call to defend the den for the Bears tonight, and the native form Munich, Germany, Nico Daws, served as the starting netminder for the Comets. Additionally, Dmitry Osipov was given a warm reception upon returning to Hershey after being traded to Utica back on Nov. 29.

First Period:

The sweetest place on earth took a sour turn, as Utica was seemingly able to catch the Bears flat footed. At 3:21 into the first period, Utica cashes in on the power play, courtesy of Ryan Schmelzer. After Utica won the initial draw, Xavier Parent used his speed to his advantage, as he got separation on the far side dot. This allowed Schmelzer to break free in the low slot where he was able to rip the twine for his 17th goal of the season. Parent picked up his 16th assist on the season and Austin Strand notched his 14th assist. 

To further Utica’s early momentum, Mike Hardman found himself all alone on a breakaway at 3:35 into the first period. After a set of nifty moves, Clay Stevenson fell for the bait, and Hardman elevated the puck above Stevnson’s shoulder. This marked Hardman’s 16th goal of the year, and the assists were awarded to Max Willman (15) and Schmelzer (16).

Hardman added more fuel to the fire at 10:04 into the first period, as he would find the back of the net for a second time. After Stevenson struggled to control a loose rebound in front of the crease, Hardman found himself at the right place at the right time and whipped a backhand beauty past Stevenson. Hardman has now lit the lamp for 17 times this season and extended the Comets lead to three. 

Hershey awoke from an offensive hibernation at 10:29 in the first period, as Bogdan Trineyev restored the roar within the Giant Center.  A cluster of brown jerseys made life difficult for Daws, and Trineyev was able to get a piece of the puck, ultimately altering its trajectory. Trineyev’s 13th goal of the season was assisted by Perrott (2) and Riley Sutter (3). 

The roar attack continued clawing back, this time it was Henrik Rybinski at 13:02 into the first period. Ethan Bear circled the puck below the goal line, freeing up Rybinski in the high slot. Rybinski delivered for his ninth goal of the season, while Ethan Bear and Alex Limoges are given credit for the assists.

“It was clear things were going to be tough from the start,” said Limoges. “Some games, you either roll over or you want more. Being out the past couple of games, I was really hungry to make my mark, and I knew I needed to step up after some guys got banged up the night before. I was given the opportunity to have the puck a little bit more tonight and felt hungry.”

Hershey seemed to have captured the momentum as the period was coming to a close, but this would all change after Brad Hunt uncharacteristically coughed up the puck in his own defensive zone. This turnover proved to be costly, as Brian Halonen made no mistake, and blasted the doors off Clay Stevenson for his 23rd goal of the season. 

After one, the Bears were down 4-2. Hershey did succeed in outshooting the Comets that period for a shot total of 13-9.

Second Period:

In an attempt to change the momentum, Todd Nelson pulled Stevenson and replaced the netminder with Hunter Shepard. While Shepard made some solid saves early on, a two on one opportunity developed for Utica at 5:21 into the second period. The blast from Nathan Légaré proved to be just out of reach for Shepard, as Légaré registered his 15th goal of the season. Parent recorded his second helper of the evening.

The Bears then received a golden opportunity at 8:00 into the second period, as Strand joined Halonen in the box. Just a mere 14 seconds later, Pierrick Dubé was able to find the open space along the top of the near side dot. When the puck cycled his direction, he unloaded a laser beam that didn’t miss. This goal got Hershey back within two, and the assists were awarded to Limoges and Miroshnichenko. 

With tensions starting to boil over, Matt Strome was able to cut the lead down to one at 15:51 into the second period. His second goal of the season was assisted by Grant Cruikshank and Dalton Smith.

Strome’s tally would send the Bears into the locker room only down by one.

Third Period:

The Bears momentum is quickly halted after Vecchione receives a minor penalty for tripping at 2:09 into the period. Right as the penalty to Vecchione expired, Samuel Laberge was able to sneak one past Shepard at 4:25 into the second period. Utica goes back up by a two goal margin. Marc McLaughlin is given the primary assist, and Ethan Edwards picks up his first professional point. 

Utica was able to put the game on ice at 9:01 into the third period. Schmelzer turned on the jets, and muscled his way towards the front of the net. The puck took an awkward bounce after the initial shot, and wobbled over the shoulder of Shepard. This was Schmelzer’s 18th goal of the year, and was assisted by Hardman (14).

As time was winding down, Andrew Perrott had seen enough and decided to take Halonen to task. This spirited tilt would mark the end of a game in which the Bears never managed to hold a single lead. 

With tonight’s loss, Hershey’s winless streak against Utica has been extended to five games (0-4-0-1); the last win by the Bears against the Comets was Oct. 15, 2022. With this being the last matchup in the month of March, the Hershey Bears finished with an overall record of 8-3-1-1. 

“We had some guys out of the lineup – big deal,” said Todd Nelson. “We put three fresh guys in, but we’re giving up too many odd-man rushes, and we needed some saves at certain times. All in all, it’s pretty disappointing coming back to a great crowd. It’s back to the drawing board this week, getting ready for our three-in-three next weekend.”

Looking Ahead:

As the regular season draws to a close, six of Hershey’s final nine games will be played on home ice. The Bears will hit the road this Friday to matchup against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at 7:05 p.m. Hershey then returns home to host the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday, April 5, at 7 p.m. The first 6,000 fans in attendance will receive a luggage tag, courtesy of Harrisburg International Airport. 

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