Todd Nelson took a pause when answering a question about the team staying composed through this Atlantic Division semifinal series. He took a pause, right before mentioning that the same player took two penalties in the same shift, and the Bears had to stay on the penalty kill for four minutes. The rest of the series with Lehigh Valley is going to be a grind. Trench warfare, as Nelson calls it. It’s all about staying composed.

“We just got to be smart, stay disciplined,” said Nelson. “We had a three minute power play on the major that they got. Same guy takes two penalties in the same shift and and we’re killing for four minutes. Our kill did a great job tonight, both teams are struggling to score on the power play, it’s been like that all year for whatever reason.”

There were 19 total penalties between Hershey and Lehigh Valley in game two, a staggering amount. There was boo’s from the crowd, perhaps the largest being after Garrett Wilson’s hit that sent Nicky Leivermann into the boards. Neither player saw the ice for the rest of the game, as Wilson got ejected, and Leivermann got injured.

Refs scrambled to chase down players and halt powwows. Players exchanged words, and fists. It was truly scrapy.

With the series heading to Allentown, there are no signs that the scrappiness will end anytime soon. 

“I think we have the best fans in the league and the best atmosphere to play in,” said Bears captain Aaron Ness. Obviously I’ve played playoff games (in Allentown) before too, and they have a great fanbase. We expect a loud and hard environment to play in, and sometimes we can rally behind that.”

Ness spoke to the team himself following the game two disappointment. He makes a tremendous captain, and he took the initiative to try and rally together the team as they battle in this series. 

The good news?

Hershey played really well in game one, especially goaltender Hunter Shepard, who saved all 26 shots in a 3-0 win on Wednesday night. Hershey won’t need to dig too deep into the cobwebs to find good play in game three.

Also, Hershey was 24-6-6 on the road this season. Losing just six times in away matchups is quite impressive. Two more road victories would mean Hershey is heading to the Division Finals, if they can take both games at PPL Center in Allentown.

Hershey’s away record is only topped by Laval, who was 24-10-2. Still, Hershey’s six away regulation losses is the best in the league, trailed only by Rochester and Charlottes’ nine.

It’s time to hit the road again for Hershey, this time with some stakes on the line. Someone, dependant on the result of Sunday’s game three, will have a chance to move on in game four on Friday. 

The Bears are also 5-0 against Lehigh Valley when scoring first, so hopping on the scoreboard first would be a huge help if the Bears can do it.