As it is, the Giant Center is filled with electricity any time hockey is in the building. But tonight, the energy in the building was special.
Twenty years ago this summer, the Washington Capitals and Hershey Bears came together as affiliates for the second time in their histories. Yes second time, the two were affiliated from 1977-1984. But the second stint of this affiliation has been special.
Many of you already know the stats. Five Calder Cups for Hershey and Washington’s first and only Stanley Cup have been won in these twenty years. It’s been the most successful affiliation in Hershey’s history.
Tonight wasn’t just about the preseason hockey game that was played (though we’ll get to that too), it was also about celebrating the relationship that’s been built between, not just these two franchises, but between Bears fans and the Capitals as well.
I have no statistics to back this statement up, but as someone who’s been coming to Bears games and lived in this area since the start of this affiliation, every year it seems like more and more people are sporting Capitals gear here in Hershey. This affiliation hasn’t just brewed success, it’s brewed a whole new area of Capitals fans in the past twenty years right in the middle of a state that hosts two of the Capitals biggest rivals.
Tonight was the celebration of that.
Pre-Game Sights and Sounds
The Game
Washington dominated from start to finish. A clean 5-1 victory for the Capitals sent the Hershey crowd home happy. The lines from tonight’s game are below.
Washington started quick and after Noah Juulsen was called for kneeing Ilya Protas, the Capitals power play went to work and converted. Andrew Cristall, one of the main five competing for the few spots available in Washington, ripped a perfect shot past Dan Vladar in net to make it 1-0 to the good guys.
Vladar would keep the Capitals at bay for the rest of the first, but the second period is when Washington would really put this game away.
Once again, it was the players competing for spots who put the puck in the net. First, it was Ivan Miroshnichenko, who made an excellent move to beat two defensemen to get to the front of the net and put it right past Aleksei Kolosov, who replaced Vladar for the second and third periods, at the far post to make it 2-0 Washington.
Then it was that man again- Sonny Milano continued his hot start to the preseason, putting home his third goal in two games to put the Capitals up 3-0. Milano continues to make it hard on the youngsters in Cristall and Miroshnichenko, as he also looks to re-establish himself in DC.
Philadelphia would get one back through Jacob Gaucher late in the period, but the Capitals would head to second intermission up 3-1.
Washington would finish the job in the third, first through an excellent shorthanded goal from Connor McMichael, who it was great to see back in Hershey tonight and then it was Sonny Milano again to make it 5-1 late in the third to put a bow on the whole thing. Vincent Iorio also undoubtably scored in between those two goals, but the refs did not call it a goal on the ice and this was a no challenge game.
The Chocolate Roar 