By: Joshua Gearhart

On a night dedicated to celebrating the 20-year affiliation between the Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals, Connor Mayer and D.J. King made the most of their call-up, leading Hershey to a 2-1 overtime victory against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. This marked the first time a father has coached his son in Hershey. For added context, the last time a father coached his son in the AHL was during the 2016-17 season, when Ulf Samuelsson coached his son, Philip Samuelsson.

Prior to puck drop, former Hershey Bears goaltender Frédéric Cassivi was met by both starting goalies for a ceremonial puck drop. During the 2005-06 regular season, Cassivi posted a 34-19-6 record, and his 16-5 playoff performance helped the Bears capture their ninth Calder Cup championship.

In similar fashion to Saturday’s matchup, the first period proved to be a stalemate. The Phantoms broke the scoreless tie 1:31 into the second period, courtesy of Alexis Gendron. Most notably, after going 1-for-2 on power-play opportunities Saturday, the Bears failed to convert on three power plays in the second period.

The Bears refused to back down, as Ilya Protas ignited the comeback 13:12 into the third period, scoring his third goal in three games.

“He’s coming along nicely,” said coach Derek King. “He’s a pro, and you can tell he’s been around a hockey family. He just keeps getting better every week.”

D.J. King recorded the primary assist on the Protas tally. He and his South Carolina Stingrays teammate, Connor Mayer, traveled early this morning to join the Bears.

“Cristall had the puck come to him and he bumped it back to me, and I just kind of had my head down and shot it on net — I don’t even think it hit the net,” said King. “I think it went behind the net and then Protas tapped it right in, so it was good.”

Mayer delivered the final blow in overtime, scoring his first goal of the season in dramatic fashion.

Credit: Hershey Bears

“It’s the first goal of the season for me all year actually, so just getting that off my back is pretty huge,” said Mayer. “Coming here and doing it is obviously pretty special too. It was a long travel day, so I just tried to keep it really simple all day. Obviously, I was fortunate to get that pass and it went in.”

Tonight’s Takeaways

• Protas has continued to improve, and his playmaking ability has been evident lately. Over the three-in-three, Protas has recorded five points (3g, 2a). With 10 points on the season, he now leads the Bears in total points.

• While it was only one game, D.J. King and Connor Mayer looked very solid tonight. Mayer has one assist in nine games with the Stingrays, and King has one goal in 10 games. Their development is definitely something to watch.

• Clay Stevenson had quite the night, turning aside 36 of 37 shots. Stevenson’s record improves to 5-3-0, and his save percentage increases to .909 (up from .896). The win also marked Stevenson’s 50th career win with the Bears, moving the goaltender past Darren Jensen and Don Edwards for sole possession of 19th in team history.

Looking Ahead

The Hershey Bears hit the road to face the Cleveland Monsters on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. at Rocket Arena. The Bears return home on Thanksgiving Eve to battle the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at 7 p.m. Following the game, all fans in attendance are invited to participate in the annual Canteen Vending Turkey Shoot. To purchase tickets, click here.