By: Joshua Gearhart

After losing 6-3 on Thanksgiving Eve to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Hershey Bears responded with a 6-2 win. The six goals marked a season high for Hershey. The Bears went 7-3-1-1 against the Penguins last season, and with tonight’s victory, they improved to 1-1 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season.

Credit: Tori Hartman

“We played two solid periods against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thanksgiving Eve, but we needed to play three good periods, and we did a better job tonight,” said coach Derek King. “We played consistently for three periods against a good Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team.”

Graeme Clark set the tempo at 5:42 of the first period, getting Hershey on the board after serving a two-minute penalty for roughing. The goal was Clark’s fifth of the season and was assisted by Brett Leason (5) and Ilya Protas (9).

“When you score the first goal of the game, it’s good for team momentum,” said Clark. “For me personally, it was a bit of a slump buster because I had some chances over the last couple of games that weren’t going in. It was good to see a puck go in early and help lead to a win.”

The Bears struck again at 7:06 of the first, this time with Protas scoring his seventh goal in seven straight games. The tally was assisted by Ivan Miroshnichenko (2) and Andrew Cristall (9).

“I don’t want him [Protas] to have all these great games because we might lose him,” said King. “He’s playing well and doing a lot of the little things, which is helpful. If the [Washington Capitals] are patient and allow him to hone his skills, he’s going to be ready to play.”

Hershey kept its foot on the gas in the second period as Sam Bitten went bar-down for his third goal of the season. David Gucciardi earned the lone assist. Moments later, the Canadian defenseman pulled off a toe drag to record his first goal of the season. Clark (4) and Cristall (10) picked up the assists.

“It feels good,” said Gucciardi. “It was a really nice pass by Rybinski, and it definitely felt really good for it to go in.”

The Penguins continued to push, and Gabe Klassen capitalized on a tip-in opportunity at 19:24 of the second. Harrison Brunicke (2) and Phil Tomasino (5) had the assists.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton switched goaltenders to start the third, but at 4:34 of the period, Miroshnichenko beat Sergei Murashov for his third goal of the season. Gucciardi collected his third point of the night, and Louie Belpedio recorded his fourth assist.

Entering the game, Gucciardi had two points in 12 games. His three-point performance boosts his season total to five points in 13 games.

“I think just staying in every shift and taking it one at a time, as cliché as it sounds, is kind of the truth,” said Gucciardi. “Just simplifying things in the mind, if that makes sense. I think that was the biggest difference for me.”

At 14:10 of the third, Protas sealed the game with an empty-net goal. Protas has recorded 8 goals and 6 assists dating back to Nov. 14 at Syracuse and has posted five multi-point games over that stretch.

“I hope this win gives our team a lot of confidence,” said King. “I still don’t think we’re playing our best hockey, and moving forward I’m looking for consistency. It’s about playing for three periods and not taking our foot off the gas. You have to give a full three-period effort against teams like Lehigh Valley, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Cleveland and Syracuse, or you won’t win hockey games.”

Tonight’s Takeaways:

• Clay Stevenson looked solid in his return between the pipes. Stevenson made 35 saves on route to his sixth consecutive win.

• Ilya Protas continues to turn heads. After tonight’s three point performance, the rookie is ranked 11th in total points within the AHL. His 19 points in 18 games played is second among active AHL rookies.

• Two defenseman lead the charge for Hershey. Louie Belpedio’s assist gave him his fourth consecutive game with a helper, the longest such stretch of any Bears player this season, while Gucciardi’s three-point outing represented his first career multi-point game.

Looking Ahead

The Hershey Bears return to Giant Center tomorrow to face-off against the Laval Rocket at 5 p.m. All fans in attendance will receive a Hockey Fights Cancer light-up bracelet, presented by Penn State Health. To purchase tickets, click here.