Hershey returned to action on Giant Center ice tonight to start a back to back against the Charlotte Checkers. Tonight’s game is a makeup of the game against Charlotte that was canceled due to the major snowstorm that hit Pennsylvania in late January.
The Bears came into tonight with some momentum. They’ve won three straight tracking back to last Wednesday against Utica, and are looking to gain real ground on third place in the Atlantic Division, as they now sit only six points behind Charlotte.
Two changes for the Bears from Saturday. Dalton Smith comes in for the suspended Justin Nachbaur, while Jon McDonald returns to the lineup, coming in for Reilly Webb.
Clay Stevenson got the start in net again, with Garin Bjorklund tracking to start tomorrow.
Postgame Takeaways
- Hershey started fast and it paid off. The second line of Milano-Leason-Suzdalev kicked off the scoring, with a lovely tic-tac-toe play, with Gucciardi getting it to Milano, who found a wide open Suzdalev, who put it home to make it 1-0 Bears.
- As we’ve seen too many times though this season, it was defensive zone mistakes that cost the Bears. A poor breakout pass from Ivan Miroshnichenko ended up being the perfect one for a charging Wilmer Skoog, who beat Stevenson to make it 1-1.
- Charlotte would continue to have the better of the chances in the first, and they would capitalize on their own pretty passing play, with Nolan Foote finishing it off to put Charlotte up 2-1.
- What was good to see was that Hershey did not collapse in on themselves after blowing an early lead, like they have at multiple points this season. Hershey in fact came to life at the end of the first, and it took a couple of nice saves from Charlotte’s Cooper Black to keep the Checkers in front.
- The fourth line impressed me a ton tonight. The combination of Smith-Cruikshank-Bitten were excellent defensively and on the forecheck. Lots of near misses for that line tonight, if they stay together tomorrow night for the rematch, I think they score one.
- The second period was all Clay Stevenson. Hershey was outshot 13-5 in the middle period, and it was their veteran net minder who kept them in it. Clay has come up huge in many of his starts this year, and he was a big reason why the Bears secured two critical points tonight.
- The second line was the dominant line tonight. The hockey IQ of Leason and Milano was on full display and it didn’t feel like either did a thing wrong this game.
- It was that combination that pulled off a great forecheck, and it would be Leason who would find Suzdalev in front, who put home his second of the game to make it 2-2 early in the third.
- Another that really stood out to me tonight, particularly in the third, was how clean Hershey’s breakouts were tonight. That’s been an issue for the Bears all season, but they were mostly excellent tonight. They did not let the high pressure, strong transition, Checkers get the best of them. That was critical in tonights win.
- And finally, it felt big for Hershey, a team that has struggled in the extra session all year, to get the win in overtime. A great combination between Ilya Protas and Ivan Miroshnichenko, with Miroshnichenko finishing off the Checkers tonight and extending Hershey’s win streak to four.
- Also want to shout out Miroshnichenko’s back check about 30 seconds before his game winner. He forced the Charlotte player, who was on a partial breakaway, to shoot right at Clay instead of making a move, and in a 3-on-3 situation, that hustle and commitment to playing a 200 foot game was all the difference in the Bears getting the extra point.
- Hershey now finds themselves only 5 points behind the Checkers in third heading into tomorrow’s rematch.
Postgame Comments
Derek King: https://youtu.be/xIVxETgEk6s?si=8PzgPQQkdVlkNbwD
Sonny Milano: https://youtu.be/7xA6XzNbAZQ?si=OKZwFdkhi_AkhFg8
Alex Suzdalev: https://youtu.be/B87PdRPNHhw?si=k8R3mrm8yKbwTALS
The Chocolate Roar 