Joe Szymanski

Szymanski: Bears Finish Off Bridgeport, Sweep Islanders with 5-2 Win

Photo Credit: Hershey Bears Hockey

Hershey went into Bridgeport on a cold March Tuesday and played undeniably their best defensive game of the season to steal game one of this three games series from the Islanders with a 2-0 win.

That makes it very simple for the Bears. Win, and they advance to the next round, where they are likely to play the 110 point, AHL regular season champion Providence Bruins, bar a surprise comeback from the 6th seeded Springfield Thunderbirds in Charlotte in their series.

Lose tonight, and Hershey must return to Bridgeport on Saturday for a winner-take-all game three against the Islanders for your season. It really is that simple.

No changes in the lineup for Hershey from Tuesday’s win. Derek King went with the same group that grinded out a victory, looking to do the same thing tonight.

Postgame Takeaways

  • The Bears were energetic from the jump once again. There’s been a noticeably energy shift to start these playoffs and so far it has paid off in a big way.
  • Alex Ovechkin made an appearance tonight. It was awesome.
  • The energy from the Great 8 clearly helped the Bears. Only a few moments after, the rookie connection struck again, with Ilya Protas finding Andrew Cristall in front for the Bears first.
  • Special teams have been critical this series, and Hershey’s penalty kill took it up a notch this series. Two huge kills in the first kept Bridgeport off the board and the Bears in the lead headed into first intermission.
  • Hershey finishes this series 7/8 on the PK. That one miss was because of a rocket from Matt Luff at the start of the second. It went off the post, off Clay Stevenson, then in to tie the game. That’s the type of goal that’s been needed to beat Stevenson with the form he’s been on recently.
  • The Bears would not be where they are right now without Stevenson. He’s been great all season, but has really taken it up another level as he takes the net as the playoff number one for the first time in his career.
  • A weird goal for Hershey to take back the lead, after the net was thrown off at about the same time Sam Bitten put the puck over the line. The fourth line of Bitten-Cruickshank-Strome has been an energy line for Hershey when they’ve been able to be together, and Bitten, after a review, got the goal that gave Hershey the lead back.
  • In the end, it was Andrew Cristall’s night. Coach King called Cristall a rat (in the good way) postgame, and his perfectly time deke on a breakaway gave Hershey the lead for good to put them up 3-1 after two periods.
  • It was a tightly contested third period. Bridgeport wasn’t generating much and Hershey wasn’t giving up much room. The Bears defensive positioning has been the best it’s been all season, and major props to the players for putting it all together.
  • Bridgeport would get within one after a bouncing puck wouldn’t settle for Hershey and Cal Ritchie fired one past Stevenson to make it 3-2 Bears.
  • Empty netters from Milano and Trineyev would finish off the Bears sweep of this three game series. Hershey will play either Providence or Wilkes-Barre in the Atlantic Division Semifinals.
  • This also means that, for now, this is the last time Hershey will see a team from Bridgeport take the ice. It will be weird for me to not see a team from Bridgeport on the Bears schedule, just like it was weird to see it without Binghamton, Norfolk, Manchester, Worcester, and many more over the last decade. Lots of good games played between these two franchises, and they will be missed.

Postgame Comments

Derek King: https://youtu.be/Ptu_DpGAiiY?si=vaWne2cun8sPdQh_

Sam Bitten: https://youtu.be/fCH4UUnxDe0?si=O6f3kDvusr-5ReOs

Andrew Cristall: https://youtu.be/V55D844SVFU?si=czaGljmeBitV4giX

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