The Bears’ attack was propelled by the return of “the Mack,” who helped Hershey down the Hartford Wolf Pack 4-1 at GIANT Center, where Chocolate and White alumni Vincent Iorio, Justin Nachbaur and associate coach Bob Woods were on the opposing side. Dylan McIlrath was loaned from the Capitals on Monday and returned to face his former club, for which he played from 2010-15. After falling 5-0 to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday, Hershey relied on its stout special teams to rebound, capturing the first of six meetings against Hartford and improving to 25-19-0-3-2 all-time at home against the Wolf Pack.
Credit: The Hershey Bears
Pre Game:
The pregame festivities highlighted the core purpose of the Hershey Bears and Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, as students from Milton Hershey School were invited to celebrate the sweet partnership. The pregame scouting report also flagged Wolf Pack goaltender Joonas Korpisalo as a key player in the matchup. The 6-foot-3 Finnish netminder was assigned to the Wolf Pack on a conditioning loan ahead of an expected return to the New York Rangers.
“We knew he was coming down for conditioning and hadn’t played a lot,” Bears coach Derek King said. “We knew if we could pepper him, we could try to tire him out, but he made some really good saves, and I’m sure he won’t be down for much longer.”
First Period
Hershey fired a season-high 19 shots in a single period Sunday without scoring, but Josh Dunne broke through 5:35 into the first period, cracking Korpisalo for his fifth goal of the season. The tally was assisted by Andrew Cristall (10) and Justin Holl (2).
“Knowing my identity as a player, it’s playing hard and forechecking hard, getting to the net, letting my teammates do a lot of the work on the outside and then being ready to cash in on the loose change,” Dunne said. “The guys made some really good plays, and I was the beneficiary of being on that backside.”
Hartford entered the contest with the second-ranked power play in the Atlantic Division (25%), and Hershey’s early lead was jeopardized by a slashing penalty on McIlrath at 11:53 of the first period. The Bears’ penalty kill proved a major difference-maker, killing off another penalty, this one on Cristall at 7:00 of the first period.
“I thought every guy was on the same page, and that contributed to a really effective, aggressive kill,” McIlrath said. “We clearly didn’t give up too much tonight, and I played a small part in that. I was in the box, so I got to watch the guys kill, and I thought the guys really battled.”
Hartford struggled to generate any significant scoring threat, as Hershey generated 12 shots while holding the Wolf Pack to only three shots, marking the lowest period total this season.
Second Period
Hershey received their first crack on the power play at 2:22 after Hartford’s Lucas Vanroboys was guilty of tripping. Louie Belpedio capitalized on the man advantage by rifling home his second goal of the season, giving Hershey a 3-0 lead at 3:22. After receiving credit for the assists, the duo of Justin Holl and Josh Dunne combined for four points.
“I think when we play simple, that’s when we generate the most offense,” Belpedio said. “It was me tonight on the power play, but when we are on our game, everyone will get their looks, and that’s what makes us a special group.”
A familiar face, Justin Nachbaur, played with fire by committing an interference minor. Alex Suzdalev converted by tapping in his first marker of the season at 13:25. Bogdan Trineyev (2) and Louie Belpedio (4) were awarded with the assists.
“It’s huge for him,” King said. “He’s been a trooper, and he’s one of the kids who are in the rotation amid all these young guys. He has made some great strides from last year, and we will just keep building on that.”
Third Period
Hartford tightened up defensively for most of the third period in an effort to limit the damage. Liam Greentree cut the deficit to two goals at 17:22, extending his team lead to six goals. Hershey’s Petr Sikora sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:32, and the Bears also outshot Hartford 38-15.
Mitch Gibson stopped 14 of 15 shots, while Korpisalo made 34 saves on 37 shots.
“We’ve got a lot of depth on our team, so there are different combinations we have been trying offensively,” Dunne said. “I think we found something that worked, and I think all our lines did a really good job. We outshot them, we outchanced them, so for us, it was just finding some chemistry and, again, playing with good players who are easy to read off. I think tonight was a product of playing good players and being in the right spot.”
Takeaways
This shot chart says a lot. Through 60 minutes, Hartford penetrated the slot just four times, and most of the Wolf Pack’s chances came from low-danger areas. Hershey excelled at pushing Hartford into low-percentage shooting lanes, allowing Gibson to see and control the puck.
Credit: The Hershey Bears
It’s no secret that Dunne continues to impress. Through 11 games, the former Buffalo Sabre has eight points, an average of 0.73 per game. Dunne showcased his ability to drive to the net, making the most of his lone shot on goal.
Credit: The Hershey Bears
Belpedio is hot. In the past three games, the captain has posted four points, including two game-winning goals. It’s his second two-point performance in the three-game stretch, an average of 1.33 points per game.
Looking Ahead
The Bears visit the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7:05 p.m. at MassMutual Center. Hershey returns home to host the Hamilton Hammers on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center for Hometown Heroes Night, as the Bears honor our military and veterans.
