Hershey Bears Take Down Syracuse Crunch, 2-1

Photo by Jim Commentucci / The Post-Standard.

It’s no secret that a big part of tonight’s game was Andrew Gordon facing off against his former team. But when the Hershey Bears play the Syracuse Crunch, you have to put friendships to the side.

Speaking of Andrew Gordon, he had a primary assist on the first goal of the game. Rick Schofield fired a one-timer that blazed past Braden Holtby to give the Crunch the lead. But Cody Eakin tied it up before the end of the period. He ended Hershey’s power play woes with a great shot against Antero Niitymaki.

As the second period carried on, both teams were playing a careful game, not wanting to give up a goal. But a poorly timed line change by Syracuse lead to a 4-on-1 play for Hershey. Tomas Kundratek took a shot and Garrett Mitchell tipped it to give the Bears the lead.

It was a tense third period but Holtby and his teammates didn’t let the Crunch get back in it. Bears win, 2-1!

Tonight’s Notes:

• It was a night of reuniting with former teammates. Besides the Bears and Andrew Gordon, Kevin Marshall was playing against former Phantom teammate, Patrick Maroon. Additionally, Boyd Kane and Antero Niitymaki were teammates with the 2005 Philadelphia Phantoms Calder Cup team.
• Christian Hanson got a chance to show off his famous lineage when he dropped the gloves with Mat Clark. It looked like Hanson got all the punches in the brief bout.
• The Bears had five power play chances but only scored on one of them. They also stopped the Crunch’s only power play.
• I thought this was an interested fact courtesy of Tim Leone: “That was Hershey’s first win of the year in a game in which it scored 2 (or fewer) goals.”

Lines and Pairings:

Kane – Potulny – Bourque
Greentree – Eakin – Micflikier
Carman – Hanson – Mink
King – Carroll – Mitchell

McNeill – Collins
Wellar – Kundratek
Brouillette – Marshall

Three stars of the game:

1. Garrett Mitchell (HER)
2. Rick Schofield (SYR)
3. Cody Eakin (HER)