Jaw’d: Bears Lose Close One, 3-2 (SO)

The Sharks bite the Bears with this game tying, last minute goal (Photo by Kyle Mace)

After two consecutive one goal victories, the Hershey Bears were on the edge of a third straight win Saturday night at Giant Center. But a penalty and one shootout goal were the difference between one and two points for the Bears against the Worcester Sharks.

The Bears lost captain Boyd Kane, following a boarding call that sent Kane to the showers on a game misconduct penalty. The Sharks Jack Combs followed with a goal on the power play from Kane’s penalty, late in the first period to give Worcester a 1-0 lead.

Even later in the period, Hershey’s Chris Bourque followed with a wrist shot from the center point that tied the game at one.

It stayed that way until late in the third period. Cody Eakin scored with 2:01 left and the Bears looked like they were headed for a third straight win.

But the Bears Mike Carman was called for tripping and with just 1:23 left in regulation, the Sharks Tim Kennedy shot into a nearly open net to tie the game at two.

After a scoreless overtime, the shootout wound up going seven rounds before Brodie Reid got the only goal of the shootout. Patrick McNeill was stopped on the final shot giving the Sharks a 3-2 shootout victory.

The two teams acted more like arch rivals and not two teams that only play each other twice a year. There were 58 minutes in penalties, including two fighting penalities to the Bears Joel Rechlicz and the game misconduct to Kane.

The Sharks victory was the 500th AHL win for Worcester coach Roy Sommer.

The Bears now meet Wilkes-Barre Sunday night at 5pm at Giant Center. The first place Penguins hold a three point lead over the second place Bears.

Check back later this week for more photos of the game in a new weekly feature we will be starting here on Sweetest Hockey!