The Hershey Bears could see a few former members suiting up for Team Canada in the 2018 Olympics.
Andrew Gordon, Sean Collins, Jacob Micflikier, Justin Peters, Patrick McNeill, and Chay Genoway have all been named to Team Canada’s pre-Olympic tournament rosters.
Casey Wellman, seen here earlier in the season, scored the game winning goal during Hershey’s 3-2 win over Worcester Saturday night. (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
At the start of the third period, Worcester Sharks’ play-by-play commentator spoke the words, “The Sharks’ season is on the line in this period.” At the moment, Worcester trailed to Chocolate and White by a 2-1 score entering the stanza.
This was a playoff games in the eyes of the Sharks, as they entered play in the tenth seed of the Eastern Conference, five points removed from the Bears and six from Norfolk. Dan DaSilva tied the game for Worcester with the extra attacker on the ice in the final minute, sending the game to overtime. But Casey Wellman ended the game in Hershey’s favor by finishing a quick, breakaway chance at the OT’s 2:49 mark, to conclude a massive 3-2 victory.
HERSHEY, PA – Dane Byers celebrates with Ryan Stoa after his goal in the third period during Hershey’s 4-1 win over Albany (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
It was a rare Friday night home game on Giant Center ice, and nothing short of the biggest win of the season. Trailing 1-0 entering the final stanza against the Albany Devils, the Hershey Bears responded with four unanswered goals and cruised to an astonishing 4-1 win.
With out of town help provided by the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Bears are now within three points of the eighth and final playoff spot.
HERSHEY, PA – Dane Byers celebrates his game winning goal against Portland during Hershey’s 2-1 victory over the Pirates (Tim Stough / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
In 2009, the Hershey Bears dropped the Manitoba Moose in six games to win the Calder Cup. Shortly after the cup clinching game, “Count ‘Em Ten” T-shirts were released to the general public to celebrate the franchise’s tenth Calder Cup Championship.
Saturday night, fans gained the right to break out the former catch phrase in honor of not the Bears’ tenth Cup, but their tenth consecutive victory on Giant Center ice. Dane Byers scored a third period game-winning-goal, and the Chocolate and White celebrated a 2-1 over the Portland Pirates.
On a cold January day, three Hershey Bears walked into Hershey’s Chocolate World for an experience they will never forget. Chay Genoway, Nate Schmidt, and Patrick Wellar enjoyed a day of chocolate, chocolate, and hairnets. The three defensemen rode the world famous Great American Chocolate Tour Ride before creating their own Hershey’s chocolate bar. Luckily, there were cameras to capture the moments of hilarity.
Patrick Wellar would design Chay Genoway’s chocolate bar wrapper, Genoway designing Nate Schmidt’s wrapper, and Schmidt designing Wellar’s.
Chay Genoway, seen here earlier in the season, had Hershey’s first goal of Friday night (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
After losing to Syracuse Friday night, the Bears look to win the weekend by putting together back to back victories over the next two days at Giant Center. It starts tonight against a team with one of the worst records in the AHL, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
HERSHEY, PA – Ryan Stoa celebrates his first period goal with teammates during Hershey’s 5-3 win (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
The Hershey Bears debuted on Giant Center ice for the only time this weekend with a Saturday night match against the Springfield Falcons. Bears Play-by-Play voice Scott Stuccio tweeted hours before puck drop, “Bears undoubtedly will be ready to go for this one. Springfield (25-6-1-3) is the AHL’s top team (.771 points %).”
Hershey dropped a 4-2 tilt in Binghamton, NY the night before. However, Stuccio also tweeted Saturday afternoon that the Senators appeared to have too many men on the ice during their second period, game-winning goal.
Just as Stuccio warned, the Bears were ready to play and grinned out a 5-3 win over the top team in the American Hockey League.
It’s become a nationwide awareness and fund raising effort for men’s health and ten members of the Hershey Bears are taking part. “Movember” gets men to grow mustaches in the month of November to increase conversation about men’s health, getting them to take action with visits to the doctor, and to raise money for research for prostate and testicular cancer. Last year alone, the Movember campaign raised over $147 million.
HERSHEY, PA – A sign outside of one of the stations at Hockey n Heels is displayed before the event (Kyle Mace – Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
If you look around at any Hershey Bears game, you’ll notice a very strong base of female fans. In fact, 50% of fans in the stands are female. Wednesday night at Giant Center 100% of the fans were female for a first time event, “Hockey + Heels.” It was an interactive learning experience for 200 women, all of whom are Bears fans.
HERSHEY, PA – Dmitry Orlov (right) goes for the puck against Brodie Dupont during Hershey’s 4-3 loss to the Wolf Pack (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
Striding towards their first win on Giant Center ice since last Spring, the Hershey Bears reunited with the Hartford Wolf Pack. After dropping the team title “Connecticut Whale”, the Hartford based franchise restored the name “Wolf Pack” after a two year absence.
On a Penn State University football game day, 8,001 fans packed Giant Center to witness a Hershey third period collapse, which handed the Wolf Pack their sixth win of the campaign.
Two third period goals for the Pack opposed to none for Hershey led to a 4-3 defeat in front of the hometown crowd. The Bears’ record drops to 1-3-1-0 going into the weekend finale Sunday against Norfolk.
