Hershey Gains 2-1 Series Lead with Win in Charlotte

Zach Miskovic chases after Nicolas Blanchard. Photo by Checkers SmugMug.

Spurred on by the excitement of winning Game 2, the Bears traveled down South to play the Charlotte Checkers on the road. Perhaps with a bit more confidence, they aimed to earn their first series lead of the post-season.

It’s a common phrase in hockey to say that “you need bounces to go your way.” This became a literal occurence when Francois Bouchard scored the first goal of the game. Bouchard was behind the net and the puck deflected off of his skate and over the goal. It bounced off of goaltender Mike Murphy’s back and into the net. It was such a bizarre way to get the first lead of the night but it counted and that’s what matters.

The second half of the period was a busy one for the Bears. They scored two goals to end the period with a three goal lead. One goal came from Keith Aucoin. Steve Pinizzotto has a nice, fast pass to moving Aucoin and all Coiner had to do was tip it into the net. There was not much Murphy could have done to stop that one. The final goal of the period came from Kyle Greentree who scored with a shot from the top of the face-off circle.

The Checkers finally broke the shutout in the second period with a soft goal that I’m sure Braden Holtby is not proud of. Holtby saw it coming the whole way but the puck squeaked past him courtesy of Nick Dodge. The penalty kill unit withstood a few Charlotte power plays and prevented any more goals during the second period.

From the start, the third period had a much different tempo and control than the previous forty minutes. The Checkers were roaring and got several quality scoring chances early on. Holtby was able to stand most of them up but Zach Boychuk finally got one of those scoring chances to go in and made it a one goal game.

Despite the Checkers controlling and outshooting the Bears in the final stanza, Hershey hung on. It became a nail-biter during the final two minutes when Greentree was sent to the box for high-sticking. But they prevented any game-tying goals and the Bears won 3-2. With this win, the Bears gained their first lead of the series.

Tonight’s Notes:

• As expected, Andrew Gordon did not play tonight due to a lower body injury. He is listed as day-to-day. Ashton Rome took the extra spot in the line-up.
• With a goal and an assist tonight, Aucoin now has more than one point in all three playoff games so far. Not a bad start for the Bears’ point leader.
• We’ve been singing the penalty kill unit’s praises all season, but they continue to outdo themselves by taking on the Charlotte power play. The Checkers were third in the league in power play goals, first in the league in home power play goals. But tonight the Bears blocked all five Charlotte power plays.

Lines and Pairings:

Kane – Aucoin – Pinizzotto
Greentree – Perreault – Willsie
Carroll – Joudrey – Bouchard
Kozek – Lacroix – Rome

McNeill – Fahey
Souray – Orlov
Miskovic – Wellar

Actual three stars of the game:

1. Keith Aucoin (HER)
2. Nick Dodge (CHA)
3. Braden Holtby (HER)

Sweetest Hockey On Earth’s three stars of the game:

1. Aucoin: one goal, one assist
2. Holtby: stopped 28 of 30 shots
3. Greentree: game-winning goal