Bears Stop Wilkes-Barre’s Streak at Nine, Win 4-3 (SO)

February 5, 2012
Kyle Mace
Game Recap

Braden Holtby stops Bryan Lerg in the shootout (All photos by Kyle Mace)

The Hershey Bears came into tonight’s game facing a nine-game home losing streak to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Last night, Wilkes-Barre play-by-play announcer Tom Grace said of today’s game that the Baby Pens will win their tenth straight at Giant Center and start calling it the Penguins’ second home. After today’s game, Grace might need to rethink what he said. Hershey came back from a 3-2 deficit in the third to win the game 4-3 in a shootout.

Today’s game started like last night’s ended for the Bears; with the away team scoring. Brandon DeFazio scored a shorthanded, breakaway goal on Braden Holtby, putting the Pens up 1-0.

That lead didn’t last very long for the Baby Pens as Sean Collins would tie the game up just over a minute later. The goal was assisted by D.J. King, which was his first point as a Hershey Bear.

Chris Bourque gave the Bears the lead then with a one-timer in front of the net, his 22nd goal of the season.

Wilkes-Barre would tie the game up after a slip-up from Holtby, who lost sight of the puck (which was behind him) and would trickle into the net.

The flightless birds would then take the lead midway through the second, scoring on a 5-on-3 power play and with only one second left in a penalty to Tomas Kundratek.

It wasn’t until almost 20 minutes late when Hershey would score, with a goal from newly aquired Bear, Mike Carman, scoring his first goal as a Bear and tying it up at three-a-piece.

The game would head to overtime and then a shootout. Cody Eakin and Ryan Potulny would both score in the shootout, and with the help of Holtby, who would stop four out of five Pens, giving Hershey the 4-3 win.

“I think our team showed a lot of character,” said forward Graham Mink. “Coming together and backing down when things got bad and come back and get the two points.”

“We gained a lot of motivation,” Coach Mark French said about tonight’s game. French also said that Grace’s comments got back to the Bears. “I don’t think the guys took that. I don’t think that was professional. We used that as a little bit of motivation tonight.”

More Photos:
Wilkes-Barre gets on the board first