Hershey’s Huge Comeback Sinks Admirals, 3-2

HERSHEY, PA – Ryan Stoa celebrates his game tying goal against Norfolk during Hershey’s 3-2 comeback over the Admirals (Kyle Mace – Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

If the 2012-13 AHL hockey season concluded today, four of the five East Division teams would have qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs. The one divisional team currently on the outside looking into the playoff picture is the Norfolk Admirals. The Admirals entered Saturday winners in seven of their last ten games, and looked to continue their hot streak against the Hershey Bears.

Philipp Grubauer played his first game with the Chocolate and White since returning from his first NHL stint in Washington D.C. From the opposite end of the ice, he watched Ryan Stoa tie the hockey game on a highlight reel goal with 2:33 left in regulation. Ryan Potulny then scored in the final minute to cap an astonishing 3-2 regulation win over the Norfolk Admirals.

Only 3:20 into the contest, the 13th video review of the season at Giant Center occurred and gave Norfolk the lone first period goal. After Grubauer was faked away from his crease, Josh Brittain stuffed the puck into an empty net. The red light did not go on, nor did referee Nic Leduc signal goal. During the next stoppage, the play was reviewed and determined the puck barely crossed the goal line.

Into the middle period, Garrett Mitchell wasted no time to break Hershey’s zero on the scoreboard. At the 1:53 mark of the frame, Mitchell entered the offensive zone and backhanded a shot past Igor Bobkov to knot the game. The night before in Wilkes-Barre, all three Bears’ goals against Brad Thiessen were via a backhand attempt.

The Bears out shot the Admirals 12-5 in the stanza, but failed to take the lead against the bottom team of the East Division. Philipp Grubauer only made 19 total saves through three periods, but made acrobatic, clutch saves on Norfolk’s few grade “A”, point-blank chances.

The theme of goals at the start of periods continued into the third frame at Giant Center, when Troy Bodie gave his club their second lead of the night. Bodie crashed the net on the Hershey goaltender and managed to slide the puck past Grubauer without getting whistled for goaltender interference. The play sent the Bears’ bench irate including Head Coach Mark French who demanded a washout. Nonetheless the goal stood, and Hershey would have to come from behind to get at least a point.

After the game, Mark French explained what he saw from his vantage point. “I thought Grubauer got interfered with a punch to his face.”

With 2:33 left in regulation, Ryan Stoa continued the backhand goal fest with a highlight reel gem from a sharp angle. Stoa scored with his skates nearly on the red goal line to send 10,502 fans at Giant Center into a frenzy. With the game tied at 2-2 and momentum flowing on the Bears’ bench, it set the state for Ryan Potulny to score in his fourth consecutive game and give Hershey a 3-2 lead with 45 seconds remaining.

Commenting after the game on Potulny’s late heroics, Coach French said, “We saw it last year that he has a flare for the dramatic.” French continued, “He’s a special player, and special players seem to rise at the right occasions and Ryan is doing that.”

The Hershey Bears face off tomorrow at Giant Center for the weekend finale against the Eastern Conference leading Syracuse Crunch.

More photos from tonight’s game:

Garrett Mitchell celebrates his second period goal

DAAAAAAAAAAAA BEARS