Bears Eliminated from Playoff Contention, Lose 3-1 in Norfolk

All great things must come to an end. It’s an old, cliche saying, but it is also 100 percent true and fitting of the occasion. In a 3-1 loss to the Norfolk Admirals, the Bears’ eight season playoff streak has come to a crashing end. The Providence Bruins and Norfolk Admirals will grab the seventh and eighth seeds in the Eastern Conference.

The last time the Chocolate and White missed the postseason, it was the final year of the Colorado Avalanche affiliation.

Only 2:19 into the first period, Emerson Etem opened the Admirals’ scoring. He blasted a one-time chance from between the face off circles past Philipp Grubauer. Grubauer was given the start for the Bears in both games against the Admirals.

With 5:07 left in the period, Tyson Strachan tied the game before both teams departed for intermission. Strachan floated a shot from the left point through a heavy layer of traffic and past Brad Thiessen. It was Thiessen’s lone mistake of the night, stopping 21 of 22 shots.

Ironically, the man credited with the game-winning goal is a former Hershey Bear, and was a helping hand in the Bears’ 2006 Calder Cup Championship. In the final minute of the second period, and right as a Norfolk power play expired, Dave Steckel finished a loose puck in the slot area for a 2-1 Admirals lead.

Brad Thiessen blanked the Bears for the third period, as Norfolk improved their record to 27-0-2-1 when leading after 40 minutes.

Max Friberg added an empty net goal at the 19:32 mark to take a 3-1 lead, and finish any hope and dreams the Chocolate and White had at a 2014 Calder Cup run.

The Hershey Bears will put an end to the 2013-14 season on Saturday, April 19 at Giant Center. It will be the Adirondack Phantoms’ final game ever before moving to the Lehigh Valley next season.