Hershey Bears Takes 3-0 Series Lead Against Toronto Marlies

Toronto, CA – Ryan Bourque joins Zach Sill after Sill gave Hershey a 3-2 lead late in the second period of their 8-2 win over Toronto Wednesday night. (Kyle Mace / Chocolate Hockey)
Just like we all predicted: the Hershey Bears would score eight goals en route to an 8-2 win over the best team in the American Hockey League. Sure.

It was one for the record books: Eight goals, two shorthanded goals on one penalty kill, and a new all-time playoff points leader for the Bears.

The game started off with a goal from Dustin Gazley, which included an assist from Carter Camper who extended his playoff point streak to nine games. The Marlies would respond only 3:04 later to tie the game on a goal by Josh Leivo.

Toronto took the lead 2:03 after their first goal on a breakaway from Colin Smith, making it 2-1 going into the second period.

Chris Bourque would tie the game on a goal of his 6:12 into the second, but the goal also tied him for a Hershey Bears record with Mike Nykoluk for all-time Hershey Bears playoff points.

The Bears would keep the pressure up all throughout the second period, and it finally paid off when Zach Sill gave Hershey a 3-2 lead with less than a minute left in the middle frame. The period would end with Aaron Ness taking a penalty for a “Helmet Violation” after not skating directly to the bench after losing his helmet during play. This would put the Chocolate and White on the penalty kill to start the third.

Again, the Bears penalty kill was spectacular all night long, going six-for-six, and scoring two shorthanded goals, starting with Sill on that PK to start the third period. It was only 18 seconds into the third period when the alternate captain scored his second of the game. Then Ryan Bourque would quiet the Ricoh Coliseum crowd even more when scoring on the first shot Garret Sparks would see after replacing Antoine Bibeau. That goal made it 5-2 Hershey.

“I don’t think anybody saw that ending coming,” Sill said after the game. “We did bury on our chances and that’s huge against their power play being as skilled as they are.”

5:13 into the third now, and Jakub Vrana made it 6-2 Hershey with an assist from Bourque, making him the Bears all-time leader in playoff points.

Exactly twenty minutes after Chris Bourque scored in the second period, Christian Djoos made it a 7-2 game in favor of the Chocolate and White on the power play, with another assist from Camper to tie him for the AHL lead in playoff points.

Vrana would add his second of the game late in the third, but at that point, it no longer mattered as the Hershey Bears went on to win 8-2 as they now lead the series 3-0.

“I really liked our game,” head coach Troy Mann said. “I thought we came to play five-on-five and we had three penalties there [in the first period]. I thought if we could stay disciplined, I felt we had our legs and really came to play in terms of the five-on-five play tonight. I thought getting that goal early to tie it 2-2 was huge, and then we kind of took over the game.”

It’s now onto game four on Friday, where the Bears are now looking to close out the series. “I think we have to continue to execute and be able to enjoy this one,” Ryan Bourque said. “In playoffs, they always say the fourth one is the most challenging one to get so we gotta rally up as a group and come even harder the next game.”

PHOTOS:

Dustin Gazley celebrates his first period goal with teammates

One goal away from taking the 6 and turning it upside down