Paul Carey Becomes First Bear to Score Four Goals in a Game in Seven Years

During a game in February 2010, Mathieu Perreault would score four goals against Bridgeport in a 9-2 clobbering of the Sound Tigers. That was the last time a Bears player scored four goals in a game. Over 2,500 days later, that “days since last four-goal game” poster got reset.

Paul Carey has been super hot as of late. But coming into Saturday night’s game, not may people would have predicted the performance he would put on. Midway through the first period, Carey would score his 20th and Hershey’s first goal of the game. Almost 20 minutes later, Carey would put home his second goal of the night. Then with nine minutes left in the third, Carey would complete the hat trick to put Hershey up for good.

But his scoring did not end there. An empty net goal gave Carey his fourth of the night, a remarkable achievement. “It’s hard to get to that point,” Carey said postgame regarding the ability to score almost at will. “There’s ups and downs, ebbs and flows during the season. You just got to stick to your game and if you play the right way you get rewarded. Tonight I had some puck luck; a couple of those probably shouldn’t have gone in, but they did and I’ll take it.”

The 28-year-old should have had five goals on the night after scoring on a power play with roughly four seconds left to play. While the puck apparently goes in before a final horn sounded, the referees became preoccupied with two fights occurring moments after the puck went in. The play could have been challenged, but Hershey let it be after an already dominate victory against Hartford.

Not only is the Weymouth, Massachusetts native playing quality hockey now, but so are his linemates Stan Galiev and Travis Boyd, who have produced a combined 21 points over the last three games. Galiev is also the leading AHL goal scorer since the turn of the calendar. “Paul Carey has been a very consistent player,” said Troy Mann. “Boyder gives them an added dimension that [Brad] Malone didn’t. Boyd gives them that extra dynamic center that can make plays and he’s pretty responsible defensively as well.”

“Stan’s a guy that can score from pretty much anywhere on the ice and Boyder is a guy that can find you anywhere on the ice,” said Carey. “We’re clicking right now, we’re all playing well, we’re hungry, and we were feeding off of each other’s energy, and it seems to be working out well.”

Both Carey and Galiev will look to extend their current seven-game point streaks as Hershey takes on Bridgeport Sunday afternoon at 3 PM.