Bears Topple Marlies With Late Stephenson Goal


Photo: Hershey Bears on Facebook

Another day, another clutch win for the Hershey Bears. After taking the game in Rochester, the Bears were in Toronto on Saturday evening to take on the Marlies for the first time in Toronto since the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals. The Bears rebounded after a controversial goal tied the game, and Chandler Stephenson’s first goal since February 10 with 8.5 seconds left got the Bears their biggest win to date, 2-1.

The Bears struck first in the game, but it took until the second period when a shot from Riley Barber popped out of the glove of Kasmir Kaskisuo, and Tom Gilbert batted it out of the air like a baseball swing and put the Bears up 1-0.

The Bears did an excellent job defending the lead for most of the game following that, including a four-minute double minor that the team killed. Hershey kept the Marlies off the board, 0 for five on the evening.

Right as it seemed like the Bears were going to hold on to the lead, the Marlies got some good luck. The puck was thrown to the net, and although a Marlie player ran into Pheonix Copley, it was ruled that Sergey Kalinin’s shot was indeed a good goal and Toronto tied the game at 1 with under five minutes to go in the game.

Copley, as he has so many times since coming back to the Bears at the trade deadline, stood tall for the entire game and especially so after the goal. He made 29 saves on 30 shots, including one breakaway save on the Marlies following the goal to keep the score tied.

That kept Hershey alive, and just as the game looked to head to overtime, the Bears decided they’d rather end it sooner. Riley Barber had the puck in the corner and spotted a wide open Chandler Stephenson in front of the net. Stephenson buried his first goal since February 10 with just 8.5 seconds remaining in the game, and Hershey stole two points in Toronto.

The win is Hershey’s third straight, and brings the Bears’ point total up to 93, two shy of the goal Troy Mann has often said should get the team into the playoffs.

The win, combined with Providence beating Bridgeport today, moves the Bears up the standings with a three-point lead on the Sound Tigers for fourth place. The Bears still have some scoreboard watching to do Sunday, as both Bridgeport and Providence are in action playing games in hand.

Providence stays two points above the Bears, and even after Sunday’s action will have another game in hand on the Bears. Lehigh Valley also took a win on Saturday, and maintain a two-point lead with a game in hand as well.

Hershey travels to Wilkes-Barre on Friday and returns home for one last home game against Providence next Saturday.

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