Bears To Use Prior Experience As They Look to Close Finals

What a trip, what an experience. The Bears, who were down 2-1 to Coachella Valley after losing 6-2 last Tuesday night, now find themselves one win away from their thirteenth Calder Cup six days later. 

With their second straight 3-2 victory over the Firebirds on the road in Palm Desert, the Bears have a chance to do something for the first time since 2010- clinch the Calder Cup on home ice at the Giant Center. 

Last time the Bears had an opportunity to close out a series though, the Bears and the fanbase would like to forget it. It took all four potential opportunities to eliminate the Cleveland Monsters in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Bears cannot have a repeat of that same experience against this Coachella Valley team. 

In front of what may be a record crowd in the Giant Center, the Bears will have to use the experience from last series to finish the job. The Bears know they will have to be at their best tonight, “Every game is so important. We can’t sit here and think, ‘well, we’ve already won’, we’re still looking for one more game. The hardest thing to do is end someone’s season, especially when it’s for the Calder Cup. It was hard to close out Cleveland and those were some big lessons we learned and that’s still fresh for us. Every game we’re approaching the same.” said Bears forward Alex Limoges. 

That great mentality has been what’s made the Bears such a great team all year. It’s why they had the best record in the AHL. It’s why they were able to finish the job against Cleveland after three straight demoralizing losses. It’s why they just went into Palm Desert, where Coachella Valley was undefeated in the playoffs, and took two of three games to set this up. I believe they will be ready and I can’t wait to see them come out tonight. 

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