Hershey Drops Back-to-Back Games Against Worcester, Manchester

Casey Wellman, seen here earlier in the season, had two points during Hershey’s loss Saturday night to Worcester (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

There are 11 games remaining in the regular season for the Hershey Bears, who are now five points out of the 8th and final playoff spot. That’s not an impossible obstacle to overcome, but the Bears current slump is making the road to the playoffs even harder. Hershey dropped two of three this weekend with back-to-back losses in Worcester on Saturday and in Manchester on Sunday afternoon.

The Bears came into Worcester Saturday after beating Providence Friday night 2-0. A win in Worcester would put Hershey only one point behind Providence in the standings, and they were well on their way to cutting down the lead the Bruins had on them after Casey Wellman and Nicolas Deschamps beat Sharks goalie Harri Sateri.

Hershey had a 2-1 lead with 5:56 left in regulation, but the Sharks got the better of David Leggio, finding the back of the net three times in 3:15, giving them a 4-2 win over Hershey.

Sunday, the Bears fell behind in the first period on a power play goal by Manchester’s Zach Brown and got outshot by the Monarchs 12-2 in the first period. Hershey got it back just over a minute into the second period when Julien Brouillette tallied for the Bears. But just over two minutes later, Andrew Bodnarchuck got what turned out to be the game winner, giving Manchester a 2-1 win over the Bears.

Both Manchester goals were on the power play, while Hershey could not convert on their two power play opportunities. The Bears outshot Manchester 12-11 in the final period but fell short.

Hershey returns home for a rare Friday game against Albany, followed by a Saturday night visit by one of the most popular Bears of all time, Andrew Gordon and his St. John’s IceCaps. Then the Bears head out on the road for five straight.

Seven of the final nine games will be away from Giant Center. Hershey has won just two of their last nine on the road, a number that must improve for the Bears to have a shot at the playoffs.