Matt Trust, Author at Chocolate Hockey

Hershey Bears Wear St. Patrick’s Day Jerseys

March 16, 2014
Matt Trust
News, Photos

HERSHEY, PA – The Hershey Bears sport St. Patrick’s Day jerseys during Sunday night’s game between Norfolk and the Bears (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

It’s a sea of green at Giant Center on Sunday afternoon for the annual St. Patrick’s Day. Not only have a handful of fans participated in the tradition, but the Hershey Bears players as well. This year the St. Patrick’s Day jersey design are a crisp, dark green color with a four-leaf clover on each side. The Bears logo is tinted greenish-yellow colors, and the Bear head is sporting a St. Patty’s day hat. On the shoulders, recycle logos can be seen since the them night is based around being green. Below the jump, check out photos from our Kyle Mace of the jerseys during warm-ups.

Hershey Scores Four Unanswered, Cruise Past Phantoms

March 16, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

HERSHEY, PA – Michael Latta joins teammates after Brandon Segal’s first period goal during Hershey’s 4-1 win over Adirondack (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

It’s has been high riding for the Hershey Bears this season against the Northeast Division, entering Saturday with an a 7-3-2-1 record in 2013-14. But Cal Heeter and the Adirondack Phantoms have haunted the Bears this season with three wins in the previous four meetings.

With the Phantoms in the Eastern Conference dungeon, their playoff chances are fading away by the second. But for the Chocolate and White, all 16 games remaining entering Saturday have the significance of playoff games. Two points removed from the eighth seeded Albany Devils, Hershey sought a needed home-ice victory.

Four different Hershey goal scorers propelled them to a 4-1 victory over the Phantoms. It was the team’s 20th win on Giant Center ice this season.

DiSalvatore, Syracuse Squeeze Past Bears in OT

March 14, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

Syracuse, NY – Jon DiSalvatore celebrates the overtime game winner against his former team only 1:50 into the extra frame. (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

We are in a crucial point of the regular season where every game is a playoff game. At this point it’s undeniable the Hershey Bears are on the outside looking into the Eastern Conference playoff bubble, and are a better hockey team than indicated by their record.

Friday, the Chocolate and White began their weekend with its lone away tilt in Syracuse, New York. Seeking revenge after getting embarrassed in the AHL Showcase, the Bears fell to the Crunch by a 3-2 overtime count in the debuts of Chris Brown and Kris Newbury.

Norfolk Handed 3-1 Decision Over Hershey

March 8, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

During Paul Fixter’s coaching tenure with the Hershey Bears about a decade ago, he implemented a motto, “Earned, never given.” The phrase captured the minds of his players in effort to spread the message that all positive results on the ice have to be earned, and are rarely handed over on a silver platter.

But unfortunately on Saturday night, a border-line joke of a 3-1 Norfolk Admirals win over the Hershey Bears was more on the given side.

Your highlight of the night was in the second period during a tied 1-1 hockey game. Nate Schmidt appeared to be slew footed in the Hershey offensive end and went down to the ice in a heap of pain. The Admirals’ countered down ice on a 2-on-1 rush, setting the stage for a game-winning goal by Chris Wagner at 14:18 of the period.

Bombs Away: Bears Blast Admirals, Tighten East Division Standings

March 7, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

It was a fun game to watch on television, listen in on radio, or even follow on twitter. But most of all, it was an excellent way to end a six-game skid.

The Hershey Bears traveled to Virginia Beach and throttled the Norfolk Admirals by a 3-2 count. It was their first game played of the season at the Norfolk Scope, and it had a homecoming feel for Bears’ Head Coach Mike Haviland. Haviland was an Admirals’ assistant coach last season and the head bench boss for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns.

Dane Byers scored a third period insurance marker, which later proved to be the game-winner in a 3-2 decision. With out of town help by the Utica Comets, the Bears now stand within one point of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and three points within the division lead.

Boychuk’s Hat-Trick Drops Hershey, 6-3

March 3, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

HERSHEY, PA – Mike Haviland walks down the hallway after being ejected by David Banfield during Hershey’s loss to Charlotte Sunday night. (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

With a snow storm approaching the central PA area Sunday night, it couldn’t have been a better time for Hershey’s first 4pm start time to a Sunday Giant Center tilt.

The Hershey Bears closed out their season series with the Charlotte Checkers Sunday in front of 9,942 fans at Giant Center.

On a night where the first 3,000 fans received a baseball cap promotion sponsored by Capital BlueCross, Charlotte’s Zach Boychuk notched a hat-trick in a 6-3 win over Hershey.

Hartford Ties Game Late, Blitz Past Bears in Shootout

March 1, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

David Leggio, seen here earlier in the season, had 34 saves in Hershey’s shootout loss Friday night (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

It was an odd Friday night around the American Hockey League to kickoff a three game weekend, and one that was slightly beneficial to the Hershey Bears Hockey Club despite a 2-1 shootout defeat to the Hartford Wolf Pack.

Peter LeBlanc scored Hershey’s lone goal with 1:04 remaining in an end-to-end second period. David Leggio was superb and earned third star honors from stopping 34 of 35 shots through 65 minutes.

Defensive Woes: Hershey Drops AHL Showcase Game, 5-2

February 23, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

Washington, DC – Casey Wellman prepares for a faceoff in Hershey’s 5-2 defeat in the 2014 AHL Showcase at Verizon Center (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

The Giant Center goal horn was held silent on Saturday night when the Syracuse Crunch blanked the Bears by a 5-0 count. It ended a 12 game Giant Center win streak for the Chocolate and White, but eyes quickly turned towards an opportunity for revenge the next night.

Sunday was the second annual AHL Showcase held at Verizon Center in our nation’s capital. Last year Ryan Potulny was the hero en route to a 2-1 win over the Norfolk Admirals.

This year the Bears-Crunch battled in Washington D.C. only days before resumption of National Hockey League play. The Tampa Bay Lightning lead affiliate potted five more goals on Philipp Grubauer for the second consecutive night and topped Hershey, 5-2.

Crunch Blank Bears 5-0, Snap Giant Center Win Streak

February 23, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

HERSHEY, PA – Michael Latta and Joey Mormina have a friendly discussion during Saturday night’s game between Hershey and Syracuse (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

Although the Hershey Bears entered Saturday ten places above the Syracuse Crunch in the Eastern Conference standings, four of their five previous meetings this season were decided by a lone goal.

Seeking their 13th consecutive victory on Giant Center ice, the winning streak snapped with a 5-0 defeat to the Syracuse Crunch.

How ‘Sweep’ It Is: Bears Down Penguins in Consecutive Days

February 16, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

Photo via Official Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins’s Facebook Page

Saturday night the Hershey Bears leap frogged the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the standings with a high-scoring 5-4 victory. While Giant Center has been an intimidating building for Bears’ opposition of late, Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township does not have a much kinder reputation.

Sunday the Chocolate and White concluded a home-and-home stretch against their I-81 rivals, and escaped victoriously for the first time this season in the W-B. Ryan Potulny scored a third period game-winning goal en route to a 3-1 win over the Penguins, finishing off a perfect six point weekend sweep for Hershey.