Game Recap Archives · Page 12 of 42

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.

Bears Hold Off Wilkes-Barre in 5-4 Win

February 16, 2014
Kyle Mace
Game Recap

HERSHEY, PA – Casey Wellman is joined by Ryan Potulny and Nate Schmidt after Wellman’s first period goal (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

They are getting closer to the top. The Hershey Bears hung on for a 12th consecutive home victory Saturday night, beating their arch rivals the Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins 5-4, in front of a sell out crowd of 10,890 at Giant Center. The victory moved the Bears past the Penguins in the standings and into second place in the AHL East, just four points behind first place Binghamton.

Betting on Bears: Hershey Tops Albany 3-2 on Boardwalk

February 14, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

HERSHEY, PA – Philipp Grubauer warms up prior to a Bears game earlier this season. He stopped four of five Albany shootout attempts in a 3-2 Hershey win on the Boardwalk (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

Every year, thousands of American football fans lose a pocket full of money after making foolish bets on the Super Bowl. Then of course you have that one jerk, who watches three games a season, makes and outrageous bet and picks Seattle to win by a 35 point spread and pockets several figures of cash that night. Only in America.

It’s a question mark whether there are AHL fans who bet on regular season matches, but if that were the case, the Hershey Bears have proven to be a safe bet thus far in 2014. Following a 3-2 shootout win Friday night against the Albany Devils, the Bears improved to a fantastic 14-4-1-0 record in the new year.

Gazley’s OT Game Winner Drops Wilkes-Barre

February 9, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

HERSHEY, PA – Philipp Grubauer hugs Dustin Gazley after Gazley’s game winning, overtime goal against Wilkes-Barre (Tim Stough / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

As many know, we are in a current time stretch where football season has concluded, the countdown to Spring Training is in full throttle, and where fans continuously fall asleep on their sofa attempting to watch the NBA.

But at the American Hockey League level, the Hershey Bears enter a crucial eight week stretch of their schedule which takes them to April. It is a stretch which will truly decide whether playoff hockey will once again return to Hershey for a ninth consecutive season.

Sunday the Bears battled the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the weekend finale, looking for four out of six standings points in the weekend. Dustin Gazley scored 47 second into overtime to down the Penguins in a Giant Center classic.

Count ‘Em Ten: Bears Throttle Portland, Win Tenth Straight at GC

February 9, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

HERSHEY, PA – Dane Byers celebrates his game winning goal against Portland during Hershey’s 2-1 victory over the Pirates (Tim Stough / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

In 2009, the Hershey Bears dropped the Manitoba Moose in six games to win the Calder Cup. Shortly after the cup clinching game, “Count ‘Em Ten” T-shirts were released to the general public to celebrate the franchise’s tenth Calder Cup Championship.

Saturday night, fans gained the right to break out the former catch phrase in honor of not the Bears’ tenth Cup, but their tenth consecutive victory on Giant Center ice. Dane Byers scored a third period game-winning-goal, and the Chocolate and White celebrated a 2-1 over the Portland Pirates.

Bears Unable to Hold off Americans, Lose 4-1

February 8, 2014
Chocolate Hockey
Game Recap

Jeff Taffe, seen here earlier in the year, scored Hershey’s only goal in the Bears 4-1 loss to Rochester

It wasn’t the homecoming Bears goalie David Leggio was hoping for. Playing in his first game in Rochester with Hershey, since leaving the Amerks after two solid seasons, Leggio gave up four goals in a 4-1 Rochester win over Hershey. Leggio made 29 saves, but Hershey only managed one goal and 26 shots in a losing effort.

Bears Hammer Admirals 3-1 on Groundhog’s Day

February 3, 2014
Matt Trust
Game Recap

HERSHEY, PA – Brandon Segal celebrates his second period goal with teammates during Hershey’s 3-1 win (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)

Which is of the following is more abnormal– The Hershey Bears wearing Groundhog Day jerseys in their Sunday game against Norfolk, or Groundhog Day combining with Super Bowl Sunday?

Regardless the answer, at an early 2pm start time the Bears faced the Anaheim Ducks’ top affiliate, Norfolk Admirals. Nearly 24 hours after the Adirondack Phantoms snapped Hershey’s overall six game winning streak, the Bears extended their home win streak to nine games in a 3-1 win over the Admirals.

Hershey Splits Series with Adirondack

February 2, 2014
Chocolate Hockey
Game Recap

Julien Brouillette and Peter LeBlanc, both seen here earlier in the season, had goals in Hershey’s win over Adirondack in the Bears first game against the Phamtoms this weekend

Perhaps the Hershey Bears are trying to make a statement to the schedule makers. Three games in 31 hours is very unusual in any league. But when the Bears played Adirondack in Philadelphia, they were going for their seventh straight victory and second in an 18 hour span. In the first game with the Phantoms, the Bears came up with a 5-3 victory Friday night in Glens Falls, beating the Phantoms to keep their winning streak alive.