Patrick McNeill celebrates his first goal of the game (All photos by Kyle Mace)
After an interesting game last night against Adirondack, Hershey played another weird one tonight after Rochester would score three goals in the third period and send the game to overtime and then a shootout. But the result was the same, as Hershey wins 4-3 over the Americans (SO.)
Bourque celebrates his short-handed goal against the Phantoms. All photos by Kyle Mace.
It’s hard to follow a huge game like the Outdoor Classic, but with the same teams playing, it makes for an interesting rematch. Speaking of the Outdoor Classic, have you checked out Kyle’s recap and amazing photos?
Unlike last night, the Phantoms scored the first goal of the game. Andrew Rowe scored by banking a shot off of Danny Richmond. Not a whole lot Richmond or Dany Sabourin could have done.
The Bears tied it up late in the same period with a patented Chris Bourque short-handed goal. It was a big goal for his 20th of the season.
Philadelphia, PA – Braden Holtby looks on as the Adirondack Phantoms celebate their OT win (Photo by Kyle Mace)
It was a night to remember, but also forget. With a goal scored by Chris Bourque early and one by Graham Mink late, the Bears looked like they were going to win the 2012 AHL Outdoor Classic. But that was not the case as Adirondack scored two late goals, including the game winning overtime one, as they went on to beat Hershey 4-3.
Bears fans celebrate Chris Bourque’s shorthanded goal (All photos by Kyle Mace)
Due to the holiday, tonight is the first ever “photo recap.” 11 photos from tonight’s game, recapping all of the events in the 3-2 SO win for Hershey. And like they say “A picture is worth 1,000 words” (so that means tonight’s post is 11,000 words.) From all of us here at Sweetest Hockey on Earth (and our big sister blog Russian Machine Never Breaks) we wish you a happy, healthy, and hockey filled 2012!
Geoff Walker wins it for the Penguins in the shootout. All photos by Kyle Mace.
After quite the trumping of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last night, the Bears had a lot to live up to, especially in front of a filled-to-the-brim Giant Center.
The first period didn’t live up to the energy that everyone thought it would have. Both teams were keeping calm, perhaps saving their energy for the later periods. The Penguins had two power play opportunities but, thanks to Dany Sabourin, it was scoreless after one.
Braden Holtby shut out the WBS Penguins. Photo by Anthony Fabrikant / AFC Media.
The Bears are great at having strong starts, but they usually struggle to get those strong starts when they play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Tonight, they broke through.
It was defensemen who started the show. First, Matt Ford was stopped on a wraparound attempt but Tomas Kundratek stuffed home the rebound. A few minutes later, Julien Brouillette extended the lead when he scored on a screened Brad Thiessen.
To top off the first period, Patrick McNeill scored short-side during a power play to make it 3-0 after twenty minutes. Not only were all three goals from defensemen, but they were also the fifth goal of the season for each player.
Your #4 Star of the night, Joel Rechlicz and Santa. All photos by Kyle Mace.
Tonight, against the Syracuse Crunch, the Bears hosted their social media promotion night, a nifty gimmick for those involved in the internet side of sports fandom. Luckily, the players gave us plenty to tweet about.
Known for their strong starts, the Bears were buzzing right away. Matt Ford continued his point streak when he scored on the first shot of the game. Unfortunately, a Syracuse 5-on-3 power play killed some of the momentum, especially when Patrick Maroon scored on Dany Sabourin. Sabourin made a great initial save but Maroon was there for the rebound. Tie game.
Richard Panik celebrates his goal on Braden Holtby in Norfolk’s win (Photo by Kyle Mace)
Sentence fragments. That was what the form of Mark French’s post game answers after the Bears game collapse. After Joel Rechlicz started off the game with a goal an a fight, Braden Holtby let 4 unanswered goals past, along with Norfolk adding on an empty-netter, as Hershey goes on to lose, 6-3.
Matt Ford celebrate’s his goal in Hershey’s win (All photos by Kyle Mace)
The Bridgeport Sound Tigers made their final visit to Hershey for the season tonight, and they Bears were happy to see them. They greeted them with five goals and Dany Sabourin and his shutout sent them home with a loss as the Bears won 5-0.
The Bears battled the Admirals in Norfolk tonight. Photo by John Wright.
Another weekend, another road game to kick it off. Tonight was the fourth meeting between the Hershey Bears and the Norfolk Admirals. It was also Norfolk’s annual “Toy Toss.”
The Bears earned the first goal of the game. After killing off a penalty, the Bears got a turn with the man advantage and had a 3-on-1 play. Matt Ford tapped his own rebound past Dustin Tokarski to get the early lead.