Atlantic Division Champs Finish Strong; Face Pirates in Opening Round
April 19, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
The Hershey Bears Hockey Club picked up four of a possible six points on their weekend, clinching its second consecutive regular-season division title.
The weekend started with the Bears' final road game - and final game against a North Division opponent - on Friday. The host Binghamton Senators had an answer for the two Hershey goals, first from Zach Sill and second from Riley Barber. And later, the Sens took a third-period lead on a goal from Ryan Rupert - a lead they never relinquished. Phil Varone's empty-net tally finalized a 4-2 decision.
On Saturday, the Bears welcomed another team looking to spoil Hershey's next opportunity at the division title - the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Riley Barber scored just 1:38 into the game, but the Phantoms tied the contest on a Dalton Smith goal and took a lead (following video replay) on a strike from Steven Swavely. Travis Boyd capped off an in- zone shift lasting well over a minute with his 21st goal of the year, tying the contest. Zach Sill netted the eventual game-winner at 2:19 of the third, before Sean Collins ended the game with a goal into the empty net. Justin Peters made 26 saves on 28 shots to earn the game's third star, finishing the regular season unbeaten in his last six games in regulation (5-0-1). Anthony Stolarz made 28 saves on 31 Hershey shots in the loss. The win locked up the Atlantic Division for the Bears.
Rookie goaltender and Caps prospect Vitek Vanecek was recalled from the South Carolina Stingrays on Sunday morning, and promptly was placed into action against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins that same evening. He would go on to turn in a near-perfect performance, allowing only a third-period goal to Dustin Jeffrey. However, that goal was enough to force overtime, as a Jakub Vrana power play goal was the only shot to beat Penguins rookie Casey DeSmith in regulation. Both goaltenders put on a show in the first 60 minutes. The Bears would then get a glorious chance to win the game in overtime, working a carry-over two-man power play advantage for over a minute. But the Penguins killed it off, and went on to possess the puck for a good bit of what time was left. A shootout would follow, and after both team's first shooters were denied, Christian Djoos beat backup goaltender Sean Maguire, which would eventually win the game. Jeffrey's second-round chance sailed too high, and Riley Barber came in to bury a third-round shot and send the Bears to a 2-1 win.
Hershey capped off its regular season with a record of 43-21-5-7. The Bears open the Atlantic Division Semifinals on Friday and Saturday on the road against the Portland Pirates, with Games Three and, if necessary, Four and Five next Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at GIANT Center.
HERSHEY BEARS NEWS AND NOTES
ACCOLADES GALORE: Forward Chris Bourque captured his second John B. Sollenberger Trophy in the last five years as the AHL's leading scorer, with his second-best single-season point total of his career (30-50-80). He was one of only two 30-goal scorers in the AHL, ranking second in both goals and assists. Two days earlier, Bourque was voted the recipient of the Les Cunningham Award as the league's most valuable player, while days before that, he was named to the AHL First All-Star Team. In Hershey, Bourque has recorded 473 points (161 goals, 312 assists), ranking sixth in all-time assists, seventh in points and 12th in all-time goals. Clicking at over a point-per-game in his career, Bourque ranks 18th in Hershey games played (464).
OUSTANDING ROOKIES: Riley Barber earned Hershey's Rookie of the Year honors, finishing tied for fourth in AHL scoring among first-year pros (26-29- 55). Barber ranked second in goals, tied for fifth in power-play goals (seven) and tied for third in shootout goals (three), all among AHL rookies. He finished tied with Kyle Wilson (2006-07) for 18th in all-time Bears single-season rookie scoring. Additionally, Travis Boyd (21-32-53) ranked tied for seventh among all AHL rookies, tied for fifth in power-play goals and fifth in shooting percentage (18.1%). He was the only Bears player to appear in all 76 games.
STELLAR DEBUT: Vitek Vanecek picked up a 25-save performance before going two-for-two in Sunday's shootout win for his first career AHL victory. He is the second Hershey goaltender in as many seasons to pick up his first win in his first start (Pheonix Copley, 2014-15).
THE SHOOTOUT KING: Among all AHL defensemen, rookie blueliner Christian Djoos finished the year tied for the league lead in shootout goals (four), shootout-winning goals (two) and shootout percentage (66.7%).
BEARS BULLETS: Hershey led the AHL in overtime games (23) and shootouts (13), tying the franchise record for most overtime games in a season (2005-06)...Hershey had 19 players on its roster with 20+ points, tying the franchise record (1983-84)...Hershey finished with the league's third-best offense (3.41 goals/game) despite taking the third-fewest shots (28/game)...Hershey goaltenders faced six penalty shots this season, most in the AHL...The Bears' six goals scored in the second period on February 5 at Binghamton stood as a league high...Hershey's 8-0 win on March 23 at Lehigh Valley set a new franchise record for largest margin of victory in a road shutout, and was the league's second-largest margin of victory all season...Justin Peters' 26 first-period saves on January 15 at Lehigh Valley tied for the second-most in a single period this season...The Bears are 13 games shy of 600 played in the Calder Cup playoffs as a franchise... Hershey finished as the AHL attendance leader for the 10th consecutive season, averaging 9,790 fans in 2015-16.
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