Bears Battle to 3-1 Win over Senators
April 5, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Belleville, ON) - The Hershey Bears extended their current winning streak to four games with a 3-1 win over the Belleville Senators on Friday night at CAA Arena. Hershey's penalty kill shined by going 5-for-6, and Vitek Vanecek made various acrobatic stops to help preserve his team's lead.
For the second consecutive day, Jayson Megna scored first for the Chocolate and White early in the opening stanza. Justin Falk received a hooking infraction at 4:01, and the Bears power play unit pinned the puck in the offensive zone after the ensuing face-off. At the 5:37 mark, Megna slammed a loose puck in the blue paint into the net after a shot from Devante Smith-Pelly squeaked past Belleville goaltender Marcus Hogberg.
The Bears took four trips to the penalty box in the first period, and the Senators cashed in on their fourth power play chance of the night. After a turnover by Hampus Gustafsson in his defensive end, Aaron Ness elected to take a tripping minor to breakup the ensuing scoring chance. At 19:43, Vitaly Abramov redirected a shot from Jack Rodewald which hit the goal post, deflected off Vanecek's back, and into the net. Shots after 20 minutes were 8-5 Belleville with the score even at 1-1.
Next period, Hershey capitalized on a strong offensive zone shift. A great shift by the Bears fourth line possessing the puck led to a drive from the center point by Ness. He received a pass from Brian Pinho in the slot with time and space, and blasted a rocket past Hogberg to give Hershey a 2-1 lead at 3:16. Shane Gersich doubled Hershey's lead to two goals later in the period after tallying for the first time since Super Bowl Sunday on Feb. 3. After intercepting a pass, Mike Sgarbossa raced up ice on a 3-on-1 rush. After a pass from Steve Whitney was deflected, Gersich buried a snap shot into the cage at 10:27.
Hershey's 3-1 lead stood at second intermission, and as the eventual final score. Final shots on goal were 25-13 Senators. The Bears were out shot 10-1 in the final frame, and Vanecek stood tall in goal for the Chocolate and White despite being under siege for stretches of the last period. Hershey's lone shot in the third was a new season-low for fewest shots in a single period, in addition to the 13 shots marking a new season-low for total shots in a game.
The Hershey Bears win their 40th game of the season with the victory to improve their record to 40-24-3-4. The Bears return to action tomorrow afternoon to conclude their current three games in three nights stretch. Hershey will battle the Laval Rocket on the road at Place Bell. Puck drop is slated for 3 p.m. Voice of the Bears Zack Fisch will have the call on the Bears Radio Network.
American Hockey League Stories from April 5, 2019
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