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AHL Hershey Bears

Bears Open Atlantic Division Finals against Wolf Pack

May 9, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears continue the 2023 playoffs, presented by Penn State Health, as they get set to face the Hartford Wolf Pack in the Atlantic Division Finals. The Bears advanced to the third round of the postseason after defeating the Charlotte Checkers 3-1 in a best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinals series, giving Hershey its first postseason victory since 2019.

PLAYOFFS TEAM LEADERS:

Goals: Aliaksei Protas (3)

Assists: Sam Anas, Joe Snively (4)

Points: Sam Anas (6)

Power-Play Goals: Aliaksei Protas, Mike Sgarbossa, Joe Snively (1)

Shorthanded Goals: N/A

Plus/Minus: Aliaksei Protas (5)

Wins: Hunter Shepard (3)

GAA: Hunter Shepard (1.77)

SV%: Hunter Shepard (.924)

Only includes qualified players on active roster

Click here for full AHL playoff bracket

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF MAY 8:

Monday, May 8

Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Tuesday, May 9

Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Wednesday, May 10

Practice, 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center

Thursday, May 11

Morning Skate, 10:15 a.m. at GIANT Center

Game 1 vs. Hartford, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 12

TBD

Saturday, May 13

TBD

Game 2 vs. Hartford, 7 p.m.

All practices are open to the public. Practice dates and times are subject to change as the Atlantic Division Finals series progresses.

SERIES SCHEDULE:

- Game 1: Thursday, May 11 vs. Hartford Wolf Pack, 7 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

- The first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a Fan Clapper, courtesy of GIANT, Pepsi, and Toyota

- Game 2: Saturday, May 13 vs. Hartford Wolf Pack, 7 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

- The first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a Fan Clapper, courtesy of GIANT, Pepsi, and Toyota

- Game 3: Wednesday, May 17 at Hartford Wolf Pack, 7 p.m.

- *Game 4: Friday, May 19 at Hartford Wolf Pack, 7 p.m.

- *Game 5: Tuesday, May 23 vs. Hartford Wolf Pack, 7 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

* If necessary

Video Coverage: AHLTV; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network, Capitals Radio Network; Tickets: HersheyBears.com

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

CONSISTENT NUMBERS:

Just as was the case in the regular season, the Bears have been reliable at stifling opposing shots on goal. Hershey led the AHL in the 2022-23 campaign with a league-low average of 26.19 shots against per game; this spring, the Bears have improved on those totals, allowing only 23.00 shots against per game through four postseason contests against Charlotte during the Atlantic Division Semifinals. The Bears also finished the regular season second in the league with 2.56 goals against per game, and have reduced that figure in the playoffs, allowing 1.75 goals against per game.

SCORING DEPTH ELEVATED:

Despite only playing four games in the playoffs, while some teams have played twice that number, the Bears have showcased their scoring prowess in the postseason. Hershey ranks third out of 23 playoff teams with an average of 4.25 goals scored per game. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that the Bears have not been forced to rely on their top line of Mike Vecchione, Mike Sgarbossa, and Ethen Frank as they did during the regular season - the Bears boast 12 unique goal-scorers; among the teams that have advanced to the current round, that figure is only surpassed by Hartford, which possesses 13 unique goal-scorers, and benefitted from two additional playoff games in the first round.

HERSHEY MEETS HARTFORD:

The Bears get set to take on a Wolf Pack squad that finished the regular season schedule on a tear, winning eight of its final nine games, before blowing out Springfield in the qualifying round by out-scoring the Thunderbirds 13-2. The Wolf Pack then upset No. 1-seeded Providence, including a series-clinching 4-0 blanking in Game 4. During the 2022-23 regular season, Hershey went 4-2-0-0 against Hartford in six games; Henrik Borgstrom led the Bears in scoring against the Wolf Pack with five points (3g, 2a) in six contests, while Tim Gettinger paced Hartford in scoring with four points (2g, 2a) in five games. Goaltender Hunter Shepard was 3-0-0 for Hershey with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .964 save percentage, while Hartford's current playoff starter Dylan Garand went 0-1-1 with a 1.84 GAA and a .938 save percentage in three outings. The Bears previously met the Wolf Pack in the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which former Bears forward Chris Bourque scored 11 points in six games against Hershey, as Hartford topped the Bears 4-2. Current Bears captain Dylan McIlrath was a member of the Wolf Pack then, helping Hartford advance to the Eastern Conference Finals before bowing out to eventual champion Manchester.

SWEET TIME FOR SAMMY:

Sam Anas led Hershey in scoring during its series with Charlotte by recording at least a point in every game, finishing with six points (2g, 4a) in four contests, tying him for eighth in AHL playoff scoring. The former AHL scoring champion in the 2019-20 campaign missed much of the regular season in his first go-round with Hershey due to a late-December injury, but since his return to game action on March 17, nobody has found the net for the Bears more than Anas' eight tallies over 16 combined regular season and playoff games. Anas also assisted on two of Hershey's game-winning goals in its series with the Checkers.

BEARS BITES:

Mason Morelli is tied for seventh in the league with a shooting percentage of 66.7%...Hunter Shepard is tied for third with three wins...Both of Dylan McIlrath's career playoff goals have come with the Bears...Hershey is the least-penalized team of the remaining eight clubs, averaging 6.50 penalty minutes per game...Hartford is 5-0 when scoring first in the playoffs...Both Aaron Ness and Ethen Frank did not dress in the series-clinching 6-2 win over Charlotte in Game 4 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals. The Bears were 0-1-2-0 in the regular season with Ness out of the lineup due to injury, while Hershey still managed a 9-5-1-0 record with Frank sidelined during the campaign.

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American Hockey League Stories from May 9, 2023


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