AHL Hershey Bears

Bears Sweep Rats to Move to Conference Finals

Published on May 3, 2010 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


The HERSHEY BEARS Hockey Club swept the Albany River Rats four games to none this past Thursday at Times Union Center, winning 5-4 in overtime. The BEARS now advance to the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals against either the Manchester Monarchs or the Worcester Sharks.

Alexandre Giroux leads the BEARS in scoring through two rounds of the postseason, scoring 10 goals and assisting on seven others for 17 points. Chris Bourque is second on the team in points with 15, and Andrew Gordon ranks second on the club in goals scored with nine. Goaltender Michal Neuvirth is a perfect 6-0 in the postseason, winning three out of four games against Albany.

Tickets for the first two games of the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals at Giant Center are on sale now at the Giant Center box office or by calling (717) 534- 3911.

Rodent free zone in a sweep: The BEARS not only swept the Albany River Rats four games to none to advance, but they also wiped the River Rats off the AHL map for good. The Rats are moving to Charlotte, North Carolina next season. It's the second straight playoff year that the BEARS have swept a team out of existence. HERSHEY also won four straight against the Philadelphia Phantoms in the 2009 East Division Semi-Finals. The Phantoms moved to Adirondack this past season.

More sweepage: HERSHEY has managed to sweep an opponent in a Calder Cup playoff series for the fifth time since 2006 with four straight wins over Albany in the 2010 East Division Finals. The BEARS also swept the Norfolk Admirals in four in the 2006 East Division Semi- Finals, the Wilkes- Barre/Scranton Penguins in the 2006 East Division Finals, the Manchester Monarchs in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals and the Philadelphia Phantoms in the 2009 East Division Finals.

Practice schedule: The BEARS will practice Tuesday this week at 10:00 a.m. at HERSHEYPARK Arena, and Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at Giant Center in preparations for the Eastern Conference Finals.

Elsewhere around the AHL: The Manchester Monarchs and Worcester Sharks are locked up at two wins apiece heading to Game 5 of the Atlantic Division Finals on Wednesday night. The winner between the Sharks and Monarchs will face HERSHEY in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals. In the Western Conference, Chicago and Texas are tied at one win each heading to Game 3 of the West Finals, while Hamilton and Abbotsford are also locked at 1-1 with Game 3 of the North Finals looming Tuesday night.

Check out the Hershey Bears Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from May 3, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central