Bears Weekly #24: Club Returns Stateside for Three Games this Week
March 22, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears continue the 2021-22 season, presented by Penn State Health, with three games versus Atlantic Division opponents this week. The Bears host Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, visit Providence on Friday, and travel to Hartford for a road contest Saturday night. Hershey enters this week with 2,998 wins in franchise history, and the Bears will look to become the first AHL team to hit 3,000 wins with a pair of victories this week.
TEAM INFO:
Record: 29-23-5-3
Standings Position: 5th in Atlantic
TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Garrett Pilon (15)
Assists: Mike Vecchione (24)
Points: Mike Vecchione (36)
Power Play Goals: Garrett Pilon, Mike Vecchione (5)
Shorthanded Goals: Shane Gersich, Brian Pinho (2)
Plus/Minus: Lucas Johansen (+23)
Wins: Pheonix Copley (14)
GAA: Pheonix Copley (2.40)
SV%: Pheonix Copley (.912)
Only includes players on the active roster
RECENT RESULTS:
Thursday, Mar. 17: Toronto 3, Hershey 0
The Bears three-game win streak ended last Thursday afternoon at the hands of the Toronto Marlies. Despite firing 41 shots, Hershey could not beat Toronto's goaltending duo of Joseph Woll and Michael Hutchinson in a 3-0 loss. Zach Fucale's impressive scoreless streak ended at 210:13 as Joseph Blandisi scored the game-winning goal just 11 seconds into the second period to make it 1-0. Semyon Der-Arguchintsev gave the Marlies a 2-0 lead with a power play goal at 18:42 of the middle frame. Hershey peppered Hutchinson with 16 shots in the third period, but Brett Seney scored the lone goal of the frame, striking for an empty net goal with 92 seconds to play. Hershey outshot the Marlies 41-28 in the loss but went 0-for-5 on the power play.
Friday, Mar. 18: Belleville 3, Hershey 2 (OT)
Hershey earned a standings point Friday night in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Belleville Senators at the CAA Arena. The teams traded power play goals in the opening period with Jonathan Aspirot starting the scoring for Belleville at 10:27, and Mike Sgarbossa tying the game for Hershey at 13:33. Sgarbossa's power play goal helped Hershey snap a seven-game skid on the man advantage. Aliaksei Protas and Egor Sokolov scored for their respective clubs in the second period, but the game remained deadlocked, 2-2, until overtime. With just over 56 seconds left in the extra sesion, Roby Jarventie won the game for Belleville on an end-to-end rush.
Saturday, Mar. 19: Laval 5, Hershey 1
The Laval Rocket scored four times in the second period on the way to a 5-1 win over the Hershey Bears on Saturday afternoon at Place Bell. The Bears opened the scoring just 4:03 into the game on Bobby Nardella's 5th goal of the season. Hershey connected on the power play for the second straight game, as Nardella struck on a rebound off a Garrett Pilon shot. Pilon and Mike Sgarbossa assisted. In the second period, Laval pounced on the Bears, striking four times before the frame ended. In the third period, Hershey pulled goaltender Zach Fucale for an extra-attacker in the game's closing minutes, and Brandon Gignac sealed the win for the home team, scoring into the vacated goal at 17:17 to make it 5-1. Laval goaltender Kevin Poulin earned the win with 29 saves. Shots favored the Bears 30-20, including 13-2 in the third period. Both teams went 1-for-2 on the power play.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
-Wednesday, Mar. 23 vs. Lehigh Valley, 7 p.m.
UGI Matt Moulson Bobblehead Night (First 4,000)
-Friday, Mar. 25 at Providence, 7:05 p.m.
-Saturday, Mar. 26 at Hartford, 7 p.m.
Video Coverage: AHLTV, Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network, Tickets: HersheyBears.com
TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:
THE WEEK AHEAD:
With the push to the Calder Cup Playoffs officially on, Hershey plays three games versus Atlantic Division opponents this week. The 5th place Bears host 8th place Lehigh Valley at GIANT Center on Wednesday night. It's the third straight home game this month versus the Phantoms, with Hershey winning the last two meetings on home ice in shutout fashion, 4-0 on Mar. 8 and 2-0 on Mar. 13. Hershey is 4-5-0-0 versus Lehigh Valley this season. On Friday, the Bears visit 2nd place Providence for the final time this year. In two games at Providence in mid-February, the Bruins outscored the Bears 9-1 in a pair of victories at Dunkin' Donuts Center. The weekend concludes on Saturday with a road game at 4th place Hartford. Hershey has yet to win at the XL Center this season, dropping the last meeting 3-1 on Mar. 5.
STILL CHASING DOWN 3000:
Hershey enters this week with 2,998 victories in franchise history. With a pair of wins this week, the Bears would become the first team in American Hockey League history to record 3,000 regular season wins. The Bears first win in the AHL came in the club's first game in the league as Hershey skated to a 2-1 win over Providence on home ice on Nov. 5, 1938. Since then, the Bears have gone on to become the gold standard of the league, serving as the oldest continually-operating franchise in the AHL, and winning more Calder Cups (11) than any other team.
POWER PLAY BACK ON TRACK:
After going seven games without a power play goal, Hershey's got its man-advantage back on track, and they enter this week with power play goals in back-to-back games. Mike Sgarbossa ended the drought just eight seconds into Hershey's first power play of the game last Saturday night at Belleville, and Bobby Nardella opened the scoring the next night in Laval with a 5-on-4 marker. Hershey's power play ranks 18th in the league at 19%.
SGARBOSSA HEATING UP:
After a long layoff due to an upper-body injury, forward Mike Sgarbossa returned to Hershey's lineup on Mar. 8. He was held off the scoresheet in his first two games back on the ice, but since then, the high-scoring veteran center is heating up for Hershey. Sgarbossa has points in two straight games, posting a goal and an assist in the span. He has points in three of his past four games, and in limited action for Hershey this season, the Campbellville, Ontario native has posted 17 points (10g, 7a) in 22 games.
BEARS BITES:
The Capitals briefly re-assigned forward Connor McMichael to Hershey on Monday before quickly recalling him. As McMichael was on Hershey's roster at 3 p.m. on Monday, he is eligible to play for the Bears for the rest of the AHL's regular season or Calder Cup Playoffs. He has not appeared in a game for Hershey this season and has posted 17 points (8g, 9a) in 59 games for the Capitals..Brett Leason and Mike Vecchione have rejoined the Bears after receiving recalls to Washington last week. Vecchione made his Capitals debut last Friday at Carolina, playing in his first NHL game since Apr. 4, 2017.
American Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2022
- Stars Come up Short in Chicago - Texas Stars
- Wolves Mess with Texas - Chicago Wolves
- Penguins Trounce Toronto, 5-1 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Silver Knights Announce Roster Moves - Henderson Silver Knights
- Pat Nagle Recalled from Reading - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Dusty to Host Fun at Bookmans Wednesday - Tucson Roadrunners
- Checkers Regroup After Additions and Subtractions at Deadline - Charlotte Checkers
- Seth Barton Reassigned to Grand Rapids - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Condors Have $2 Beer and Youth Jersey Giveaway this Weekend - Bakersfield Condors
- Bears Weekly #24: Club Returns Stateside for Three Games this Week - Hershey Bears
- Syracuse Crunch Weekly - Vol. 28, No. 23 - Syracuse Crunch
- 5 Things: Heat at San Jose - Stockton Heat
- Game Preview vs. San Diego: March 22 - Henderson Silver Knights
- Tampa Bay Lightning Reassign Goaltender Amir Miftakhov to Syracuse Crunch - Syracuse Crunch
- San Diego Gulls Sign Defenseman Drew Helleson to ATO - San Diego Gulls
- Belleville Sens, CAA Arena Set to Lift Venue Mask Mandate Friday - Belleville Senators
- Toronto Marlies Host Penguins for 2 Straight at Coca-Cola Coliseum - Toronto Marlies
- Rangers Complete Series of Transactions, Assign Merkley & Scanlin, Trade Two from Pack - Hartford Wolf Pack
- IceHogs Revive the Wagon Wheel Cardinals for the 21st Annual Jersey Auction Game - Rockford IceHogs
- Heat Head to San Jose for Tuesday Tilt - Stockton Heat
- Amerks Home Twice this Weekend to Close out the Month of March - Rochester Americans
- Penguins Weekly - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Hodgson Signs NHL Contract - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Blues Recall F Nathan Walker - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Delia and Johnson Join the Blackhawks; Morris Called up from Indy - Rockford IceHogs
- Griffins Head to California for Four-Game Week - Grand Rapids Griffins
- The Bridgeport Report: Week 23 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Game Preview: March 22 at Toronto - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Heat Acquire Goulbourne from Belleville Senators - Stockton Heat
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.
