Bears Weekly #25: Road Swing Continues as April Arrives
March 29, 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 upcoming road games versus Atlantic Division rivals this week. The Bears visit Charlotte on Friday night at 7 p.m. and finish the two-game set with the Checkers on Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Bojangles' Coliseum. The Bears will then travel to Bridgeport for a 10:30 a.m. game next Tuesday. Hershey enters this week with 2,999 wins in franchise history, and the Bears will look to become the first AHL team to hit 3,000 wins with a victory this week.
TEAM INFO:
Record: 30-24-5-4
Standings Position: 5th in Atlantic
TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Garrett Pilon (16)
Assists: Mike Vecchione (25)
Points: Mike Vecchione (38)
Power Play Goals: Garrett Pilon (6)
Shorthanded Goals: Shane Gersich, Brian Pinho (2)
Plus/Minus: Lucas Johansen (+23)
Wins: Pheonix Copley (15)
GAA: Pheonix Copley (2.37)
SV%: Pheonix Copley (.912)
Only includes players on the active roster
RECENT RESULTS:
Wednesday, Mar. 23: Hershey 5, Lehigh Valley 1
Beck Malenstyn scored two goals, and the Hershey Bears won the franchise's 2,999th regular season game in team history, defeating the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last Wednesday night at GIANT Center, 5-1. The game didn't start the way the home team hoped as Wade Allison connected on Lehigh Valley's first shot just 20 seconds into the game to make it 1-0 Phantoms. However, Hershey struck twice in the first frame to grab a lead they'd never relinquish. Shane Gersich connected for his first goal since Jan. 29, finishing on a one-timer from the right wing to make it 1-1 at 16:48. At 18:07, Aliaksei Protas gave Hershey a lead with a redirect in front of the Lehigh Valley net. Lucas Johansen added to Hershey's lead at 14:25 of the middle frame, striking on a perfect feed from Cody Franson to make it 3-1. Just over a minute later, Malenstyn scored his first of two goals, firing a shot from the slot through a screen at 15:46. In the third period, Hershey outshot Lehigh Valley 10-1, and Malenstyn scored the lone goal, striking for an unassisted, shorthanded breakaway goal at 17:51 to make it 5-1. Pheonix Copley earned the win in goal for Hershey, stopping 26 shots.
Friday, Mar. 25: Providence 2, Hershey 0
The Bears lost last Friday at Providence by a 2-0 score. It marked the fifth time Hershey has been shut out this season, with three of those whitewashes versus Providence, and two of the scoreless games as a result of Providence netminder Troy Grosenick's perfect play. Hershey outshot the Bruins 28-18, but Grosenick was flawless between the pipes, and Tyler Lewington scored the game-winning goal for Providence in the third period. Matt Filipe added an empty net goal for the Bruins as Hershey finished winless (0-3-0-0) at the Dunkin' Donuts Center this season.
Saturday, Mar. 26: Hartford 4, Hershey 3 (SO)
The Hershey Bears rallied from a 3-0 deficit at Hartford last Saturday to earn a point in a 4-3 shootout loss. After leading 2-0 through 20 minutes, Anthony Greco scored a power play goal in the middle frame to put Hartford ahead 3-0. However, Hershey struck twice on the power play before the period ended, getting goals from Garrett Pilon at 14:40, and Mason Morelli at 16:26. In the third period, Mike Vecchione scored his 13th goal of the season at 8:57 to tie the game. Despite several golden chances for Hershey in overtime, the game progressed to a shootout, and Hartford's Ty Ronning had the lone goal of the skills competition to give the Wolf Pack the win.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
-Friday, Apr. 1 at Charlotte, 7 p.m.
-Saturday, Apr. 2 at Charlotte, 6 p.m.
-Tuesday, Apr. 5 at Bridgeport, 10:30 a.m.
Video Coverage: AHLTV, Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network, Tickets: HersheyBears.com
TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:
PLAYOFF PUSH IS ON:
As April arrives, the push for a playoff berth in the 2022 Calder Cup Playoffs is on. This season, the top six teams in the division qualify for the playoffs. Hershey enters this week sitting in 5th place in the Atlantic Division with a .548 points percentage and 13 games remaining. Hershey isn't far behind 4th place Hartford, who has a .551 points percentage and also has 13 games left. However, both Bridgeport (6th place, .516 points percentage, 10 games left) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (7th place, .516 points percentage, 13 games left) are nipping at the Bears' heels looking to climb the ladder in the standings. Hershey's next three games are versus the division's hottest teams. Hershey plays 3rd place Charlotte twice this weekend, and then heads to 6th place Bridgeport next Tuesday. Both opponents are 7-2-1-0 over their past 10 games.
STILL LOOKING TO TRACK DOWN 3,000:
Hershey enters this week with 2,999 victories in franchise history. With the club's next win, 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.
CHECKING BACK IN:
Hershey is set to hit the road for a pair of games at Charlotte this weekend to finish the head-to-head season series with its Atlantic Division foes. The Bears have gone 3-3-0-0 versus Charlotte this year, with the Checkers winning the last matchup thanks to a 44-save shutout from Spencer Knight in a 3-0 victory at GIANT Center on Mar. 2. Hershey last made the trip to North Carolina in October 2021, with the club's first road win of the season coming on Oct. 23 in a 2-1 decision, thanks to a Lucas Johansen overtime winning goal. Hershey forward Garrett Pilon has scored seven points (4g, 3a) in five games this season versus the Checkers, while Charlotte forward Alexander True has collected eight points (4g, 4a) in six head-to-head contests this year. Both teams have enjoyed great success on the power play in the six previous meetings, with the Checkers going 6-for-24 (25%) and Hershey posting a 6-for-28 (21.4%) mark on the man advantage.
MORE OF MIKE:
The Washington Capitals, the NHL affiliate of the Hershey Bears, announced on Monday the club re-signed forward Mike Vecchione to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2022-23 season. Vecchione is tied for the team-lead in scoring for Hershey this season, registering 38 points (13g, 25a) in 46 games. He leads the Bears in assists (25), power play assists (13), and power play points (18). He is just two points from tying his career-best of 40 points, posted in his rookie campaign with Lehigh Valley over 65 games in 2017-18. Vecchione has also played in one game for the Capitals this season, and in total, has appeared in three NHL games in his career with Philadelphia and Washington.
NOT DUE TO A LACK OF SHOTS:
Hershey enters this week with five straight decisions on the road going the way of the opponent (0-3-1-1), but the club's lack of success away from home hasn't been due to a lack of shots. Hershey has outshot its opponents in all five of those losses. In fact, Hershey has outshot its opponent in 17 road games this season, but Hershey has posted just a 2-12-2-1 record in those games. However, when the Bears are outshot away from home, Hershey has posted a 7-3-1-0 mark. In all games this season, home and away, Hershey ranks 8th in the AHL, averaging 31.41 shots per game.
BEARS BITES:
Hershey is currently in the midst of a six-game road trip, the longest time away from GIANT Center this season for the Bears...If the playoffs started today, Hershey would play Hartford in a best-of-3 series in the postseason's opening round...Hershey's Brett Leason played in his 100th career AHL game last Saturday at Hartford...Netminder Pheonix Copley's goals against average of 2.37 ranks 7th best in the AHL...Bears fans are encouraged to vote for the club's mascot, Coco, in the AHL's annual Mascot Madness contest. Fans may vote at TheAHL.com/mascotmadness2022.
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