AHL Hershey Bears

Bears Weekly #3: Three-In-Three and Atlantic Division Battles on Tap

Published on November 2, 2021 under 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 in three days this weekend. The Chocolate and White went 1-0-1-1 last week, and the club has posted points in four straight games. All three games the Bears play this weekend are within the Atlantic Division.

TEAM INFO:

Record: 4-1-1-1

Standings Position: 3rd in Atlantic

TEAM LEADERS:

Goals: Garrett Pilon (4)

Assists: Mike Vecchione (6)

Points: Four Players Tied (7)

Power Play Goals: Garrett Pilon (2)

Shorthanded Goals: N/A

Plus/Minus: Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (+3)

Wins: Zach Fucale (2)

GAA: Zach Fucale (0.96)

SV%: Zach Fucale (.963)

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

Wednesday, October 27, 2021: Syracuse 3, Hershey 2 (OT)

The Hershey Bears hosted the Syracuse Crunch last Wednesday, dropping a 3-2 decision in overtime. Hershey jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opening period thanks to goals from Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Matt Moulson, but the Crunch scored power play goals in the second and third period to tie the game, 2-2. Pheonix Copley made 37 saves for Hershey, but Charles Hudon scored the game-winning goal on a breakaway at 4:46 to give the Crunch the extra point.

Saturday, October 30: Cleveland 2, Hershey 1 (SO)

The Chocolate and White fell in a shootout to the Cleveland Monsters, 2-1, last Saturday at GIANT Center. Liam Foudy opened the scoring for Cleveland at 7:12 of the first period, but Cody Franson's first goal as a Bear tied the game with five minutes left in the second period. Cleveland's J.F. Berube and Hershey's Zach Fucale stood tall in goal, and the game progressed to a shootout. It took eight rounds for someone to finally solve the netminders, and it was Cleveland's Kevin Stenlund who notched the winning tally to give the Monsters the victory.

Sunday, October 31: Hershey 4, Cleveland 3 (OT)

Hershey finished the weekend on a high note, scoring a 4-3 overtime win in the rematch versus the Monsters on Sunday. The Chocolate and White got goals from Mike Sgarbossa and Lucas Johansen in the second period, but Liam Foudy scored for Cleveland just 22 seconds into the third period to give the visitors a 3-2 lead. Hershey's Garrett Pilon tied the game on the power play at 12:12 of the third period to force overtime. In the extra session, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby played hero, scoring on a 2-on-1 rush to earn the Bears the win. The victory was Hershey's ninth straight win on Halloween, dating back to 1998.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE:

Friday, Nov. 5 at Springfield, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 6 vs. Providence, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 7 vs. Springfield, 3 p.m.

Tickets available at HersheyBears.com via Ticketmaster

Video Coverage: AHLTV, Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network

The Bears play three games in three days this week, starting with a road contest versus the top team in the Atlantic Division, the 5-0-2-0 Springfield Thunderbirds. This weekend is Hershey's first three-in-three since prior to the pandemic. The last time Hershey had three games in three days was Mar. 6-8, 2020 when Hershey visited Hartford Friday and Saturday, and traveled to Providence on Sunday.

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

LUJO SCORING GOALS:

Defender Lucas Johansen scored his third goal of the season in Sunday's overtime win versus Cleveland. The 23-year-old is tied for the league lead in goals among blue liners, with only Cleveland's Jake Christiansen matching Johansen's trio of goals. Johansen has scored on three of the eight shots he's taken this season, giving him the best shooting percentage (37.5%) among defenders who have at least four shots. He has scored on the past two shots he has taken.

WELCOME TO THE NATIONAL:

Over the past week, a pair of players who opened the season on Hershey's roster made their NHL debuts with the Washington Capitals. Third-year pro Brett Leason was recalled to Washington last Friday, skating in his first NHL game that night versus Ottawa. He tallied his first NHL goal in Washington's loss at Tampa Bay on Monday. Aliaksei Protas joined Leason and the Capitals, being recalled to the big club on Monday and skating in his first NHL game versus the Lightning. Leason had one goal in five games with the Bears this season while Protas collected four points (1g, 3a) in six games with Hershey.

FRANSON FIRES IT UP:

Hershey blue liner Cody Franson has collected points in three straight games, posting one goal and two assists in that span. Franson scored his first goal as a Bear last Saturday, striking on the power play to tie the game in the second period. The veteran defender has tallied 145 points (38g, 107a) in 228 career AHL games.

BEARS BITES:

The Bears enter this week having played in four straight games that required either overtime or a shootout. Hershey is 2-0-1-1 in those games....Axel Jonsson-Fjallby is tied for the league-lead with two game-winning goals...Zach Fucale's 0.96 goals-against average is the best in the AHL while his .963 save percentage is third...Mike Vecchione's five power play assists this season are second in the AHL...The Bears and Utica are the only teams perfect on the penalty kill on the road. The Chocolate and White are 7-for-7 on the PK away from home...The Bears play the Springfield Thunderbirds on Friday and Sunday. The T-Birds roster features former Bears forward Nathan Walker...The Chocolate and White battle Providence on Saturday. The Bruins roster features former Hershey defenders Aaron Ness and Tyler Lewington.

Check out the Hershey Bears Statistics

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



American Hockey League Stories from November 2, 2021


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