Curtain Closes on Highly Successful 78th Season
June 16, 2016 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
The Hershey Bears Hockey Club battled valiantly against the Western Conference champion Lake Erie Monsters, but back-to-back overtime wins by the Cleveland franchise ended the Calder Cup Finals in four games.
With the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers hosting two games of their final series last week, games three and four of the Calder Cup Finals were separated by four full days. Last Monday, Ryan Stanton struck for the opening goal just over two minutes into the night. Lake Erie answered on a goal by Oliver Bjorkstrand and a power-play marker from Daniel Zaar, but the resilient Bears responded on Dustin Gazley's fourth goal of the postseason. Goaltenders Justin Peters and Anton Forsberg shut the door in the third period, sending the game to sudden death overtime. Just 1:20 in, Bjorkstrand buried the rebound of Zach Werenski's shot from the point, and the Monsters skated away with a 3-2 victory and a 3-0 series lead.
The Bears returned to Chocolatetown for rest and a few practices before heading back to Ohio. The series resumed on Saturday with game four, and in front of a sellout crowd of 19,665 at Quicken Loans Arena, an epic battle of goaltending unfolded. Peters would turn away nine first-period shots, which included a lunging pad stop on a partial breakaway from Monsters winger Josh Anderson. Peters would again save the day in the second period, reaching for a Sonny Milano shot that appeared to be targeted for a gaping net. Peters got a piece of the chance with the inside of his right arm, keeping the game scoreless. Hershey began to take over possession time later in the third period but Forsberg was up to the task as well, and the board showed zeroes through 60 minutes of play. The overtime was everything fans could have asked for, with close chances at both creases. But the Monsters would eventually prevail, just before the clock hit zero on the first overtime period. Following an icing call, Hershey faced off in its own end but could not control the play. Lukas Sedlak whirled around in the slot for a shot that deflected away. From the goal line, Bjorkstrand again would emerge as the hero, throwing the puck into traffic and watching it deflect into the net with 1.9 seconds left on the clock.
Peters finished with 57 saves on 61 shots in the two games in Cleveland and was named the third star of game four.
Hershey completed its fifth appearance in the Calder Cup Finals in its 11- year affiliation with the Washington Capitals.
HERSHEY BEARS SEASON NEWS AND NOTES
M-V-P: Becoming the first Hershey player since Keith Aucoin (2009-10) to lead the AHL in regular-season scoring, Chris Bourque's 80 points (30-50-80) also earned him the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL's most valuable player of 2015-16. He went on to post 12 points (4-8-12) in 21 playoff games, climbing in all-time statistics. Among all AHL players, Bourque now ranks fourth in playoff games played (121), second in assists (78) and fifth in points (107). He became the seventh player in AHL history to record 100 playoff points with a two-goal performance in game three of the Atlantic Division Finals against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In Hershey, Bourque passed the legendary Mike Nykoluk and became the Bears' all-time playoff points leader (20-56-76); he ranks second in assists (56) and second in games played (94).
CAMPING OUT ON TOP: After finishing tied for sixth on the team in regular- season scoring (9-25-34), Carter Camper led the Bears in playoff scoring (6- 11-17) and finished one point off of the overall AHL lead. He did lead the league in playoff power-play assists (seven) and points (eight).
SILL STANDS OUT: Veteran forward Zach Sill finished fifth on the Bears in playoff scoring (6-4-10), but led the team in power-play goals (three) and tied for the lead in shorthanded goals (two) and game-winning goals (two). It was Sill's best offensive output ever in his playoff career, which followed his second-best offensive production in the regular season (9-13-22).
PROLIFIC PROSPECTS:
Despite playing only 36 games in the regular season due to injury, Jakub Vrana completed his rookie year with 34 points (16-18-34), good enough for sixth-best on the team. He went on to add 14 points (8-6-14) in the postseason, leading his team in goals and ranking second in points.
Riley Barber finished the regular season as Hershey's leading rookie scorer, potting 26 goals and 29 assists for 55 points. He ranked second among all AHL rookies in goals and tied for fourth in points.
Travis Boyd etched his name into Hershey history when he became the second Bears player to ever record an overtime-winning goal in a playoff game seven, ending Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's season on May 15 at GIANT Center. Boyd finished with nine points (2-7-9) in the playoffs with both goals ending as game-winners. He was also one of three 20-goal scorers for the Bears in the regular season, ranked third in team scoring (21-32-53) and was the only Bears player to appear in all 76 games.
Defenseman Christian Djoos continued to display his offensive talent in the playoffs, leading all Bears defensemen in points and tying for fourth among all AHL blueliners (2-7-9). Djoos also led AHL defensemen in regular season shootout goals (four) and success (4/6=66.7%).
Tyler Lewington stepped up in the postseason to score four goals and one assist, leading all Bears blueliners in playoff goals and leading all AHL defensemen that played through the final round in playoff shooting percentage (28.6%).
Madison Bowey finished the regular season as the Bears' leader in scoring by a defenseman, netting 29 points (4-25-29) in his first pro season. He tied for fourth on the team in assists.
BACKSTOP BUDDIES: Veteran goaltenders Dan Ellis and Justin Peters will be remembered for their season contributions. Ellis won 25 of Hershey's 43 regular-season games, including a run of 16-4-1 in 21 games from January- March to help the Bears win the Atlantic Division title. Peters would emerge as the Bears' playoff hero, finishing with a league-best 11 wins, two shutouts, 1242:20 minutes played and 523 saves. He tied for third in goals-against average (2.13).
TEAM NOTES: Hershey closed out every playoff series on a Sunday...Hershey moved into the AHL lead in franchise game seven wins (nine)...Hershey's game one win over Toronto in the Eastern Conference Finals was its 600th franchise playoff game, and its five-game victory over Toronto was its 70th franchise series win...The Bears played in their fifth Calder Cup Finals in 11 seasons as Washington's top affiliate...Hershey led the AHL in regular-season attendance for the 10th consecutive season.
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