Game Preview: Penguins at Bears, 3 p.m.
May 16, 2021 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears conclude the 2020-21 season, presented by Penn State Health, this afternoon versus the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The puck drops at 3 p.m. at GIANT Center. Hershey has won nine straight games at GIANT Center and the Bears have already claimed the North Division title as well as the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the AHL's regular season champions.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (13-12-4-2) at Hershey Bears (23-7-2-0)
May 16, 2021 | 3 PM | Game #33 | GIANT Center
Referees: Jordan Deckard (#14), Rob Hennessey (#87)
Linesmen: Tom DellaFranco (#71), Tom George (#61)
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears were in action yesterday afternoon, earning a 3-2 win over the Binghamton Devils at GIANT Center. The win was Hershey's ninth straight victory on home ice and helped the Bears finish the season series 11-1-0-0 versus the Devils. Hershey trailed 1-0 through 20 minutes, but the Chocolate and White scored three goals in a flurry in the second period to pull away. Paul LaDue, Aliaksei Protas, and Connor McMichael tallied for the Bears, with McMichael posting his AHL-leading eighth game-winning goal this season. Zach Fucale turned aside 23 shots to record his fourth straight win between the pipes. Hershey posted a season-high 54 penalty minutes in the win. The Penguins are also coming off a win, dropping the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in overtime last night at the PPL Center, 2-1. Kasper Bjorkqvist's first goal of the season was the game-winner 2:54 into the extra session. Alex D'Orio had 23 saves in net to tally the victory for the Baby Pens.
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS:
While no Calder Cup will be awarded this year, the Bears are still racking up the hardware. With yesterday's win, Hershey clinched the North Division title, winning the F. G. "Teddy" Oke Trophy. This is Hershey's 20th division win in franchise history, and the Bears first since they won the Atlantic Division in 2015-16. Additionally, with the Bears win, and Laval's overtime loss to Toronto, the Bears also won the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as the league's regular-season champion. This is the first time since the 2009-10 season the Bears have earned this honor.
TEAM SCORING TITLE ON THE LINE:
Entering the final game of the season, rookie Connor McMichael and veteran captain Matt Moulson are tied for the team lead with 23 points each. McMichael is attempting to become the first Hershey rookie to capture the team's scoring title since Craig Fisher did so with 79 points (43g, 36a) in 77 games during the 1990-91 season. McMichael leads Hershey with 13 goals, is tied with Moulson for the team lead with five power play goals, and has scored the game-winning goal eight times, the most of any player in the AHL. Moulson, who is set to appear in his 400th AHL game today, has 11 goals and 12 assists this season. Both McMichael and Moulson have six points in the season series versus the Baby Pens to lead all Hershey skaters.
SEASON SERIES SO FAR:
Hershey is 7-2-0-0 this year versus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, including a perfect 4-0-0-0 at GIANT Center. The Bears have held the Baby Pens to just 4-for-37 (10.8%) on the power play in the season series while Hershey is 7-for-37 (18.9%). Both teams have been playing strong hockey down the stretch with the Baby Pens going 6-3-1-0 over the past 10 games, and Hershey sitting at 8-2-0-0. Goaltender Zach Fucale is 3-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .969 save percentage versus the Penguins this year. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's Nick Schilkey has the most points of any player in the season series with seven (1g, 6a).
TIP OF THE CAP TO THE MEDICAL STAFF:
As the season comes to a close, the Hershey Bears training and medical staff deserve a lot of credit for safely getting the team on the ice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hershey played 33 of it's scheduled 36 games this season, and the three games played were due to COVID-19 protocol issues with other teams. Hershey had no COVID-19 protocol issues that caused the team to miss any games, and the club just missed only one day of practice (out of an abundance of caution) during the season. Head athletic trainer Brian Riedel and manager of wellness and team affairs Dan "Beaker" Stuck served as the team's COVID-19 officers. Assistant athletic trainer Shawn Fliszar also played a large part in the team's day-to-day operation keeping players safe and healthy, as did the team's doctors from Penn State Health.
American Hockey League Stories from May 16, 2021
- Silver Knights Fall in Final Game of the Regular Season in OT - Henderson Silver Knights
- Amerks Top Comets in Regular Season Finale - Rochester Americans
- Roadrunners Wrap Up Regular Season With Ontario Reign, Will Travel To Irvine To Face San Jose In Playoffs - Tucson Roadrunners
- Nine Goals Lift Reign - Ontario Reign
- Moose Head into Offseason with 6-1 Loss - Manitoba Moose
- Comets End Season with Loss to Americans, 2-1 - Utica Comets
- Devils Take Down Phantoms in Finale, 4-3 - Binghamton Devils
- Penguins Lose to Bears in Feisty Season Finale - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- League Champs Go out Winners: Bears Finish Season with 5-2 Victory over Pens - Hershey Bears
- Game #36 Ontario at Tucson - Tucson Roadrunners
- Game Day Build-Up: Senators vs. Moose, May 16th - Belleville Senators
- Game Preview: Penguins at Bears, 3 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- American Hockey League Announces Suspension - AHL
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