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AHL Hershey Bears

Hershey Weekly

May 12, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


The Hershey Bears Hockey Club split their first four games of the 2015 Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Hartford Wolf Pack. The series resumes in Chocolatetown on Wednesday and will shift back to the Connecticut capital on Friday.

Former Bears champion Chris Bourque ended the opening game of the series with 3:13 left in overtime on Wednesday, sending Hartford to a 2-1 victory. Chris Conner scored the Bears' goal and Philipp Grubauer denied 41 of 43 shots sent his way.

The Bears found themselves down by two separate two-goal deficits in Friday's Game Two at GIANT Center. But Tim Kennedy and Jim O'Brien would score twice, Jakub Vrana netted the eventual winner and Nate Schmidt added a goal to his two assists in pacing the Bears to a 6-4 victory. Grubauer was pulled after making 13 saves on 17 shots, and Pheonix Copley came on to stop all nine he faced to record his third playoff win. Yann Danis stopped 23 of 28 in the loss - the first time he gave up more than two goals in the postseason.

The series shifted to the DCU Center in Worcester for Games Three and Four on Sunday and Monday, due to a building availability issue at Hartford's XL Center. Hershey, which won both games at the venue against the Worcester Sharks in the conference quarterfinals, got all its offense from the defense in a 2-1 victory. Schmidt followed up a Vrana shot to backhand the rebound home early in the second period, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead. Hershey had a chance to pull further ahead while working on their second power play of the night, but instead it would be Joey Crabb slipping a shot between the right post and Grubauer's left pad to knot the score on a shorthanded goal. Hershey then duplicated what Hartford did while working their fourth power play of the night. Cameron Schilling blocked a Bourque carry at the Hershey blue line, then took off the other way and let a wrist shot go that sailed through a screen and past Danis with 9:37 left to play. Hershey held that 2-1 lead to the final horn and grabbed the series lead in the process.

On Monday in Game Four, the Wolf Pack came out determined to avoid coming back to Hershey down by two games in the series. Oscar Lindberg factored into all of the Wolf Pack scoring, giving the hosts an early cushion and helping them hold on for a 3-1 win. Lindberg first floated a shot on goal that was tipped home by Crabb, then one-timed a Bourque feed for a power-play goal in the second frame. His stretch pass to Ryan Haggerty sprung the forward in on a breakaway and his shot slid home, giving the Pack a 3-0 lead. Jon Landry broke up Danis' shutout bid with his first career playoff goal with 7:58 left to play.

HERSHEY BEARS NEWS AND NOTES

AFFILIATE BATTLE: For the first time since 2011, the AHL and NHL have affiliates battling in concurrent series (Washington vs. NY Rangers, Hershey vs. Hartford). Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Norfolk faced off while Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay dueled four years ago in their respective opening rounds.

ERASE, RE-WRITE, REPEAT: Several records were either tied or broken and milestones re-written in the Bears' series-clinching win over the Worcester Sharks:

-Shots on goal - 48 (old record 46, 6/1/07 vs. HAM)

-Individual points, one game, both teams - 40 (old record 36, 5/11/07 vs. WBS)

-Bears playoff hat trick - Casey Wellman (first since 5/11/07, Scott Barney vs. WBS)

-Goals, one game - 10 (tied for second-most in team history and first in AHL since 4/22/98 at Kentucky)

"S" FOR SUCCESS: Bears defensemen Cameron Schilling and Nate Schmidt were a big part of the offense in Hershey's series win over Worcester, and came through again with all of the Bears' offense in Game Three over Hartford. Schmidt now leads all AHL defensemen in playoff scoring (3-5-8), power play assists (four) and power play points (1-4-5). Schilling scored a shorthanded goal that ended as the winner on Sunday, his second game-winner of the playoffs, which leads all AHL defensemen. Schilling and Schmidt are tied for the goal-scoring lead among defensemen as well (three). Schilling's six points (3-3-6) rank tied for fourth among defensemen.

SPREADING THE WEALTH: 13 different players have scored a goal for Hershey in the postseason - tied for the most among all playoff teams. Hershey has six players with three goals to their credit - most among all playoff teams.

ROOKIES REVVING UP: LW Jakub Vrana has recorded six points (2-4-6) in eight playoff games, which ranks tied for third among playoff rookie scoring. LW Liam O'Brien is one point behind and ranks tied for sixth (2-3-5). Vrana's four assists are tied for fourth among AHL rookies.

BEARS BULLETS: The Bears rank fourth among playoff teams in goals per game (3.50) and fifth in goals against (2.50)...Hershey ranks second on the power play at home (27.8%) and fourth overall (25.0%), and has scored the second-most power-play goals (eight) among all playoff teams...Hershey is the only playoff team to have recorded four power play goals in one game...Hershey leads the league with three shorthanded goals in the playoffs...Three of the Bears' five game-winning goals have come from defensemen...With Jon Landry's first career playoff goal and Steve Oleksy's assist in Game Four, Bears' defensemen have produced 20 points (8-12-20) over eight playoff games...Hershey is the only team in the league to have recorded 20 shots on goal in a period (second, 5/1)....Hershey is the only team to have recorded four goals in a first period (5/1) and the only team to have recorded four goals in a first (5/1), second (5/6) and third (5/8) period...Philipp Grubauer's penalty shot save in Monday's Game Four gives the Hershey goaltenders a 3-for-4 mark (.750) in penalty shots in 2014-15.

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