Bears' Top Line Rises To Occasion In Series-Tying Game 4 Win

Even after their win in Game 2, Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson was at-large not pleased with his team's performance against the Coachella Valley Firebirds - outside of goaltender Hunter Shepard.

He even went as far as to mention players by name that the team needed more from.

"We had three or four times where we had good scoring opportunities, and [we] whiffed on the puck," Nelson said after the Game 2 win last weekend. "We're talking goal scorers, like Hendrix Lapierre and Ethen Frank. Like come on, you got to bear down on those situations," the Bears' bench boss added as his frustration grew as his post-game media availability continues.

On one end, it may seem a bit brash and short-sighted as Frank's 10 goals have him tied for the AHL postseason goal scoring lead while Lapierre's 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) are currently the most of anyone in the postseason scoring race.

Joe Snively, a speedy play-making offensive winger, completes the team's top line and has 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 18 postseason appearances this spring.

But following Game 3's 6-2 loss, the Bears speedy trio had registered just one 5-on-5 goal in their previous four games - with that goal being the Snively tally that bounced off of Coachella Valley defenseman Ryker Evans' leg and into the net on a bit of a fluky goal 1:15 into Game 1.

The team as a whole knew they needed to be better if they wanted to extend the series and guarantee a return to Hershey, and home ice at the Giant Center.

The trio of Snively (game-winning goal, assist), Lapierre (goal, two assists) Frank (goal, two assists) came through in a big way in Game 4, recording all three goals (two even-strength, one power play) in the Bears 3-2 win to even the 2024 Calder Cup Finals series at two games apiece.

"We were just skating. We were on our toes. We were aggressive," Snively told reporters present at Acrisure Arena after the Game 4 win Thursday night, adding, "When those loose pucks happened, we had speed and were able to be a threat on the transition."

That top line's ability off the rush was on full display on Lapierre's goal in the second period, as Snively got a puck from Frank and zipped it across to Lapierre for a highlight reel tally as their speed and the team's overall ability to get in on the forecheck proved to be the difference Thursday.

Saturday's pivotal Game 5 will decide who heads back east to Hershey, PA with a chance to win the 2024 Calder Cup Finals in Monday night's Game 6.

"It's nice knowing we are taking the series back to Hershey," Nelson said of extending the series back to Hershey for at least a Game 6 Monday, with a possible Wednesday night Game 7 looming in the balance. "It's only fitting that the top two teams in the league.. it looks like it's going to be a long series."