Hershey Hopes To Get Back On Track This Weekend

HERSHEY, Pa. - The Hershey Bears look to get back on track with another three-in-three weekend looming on the road in the northeast against the Providence Bruins and Bridgeport Sound Tigers after dropping two of three games last week.

On Friday night in Allentown, the Hershey Bears fell to the Phantoms for the third time this season at PPL Center, 6-3. An early turnover enabled the Phantoms to jump out to a 1-0 lead which they quickly doubled just over seven minutes later. Hershey did cut the lead in half later in the period when Brian Pinho deflected Cody Franson’s shot into the net, but the Phantoms scored again before time expired in the first period. After two additional Lehigh Valley goals, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Mason Morelli both scored, but a late empty net goal spoiled any thoughts of a come-back. Hunter Shepard replaced Zach Fucale at the beginning of the third period.

Saturday evening, the Bears returned to Giant Center to host former bench boss Troy Mann (former netminder Jeremy Peters is Belleville’s goaltender coach) and the Belleville Senators. Hershey welcomed back former blueliner Colby Williams with a video tribute before fighting their way to a 5-4 victory over the Senators. Mike Vecchione opened the scoring with a 5-on-3 PP goal early in the 1st period. After Belleville tied the game, Marcus Vela deflected a Lucas Johansen point shot into the net to regain the lead. Things took a strange turn then after a major and game misconduct were assessed to Dylan McIlrath (more on that below); Belleville took advantage and once again tied the game. In the second, Alex Protas put the home team back on top with a powerplay one-timer from the right faceoff circle. The Senators then scored a pair and looked poised to earn a victory at Giant Center, but Morelli and Franson both scored their second goals of the week as the Bears hung on down the stretch including a 6-on-4 advantage for Belleville to finish out the game.

On Sunday, Hershey traveled back to PPL Center, and while they played better than they did Friday, they still found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-2 contest. Vela opened the scoring by deflecting a shot by Erkamps into the back of the net, but a powerplay goal from Lehigh’s Hayden Hodgson would tie things up in the second. In the third, Hershey unsuccessfully challenged a Morgan Frost goal and gave up a late empty-net goal before Morelli scored for the third time this week to make it 3-2 with two seconds left in the contest.

Special Teams Weekly Report

Hershey PP was 4-for-12 (Lehigh Valley/Friday - Pinho; Belleville - Vecchione, Protas, Franson)

Hershey PK was 6-for-10

Three Things

**1. Who Were Those Guys?

Making no mistake that Friday night's lackluster performance in Allentown was not acceptable.

"We'd been coming off a break. The best way for me to word it is I thought we had group of imposters who had Bears’ jerseys on (Friday night) in Lehigh Valley," Hershey Bears head coach Scott Allen said of the performance.

With a three-in-three and some healthy scratches, Allen was able to make some adjustments to the lineups Saturday and Sunday but noted there were still several key players injured and out of this weekend’s lineup (Matt Moulson, Garrett Pilon, Bobby Nardella, Mike Sgarbossa, and Tobias Geisser were all absent from the lineup all weekend).

2. Major and Misconduct Without Injury

On Saturday night, Dylan McIlrath was called for a slashing major and game misconduct.

According to the rule book, a slashing major and game misconduct may be assessed when the opposing player suffers an injury. There was no injury Saturday night, and confusion at Giant Center ensued.

Allen was offered an explanation by the officials but declined to share that during the post game interview saying, "I'd rather not say. I'd rather keep that between myself and the officials. These guys are human; sometimes they do make mistakes."

While admirable, it offered little insight into what was for all intents and purposes a strangely officiated game, but as Allen alluded to, even officials, who are human, can have off-nights.

3. Protas' Performance

The weekend marked the return of Aliaksei Protos to Hershey from an extended recall to Washington where he has appeared in 33 games this season and recorded three goals and six assists.

In his first home game back with the Bears, his goal and assist equaled his numbers from the 2020-2021 campaign (2G, 5A).

"He had a tough night (Friday in Lehigh Valley)... no sooner was the game done and he said, 'I’ll be better tomorrow', and he certainly was. He plays with such poise with the puck. He's a very good teammate," Allen added noting that the youngster has bought into what is asked of him and uses his size and abilities well.

Quotable: "I'm an underdog my entire life, so if I don't have any skin in the game.. I'm going to root for the underdog, that would be the Cincinnati Bengals." - Hershey Bears head coach Scott Allen

The Road Ahead

In perhaps the strangest week yet, the Bears travel to Providence Friday night, head to Bridgeport for a Saturday night game, and then travel back to Providence for a Sunday afternoon game with the Bruins. They are then back in action at Giant Center Tuesday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Friday, February 18: Hershey at Providence, 7:05 p.m. ETSaturday, February 19: Hershey at Bridgeport, 7:05 p.m. ETSunday, February 20: Hershey at Providence, 3:05 p.m. ET