Hershey on Hold: Multiple COVID Cases Have Caused Four Postponements

HERSHEY, Pa. - For weeks now, things in Hershey have been anything but typical. But in Week 7, things really went off the rails.

Following a victory Wednesday night over Providence, the Bears were set to depart for Rochester for a Friday night contest, but that game spelled the beginning of a strange weekend.

It was announced Friday that Head Coach Scott Allen and Assistant Coach Patrick Weller had entered COVID protocol.

After the Bears lost in Rochester, it was announced that contests on Sunday and Wednesday would be rescheduled "out of an abundance of caution."

Inside AHL Hockey later learned that multiple positive cases, with multiple sources reporting the exposure reached double digits among players/staff personnel etc., is the cause for the Bears' season being on hold.

On Wednesday, the American Hockey League (AHL) announced that the Bears' games Saturday at Lehigh Valley and Sunday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will also not be played as scheduled. Both games will be made up at a later date.

Last Week

Wednesday, November 24: Providence - 3  at Hershey - 4 (OT)

Last Wednesday night, the Bears needed overtime to dispatch of the Providence Bruins, 4-3.

The Bruins jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but Joe Snively once again provided a catalyst for Hershey with a short-handed goal (the Bears would be on the PK nine times in Wednesday’s game, but would take many more penalties Friday in Rochester).

In the third period, Garrett Pilon scored on the powerplay 29 seconds after the puck dropped, and Shane Gersich added a tally 53 seconds later to put the Bears on top for the first time in the contest. However a questionable tripping penalty to Snively proved costly as Providence tied the game in the final minutes of regulation. In the overtime period, Mason Morelli scored his first of the season to lift the Bears to yet another Thanksgiving Eve victory. Zach Fucale made 22 saves on 25 shots to earn the victory in net.

Friday, November 26: Hershey - 3 at Rochester - 7

In Rochester on Friday night, the Bears and Americans combined for 135 penalty minutes in a fiery contest won by Rochester, 7-3.

The 20 infractions is a season-high for the Bears who were whistled for 4 times for roughing, once for holding, twice for slashing, once for instigating, twice for cross-checking, twice for tripping, 4 times for fighting, and 4 times for misconducts.

Hershey goals were scored by Kody Clark (shorthanded to make it 4-1 Rochester), Pilon (to make it 5-2 Rochester), and Morelli (5-3 Rochester). Phoenix Copley made 13 saves on 20 shots.

Sunday, November 28: Lehigh Valley at Hershey (Postponed)

Special Teams Weekly Recap

Hershey PP was 1-for-11 (Pilon against Providence)

Hershey PK was 12-for-18 (Providence scored two, and Rochester scored four; Snively scored shorthanded against Providence, and Clark scored shorthanded against Rochester)

Three Things

1. COVID is still a problem

It’s never easy when a coach is absent, especially due to COVID protocol, but Hershey was without two of them in a penalty-filled mess in Rochester.

Now having the following four games postponed is all the more alarming. Here's to hoping everyone is okay now, and for the long-term too.

Prior to the season starting, the Capitals announced that their players were vaccinated. This included the two-way players. Hershey has been very careful with media and visiting scouts, etc. Everyone on the 5th floor has a sticker indicating vaccination status and everyone is required to wear a mask at all times in the pressbox and interview room.

2. Everything including the kitchen sink

It’s a well known fact that the Bears can bring the physicality to a hockey game, and in some cases that disrupts the opponents enough to become a key to victory as it was Wednesday against Providence; however, penalties are still a huge issue for the Bears as are some poor decisions with the puck leading to costly turnovers.

"We know we have to clean things up," Allen said on Wednesday night. "When you play physical, and you play a certain way and do the right things, you have a tendency to get rewarded. Look no further than Mason Morelli with the game he had tonight (Wednesday)."

3. Shrinking Bench

With injuries and recalls, the Hershey line-up has been very different this season, but when the Bears are on the PP or the PK, the bench gets even shorter as several players who are not on either, see their ice time diminished.

"We had 9 penalties against us (Wednesday), so that's a lot of time in the box combined with six powerplays, so that's a lot of the game spent on special teams, and if you're not on either one of those special teams it's tough. So guys like Kale Kessy, who gives us everything, he’s a great team guy (does not see as much ice time)."

This proved an even bigger problem Friday night in Rochester as Alex Alexeyev and Kessy each received Game Misconducts.

The Week Ahead

The Hershey Bears hope to resume practice by the end of the week, but will not be in action this week. They hope to resume play Wednesday, December 8 on the road against rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

One of their four postponed games has already been rescheduled. The Hershey-Lehigh Valley game from December 1 will now be played on Tuesday, December 21 at 7:15 p.m. ET.

Wednesday, December 1: Hershey at Lehigh Valley - 7:15 p.m. ET (postponed, rescheduled to Dec 21 at 7:15 p.m. ET) Saturday, December 4: Hershey at Lehigh Valley - 7:15 p.m. ET (postponed) Sunday, December 5: W-B/Scranton at Hershey - 5:00 p.m. ET (postponed)