Hershey Slumping Into The Stretch Run

HERSHEY, Pa. - The Hershey Bears (25-17-6) have been trending in the wrong direction of late, with just four wins in their past 10 games, and have seen themselves slide down the Atlantic Division standings in recent weeks from near the top down to fifth place as teams are firmly past the midway mark of the season and heading down the stretch.

Week 20 got off to a frosty start for the Bears who fell 5-0 in Providence Friday night. Troy Grosenick made 34 saves to earn the shutout for Providence. The Bruins meanwhile scored twice at even strength, twice on the powerplay, and once shorthanded in a penalty-filled contest at Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

Hershey head coach Scott Allen shuffled his lineups for Saturday night’s contest in Bridgeport, and Hunter Shepard turned in yet another sparkling performance as the Bears rebounded with a 4-2 victory at Webster Bank Arena.

Shepard, who was not one of the game’s three stars, absolutely stole the show with an amazing 18-save first period performance and a clean-slate through two periods with another 12 saves in the second.

Meanwhile, scoring support arrived from multiple players.

Alex Jonsson-Fjallby opened the scoring with a beautiful shot through traffic from between the faceoff circles. In the second, Marcus Vela turned on the jets and scored his fifth of the season. Later in the second, Brian Pinho scored shorthanded and Beck Malentyn added a tally with just 18 seconds left in the middle frame, propelling Hershey to a 4-0 lead. Bridgeport was able to get a pair of goals past Shepard in the third, but Hershey played a solid final five minutes to preserve the victory.

After Saturday night’s victory, the Bears traveled back to Providence for a Sunday afternoon matinee rematch with the Bruins.

After scoring the game’s opening goal (called Vecchione’s on a tip, but Jonsson-Fjallby led the team down the line), Hershey gave up a pair of goals in the final two minutes of the second.

The third period was equally forgettable as Providence scored two more and the Bears were unable to capitalize on a 5-on-3. Hershey’s miscues with penalties, passing, and coverage were exploited by the Bruins, and it showed on the scoreboard as the Bears headed home with a 4-1 defeat.

Special Teams Weekly Report

Hershey PP was 0-for-8 (Providence scored shorthanded Friday night)

Hershey PK was 10-for-13 (Pinho scored shorthanded against Bridgeport)

Three (+ One) Things

1. Reduced Travel?

The AHL has made reducing travel a priority, but this weekend caused a bit of head-scratching with Hershey’s schedule. A pair of games in Providence is not unheard of, but to send the team to Bridgeport and back in the middle makes little sense.

Granted Hershey is spending most of February and March on the road, but perhaps it would have made more sense to have a back-to-back in Providence before or after one game in Bridgeport. Understandably, AHL arenas are subject to availability with other events scheduled sometimes months in advance, but this one just makes little sense.

2. Technical Difficulties

Professional sports should have professional-grade equipment.  However, it seems that some buildings have notoriously "bad" equipment.

In Providence Friday night, issues with the replay system as well as away audio issues that bled into Sunday afternoon’s game certainly need to be addressed. In modern, state-of-the-art, professional arenas, glitches can be expected now and then, but that certainly should not be the norm.

3. Scoring Woes

Troy Groesnick was an absolute beast in net for the Bruins Friday and Sunday as Hershey had great difficulty scoring on the netminder. Vecchione scored the lone goal Groesnick allowed on the weekend. Additionally the Bears powerplay was shutout in eight attempts this weekend and allowed a shorthanded goal Friday night in Providence. Definitely not anything Allen and the coaching staff will go unaddressed.

4. Back to Basics

In lieu of a Quotable from Allen, a bonus takeaway is in order.

With another game on tap Tuesday night, perhaps the best advice that can be given is to go back to the basics.

The Bears need to do better with tape-to-tape passing, clearing the puck from the defensive zone, and cleaning up unnecessary penalties - especially against the better teams in the division.

They've had Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s number this year, but another performance like either of the Providence performances against the Penguins could be problematic.

The Road Ahead

The Bears return to Giant Center Tuesday night to host the Penguins, a game that was rescheduled from earlier in the season due to COVID protocols. They head to Utica on Friday night, and then the two teams travel to Hershey for a rematch Sunday evening. Sunday’s contest is AmeriChoice FCU Cowbell Night, so it could be a loud evening in Giant Center if the Bears offense gets going.

Tuesday, February 22: W-B/Scranton at Hershey, 7:00 p.m. ETFriday, February 25: Hershey at Utica, 7:00 p.m. ETSunday, February 26: Utica at Hershey, 5:00 p.m. ET