Hershey's Hot Start Backed By Strong Goaltending

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HERSHEY, Pa. - After posting a perfect 2-0 record to open the 2021-2022 season, new Hershey head coach, Scott Allen, did not mince words in the post-game press conference Sunday evening.

"It's early in the season...we had a strong weekend, but make no mistake, we have a lot to work on," Allen said.

That's certainly a message to his team, who at times, made mistakes that could have proven very costly if not for the strong play of goaltenders Phoenix Copley (13 saves on 15 shots in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over Charlotte) and Zach Fucale (23 saves on 24 shots in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Lehigh Valley).

In Saturday’s game, penalties in the first period and mishandled pucks in the second helped keep the Checkers within striking distance heading into the third period. Penalties were once again an issue on Sunday as the Bears were sent to the penalty kill eight times.

Truthfully, it's been quite some time (ten years) since Hershey has jumped out of the gates with a perfect weekend, but that could be attributed to the amount of returning players the Bears have on the roster.

The contributions of the 'new blood' simply cannot be overlooked, especially on the blueline. Cody Franson tallied two assists, Lucas Johansen scored Hershey’s first goal of the season, and Michal Kempny and Tobias Geisser each recorded an assist for the Hershey defense.

Three Takeaways

Goaltending

Phoenix Copley (13 saves on 15 shots in Saturday’s 5-2 victory over Charlotte) and Zach Fucale (23 saves on 24 shots in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Lehigh Valley) were certainly a bright spot for Hershey out of the gates this weekend.

While both netminders allowed a goal they'd want back, Allen said, "Zach Fucale was outstanding. We had a great weekend from our goaltending. We expect nothing less. We know what we're getting with those guys each and every night. They give us a chance and some nights they have the ability to steal us a game too when we're not very good, so he was excellent."

Penalty Problems

Penalties could have proven very costly this weekend as Hershey was called for three penalties in the first period against Charlotte; one of those penalties, a slashing call on Dylan McIlrath, allowed the Checkers to tie the game at 1-1.

While Hershey turned things around in the second and third periods Saturday, the penalties piled up Sunday as the Bears were whistled for eight minors.

On the weekend, Hershey was whistled three times for tripping, twice for hooking, twice for delay of game, twice for interference, once for roughing, once for high-sticking, and once for slashing.

"Guys can get frustrated with that and lose their focus on the bench...at the end of the day if you play a hard, honest game some nights the calls are going to go for you...hopefully they even themselves out. You just control what you can control," Allen said after Sunday's win over Lehigh Valley.

Who's The Top Line?

It’s hard to pin-point one top line for Hershey following this weekend's contests.

The line of Alexsai Protos (1A), Brett Leason (1G), and Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (1G/1A) was impressive with their speed and chemistry.

The line of Mike Sgarbossa (1G/2A) , Joe Snively (2A), and Garrett Pilon (1G/2A) took top honors in the scoring department on the weekend.

Mike Vecchione (1G/1A) and Brian Pinho (1A)  were joined by Beck Malenstyn on opening night due to Matt Moulson’s suspension from last season, but the captain drew in on this line Sunday.

"I like our team chemistry," said Allen. "I like the ability to be able to play pretty much any of our lines against opposition lines. As long as they're going, my decision-making that comes into play [is] to try and make sure we get the right guys out against the opposition's top players."