Bears break losing streak, beat Checkers 6-5 in SO
It was an exciting beginning to February for Hershey Bears fans, as the team breaks a nine game losing streak to win in an astounding shutout at home.
The first period opened up with Hershey coming on strong. Only forty nine seconds into the game Nathan Walker would find a pass from John Albert and hit the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. Lucas Johansen would get secondary assist on the play. The bears would make good on a power play at 18:12 in the first with Riley Baber’s fourteenth goal of the season bringing the Bears to a 2-0 lead.
A slap shot from the right wing, by Bears captain Garrett Mitchell would give the Bears a 3-0 lead at 4:15 in the first period. This would open a burst of scoring chances for the Charlotte Checkers as they would tally the next three goals in the period.
Roland McKeown would get Charlotte on the board first at 7:47 in the second period, minutes later as Colby Williams headed to the box for a slahing call, Trevor Carrick would narrow the gap at 10:47 only three seconds into the power play. Less than four minutes later at 15:54, Lucas Wallmark would tie the game after findinga pass from Warren Foegele and beating Vitek Vanecek bringing the game to 3-3.
Hershey wasn’t done, and Riley Barber would score his second of the game at 18:52 giving Hershey the lead at 4-3. Less than twenty seconds later Charlotte would tie the game up again at 19:01, and the boys would head to the locker deadlocked at 4-4.
It took 5 rounds, but Travis Boyd would score the game winning shootout goal, as Vitek Canecek would stop a shot from Kuokkanen to bring the final score to a 6-5 win.
This is Hershey’s first win in almost a month as they also beat Charlotte back 0n January 7, 2018. Hershey was outshot 34-24 in the matchup, and scored on three of five power plays, while killing four of five penalties.
This brings Hershey’s record to 18-22-3-4. Both teams meet again tomorrow at an early 2 pm puck drop at Hershey Giant Center.
