The Hershey Bears fell 5-0 to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday at GIANT Center despite outshooting the Penguins 43-16. Hershey recorded 15 shots in the opening period and 19 more in the third, but could not solve Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltender Taylor Gauthier.
Hershey Bears Create Chances but Cannot Score
Hershey trailed 4-0 entering the third period, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton converted its opportunities. Bears head coach Derek King said Hershey needed greater attention to detail and could not finish its chances.
“It’s frustrating to watch pucks not going in for us, and we talked about some slot plays they like to do and they scored three off it like that – so [it’s] just attention to details at times – and it’s in the back of our net,” Bears head coach Derek King said following the contest. “That’s a good hockey team and they can score if you give them the opportunity. And we just couldn’t bury it past [Gauthier].”
King also noted that the shot total did not tell the entire story of the chances created by each team. Mitch Gibson was the Hershey netminder, while Gauthier kept the Bears scoreless.
“They had some shots that were right on [Hershey netminder Mitch Gibson],” King said. “We didn’t help him too much, but we had some point-blank opportunities too.”
Jacob MacDonald Leads Hershey With Eight Shots
Defenseman Jacob MacDonald led the Bears with eight shots on goal. That total marked an individual single-game high for the club this season, although Hershey could not convert its opportunities.
“We did a lot of really good things, and their goalie played well, so hats off to him,” MacDonald said. “I thought we had quality looks. We had the quantity too. Sometimes the pucks just don’t go in.
“I don’t think there’s any defining moment necessarily [where the outcome was decided]. I thought that even when they scored right off the hop in the third period, we still believed that we had a chance to do it. We go out there and we put up almost 20 shots in the third. So there’s a lot of belief in that locker room that at any point in the game we can turn the tide and get one, it turns into two, you know? So just start with the first one and go from there. But like I said, tonight it didn’t happen.”
Maryland Sports Blog Take
The Hershey Bears generated significant shot volume, including a 15-5 advantage in the opening period and 19 shots in the third. However, the Bears could not solve Gauthier, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton built a 4-0 lead before the final period and completed the shutout.
Hershey’s effort produced opportunities, but King and MacDonald both pointed to the need for better execution. The 5-0 loss showed the gap between creating chances and finishing them.
Source: Original report
