BEARS THROTTLE BINGHAMTON IN START OF HOMESTAND

December 14, 2013

HERSHEY, Pa. – Julien Brouillette scored two goals, including the game-tying marker, and Michal Neuvirth made 33 saves in his conditioning assignment to help the Hershey Bears power past the Binghamton Senators by a 7-4 score on Saturday night, in the start of four straight games at GIANT Center.

The Bears grabbed the lead just 1:20 into the game on their first power play. Stan Galiev held the puck on a rush up the ice and fired a slap shot that beat Senators goaltender Andrew Hammond to the glove side.

On the hosts’ third man advantage, it would be the league’s leaders in shorthanded goals to strike. Mark Stone would poke the puck loose at center ice, race in and beat Neuvirth with a low shot at 11:56.

The Bears then jumped back ahead late in the period, when Brouillette scored his first of the night. His center-point snap shot slid along the ice and changed direction through the pads of Hammond at 17:16.

Matt Watkins would stake the Bears to a two-goal advantage with a strong effort from the left circle. While being checked to the ice, the winger swept a rebound of a Peter LeBlanc shot into a partially-vacated net just 51 seconds into the middle period.

Binghamton would then charge back, scoring three unanswered goals to take a 4-3 lead. Danny New, freshly assigned from ECHL Elmira, scored his first goal by sending a long-range wrist shot past a screened Neuvirth at 6:16.

Bears forward Michael Latta would then be assessed an elbowing major, ending his night and sending the Senators to a five-minute power play. They converted twice, both by forward Cole Schneider, grabbing the lead at the 12:03 mark.

But Brouillette would score a big goal with 1:52 left in the middle period. He took a pass from Watkins and sent another long shot into the upper corner over the arm of Hammond.

The Bears would take the lead for good when Brandon Segal jumped to a loose puck that was sitting at the top of Hammond’s crease and poked it across the line at 3:56 of the third.

Nathan Walker provided the insurance, picking off a pass from a Binghamton defenseman and snapping a shot past the blocker of Hammond at 6:36.

Ryan Stoa rounded out the scoring, driving to the net and one-touching a Nicolas Deschamps pass beyond the reach of Hammond at 7:37.

Neuvirth won his conditioning assignment to improve to 1-0-0. Hammond fell to 6-5-3, making 34 saves on 41 Hershey shots.

With the win, the Bears improve to 10-9-2-3 on the season.

Hershey will host face the Syracuse Crunch for the first time this season on Wednesday, December 18 at 7:00 PM. Individual tickets for this and all Hershey Bears home games are on sale at the GIANT Center box office, by calling (717) 508-BEAR or by visiting TicketMaster.com on the internet. Information on season tickets, group tickets and flex plans for the 2013-2014 Hershey Bears regular season is available by calling (717)508-BEAR.

NOTES: The Bears injury scratches were RW Connor Carrick, D Chay Genoway, D Tomas Kundratek, RW Garrett Mitchell and D Patrick Wey…Healthy scratches were C Jamie Johnson, RW Joel Rechlicz and LW Derek Whitmore… Hershey finished the night 2-for-9 on the power play and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill…A combined 142 penalty minutes were assessed, a new season high for the Bears and their opponent, one night after a combined season-high 90 were whistled at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton...D Patrick Wellar has a three-game point streak with his second-period assist…15 of the Bears’ 18 skaters registered at least one point in the game…RW Brandon Segal also assisted on Ryan Stoa’s third-period goal, and now has 300 points in his AHL career (152 goals, 148 assists).