BEARS POWER PAST AMERKS

January 4, 2014

HERSHEY, Pa. – Brandon Segal scored two power play goals and set up another at even strength, helping the Hershey Bears skate to a 5-1 victory over the Rochester Americans on Saturday night at GIANT Center.

The visitors got the game’s first goal on a quick setup from the right corner. Rochester’s leading scorer Phil Varone held the puck, and spotted a wide-open Joel Armia open in the slot. Armia ripped a one-timer over the glove of goaltender David Leggio at 5:19 for a 1-0 lead.

The Bears trailed until the second period, when the Amerks got themselves into penalty trouble. Hershey would score on both parts of a two-man advantage to take a 2-1 lead. Starting things off was Segal, who powered to the net from the left faceoff circle to beat Amerks netminder Matt Hackett at 16:57.

Just under one minute later, Peter LeBlanc sent a pass from one faceoff dot to the other, where Casey Wellman was waiting. Wellman one-timed the puck past Hackett at 17:41 to put Hershey ahead.

The only goal that the Bears scored at even strength came early in the third, on a hard-working play at the front of Hackett’s net. Segal worked the puck out of the right corner and sent an area pass into the slot. Cameron Schilling caught it, and fired a shot that Hackett stopped. In a scramble at the goal crease, Schilling found the loose puck and stuffed it home for his first of the season at 2:58 and a 3-1 Hershey lead.

Segal’s second of the game came after Hackett let a rebound get away off of a shot from Jeff Taffe. Segal had a virtually empty net into which to deposit his shot at 7:52, giving the Bears a 4-1 advantage.

Rochester would earn their fourth power play of the night late in the third, and opted to pull Hackett for a sixth attacker shortly after the advantage started. But on an entry, the Amerks lost the puck and Matt Watkins immediately scooped it all the way down into the empty net with 3:00 left to play to round out the scoring.

Leggio improves to 9-10-2 with a 20-save effort, while Hackett made 32 saves on 36 shots but fell to 9-10-2.

The Bears improve their record to 14-12-3-3 with the win.

NOTES: The Bears injury scratches were RW Stanislav Galiev, D Tomas Kundratek, RW Garrett Mitchell, LW Nathan Walker and D Patrick Wey…The healthy scratches were D David Kolomatis, C Ryan Potulny and RW Joel Rechlicz…Hershey finished the night 3-for-5 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill...The Bears improved to 3-0-0-0 against teams from the Western Conference, scoring 18 goals against the teams in the three games combined…Hershey scored three power play goals for the first time since January 13, 2013 against Connecticut.