BEARS BATTLE FOR POINT BUT FALL IN SHOOTOUT

December 4, 2015

HARTFORD, Conn. – Connor Carrick factored into all three regulation goals by the Hershey Bears, including setting up Chandler Stephenson’s power play goal with 43 seconds remaining in regulation, but the Hartford Wolf Pack outlasted the visitors in a shootout by a score of 4-3 on Friday night at XL Center.

It took just 1:24 of play for the Bears to open the scoring.  Nathan Walker got open at the top of the crease to bang home a pass from Carrick past Mackenzie Skapski for his fourth point of his last three games.

But the Wolf Pack answered back at 3:10 when Brady Skjei charged toward the net to deposit the rebound of a Chad Nehring shot behind Justin Peters.

Hartford then took a 2-1 lead just four minutes later when Nehring raced to the net to poke the puck, smothered under Peters, over the goal line.  The hosts later nearly took a 3-1 edge but a goal by Tyler Brown was waved off for being directed in with a skate.

Carrick tied the game with a hard one-timer from the left circle at 7:30 of the second period, when Christian Djoos fed him with a perfect cross-ice pass for a shot that sailed inside the right post.

The Bears did not allow a shot until the final three minutes of the second period.  On the first, Peters would stop Chris McCarthy, but Nick Tarnasky chopped at the rebound and banked it in at 17:18.

The teams battled through an exciting third period, and the Bears got their third consecutive power play of the frame on a delay of game penalty against Travis Oleksuk with one minute remaining in regulation.  On the advantage, Chris Bourque passed across the zone to Carrick, whose one-timer was kicked out by Skapski right to Stephenson for a slam-dunk equalizer at 19:17.

Another dominant performance in overtime puck possession gave the Bears an advantage until Jayson Megna was hooked on his way to the Bears’ net, earning him a penalty shot.  Peters snuffed that chance with a blocker-poke check at 2:48 of the extra session.

Dustin Gazley gave the Bears the early shootout lead, but Brian Gibbons and Adam Tambellini buried their chances as well.  At the other end, Skapski denied Bourque and Carrick to seal the win.

Peters stopped 22 shots but fell to 5-3-3 on the season.  Skapski improved to 2-4-0 with 33 saves in regulation and overtime and two of three in the shootout.  Hershey finished the night 1-for-5 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

The Bears return home to host the Lehigh Valley Phantoms tomorrow, December 5 at 7:00 PM.  The first 4,000 fans age 18 and older will receive a Pennsylvania Lottery coupon.  Individual tickets for this and all Bears home games are on sale at the GIANT Center box office, by calling 717-508-BEAR or online at TicketMaster.com. 

NOTES: ; The Bears scratched D Tyler Lewington, RW Garrett Mitchell, LW Liam O’Brien, D Ryan Stanton and LW Jakub Vrana…The Wolf Pack scratched G Cedrick Desjardins and D Raphael Diaz...The Bears made their first successful penalty shot save since Pheonix Copley denied Syracuse Crunch forward Vlad Namestnikov on January 31, 2015 at GIANT Center…The Bears and Wolf Pack have played all three games beyond regulation this season.