BOURQUE BURIES OVERTIME WINNER IN HOME OPENER

October 25, 2015

HERSHEY, Pa. – Chris Bourque set up a goal and scored the overtime game-winner on the power play, helping the Hershey Bears win their second consecutive game – a 3-2 decision over the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday night at GIANT Center.

Both teams came up empty in the opening period, as solid goaltending by Wolf Pack netminder Magnus Hellberg held Hershey back on all seven shots.  The Hershey defense allowed just three Hartford shots.

The Wolf Pack would strike first in this game, when Brian Gibbons and Jayson Megna led an odd-man rush through the neutral zone.  Megna accepted a cross-ice pass and fired a shot that slipped past the right pad of Dan Ellis at 12:49.

Hershey tied the score just under four minutes later, after a good play by Madison Bowey forced a turnover.  Paul Carey fed the puck to the left point, and Ryan Stanton picked his spot before sending a long-range wrist shot off the right post and past a screened Hellberg at 16:39.

Travis Boyd gave Hershey its first lead of the night, a slapper from the right circle for a power-play goal at 2:17 of the third.

The lead lasted just 1:27, however, as Shawn O’Donnell slammed in the rebound of a wraparound try by Nick Tarnasky.

The three-on-three overtime would last just 1:18 as Adam Tambellini was whistled for slashing, giving the Bears a power play.  Bourque and Boyd would both hit goal posts early on the man advantage, but eventually Boyd’s cross-ice pass would pull Hellberg off the post enough for Bourque to fire the puck home at 2:50 of overtime.

Ellis made 22 saves in improving to 2-1-0 on the season.  Hellberg suffered just his second loss of the year, dropping to 4-2-0 with a 28-save effort.

Hershey finished the night 2-for-6 on the power play and was perfect on four penalty kills.

The Bears and Wolf Pack will face off again at tomorrow, October 25 at 5:00 PM.  Individual tickets for this and all Bears home games may be purchased at the GIANT Center box office, by calling (717) 508-BEAR or online at TicketMaster.com.

NOTES: ; The Bears scratched D Christian Djoos and RW Caleb Herbert…The Wolf Pack scratched C Luke Adam, D Calle Andersson, D Raphael Diaz and LW Richard Nejezchleb…LW Paul Carey extended his point streak to three games with his second-period assist…Chris Bourque is now just two points shy of 400 in his Hershey career, with 398 points (133 goals, 265 assists) in 397 games played…Madison Bowey’s assist was his first career point in the AHL… Hershey won its second consecutive home opener.