Barber Stays Hot as Bears Roll Over Penguins

February 23, 2016

WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Riley Barber set up the game-winning goal and scored the insurance tally on a penalty shot, while Dan Ellis turned away 26 shots in net to help the Hershey Bears dispatch the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins by a 4-1 score on Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.

Hershey came out flying from the opening faceoff and were rewarded with the game’s first goal.  On a fast line rush, Nathan Walker and Scott Gomez traded passes to each other, before Walker slipped a low shot through the legs of defenseman Steve Oleksy and goaltender Tristan Jarry at 4:50 for his 12th goal of the season.

A penalty was assessed to Penguins defenseman Will O’Neill at the end of the first period after he took a shot after the horn sounded to end the frame, and it would prove costly.  Travis Boyd completed a passing play with Barber and Jakub Vrana just 36 seconds in, and the Bears led 2-0.

Barber then flew down the slot to collect a pass on a two-on-one rush and was hooked on the way to the net, awarding him a penalty shot.  He converted the chance, snapping a hard shot under the blocker of Jarry at 2:57 for a 3-0 Bears lead.

The Penguins got on the board at 8:45, when Tom Kostopoulos made a backhand pass across the slot.  Carter Rowney collected it and wristed the puck over the glove of Dan Ellis.

But the Bears restored their three-goal lead on the effort of the fourth line, which had numerous chances early in the game.  Liam O’Brien had one breakaway earlier in the period denied by Jarry, but he got a second when Garrett Mitchell sent him flying past Tim Erixon.  O’Brien lifted a nice backhand shot over Jarry at 16:32 for his second goal in as many games.

With no scoring in the third period, the Bears cruised to their 30th win of the season (30-15-3-7) and snapped a six-game winless skid at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

The Bears travel north of the border to face the Toronto Marlies on Friday, February 26.  Face-off from Ricoh Coliseum is slated for 7:00PM.  Fans may catch the broadcast beginning with the M&C Foreign Car Parts pre-game show at 6:20 on the Bears Radio Network of affiliates WQIC-FM 100.1, WTKT-AM 1460, WOYK-AM 1350, via the iHeartRadio App (Fox Sports 1460 Harrisburg), and online at FoxSports1460.com.  Fans may watch the game for a small fee at AHLLive.com.

Hershey returns home to take on the Utica Comets on Sunday, February 28 at 5:00 PM.  The first 3,000 fans will receive a Bears pint glass courtesy of Labatt Blue.  Fans are also encouraged to bring items for the Community Aid clothing drive.  Individual tickets are available at the GIANT Center box office, by calling (717) 508-BEAR or online at TicketMaster.com.