January 18, 2017
(Hershey, PA- January 18, 2017)-The
Hershey Bears overcame a two-goal deficit , but Carter Rowney’s goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with two minutes to play in regulation handed the
Hershey Bears a 5-3 loss on Wednesday night. Paul Carey and Darren Dietz scored for the Bears in the third period to delight the sold-out crowd of 10,502 at GIANT Center, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s late push gave the Penguins four straight wins over the Bears.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rattled off three goals in the middle frame and took a 3-1 lead into the third period. Using the capacity crowd to its advantage, the Bears turned the tide and cut into Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s lead. Carey scored his 12th goal of the season at 6:16 of the third period to make the score 3-2 Penguins. Christian Thomas’ pass off the boards found Carey streaking down the left wing. His shot beat netminder Tristan Jarry over the glove to cut the lead to one.
The Bears continued to use the momentum they gained and notched the equalizer at the 10:38 mark. Dietz scored his fourth goal of the season, beating Jarry from the right wing. The defender found himself alone, and courtesy of a great pass from Travis Boyd, Dietz capitalized, beating Jarry cleanly to make it 3-3.
Hershey outshot the Penguins 10-7 in the third period, but Rowney’s goal with just two minutes to play stunned the Hershey faithful. Barry Goers fired a slap shot from the point that Hershey netminder Joe Cannata stopped, but Rowney tucked the rebound underneath the crossbar to make it 4-3 Penguins. Tom Sestito also assisted, giving him a three-point evening. Sestito had a goal and two assists in Wednesday’s game. An empty net goal from Garrett Wilson at 19:23 sealed the win for the Penguins.
The Bears fell to 15-3-5-2 when scoring the game’s first goal. Nathan Walker notched the opening tally, scoring on a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton turnover at the 17:17 mark of the first period.
Hershey outshot the Penguins 31-25 in the game. Both teams came up empty on the power play as Hershey was 0-for-3 and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton was 0-for-1.
Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton rematch on Saturday evening in Wilkes-Barre at 7:05 p.m. The game may be heard on the Bears Radio Network. On Sunday, Hershey hosts Lehigh Valley at 5 p.m. for Hometown Heroes Night and Dietz & Watson Dollar Dog Night. Ticket information is available at HersheyBears.com.