Bears Edge Bruins in Sunday Rematch, 2-1

December 30, 2018

The Hershey Bears closed the weekend and 2018 with a 2-1 win over the Providence Bruins on Sunday night at Giant Center. Ilya Samsonov turned aside 22 of 23 shots to earn his first win since December 8. 

Similar to last night between the Bears and Bruins, the Chocolate and White opened the scoring. At 5:06, Beck Malenstyn handled a bouncing puck through the neutral zone and blasted his way up the middle of the ice. On a short breakaway, Malenstyn beat Bruins goaltender Zane McIntyre five-hole for his third goal of the season. Shots after 20 minutes were 6-5 Providence. 

Next period, both teams traded goals only 1:22 apart, and Hershey carried a slim, 2-1 lead into the dressing room after 40 minutes. First, the Bruins tied the score at 11:16 after Karson Kuhlman buried a pass from Trent Frederick past Samsonov. Shortly after, the Bears responded when transitioning up ice on a delayed penalty. On a 3-on-2 odd-man rush, Jayson Megna sent a perfect pass to Steve Whitney for the successful one-time attempt past McIntyre at 12:38. Shots after 40 minutes were even at 13-13 with Hershey in front, 2-1. 

Hershey's defense and penalty kill, along with key stops by Samsonov, held the Bears 2-1 edge until the final horn in a scoreless third period. The Bears finished the night 0-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Final shots on goal were 23-19 Bruins. 

The Hershey Bears will return to action on Saturday, January 5 in a 7 p.m. tilt against the Grand Rapids Griffins at Giant Center. Ticket information is available online at HersheyBears.com.