Game 4 Preview: Sound Tigers at Bears, 7 p.m.

April 25, 2019

Tonight, the Hershey Bears can advance to Round 2 of the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs presented by CJ’s Tire and Automotive with a victory over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. The Bears enter tonight leading the best-of-five series, 2-1. 

#2 Bridgeport Sound Tigers (1-2) at #3 Hershey Bears (2-1)
Bears Lead Series, 2-1
April 25, 2019 | 7 PM | Round 1; Game 4 | Giant Center
Referees: Carter Sandlak (6), Jeremy Tufts (78)
Linesmen: Tom DellaFranco (71), Jud Ritter (34)

Ticket Information: http://www.hersheybears.com/tickets/single-game.php   

Broadcast Information (Pre-game 6:30 p.m.)
RADIO: WQIC-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, WOYK-1350 AM, Zack Fisch, the Voice of the Bears, and Freddy Cassivi. 
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream, Caps Radio 24/7
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV

CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS BRACKET
LAST TIME OUT: 
The Hershey Bears pushed the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to the brink of elimination on Tuesday night in a 2-1 win at Giant Center in Game 3 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals. Liam O'Brien and Josh Ho-Sang traded first period tallies for each team despite a Hershey 18-4 shot advantage after 20 minutes. Both teams were held off the score sheet until Ryan Sproul blasted the eventual game-winner for the Chocolate and White at 2:50 of the third period. Ilya Samsonov stood tall in goal by denying 26 of 27 Sound Tigers shots to earn his first Calder Cup Playoff victory. 

BRICK WALLS: 
The Bears have benefited from an exceptional one-two punch in goal so far in the playoffs. Hershey goaltenders Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek have stopped 114 of 118 shots so far in the three playoff games, good for a stellar .966 save percentage. Samsonov made an AHL career-best 49 saves in the Game 1 loss, while Vanecek recorded his first AHL playoff shutout in Game 2. Vanecek's clean sheet was the 43rd shutout in Bears postseason history in 623 total playoff games. 

BIG PLAYERS STEP UP: 
Hershey’s top two scorers in the regular season are also the Bears top two scorers in the playoffs thus far. Mike Sgarbossa led Hershey with 65 points this season, and has struck for three points (one goal, two assists) in the postseason, with points in two straight contests. Riley Barber finished with 60 points and a team-best 31 goals, and has the same playoff stat line as Sgarbossa, also tallying points in two straight games. Both players led the Bears in scoring in the regular season series versus Bridgeport with six points, scoring three goals and three assists each. 

PLAYOFF SPROUL: 
Bears blue liner Ryan Sproul was the hero in Game 3 by scoring the eventual game-winner early in the third period. The tally marked Sproul's second career game-winning goal in the Calder Cup Playoffs. The previous clutch tally came in his first career Calder Cup Playoff game on Apr. 25, 2014. Playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins, Sproul scored at the 19:26 mark of double overtime to lift his club to a 2-1 win over the Abbotsford Heat. In 27 career AHL postseason games, the Mississauga, Ontario native has contributed 15 points (five goals, 10 assists). 

GAME 4 HISTORY: 
The Bears will look to reverse some unfortunate history in recent years in Game 4 of a playoff series. Hershey has lost the past five Game 4’s they have played in, with the last Game 4 win coming in 2016 in the opening round versus Portland. Hershey’s last series clinching victory in a Game 4 was in the opening round of the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs. In that Game 4, Hershey blasted Worcester 10-4 to earn a series victory.