Bears Top Islanders 5-2 to Sweep Series

April 23, 2026

Sam Bitten broke a 1-1 tie in the second period and Andrew Cristall scored twice to help lift the Hershey Bears (2-0) to a 5-2 win over the Bridgeport Islanders (0-2) to earn a sweep of their Atlantic Division First Round series in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs on Thursday night at GIANT Center.

Hershey now awaits the result of the series between the third-place Charlotte Checkers and sixth-place Springfield Thunderbirds (Charlotte leads 1-0) to determine whether it will face the Providence Bruins or Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinals.

BOX SCORE

NOTABLES:

• Andrew Cristall netted his first of the playoffs from Ilya Protas and Jon McDonald at 4:10 of the first period to give Hershey a 1-0 lead. Cristall later scored the series-clinching goal at 12:44 of the second period on a breakaway to give Hershey a 3-1 edge off a turnover forced by Bogdan Trineyev.
• The Islanders leveled the score at 1-1 with a power-play goal from Matt Luff at 1:07 of the second period.
• Hershey restored its lead at 10:55 when Sam Bitten fired home the puck in during a scrum as the net was knocked off its moorings. After the play was initially washed out, a further video view overturned the initial call and a goal was awarded to the Bears. Grant Cruikshank and Matt Strome assisted on Bitten's tally.
• After Bridgeport scored midway through the third period to trim Hershey's lead back to a goal, Sonny Milano and Bogdan Trineyev provided empty-net insurance markers to close out the game.
• Clay Stevenson earned his second consecutive win by making 22 saves; he finished the series with a 2-0 record, a 1.00 goals-against average, and .952 save percentage.
• Bears head coach Derek King is the first Hershey head coach to earn a sweep in his first playoff series with the club since Bruce Boudreau (2006 East Division Semifinals vs. Norfolk, 4-0). Others include Jay Leach, 1994; Bryan Murray, 1981; Doug Gibson, 1980; Johnny Crawford, 1951; Ralph "Cooney" Weiland, 1942. 
• Hershey's record in Game 2s improved to 80-62, and 5-6 when able to clinch a best-of-three series in the second game.

SHOTS: HER 23, BRI 24

GOALTENDING: HER - Clay Stevenson, 22-for-24; BRI - Marcus Högberg, 18-for-22

POWER PLAY: HER - 0-for-2; BRI - 1-for-5

THEY SAID IT:

Bears head coach Derek King on being able to deploy the same lineup for the second game to close out the series:
"That's the first time this year I've had the same lineup twice in a row, so we'll take advantage of it. But it's huge. That is huge. But there's guys waiting and you always like to get them back in and keep them involved, but when you get winning like this, it's hard to change the lineup up. And they know that. I've made that clear to everybody. We don't play just for the guys in the room. We play for the guys that are not playing because they want to have a chance to maybe play down the road here."

King on the play of Andrew Cristall:
"He's got a knack for just putting up points. I call him a little rat [..] He's got to learn to play that 200-foot game, and you get mad at him because he's maybe on the wrong side of the puck or he's stick-checking, and then you look on the score sheet after, he's got two goals, two assists, four points. So how can you argue about it? But he's playing much harder. He's being more physical on the wall, protecting pucks, being strong, getting the pucks out and getting them in when we should, and then he's still getting his points, so now he knows that if he plays a 200-foot game, he's still going to get his cookies.

King on the play of the team's fourth line of Bitten, Cruikshank, and Strome:
"Yeah, that's a nice fourth line. I like them. And if they sit for a bit because of penalties - like 'Bits' doesn't kill - but if he's sitting for a bit or I need to move him up in the lineup because maybe somebody's tired, he fits right in, all three of them. I can move them around. But when they're together and they're playing well they do a real good job for us. They bring that energy."

Sam Bitten on wondering if his goal would ultimately stand up:
"To be honest, I knew I scored, but since the net went flying, I wasn't sure if it was going to stand. But Sonny [Milano] came over, was like, 'for sure that's a goal,' because the puck crossed the line and they pushed our guy in. So I'm just happy to get that big goal for the team."

Bitten on how much he's enjoying the playoffs with Hershey:
"Love it. I tell the boys all the time, this is the waters they swim in, and I love it. This is the time where guys like myself really come alive. So I'm very happy to be in the playoffs and contribute, and I'm very thankful to just have a role here on the team."

Andrew Cristall on being able to remember a night like tonight:
"I can remember it for a while. I think it's a lot of fun anytime you can score a goal in the playoffs, and especially at home, it's even better. So it didn't matter who did it or whatnot, I think the win was just the cherry on top, so it was unreal."

(Answers edited for clarity)

The Bears will continue the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs in the best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinals. Opponent, dates, and times are to be determined. Continue to check HersheyBears.com for the latest information on the Calder Cup Playoffs.