Bears Can't Hold off Monsters in 6-5 Shootout Loss

December 11, 2022

Despite a season-best stretch of four goals in 12:49 and leads of 4-0 and 5-1, the Hershey Bears (17-5-2-1) only managed to come away with one point, as they ultimately fell 6-5 via a shootout to the Cleveland Monsters (11-8-1-2) on Sunday night at GIANT Center.

Despite the defeat, the Bears finished the week with seven of a possible eight points, and remain atop the Atlantic Division and American Hockey League standings. Hershey’s 17 wins at the 25-game mark is also the second-most in franchise history, just behind the 1957-58 and 1946-47 Bears squads, which had matching 18-5-2 records.

BOX SCORE

The Bears opened the scoring when Kale Kessy continued to put pressure on Monsters goaltender Pavel Cajan after the netminder had attempted to cover the puck following a shot from the point by Michael Kim. Kessy managed to slip the biscuit through the equipment of Cajan and into the net at 2:25 for his second of the season. Kim (making his Bears debut) and Riley Sutter earned the assists.

Mike Vecchione then made it 2-0 with his 10th of the season when he received a relay feed from Logan Day in the slot and wired a shot above the glove of Cajan at 3:22. Michael Sgarbossa also received a secondary assist, giving him a six-game point streak (4g, 6a).

Kessy and Brett Gallant squared off in the Cleveland zone at 14:11 in a spirited bout, and riding the momentum of the altercation, the Bears extended the lead to 3-0 at 14:47 when Ethen Frank potted his eighth of the season after he joined Jake Massie on a give-and-go and knocked Massie’s rebound through the legs of Cajan. Aaron Ness picked up a secondary assist.

Hershey widened its lead to 4-0 when Mason Morelli raced up the left wing and sent the puck around the Monsters net to the right corner, where Sam Anas fed Connor McMichael, who deked to his backhand and elevated a shot past a sprawled Cajan at 4:37 for his third of the season.

Josh Dunne beat Zach Fucale with a bouncing shot at 16:57 to get the Monsters on the board.

McMichael struck again in the second frame, this time on the power play at 4:37, when he received a cross-ice pass from Vecchione and wristed a shot from the right circle to restore the four-goal edge.

David Jiricek fired a low shot on a delayed penalty that beat Fucale at 6:25 to make it 5-2.

Gallant pulled the Monsters to within two goals at 10:37 after he redirected a pass from Samuel Knazko on net at the right circle and beat a stick-less Fucale to the glove side.

Brendan Gaunce stuffed the puck into the net on a Cleveland power play at 12:55 and Dunne tallied his second of the contest at 17:48 on another opportunity with the man advantage to complete Cleveland’s comeback and tie the game at 5-5.

The score remained tied through the end of regulation, and overtime yielded no decision, sending Hershey to its third shootout of the season; the Bears elected to shoot second. Both Trey Fix-Wolansky and McMichael scored in the first round, and the goaltenders each went save-for-save over the subsequent three rounds, before Dunne scored in the top of the fourth round. Needing a goal to keep the Bears alive, Vecchione’s shot was stopped by the pads of Cajan to give the Monsters the win.

Shots finished 35-33 favoring Cleveland. Fucale went 29-for-34 for Hershey; Cajan 28-for-33 for the Monsters. The Bears were 1-for-2 on the power play, while the Monsters went 2-for-4 with the man advantage.

Hershey continues the 2022-23 season, presented by Penn State Health, when the Bears face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the first of two road games at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, Dec. 16 at 7:05 p.m. The Chocolate and White return home to GIANT Center to face the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday, Dec. 18 at 5 p.m. Purchase tickets for the game by CLICKING HERE.