Calder Cup Finals Game 2 Preview: Bears at Firebirds, 10 p.m.

June 10, 2023

The Hershey Bears continue the 2023 playoffs, presented by Penn State Health, as they take the ice tonight for Game 2 of the 2023 Calder Cup Finals against the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena. The Firebirds lead the best-of-seven series, 1-0.

#2 Hershey Bears (10-4) at #2 Coachella Valley Firebirds (13-7)
June 10, 2023 | 10 p.m. ET | Calder Cup Finals – Game 2 | Coachella Valley leads series, 1-0 | Acrisure Arena
Referees: Cody Beach (#45), Brandon Schrader (#46)
Linespersons: Ryan Jackson (#84), Dan Kelly (#98)

AHL PLAYOFF BRACKET

Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch and FOX43’s Andrew Kalista on the call
TV:  Antenna TV (WPMT 43.2, Xfinity Ch. 247 and 1178, Verizon FiOS Ch. 463, Blue Ridge Ephrata Ch. 91, and Blue Ridge Newberry/Duncannon Ch. 88),  NBC Sports Washington
RADIO: WFVY-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, Capitals Radio Network, SportsRadio 98.9-FM & WOYK 1350-AM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream, Caps Radio
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 9:30 p.m.

Watch Party Alert
Bears fans can view the game together as Hershey will host a watch party for Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals at Arooga’s in Hummelstown at 637 E. Main Street. Reservations for the watch party are preferred. Festivities are set to start at 9 p.m., with puck drop to follow at Coachella Valley at 10 p.m. During intermissions, longtime in-arena emcee and Bears Radio Network contributor Jim Jones will host games with a chance to win Hershey Bears prizes.

LAST TIME OUT: 
The Bears took to the ice Thursday in Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals at Acrisure Arena, suffering a 5-0 loss to Coachella Valley. The Firebirds got the rowdy crowd behind them with a power play goal from Tye Kartye at 9:02 of the first period to grab a 1-0 lead. Ryker Evans and Kole Lind each assisted on the goal; both would go on to each finish the night with three assists apiece.Coachella Valley's Ville Petman padded the lead for the hosts at 6:54 of the second when his shot from the slot sailed over the glove of Hershey goaltender Hunter Shepard during a 4-on-4 sequence to give Petman’s squad a 2-0 lead. The Firebirds scored three times in the third period as Andrew Poturalski pushed Coachella Valley’s lead to 3-0 at 1:59 as he got a shot off while falling through the left circle. Poturalski set up Jesper Froden at 9:30 for a one-timer off the rush and Alex True put home a goal at 10:08 to stake the Firebirds to a 5-0 lead. Shots finished 27-25 in favor of the Firebirds. Shepard went 22-for-27 for the Bears in the defeat; while Coachella Valley's Joey Daccord went 25-for-25 to get the win for the Firebirds. Hershey was 0-for-3 on the power play, while Coachella Valley went 1-for-2.

BOUNCING BACK BIG TIME:
For the second straight series, Hershey has fallen behind 1-0 in the best-of-seven series. Hershey faced similar adversity in the Eastern Conference Finals, suffering a 5-1 lopsided loss to Rochester at GIANT Center in Game 1. The Bears responded with three straight wins and eventually took the series in six games. In each of Hershey's previous three losses, the club won its next game, including racking up four straight wins after falling in Game 3 to Charlotte in the Atlantic Division Semifinals series. Additionally, Thursday's loss to the Firebirds was just the third time Hershey netminder Hunter Shepard surrendered three or more goals. Following the previous two occurrences, he responded with a shutout victory in his next start including in the Eastern Conference Championship clinching win over Rochester.

LOOKING TO SNAP THE CALDER CUP SHUTOUT STREAK:
Hershey was blanked for the first time in the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs in Game 1. Dating back to Hershey's last Calder Cup Finals appearance in 2016, the Bears have been held scoreless in two straight games in the championship round. The Chocolate and White were also held off the board by Lake Erie in a 1-0 overtime loss in the deciding Game 4 of the 2016 Calder Cup Finals. Hershey has been shutout for the last 162:18 of Calder Cup game action. The club's last Calder Cup Finals goal came with one minute left in the second period of the Game 3 loss to Lake Erie in 2016 as Dustin Gazley lit the lamp on goaltender Anton Forsberg. 

FIRING AWAY ON HOME ICE:
Coachella Valley enters tonight's game with five straight wins on home ice. In that stretch, the Firebirds won a pair of series, eliminating the Calgary Wranglers in overtime on May 19, and advancing to the Calder Cup Finals with a Game 6 win over Milwaukee on June 5. In the winning streak, Coachella Valley has scored at least four goals in each game, outgunning opponents 26-15. The Firebirds last loss at Acrisure Arena came in a 1-0 defeat on May 17 as Calgary's Dustin Wolf shut down Coachella Valley in the Wranglers' victory. 

BEARS BITES:
Hershey's last Game 2 victory in the Calder Cup Finals came in 2006 as the Bears upended Milwaukee, 6-3, at Bradley Center. Tomas Fleischmann had four points (2g, 2a) in the victory that helped Hershey even the series, 1-1. The Bears went on to win the Calder Cup in six games that year....With a shutout in Game 1, Coachella Valley's Joey Daccord became the first goaltender to record a Game 1 shutout in the Calder Cup Finals since Hamilton’s Carey Price blanked the Bears to open the 2007 championship round...A victory tonight would be Hershey's 348th all-time in the Calder Cup Playoffs.