Pilon Lifts Hershey to Series Lead in 1-0 OT Win Against Firebirds

June 17, 2023

Garrett Pilon scored midway through the first overtime to lift the Hershey Bears (13-5) past the Coachella Valley Firebirds (14-10) by a 1-0 score in Game 5 of the 2023 Calder Cup Finals on Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 10,869 at GIANT Center. The Bears now hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, and can claim their 12th Calder Cup in franchise history with a win at Coachella Valley in Game 6, on Monday, June 19 at Acrisure Arena at 10 p.m. ET

BOX SCORE

Hershey had a chance early in the first period to take a 1-0 lead on its first power play of the evening as Sam Anas’ shot hit the outside of the cage while Joey Daccord was making his way across the crease.

Through two periods of action, the Bears out-shot the Firebirds by a 21-13 margin, but the score remained tied at 0-0, the first time in the series that both teams had failed to score after 40 minutes of play.

Coachella Valley then out-shot Hershey 7-3 in the third frame, but goaltender Hunter Shepard continued to turn aside everything thrown his way. With the score still tied 0-0 at the end of regulation, the game would go to a sudden-death frame.

Pilon netted the game-deciding goal at 10:01 of the extra frame when Logan Day kept the puck in the attacking zone and found Mason Morelli, who cycled the puck over to Pilon along the left wall. As Pilon cut across the top of the left circle, he let a wrist shot go that beat Daccord for his fourth of the postseason to win it for Hershey.

The game was the 10th in the history of the Calder Cup Finals to be decided by a 1-0 score, and the fifth to be decided 1-0 in overtime.

Shots finished 31-21 in favor of the Bears. Shepard went 21-for-21 for the Bears for his 13th victory of the playoffs and his third shutout of the postseason; Daccord went 30-for-31 in the overtime loss for the Firebirds. Hershey was 0-for-5 on the power play, while Coachella Valley went 0-for-3.

The Bears’ 2023 playoffs, presented by Penn State Health, continues when the Chocolate and White make their way back to the Golden State for Game 6 of the 2023 Calder Cup Finals against the Firebirds on Monday, June 19 at 10 p.m. ET at Acrisure Arena. Bear Nation is invited to come cheer the Bears to a Calder Cup Championship! The Hershey Bears will host a Watch Party at GIANT Center as Hershey battles the Coachella Valley Firebirds on the road in Game 6 of the Calder Cup Finals. Doors at GIANT Center open at 9 p.m. with puck drop at 10 p.m. from Palm Desert, California. Continue to check HersheyBears.com for the latest updates on the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs, including games, dates, times, and broadcast coverage.