The Hershey Bears take the best-of-five Atlantic Division Finals to Hartford this week as they face the Wolf Pack. Hershey already possesses a 2-0 series lead, and can advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season with a victory in Game 3 on Wednesday.
2024 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Ethen Frank, Ivan Miroshnichenko (5)
Assists: Joe Snively (6)
Points: Hendrix Lapierre (8)
Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank, Alex Limoges (2)
Shorthanded Goals: Jimmy Huntington (1)
Plus/Minus: Lucas Johansen, Chase Priskie (+7)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (5)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (1.68)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.935)
Only includes qualified players
LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF MAY 20:
Monday, May 20
Practice, 9:30 a.m. at GIANT Center
Travel to Hartford
All practices are open to the public. Practice dates and times are subject to change; please check HersheyBears.com daily for updates.
RECENT RESULTS:
- Thursday, May 16 - Hershey 6 vs. Hartford 1
- Saturday, May 18 - Hershey 4 vs. Hartford 2
ATLANTIC DIVISION FINALS SCHEDULE:
Game 3 - Wednesday, May 22 - Hershey at Hartford Wolf Pack, 7 p.m.
*Game 4 - Friday, May 24 - Hershey at Hartford Wolf Pack, 7 p.m.
*Game 5 - Sunday, May 26 - Hershey vs. Hartford Wolf Pack, 5 p.m. - BUY TICKETS
*if necessary
Television Coverage: FOX43.2 Antenna TV (locally, Games 3-5), Monumental Sports Network (Washington, D.C. market, all games); Video Coverage: AHLTV; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network, Capitals Radio Network
All times Eastern
TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:
CLOSE IT OUT:
The Bears enter Game 3 with an all-time playoff record of 78-67 in contests in which they have a chance to clinch a series, and a 4-7 record in the third game of a best-of-five series when leading two games to none. Hershey's last postseason sweep came against the Wolf Pack in the 2023 Atlantic Division Finals.
NELSON PASSES MATHERS FOR FOURTH IN AHL PLAYOFF COACHING WINS:
Hershey's 4-2 win in Game 2 last Saturday gave Bears head coach Todd Nelson his 61st AHL playoff victory, moving him past Hockey Hall of Famer and Bears legend Frank Mathers for sole possession of fourth place in AHL history. Nelson trails only John Paddock (77), Fred "Bun" Cook (75), and John Anderson (68). 19 of Nelson's 61 playoff victories have come behind the bench for the Chocolate and White, which ranks eighth in franchise history, and 41 behind Mathers' 60, which leads the club. Nelson's .731 win percentage (19-7) in the postseason with Hershey currently ranks second in franchise history, ahead of Bruce Boudreau (.725, 29-11) and behind Doug Gibson (.857, 12-2).
GAME-WINNING GLORY:
Ethen Frank earned his league-leading fourth playoff game-winning goal in Saturday's Game 2 victory, tying Alexandre Giroux and Graham Mink (2009), Blair Atcheynum (1997), and Jim Pearson (1974) for the most game-winning goals in a playoff year. Frank is also only the second player in franchise history to record three game-winning goals in three consecutive playoff games (May 11 at Lehigh Valley, May 16 vs. Hartford, May 18 vs. Hartford), joining Pearson's performance in 1974 (April 19 at Baltimore, April 20 vs. Baltimore, April 27 vs. Providence). Giroux is the franchise's all-time leader in career playoff game-winners, with 10, while Atcheynum holds the club record for most game-winners in a single playoff series, notching three in the 1997 Mid-Atlantic Division Semifinals against Kentucky.
MIRO MAGIC:
Ivan Miroshnichenko is tied with Ethen Fank for the team lead with five goals, all of which have come over the course of his last three games. The 2022 first-round pick of the Washington Capitals is second in AHL playoff goal-scoring among rookies, trailing only Milwaukee's Zach L'Heureux. Miroshnichenko and Frank are the first Bears to enjoy a three-game playoff goal-scoring streak since Nate Schmidt in the 2015 Calder Cup Playoffs, which coincidentally occurred during Hershey's playoff series against the Wolf Pack.
PRISKIE PLUS:
Chase Priskie has been retroactively credited with a +1 on Hershey's fifth goal in Game 1, bringing his overall postseason plus/minus to +7, tying him for the league lead with teammate Lucas Johansen. The fifth-year pro's five points (1g, 4a) lead all Bears defenders and are tied third in league scoring among defensemen.
BEARS BITES:
Joe Snively is enjoying a three-game assist streak (4a), and is Hershey's active leader among all-time playoff scorers against Hartford, with five points (0g, 5a) in five total games...Hendrix Lapierre has a three-game point streak (1g, 4a)...Hunter Shepard is a lifetime 5-0-0 in the playoffs against Hartford with a 1.57 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage...Aaron Ness is Hershey's active leader for career playoff games with 58, and he is two games away from tying Larry Zeidel (60 GP) for 10th in franchise history. Ness' 15 career playoff assists are tied for 11th in franchise history among defensemen with Pascal Trepanier and his next assist will move him into a four-way tie for eighth with Rich Brennan, Mike Gaul, and Steve Smith...Hershey's 18.67 penalty minutes per game are the third-most among playoff teams...The Bears are tied with Milwaukee with the most wins (4) when scoring first...Hershey is second in both goals scored per game (3.67) and goals against per game (1.67).
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