The Hershey Bears bested the Coachella Valley Firebirds in Game 2 of the 2024 Calder Cup Final by a score of 5-2, evening the series at 1-1. Hunter Shepard made 32 stops in the victory.
THE LINEUP
The Bears started Hunter Shepard in net, while Coachella Valley started Chris Driedger.
Joe Snively-Hendrix Lapierre-Ethen Frank
Alex Limoges-Jimmy Huntington-Pierrick Dube
Ivan Miroshnichenko-Henrik Rybinski-Mike Vecchione
Matthew Strome-Riley Sutter-Bogdan Trineyev
Hardy Haman Aktell-Dylan McIlrath
Jake Massie-Chase Priskie
Dmitry Osipov-Logan Day
Hunter Shepard
Clay Stevenson
The Bears remained without Vincent Iorio, Lucas Johansen, Garrett Roe, Aaron Ness, and Jon MacDonald due to injury.
1ST PERIOD
An early first period power play proved unsuccessful but the Chocolate and White would still manage to get the lead with neartly six minutes gone, with Capitals prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko powering his seventh of the postseason from the slot past Driedger on a feed from Mike Vecchione.
Miro gets GIANT Center roaring early!
🍎Vecchione https://t.co/kO7A89896b pic.twitter.com/Z0tWR12xU5
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) June 16, 2024
The first frame ended with the Bears up 1-0 and the Firebirds leading 12-9 in Shots on Goal.
2ND PERIOD
Coachella Valley would be the ones to score early in the second period, with Luke Henman notching his first of the playoffs at 2:42.
flick of the wrist 🔥 tied game 1-1 pic.twitter.com/XHFKqvXl7l
— y – Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) June 16, 2024
The Bears’ game slipped slightly midway through the period but the Chocolate and White managed to take the lead again, late in the frame, on a goal from Jimmy Huntington; Alex Limoges picked up the assist on the play.
Pierrick Dube potted his fourth of the postseason with just over three minutes left in the second, extending Hershey’s lead to two.
Hockey. Tough. 😤
🍎Huntington
🍏Limoges https://t.co/YSkPqlDNdN pic.twitter.com/N4m8aFGLqD
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) June 16, 2024
The Bears and Firebirds ended the second 20 minutes with the hosts in front on the scoreboard, despite being outshot by a 24-13 margin.
3RD PERIOD
Just 17 seconds into the final frame of regulation, Coachella Valley’s Marian Studeniec put home his third of the playoffs to cut the visiting Firebirds’ deficit to one.
trailing by 1 🔥 pic.twitter.com/31RfzNxYFV
— y – Coachella Valley Firebirds (@Firebirds) June 16, 2024
Some eight minutes and change later, Hardy Haman Aktell scored his third of the Calder Cup Playoffs to give Hershey a two-goal advantage yet again; Mike Vecchione picked up another assist on the night.
Keep pounding🔨
🍎Vecchione https://t.co/IxZ6eys95Z pic.twitter.com/0sUWIW8fk1
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) June 16, 2024
The barrage of shots from Coachella Valley did little to dent the confidence of Bears netminder Hunter Shepard, whose stellar play kept the Bears’ lead secure, as well as crucial stops on the penalty kill.
Another clutch stop from @shepdadyy 🛑 pic.twitter.com/TsBIwlAFqp
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) June 16, 2024
The Bears found themselves on the penalty kill with 1:51 left in regulation after Riley Sutter was nailed for tripping. The Bears managed to stave off the Firebirds, adding an empty-net goal from Haman Aktell to seal the victory.
Neither club scored on a combined six power plays while the visitors finished with a 34-21 advantage in shots on goal.
Game 3 will be held Tuesday at 10 PM EST at Acrisure Arena.
ICE SHAVINGS
Hardy Haman-Aktell is the Grenade Man! Three goals in two Finals Games
Size, shooting ability, positioning, good hockey sense. Did snarl, man-handling a few CV forwards during scrums near the goal
But the SOAG scores goals! We’ll work on his stickhandling as a work-in-progress
He’s still a defensive/first-pass liability. It’s a mental thing, so he could overcome it, but he just makes so many errors… Kind of like Lucas Johanson in the past, but bigger, and with more capability on offense.
Not that his defense partner tonight has been any more solid on D this series. You would think that McIlrath at this stage of his career would have learned when to step up, when to step in, and when to get the hell out of the way. Nope.
Remarks from Bears head coach Todd Nelson following tonight's 5-2 win over Coachella Valley in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals: pic.twitter.com/1pcVfON38l
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) June 17, 2024
I’m glad to see I wasn’t imagining how bad the Bears were, except he liked Haman Aktell’s defensive play so maybe I just thought I saw a bunch of oopses.
On the other hand, saying HHA was the team’s best defenseman isn’t saying much, though I thought Priskie was also okay most of the time. The others… not good.
Better pick it up defensively boys… and maybe change some of those tape jobs on your sticks, to reduce the puck fumbling and whiffs…
Go Bears!
Will be interesting to see if Firebirds get significant line advantages on home ice like last year. They were tough when they could choose the matchups.
Gametime temperatures Coachella Valley 92211 – ACRISURE Arena
TUE 18 JUN: 101°F
THU 20 JUN: 104°F
SAT 22 JUN: 110°F
Relative humidities steady at 30%
Clear skies Blowing dust
Youch 😬
The softer ice will be a concern as the Firebirds have experience on it.
Attention Washington Capitals: It’s Absolute Zero on accepting a Head Case
There’s WAY too many of them “out there” competing for both roster and managerial slots in the NHL. Caps have been TORCHED by head cases through the years and they don’t need any more. So:
Absolutely NO on P Laine going to the Caps. Abs NO on O Kylington. Abs NO on Ethan Bear. Ooops I forgot, we’re already stuck with him
Incoming GM Waddell just cashiered Head Coach P Vincent. His predecessor Cue Ball Jarmo Kekäläinen will forever be known as He Who Took a Flyer on Mike Babcock. So with less than ten days until Post-Championship trading and free agent frenzy, I implore the Caps Brass Selection Committee:
No Head Cases! No alkies or druggies. No “uncoachables” No “attitudes” No Koo Koos. This will eliminate ten percent of the availables. So be it
From a rival Caps site: “Columbus is now the only team in the NHL with a head coaching vacancy. Hershey Bears head coach, Todd Nelson, who has the Bears in a second consecutive Calder Cup Finals run, has previous connections to Waddell.”
Wow. Is this awesome or what. At the introductory press conference of Ryan Warsofsky as the 36 year-old head coach of the San Jose Sharks, the tears come. The emotions overwhelm when he speaks to @RobConcannon and the time he spent with Spencer Carbery and the @SCStingrays pic.twitter.com/oZDjEMFJr8
— Scott Eisberg (@SEisbergWCIV) June 17, 2024
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