Hershey Bears push Hartford Wolf Pack to the brink of elimination with hard-hitting 4-2 win on home ice
The Hershey Bears are on the brink of moving to the Eastern Conference Finals after taking down the Hartford Wolf Pack for the second-straight Division Final game. Hershey is now up 2-0 in the best-of-five series and will head to Hartford with a chance to send the Wolf Pack packing for the summer.
The Bears took home the win by imposing their will physically on Hartford all over the ice, particularly giving the Wolf Pack fits on the forecheck. Hershey’s fourth line–made up of Beck Malenstyn, Riley Sutter, and Mason Morelli–led the charge. Hartford defensemen will have nightmares when they go to sleep tonight about being stapled to the glass by that trio.
Morelli led the Bears with a goal and an assist and Malenstyn added his own tally. They set the tone for the rest of their teammates from the very first shift of the game.
It was Malenstyn that kicked things off with a big kaboom on Hartford forward Ryan Carpenter that sent Carpenter flailing into the boards. Hartford tried to respond with some rough stuff of their own, but did so illegally as Adam Clendening got busted for cross-checking Connor McMichael.
The Bears, who have struggled with a man advantage in the playoffs, didn’t have any trouble getting things going on their early opportunity. Joe Snively carried the puck into the zone, beat a couple Hartford defenders, and set up Mason Morelli for a slick finish to kick the scoring off.
The seas part and Mo goes to work for his third of the postseason! 🍎 Snively pic.twitter.com/fBo9lpkrnv — Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) May 13, 2023
Hartford would join the scoring party over eight minutes later on their own power play after Garrett Pilon took an offensive zone holding penalty. Will Cuylle slammed home a nice feed from Carpenter to tie the game.
It took just ten seconds for the Wolf Pack to convert on the man advantage.
Cools’ first Calder Cup Playoffs goal comes on this beauty of a power play goal 💥 pic.twitter.com/aBCF0tVmZJ — x – Hartford Wolf Pack (@WolfPackAHL) May 13, 2023
Hershey didn’t let that tying marker keep them down for long though. Hendrix Lapierre won a defensive zone faceoff to the side boards where his good buddy Vincent Iorio picked the puck up, stiff armed a Wolf Pack forechecker, and sent the puck up ice to Mason Morelli.
Morelli drew the only Hartford defender back on the play to him and fed a wide open Malenstyn streaking down the slot and Malenstyn made no mistake with his shot. The strike was Malenstyn’s second goal of the postseason and Morelli’s second point of the game.
Beck and Mo keep chugging and we're in the lead after Beck's second of the playoffs! 🚂 🍎 Morelli
🍏 Iorio pic.twitter.com/VVnejMhVxE — Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) May 13, 2023
The second period was a bit slower than the first as the Bears clamped down on Hartford in the neutral zone to stifle any offensive monentum. The majority of the big chances at five-on-five went Hershey’s way just as they did in the first.
The only goal in the frame was scored by Mike Vecchione as Henrik Borgstrom took advantage of Wolf Pack defender Libor Hajek losing his stick and fed a wide open Vecchione in front of the net for a near slam dunk. Borgstrom appears to be heating up as he scored the overtime game-winning goal in Game One as well.
Ethen Frank has not scored a goal yet in the playoffs but grabbed the secondary helper for his second point in five games.
We know Veccs is always #RoaringForMore 🐻 🍎 Borgstrom
🍏 Frank pic.twitter.com/fFj2JZ5wJe — Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) May 14, 2023
Hartford pushed in the third but Hunter Shepard stood tall in the Hershey cage. The Bears extended their lead to 4-1 when Lapierre received some good fortune as the puck caromed off a linesman to spring him and Sam Anas on a two-on-one break.
Lapierre chose to shoot, looking off Anas and beat goaltender Dylan Garand shortside with a snipe. The goal was Lapierre’s second of the playoffs and his fourth point of the postseason overall.
Lappy steals and scores for his second of the playoffs! 🍎 Protas
🍏 Day pic.twitter.com/ovtjgsPkXd — Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) May 14, 2023
Hartford would pull their netminder with five minutes remaining in regulation and found a late goal from defenseman Adam Clendening that ended up being too little too late. Hershey will go on the road with a chance to sweep the best-of-five series and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Notes: The Bears won the overall shot battle 30 to 27. Hunter Shepard stopped 25 of those 27 shots in his fifth win of the playoffs. Hershey won again while playing without top defenseman Aaron Ness and first-line center Michael Sgarbossa as both are still out due to injury.
Atlantic Division Finals Game 2 projected lineup: Logan Day chipped in his first goal as a Bear to ignite our Game 1 comeback win! Catch tonight's broadcast coverage 👇 💻 https://t.co/HaxQBmLCRZ
📻 @FroggyValley, @foxsports1460am, @WOYK1350
📱 @CapitalsRadio pic.twitter.com/HnOLv5zVcm — Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) May 13, 2023
Here are some of the big ole kabooms from the win.
"Beck the Check is off and running early!" 💥 pic.twitter.com/XDfG8acr2I — Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) May 13, 2023
Right into your living rooms – no 3D glasses needed 🥴 pic.twitter.com/uCzVNYDcnR — Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) May 14, 2023
Headline photo: Tori Hartman/Hershey Bears
Source: Russian Machine Never Breaks
