2014 Hershey Bears Awards: The Photos
HERSHEY, PA – Dane Byers waves to the crowd after accepting his award as Hershey Bears team MVP (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
The award ceremony at the end of each regular season is normally a kick off to the playoffs for the Hershey Bears, but this season it’s a bit different. This year the Bears are out of the 2014 playoff race for time in eight seasons. Despite the disappointing end to the season, the Chocolate and White thanked the Giant Center crowd with a win Saturday night.
Bears Fall to Falcons in Skills Competition, 4-3
Ryan Stoa, seen here earlier in the season, had a goal and shootout goal during Hershey’s 4-3 loss to Springfield (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
While “X” marked the spot in Wilkes-Barre Township with the Penguins celebrating a playoff berth, the Hershey Bears aimed to inch closer in a battle against the Springfield Falcons.
65 minutes was not enough for either side, leading to Hershey’s 12th skills competition of the 2013-14 campaign. Ryan Stoa became the AHL leader in shootout goals, but the Bears dropped a 4-3 decision in five rounds.
David Leggio’s 28 Saves Blank Bruins, 2-0
David Leggio, seen here earlier in the season, posted a 28-save shutout against Providence Friday night to give Hershey a 2-0 win (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
I don’t believe there is anything more daunting than having to play a hockey game of great importance, in the same arena that housed the end to Hershey’s season a year ago. But that was the adversity the Hershey Bears had to overcome Friday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
On the same rink where Hershey faced a first round elimination from the 2013 Calder Cup Playoffs in May, it was a night of redemption. The Bears beat the eighth seeded Bruins by a 2-0 final thanks to a 28 save clean sheet by David Leggio.
Hershey entered the match five points behind Providence with two games in hand. With a two point night in the bag, the playoff possibilities are thankfully far from dead.
Norfolk Maintains Third Period Lead, Beat Bears 3-2
HERSHEY, PA – Philipp Grubauer makes a save on Devante Smith-Pelly during Hershey’s 3-2 loss to Norfolk Sunday night (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
Despite a recent slide the last few weeks, the Hershey Bears entered Sunday’s matinee against the Norfolk Admirals with a golden opportunity to reclaim a playoff spot. A win over the Admirals would put the Bears at eighth in the Eastern Conference with about a month to play.
Norfolk was held to 12 shots the entire night Saturday in Wilkes-Barre en route to a shutout loss. The Chocolate and White had 12 shots under their belt within the first period against Adirondack before cruising to a 4-1 win.
In Hershey’s 2014 St. Patrick’s Day spectacle, the Admirals squeezed past the Bears by a 3-2 final. It was a heartbreaking, regulation defeat for the Chocolate and White, which puts them four points behind eighth seed Norfolk.
Hershey Scores Four Unanswered, Cruise Past Phantoms
HERSHEY, PA – Michael Latta joins teammates after Brandon Segal’s first period goal during Hershey’s 4-1 win over Adirondack (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
It’s has been high riding for the Hershey Bears this season against the Northeast Division, entering Saturday with an a 7-3-2-1 record in 2013-14. But Cal Heeter and the Adirondack Phantoms have haunted the Bears this season with three wins in the previous four meetings.
With the Phantoms in the Eastern Conference dungeon, their playoff chances are fading away by the second. But for the Chocolate and White, all 16 games remaining entering Saturday have the significance of playoff games. Two points removed from the eighth seeded Albany Devils, Hershey sought a needed home-ice victory.
Four different Hershey goal scorers propelled them to a 4-1 victory over the Phantoms. It was the team’s 20th win on Giant Center ice this season.
Boychuk’s Hat-Trick Drops Hershey, 6-3
HERSHEY, PA – Mike Haviland walks down the hallway after being ejected by David Banfield during Hershey’s loss to Charlotte Sunday night. (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
With a snow storm approaching the central PA area Sunday night, it couldn’t have been a better time for Hershey’s first 4pm start time to a Sunday Giant Center tilt.
The Hershey Bears closed out their season series with the Charlotte Checkers Sunday in front of 9,942 fans at Giant Center.
On a night where the first 3,000 fans received a baseball cap promotion sponsored by Capital BlueCross, Charlotte’s Zach Boychuk notched a hat-trick in a 6-3 win over Hershey.
Bears Continue to Struggle, Lose Fifth Straight
HERHSEY, PA – Zach Boychuck beats Phillip Grubauer in the first period during Charlotte’s win over Hershey Saturday night (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
Everything seemed to be going so well. The Hershey Bears had won 12 straight at home and 5 straight overall. They were vaulting toward first place. And now in a five game span, the Bears have hit their worst slump of the season. The latest loss was a 4-1 defeat Saturday night at the hands of a team that’s also been struggling, the Charlotte Checkers.
Hartford Ties Game Late, Blitz Past Bears in Shootout
David Leggio, seen here earlier in the season, had 34 saves in Hershey’s shootout loss Friday night (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
It was an odd Friday night around the American Hockey League to kickoff a three game weekend, and one that was slightly beneficial to the Hershey Bears Hockey Club despite a 2-1 shootout defeat to the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Peter LeBlanc scored Hershey’s lone goal with 1:04 remaining in an end-to-end second period. David Leggio was superb and earned third star honors from stopping 34 of 35 shots through 65 minutes.
Defensive Woes: Hershey Drops AHL Showcase Game, 5-2
Washington, DC – Casey Wellman prepares for a faceoff in Hershey’s 5-2 defeat in the 2014 AHL Showcase at Verizon Center (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
The Giant Center goal horn was held silent on Saturday night when the Syracuse Crunch blanked the Bears by a 5-0 count. It ended a 12 game Giant Center win streak for the Chocolate and White, but eyes quickly turned towards an opportunity for revenge the next night.
Sunday was the second annual AHL Showcase held at Verizon Center in our nation’s capital. Last year Ryan Potulny was the hero en route to a 2-1 win over the Norfolk Admirals.
This year the Bears-Crunch battled in Washington D.C. only days before resumption of National Hockey League play. The Tampa Bay Lightning lead affiliate potted five more goals on Philipp Grubauer for the second consecutive night and topped Hershey, 5-2.