We are four days into voting for our first ever SHOEY Awards and all races are still really close, especially the social media awards. There are three categories that fall under the social media awards: Tweet of the Year, Tweeter of the Year, and Social Media Champion. Three, it’s a magic number. Will that magic wear off on some of our nominees?
Monday morning might be the final time some Bears players ever walk though Giant Center as a Bear. As the 2013-14 season comes to a close, the Bears players took some time to reflect on their season as they cleaned out their lockers. It was a surreal moment for all as Hershey missed the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons.
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.
All great things must come to an end. It’s an old, cliche saying, but it is also 100 percent true and fitting of the occasion. In a 3-1 loss to the Norfolk Admirals, the Bears’ eight season playoff streak has come to a crashing end. The Providence Bruins and Norfolk Admirals will grab the seventh and eighth seeds in the Eastern Conference.
The last time the Chocolate and White missed the postseason, it was the final year of the Colorado Avalanche affiliation.
HERSHEY, PA – Chay Genoway and David Leggio smile after Leggio’s final save in the shootout during Hershey’s win Saturday night (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
The infamous Arabic proverb, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” suggests two parties have the ability to work together, and overcome a common enemy. In the world of sports, the term could easily be applied currently to the Hershey Bears and their push to qualify for the 2014 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Entering Saturday night, the Bears and their I-81 Rivals from Wilkes-Barre both opposed a common enemy. The Penguins battled the eighth seed Norfolk Admirals, who sit in the conference’s final playoff spot, three points ahead of Hershey.
While the Pens attempted to provide a helping hand to the Chocolate and White, the Bears’ personal attention was focused on the St. John’s IceCaps. Wilkes-Barre followed through with a 2-1 victory over Norfolk, as the Bears topped St. John’s, 2-1 in a 12 round marathon shootout.
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.
It was a fun game to watch on television, listen in on radio, or even follow on twitter. But most of all, it was an excellent way to end a six-game skid.
The Hershey Bears traveled to Virginia Beach and throttled the Norfolk Admirals by a 3-2 count. It was their first game played of the season at the Norfolk Scope, and it had a homecoming feel for Bears’ Head Coach Mike Haviland. Haviland was an Admirals’ assistant coach last season and the head bench boss for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns.
Dane Byers scored a third period insurance marker, which later proved to be the game-winner in a 3-2 decision. With out of town help by the Utica Comets, the Bears now stand within one point of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and three points within the division lead.
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.
HERSHEY, PA – Jack Hillen sports a Hershey Bears jersey during warm-ups before the Bears game Sunday night against Charlotte. Hillen is on a conditioning assignment from Washington to Hershey (Kyle Mace / Sweetest Hockey on Earth)
October 3rd, 2013, Washington Capitals defenseman Jack Hillen fractures his right tibial against the Calgary Flames during Washington’s home opener. The 28-year-old Hillen has now completed two games in a Chocolate and White sweater after sitting out almost five months.
Sunday night during Hershey’s 6-3 loss to Charlotte, the d-man played alongside Tyson Strachan, finishing the night with three shots and two points. Below the jump, watch Hillen talk about his first games back since the injury and how he is feeling now.
Saturday night Hershey Bears fans will get a chance to support an important cause, close to the heart of Tyson Strachan. The Bears defenseman and his girlfriend Kate Ankoviak, have formed “Strachan Strays,” to help raise awareness of the pet overpopulation and dog homelessness.