Bears Beat Sound Tigers 3-2 In Overtime; Advance To Face Charlotte In Round 2 Of Calder Cup Playoffs

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Jon Sorensen

Photo: Bridgeport Sound Tigers

The Hershey Bears beat the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 3-2 (OT) Saturday night at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The win gives the Bears a 3-2 series win over Bridgeport in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs.. The Bears will now face the Charlotte Checkers in round 2 of the Calder Cup playoffs, starting next Friday in Charlotte.

STARTERS
Ilya Samsonov (1-1-0, 1.56 GAA, .949 sv%) drew the start in net for the visiting Bears. Christopher Gibson (2-1-0-0, 1.69 GAA, .933 sv%) got the start between the pipes for the Sound Tigers. The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Bears:

O’Brien – Sgarbossa – Barber
Walker – Megna– Whitney
Gersich – Pilon – Pinho
Malenstyn – McCarthy – Cherniwchan

Ness– Lewington
Geisser – Sproul
Johansen– Hobbs

Andrew Cherniwchan was called up from the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday. This was his first game with the Bears.

Scratches:  Kris Bindulis (upper body) was the injury scratch. Joe Snively (School), Jusso Ikonen, Max Kammerer, Joey Leach, Colby Williams, Dylan Steman and Bobby Nardell0 were the healthy scratches for Game 5.

FIRST PERIOD
The Bears spent a majority of the opening period defending their own goal, as Bridgeport fired away on Samsonov. Hershey looked a bit tentative in the first 10 minutes, particularly on the blueline.

The Sound Tigers would strike first with a goal from Matt Lorito at 7:30 of the opening frame. Sebastian Aho and Steve Bernier were credited with the assists.

The Bears would slowly settle into the game, and begin to show some offensive pressure, but the remainder of period was marred by a penalty, poor passing and several turnovers. Fortunately, the Bears would allow no additional goals.

The Sound Tigers outshot the Bears 13-7 for the first period. Bridgeport was 0 for 1 on the power play. The Bears did not have a man advantage in the first 20 minutes.

SECOND PERIOD
The Bears began to find their way early in the middle frame. Hershey would tie the game with a beautiful goal from Steve Whitney at 6:43 of the second frame. Jayson Megna (1) and Nathan Walker (2) were credited with the assists.

The Sound Tigers would answer with a goal from Oliver Wahlstrom at 12:07 of the middle frame, regaining the lead, 2-1.

But the Bears would answer right back with a power play goal from Riley Barber at 15:43 of the second period. Jayson Megna (2) and Nathan Walker (3) had the assists. This was the Bears first power play goal of the series.

The second period would end with the game tied 2-2. The Bears dominated most of the middle frame, outshooting Bridgeport 14-4 in the second period. The Bears led in shots 21-17 after two periods. Hershey was 1 for 2 and the Sound Tigers 0 for 1 on the power play after two periods.

THIRD PERIOD
The Bears and Sound Tigers skated to a scoreless draw in the final period of regulation. Bridgeport outshot the Bears 10-9 in the final frame. The Bears were 1 for 2 and the Sound Tigers 0 for 1 on the power play in regulation.

OVERTIME
The Bears would win it with a break away goal from Brian Pinho at 10:27 of overtime. Garrett Pilon found Pinho open at the blueline and setup Pinho perfectly for the break away.

With the win the Bears take the best-of-five series 3-2. The Bears will now face the Charlotte Checkers in round 2, starting next Friday in Charlotte.

SHAVINGS

  • The Bears were 1-5 in the last six elimination games.
  • Bears outshot the Sound Tigers 34-31 in the game.
  • The Bears were 1 for 2 and the Sound Tigers 0 for 1 on the power play.
  • The Bears were 0 for 16 on the power play for the series coming into game 5.
  • Attendance: 5,253
  • The AHL box score for this game is here.

SCHEDULE FOR ROUND 2

The complete schedule is as follows:
Game 1-Friday, May. 3 at Charlotte, Bojangles’ Coliseum, 7 p.m.
Game 2-Saturday, May. 4 at Charlotte, Bojangles’ Coliseum, 6 p.m.
Game 3-Tuesday, May 7 vs Charlotte, Giant Center, 7 p.m.
Game 4-Wednesday, May 8 vs Charlotte, Giant Center, 7 p.m.
*Game 5-Friday, May 10 vs Charlotte, Giant Center, 7 p.m.
*Game 6-Sunday, May 12 at Charlotte, Bojangles’ Coliseum, 5 p.m.
* Game 7-Tuesday, May 14 at Charlotte, Bojangles’ Coliseum, 7 p.m.
*If Necessary. All times are Eastern.

HIGHLIGHTS

SCENES FROM BRIDGEPORT

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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6 Responses to Bears Beat Sound Tigers 3-2 In Overtime; Advance To Face Charlotte In Round 2 Of Calder Cup Playoffs

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