Brian Pinho, Garrett Pilon & Kody Clark Score In Bears 4-2 Win Over Sound Tigers

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Jon Sorensen
Photo: Caroline O’Connor/Great Save Productions/Hershey Bears

The Hershey Bears downed the Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4-2 on Sunday afternoon at the Giant Center in Hershey. The win improves the Bears record to 21-10-2-3 (47 points) on the season.The Bears are alone in second place in the Atlantic Division, and just two points behind the Hartford Wolf Pack for first place.The two teams meet Wednesday night in Hershey.

STARTERS
Vitek Vanecek (11-5-1-1, 2.33 GAA, .910 sv%) started between the pipes for the Bears. Jakub Skarek (3-6-1-1, 3.16, GAA, .892 sv%) got the start in goal for the Sound Tigers. The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Bears:

Scratches: Steve Whitney (upper body injury), Beck Malenstyn (upper-body injury), Kale Kessy, and Colby Williams (lower body injury, week-to-week) were the injury scratches. Chris McCarthy, Eddie Whittchow and Connor Hobbs were the healthy scratches. Christian Djoos was recalled by the Capitals last Friday.

FIRST PERIOD
The Bears would strike first with a gritty goal from Brian Pinho (9) at 4:22 of the first frame. Matt Moulson (11) and Philippe Maillet (10) had the helpers. It was Pinho’s third goal in the last three games.

The Bears would stretch their lead to 2-0 with a snipe from Garrett Pilon (8) at 16:14 of the first frame. Mike Sgarbossa (24) and Bobby Nardella (11) had the assists. The point was Sgarbossa’s 100th point as a Hershey Bear.

The period would end with the Bears leading 2-0. The Bears led in shots 10-8 for the first frame. Hershey was 0 for 1 on the power play. Bridgeport did not have a power play in the first period.

SECOND PERIOD
The Sound Tigers would cut the Bears lead to one with a goal from Keiffer Bellows (14) at 4:23 of the second period.

But the Bears would quickly answer with a goal from Kody Clark at 5:45 of the second period, making it 3-1. Philippe Maillet (11) and Matt Moulson (12) had the helpers.

The Sound Tigers would once again cut the lead to one with a goal from Jeff Kubiak (3) at 15:52 of the middle frame. The goal was setup by a Bears turnover in the neutral zone. Alex Alexeyev made an ill-advised attempt at a pass that was picked-off by the Sound Tigers, giving them a 3-on-2 rush.

The Bears suffered two significant injuries late in the period. Mike Sgarbossa would leave after taking a hit. He would not return to the game.

Joe Snively would also leave the game late in the period after taking a hit and nasty fall into the boards. He would also not return to the game.

In addition, Lucas Johansen, who started the game for the Bears, left at the beginning of the second period and did not return. There was no indication as to the type of injury sustained by Johansen.

The period would end with the Bears leading 3-2. Bridgeport led in shots 10-8 for the period. Shots were tied 18-18 after two periods. Bridgeport was 1 for 2 and Hershey 0 for 2 on the power play after two periods.

THIRD PERIOD
The Bears and Sound Tigers would skate to a scoreless draw for most of the final frame. Phil Maillet would add an empty net goal late for the 4-2 win.

The Bears are back in action on Wednesday when they host the first place Hartford Wolf Pack. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM.

SHAVINGS

  • Attendance: 8,439
  • The AHL box score
  • Bears are winners of their last 13 of 14 games.
  • Stars of the game: 1) Kody Clark, 2) Philippe Malliet and 3) Matt Moulson
  • Bridgeport led in shots 32-23 for the game.
  • Vitek Vanecek stopped 29 of 31 shots faced for a .935 game save percentage.
  • Brian Pinho led the Bears in shots with 4.
  • No updates were available for the Sgarbossa, Snively and Johansen injuries

SCENES FROM HERSHEY

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His passion for the Caps has grown over the decades, which has included time as a season ticket holder, social media and community organizer, and most recently led to the founding of NoVa Caps in 2014. Jon earned a Bachelor's of Science in Civil Engineering at Old Dominion University, and is a Systems Engineer during intermissions, which has been instrumental in supporting his Capitals habit.
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3 Responses to Brian Pinho, Garrett Pilon & Kody Clark Score In Bears 4-2 Win Over Sound Tigers

  1. Pingback: Connor McMichael Wins Gold, Brian Pinho Scores Three Goals, Garrett Pilon Heats Up: Week 16 Capitals Prospect Report | NoVa Caps

  2. Diane Doyle says:
    January 5, 2020 at 5:56 pm

    Congratulations to the Bears for their wins this weekend. The team is now also the AHL MASH unit with Snively, Johansen, and Sgarbossa injured today. Johansen has had the absolute worst luck with injuries.

    Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    January 5, 2020 at 8:48 pm

    Bears are finally getting scoring from the Sophomores. We knew it would come. Wednesday is going to be a great battle for first place.

    Reply

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