Bears Fall To Penguins In Overtime, 3-2

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Jon Sorensen
Photo: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

The Hershey Bears fell to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 3-2 (OT) Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre. The overtime loss drops the Bears record to 33-28-6-4 (76 points) on the season.

The Penguins opened the scoring early in the first stanza but the Bears would quickly answer with a power play snipe from Ethan Frank for his first professional goal.

Following a scoreless middle frame, Mason Morelli notched a power play tally midway through the final frame for a 2-1 Bears lead. But the Penguins notched the tying tally with two minutes remaining in regulation, sending the game to overtime.

The Penguins would win it with a power play goal in the overtime period.

STARTERS

The Bears started goaltender Zach Fucale (11-13-4-3, 2.65 GAA, .894 sv %) in net while the Penguins countered with Tommy Napier (9-8-2-0, 2.89 GAA, .896 sv%). The starting forward lines and defensive pairs for the Bears:

Injuries: Brian Pinho (shoulder surgery), Matt Moulson (back surgery) and Riley Sutter (upper-body injury).

Scratches: Jake Massie, Macoy Erkamps, Kale Kessy, Marcus Vela, Kody Clark and Clay Stevenson.

FIRST PERIOD

The Penguins struck first with a tally from Kasper Bjorkqvist (8) at 4:54 of the first. Jordy Bellerive (20) and Cam Lee (16) had the helpers.

The Bears tied the game on a power play snipe by Ethan Frank (1) at 10:48 of the first period. Bobby Nardella (15) and Aliaksei Protas (14) had the helpers. It was Frank’s first professional goal.

The first period concluded with the game tied 1-1. The Penguins outshot the Bears 12-10 in the opening frame.

SECOND PERIOD

The Bears and Penguins skated to a scoreless draw in the second period. The Penguins led in shots 15-9 in the second period and 27-19 after two periods.

Hershey was 1 for 2 and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 0 for 3 on the power play through two periods.

THIRD PERIOD

The Bears took the lead midway through the final frame on Mason Morelli’s power play tally at 8:49 of the third period. Aliaksei Protas (15) and Bobby Nardella (16) had the assists.

The Penguins tied the game with 2:01 remaining in regulation. Radim Zohorna (8) potted the game-tying tally, assisted by Juuso Riikola (28) and Alexander Nylander (16).

Regulation would end, tied 2-2.

OVERTIME

Brett Leason was called for a tripping penalty early in the extra frame, giving the Penguins a 4-on-3 power play. They would win it on the ensuing man advantage.

The Bears are back in action on Sunday when they host the Providence Bruins at Giant Center. Puck drop is set for 5:00 PM.

SHAVINGS

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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