Bears Statistic Leaders

Skaters (I'm counting the statistics each player had as a Bear, not with other teams)

Points
Jeff Taffe 47
Brandon Segal 44
Ryan Stoa/Nicolas Deschamps 40
Casey Wellman/Dane Byers 37
Michael Latta 34

Goals
Jeff Taffe 21
Casey Wellman 18
Brandon Segal 17
Ryan Stoa 16
Nicolas Deschamps/Dane Byers 15

Assists
Brandon Segal 27
Jeff Taffe 26
Nicolas Deschamps 25
Ryan Stoa 24
David Kolomatis 23

Plus/Minus
Cameron Schilling/Michael Latta +14
Tyson Strachan +13
Nicolas Deschamps +8
Julien Brouillette/Patrick Wey +7
Dane Byers +6

Power Play Goals
Jeff Taffe 10
Brandon Segal/Casey Wellman/Julien Brouillette 7
Dustin Gazley 4
Ryan Stoa 3
Dane Byers/David Kolomatis/Stanislav Galiev 2

Penalty Minutes
Dane Byers 211
Michael Latta 134
Patrick Wellar 93
Cameron Schilling 89
Joel Rechlicz 87

Shots on Goal
Jeff Taffe 187
Brandon Segal 164
Ryan Stoa 148
Dane Byers 134
Casey Wellman/Matt Watkins 132

Goalies

Games Played
David Leggio 45
Philipp Grubauer 28
Riley Gill 3
Michal Neuvirth 1

Wins
David Leggio 23
Philipp Grubauer 13
Riley Gill 2
Michal Neuvirth 1

Goals Against Average
Philipp Grubauer 2.60
David Leggio 2.63

Saves
David Leggio 1,242
Philipp Grubauer 792

Save Percentage
Philipp Grubauer .916
David Leggio .913

Shutouts
Philipp Grubauer 3
David Leggio 2

Hershey Bears 2, Adirondack Phantoms 1 (4/19/14)

Box Score

Hershey (38-27-5-5) vs. Adirondack (30-37-2-6)
Giant Center: Hershey, PA
Goalies: Leggio (22-18-3, 2.60) vs. Capobianco (1-1-0, 3.13)

1st Period
Scoring
9:35- HER Goal: Rechlicz (1), Brown & Wellar

Penalties
2:59- ADK Penalty: Goumas for Hooking (2:00)
11:05- ADK Penalty: Brown for Holding (2:00)

2nd Period
Scoring
16:43- HER Goal: Taffe (21), Latta & Oleksy

Penalties
8:00- HER Penalty: Byers for Hooking (2:00)
9:09- HER Penalty: Schilling for Delay of Game (2:00)

3rd Period
Scoring
14:45- ADK Goal: Whitmore (9), Alt & Hagg

Penalties
No Penalties

Shots
HER: 6-12-8=26
ADK: 7-9-10=26

Recap

It was good to see the Bears finish off with a win, but you can't help but wonder what would have happened if they won either of the games at Norfolk. At the 2:59 mark of the 1st, Adirondack's Kevin Goumas was charged with hooking. At the 9:35 mark, Hershey got on the board. Joel Rechlicz scored his 1st of the season (his 3rd career goal in 7 AHL seasons), from Chris Brown & Patrick Wellar. A minute and a half later, Adirondack's Tyler Brown was charged with holding. After the 1st, the Phantoms had the 7-6 shot advantage.

In the 2nd, the Bears took a little more control of the game. At the 8:00 mark, Hershey's Dane Byers was charged with hooking. Around a minute later, Hershey's Cameron Schilling was charged with delay of game. At the 16:43 mark, the Bears took a 2-0 lead. Jeff Taffe scored his 21st of the season, from Michael Latta & Steve Oleksy. After the 2nd, the Bears had the 18-16 shot advantage.

Only one event happened in the 3rd, and it was a very ironic goal by the Phantoms. Derek Whitmore scored his 9th of the season, from Mark Alt & Robert Hagg. Whitmore was a Bear for a good amount of the season, until the trade that brought Kris Newbury. He scored the Bears' first goal of the season, and then he scores the final goal in the Bears' season as well. The shot advantage finished at 26-26, with David Leggio getting 25 saves in the win. The Bears finished the season with a record of 39-27-5-5.

Side Note: There will be more blog posts before the season is over. One post will be a final statistics post for the team, and I plan on posting after each AHL playoff round is over to recap each round.

Norfolk Admirals 3, Hershey Bears 1 (4/18/14)

Box Score

Hershey (38-26-5-5) at Norfolk (39-25-3-7)
Norfolk Scope: Norfolk, VA
Goalies: Grubauer (13-12-2, 2.62) vs. Thiessen (7-6-2, 2.34)

1st Period
Scoring
2:19- NOR Goal: Etem (24), Karlsson
14:53- HER Goal: Strachan (4), Segal & Deschamps

Penalties
7:46- HER Penalty: Byers for Boarding (2:00)
10:33- NOR Penalty: Eminger for Delay of Game (2:00)

2nd Period
Scoring
19:00- NOR Goal: Steckel (10), Kerdles & Wagner

Penalties
6:37- NOR Penalty: Fistric for Cross-Checking (2:00)
11:32- HER Penalty: Segal for Hooking (2:00)
14:41- NOR Penalty: Fistric for Slashing (2:00)
16:58- HER Penalty: Schilling for Holding the Stick (2:00)

3rd Period
Scoring
19:32- NOR Goal (EN): Friberg (17), Karlsson & Eminger

Penalties
4:47- NOR Penalty: Bailey for Holding (2:00)

Shots
HER: 9-7-6=22
NOR: 6-10-10=26

Recap

Tomorrow will be the final game of the Bears' season. For the first time since the 2004-05 season, the Bears will not be in the playoffs. They had the chances in these two games against the Admirals, but they couldn't cash in on them. 2:19 into the 1st, the Admirals took a quick lead. Emerson Etem scored his 24th of the season, from William Karlsson. At the 7:46 mark, Hershey's Dane Byers was charged with boarding. Around 3 minutes later, Norfolk's Steve Eminger was charged with delay of game. At the 14:53 mark, Hershey tied it up. Tyson Strachan scored his 4th of the season, from Brandon Segal & Nicolas Deschamps. After the 1st, the Bears had the 10-6 shot advantage.

The 2nd period had back and forth penalties. At the 6:37 mark, Norfolk's Mark Fistric was charged with cross-checking. Around 5 minutes later, Hershey's Brandon Segal was charged with hooking. At the 14:41 mark, Fistric was charged with another penalty, this time for slashing. At the 16:58 mark, Hershey's Cameron Schilling was charged with holding the stick. 2 seconds after that power play ended, Norfolk took the lead again. David Steckel (a former Bear) scored his 10th of the season, from Nic Kerdles & Chris Wagner. After the 2nd, the shots were tied at 16.

The 3rd period was dominated by the Admirals in possession and time in the offensive zone. At the 4:47 mark, Norfolk's Matt Bailey was charged with holding. The Bears couldn't take advantage, and they finished 0 for 9 on the power play in these two games in Norfolk. Norfolk got an empty-netter with 28 seconds left. Max Friberg scored his 17th of the season, from William Karlsson (2nd assist of the night) & Steve Eminger. Norfolk finished with the 26-22 shot advantage. The Bears will finish their season at home tomorrow night against the Adirondack Phantoms. Game time is at 7.

Norfolk Admirals 5, Hershey Bears 3 (4/16/14)

Box Score

Hershey (38-25-5-5) at Norfolk (38-25-3-7)
Norfolk Scope: Norfolk, VA
Goalies: Grubauer (13-11-2, 2.57) vs. Thiessen (6-6-2, 2.29)

1st Period
Scoring
6:40- NOR Goal: Manson (1), Wagner & Kerdiles
8:39- HER Goal: Stephenson (1), Schilling & Newbury
15:06- HER Goal: Latta (14), Deschamps & Schmidt
18:52- NOR Goal (PPG): Etem (23), Karlsson & Petersson
19:48- NOR Goal: Bailey (2), Wagner & Kerdiles

Penalties
2:50- HER Penalty: Segal for Boarding (2:00)
12:35- NOR Penalty: Bailey for Holding (2:00)
18:37- HER Penalty: Schilling for Holding (2:00)

2nd Period
Scoring
7:58- NOR Goal (PPG): Friberg (16), Etem

Penalties
2:29- NOR Penalty: Petersson for Holding (2:00)
7:13- HER Penalty: Segal for Hooking (2:00)
13:19- HER Penalty: Brown for Slashing  (2:00)
17:52- NOR Penalty: Steckel for Holding (2:00)

3rd Period
Scoring
6:22- HER Goal: Deschamps (15), Genoway
19:51- NOR Goal (EN): Karlsson (2)

Penalties
1:50- NOR Penalty: Petersson for Goaltender Interference (2:00)
8:17- NOR Penalty: Etem for Hooking (2:00)

Shots
HER: 8-7-7=22
NOR: 15-7-10=32

Recap

The Bears needed to get at least a point in this game, but it didn't happen. Norfolk showed why they are a strong team. At the 2:50 mark of the 1st period, Hershey's Brandon Segal was charged with boarding. At the 6:40 mark, Norfolk took the 1-0 lead. Josh Manson scored his 1st of the season, from Chris Wagner & Nic Kerdiles. Around 2 minutes later, Hershey tied it up. Chandler Stephenson scored his 1st of the season (in his first pro game), from Cameron Schilling & Kris Newbury. At the 12:35 mark, Norfolk's Matt Bailey was charged with holding. 2 and a half minutes later, Hershey took the 2-1 lead. Michael Latta scored his 14th of the season, from Nicolas Deschamps & Nate Schmidt. At the 18:37 mark, Hershey's Cameron Schilling was charged with holding. 15 seconds into the power play, Norfolk tied it up. Emerson Etem scored his 23rd of the season, from William Karlsson & Andre Petersson. 56 seconds later, Norfolk took the lead. Matt Bailey scored his 2nd of the season, from Chris Wagner (2nd assist of the night) & Nic Kerdiles (2nd assist of the night). After the 1st, Norfolk had the 15-8 shot advantage.

In the 2nd period, Norfolk continued their momentum. 2:29 into the period, Norfolk's Andre Petersson was charged with holding. At the 7:13 mark, Hershey's Brandon Segal was charged with hooking. 45 seconds into the power play, Norfolk took a 4-2 lead. Max Friberg scored his 16th of the season, from Emerson Etem (2nd point of the night). At the 13:19 mark, Hershey's Chris Brown was charged with slashing. To finish the period, at the 17:52 mark, Norfolk's Dave Steckel was charged with holding. After the 2nd, Norfolk had a 22-15 shot advantage.

In the 3rd period, Hershey tried to make a comeback. At the 1:50 mark, Norfolk's Andre Petersson was charged with goaltender interference. At the 6:22 mark, Hershey got it to 4-3. Nicolas Deschamps scored his 15th of the season (2nd point of the night), from Chay Genoway. Around 2 minutes later, Norfolk's Emerson Etem was charged with hooking. Hershey tried to get the tying goal, but Norfolk stayed on the defensive, and they scored an empty netter with 9 seconds left. William Karlsson scored his 2nd of the season. Norfolk finished with the 32-22 shot advantage. Norfolk has now taken a 2 point lead over the Bears for the final spot in the playoffs. Hershey has the chance to get back in that 8th spot on Friday, as they once again play the Norfolk Admirals. Game time is at 7:30.

Hershey Bears 1, Binghamton Senators 0 (4/13/14)

Box Score

Hershey (37-25-5-5) vs. Binghamton (42-24-1-5)
Giant Center: Hershey, PA
Goalies: Grubauer (12-11-2, 2.67) vs. Hammond (24-17-3, 2.77)

1st Period
Scoring
No Goals

Penalties
2:58- BNG Penalty: Bench Minor for Too Many Men (Served by Peumpel) (2:00)
11:27- BNG Penalty: Kramer for Roughing (2:00)
17:34- HER Penalty: Wellar for Holding (2:00)
18:11- HER Penalty: Oleksy for Cross-Checking (2:00)

2nd Period
Scoring
No Goals

Penalties
9:22- BNG Penalty: Kramer for Roughing (2:00)
9:22- HER Penalty: Newbury for Roughing (2:00)
12:41- BNG Penalty: Sdao for Holding (2:00)
14:21- HER Penalty: Newbury for Interference (2:00)

3rd Period
Scoring
No Goals

Penalties
No Penalties

Overtime
Scoring
2:24- HER Goal: Byers (15), Kolomatis & Schmidt

Penalties
No Penalties

Shots
HER: 10-12-11-6=39
BNG: 13-10-18-0=41

Recap

WHAT A GAME. The amount of chances each team had made this one of the most exciting games of the season, and what a big win it was for the Bears. The 1st period started off early. At the 2:58 mark, Binghamton received a bench minor for too many men on the ice. At the 11:27 mark, Binghamton's Darren Kramer was charged with roughing. At the 17:34 mark, Hershey's Patrick Wellar was charged with holding. 37 seconds later, Hershey's Steve Oleksy was charged with cross-checking. After the 1st, Binghamton had a 13-10 shot advantage.

At the 9:22 mark of the 2nd, each team received a penalty. Binghamton's Darren Kramer and Hershey's Kris Newbury were both charged with roughing. At the 12:41 mark, Binghamton's Michael Sdao was charged with holding. At the 14:21 mark, Hershey's Kris Newbury was charged with interference. After the 2nd, Binghamton had the 23-22 shot advantage.

The 3rd period didn't have any goals or penalties, but had plenty of shots. Hershey's Philipp Grubauer and Binghamton's Andrew Hammond stayed solid and kept the score at zero. Binghamton had the 41-33 shot advantage going into the overtime. The overtime period was dominated by Hershey, and after a couple chances, Hershey was finally able to get a puck past Hammond to win 1-0. Dane Byers scored his 15th of the season, from David Kolomatis & Nate Schmidt. Binghamton finished with the 41-39 shot advantage. Andrew Hammond finished with 38 saves in the loss, and Philipp Grubauer got the shutout with 41 saves. Hershey has 3 games left in the season, and the first one is Wednesday night against the Norfolk Admirals. Game time is at 7:15.

Standings Update

Here is the updated playoff race standings after today's games:

6. Albany  89 points
7. Providence  89 points
8. Hershey  86 points
9. Norfolk  86 points

Springfield Falcons 4, Hershey Bears 3 (4/12/14)

Box Score

Hershey (37-25-5-4) at Springfield (45-21-1-5)
MassMutual Center: Springfield, MA
Goalies:

1st Period
Scoring
7:29- HER Goal: Stoa (16), Wellman & Oleksy
9:10- SPR Goal (PPG): Chaput (19), St. Denis & Goloubef
15:36- SPR Goal: Jacques (15), Erixon & Chaput

Penalties
8:02- HER Penalty: Byers for Interference (2:00)

2nd Period
Scoring
4:53- HER Goal (PPG): Taffe (20), Kolomatis & Brown
5:50- HER Goal: Newbury (18), Byers & Watkins
19:10- SPR Goal (PPG): Collins (15), Erixon & Goloubef

Penalties
1:59- SPR Penalty: Chaput for Hooking (2:00)
4:41- SPR Penalty: Goloubef for Delay of Game (2:00)
9:04- HER Penalty: Byers for Slashing (2:00)
17:02- SPR Penalty: Bass for Cross-Checking (2:00)
17:58- HER Penalty: Byers for Hooking (2:00)
19:43- HER Penalty: Oleksy for Roughing (2:00)
19:43- HER Penalty: Oleksy for Fighting (5:00)
19:43- SPR Penalty: Craig for Fighting (5:00)

3rd Period
Scoring
No Goals

Penalties
9:07- HER Penalty: Schmidt for Hooking (2:00)
12:13- SPR Penalty: Thompson for Tripping (2:00)
14:46- HER Penalty: Latta for Boarding (2:00)
17:04- SPR Penalty: Collins for Tripping (2:00)

Overtime
Scoring
No Goals

Penalties
No Penalties

Shootout
1st Round- HER: Stoa (Goal), SPR: Goloubef (No Goal)
2nd Round- HER: Wellman (Goal), SPR: Collins (Goal)
3rd Round- HER: Newbury (No Goal), SPR: Sedlak (No Goal)
4th Round- HER: Brown (No Goal), SPR: Jacques (Goal)
5th Round- HER: Byers (No Goal), SPR: Chaput (Goal)
Springfield wins shootout 3-2

Shots
HER: 5-7-6-1=19
SPR: 8-10-12-1=31

Recap

Back-to-back tough losses for this team. They got points out of each of them, but they could have gotten the full two in each of them. The first period didn't have many penalties, but the scoring was there. At the 7:29 mark, the Bears got on the board. Ryan Stoa scored his 16th of the season, from Casey Wellman & Steve Oleksy. 33 seconds later, Hershey's Dane Byers was charged with interference. On that power play, Springfield tied it up. Michael Chaput scored his 19th of the season, from Frederic St. Denis & Cody Goloubef. At the 15:36 mark, the Falcons made it 2-1. Jean-Francois Jacques scored his 15th of the season, from Tim Erixon & Michael Chaput (2nd point of the night). After the 1st, the Falcons had an 8-5 shot advantage.

Due to the amount of penalties in the 2nd period (8, to be exact), only the goals will be recapped. At the 4:53 mark, on the power play, Hershey tied the game at 2. Jeff Taffe scored his 20th of the season, from David Kolomatis & Chris Brown. 57 seconds later, the Bears took the lead. Kris Newbury scored his 18th of the season, from Dane Byers & Matt Watkins. However, at the 19:10 mark, Springfield was able to tie the game at 3 on the power play. Sean Collins scored his 15th of the season, from Tim Erixon (2nd assist of the night) & Cody Goloubef (2nd assist of the night). After the 2nd, the Falcons had the 18-12 shot advantage.

In the 3rd, there was no scoring, but there were two penalties for each team. Hershey's penalties were on Nate Schmidt for hooking (9:07), and Michael Latta for boarding (14:46). Springfield's penalties were on Paul Thompson for tripping (12:13), and Sean Collins for tripping (17:04). After the 3rd, the Falcons had a commanding 30-18 shot advantage. The overtime had only one shot for each team, so Springfield had the shot advantage at 31-19. Hershey lead the shootout 2-1 through 3 rounds, but Springfield was able to score in the final two rounds to take the victory. Hershey will look to get the full two points at home tomorrow night, as they play the Binghamton Senators. Game time is at 5.

Standings Update

Here is the updated playoff race standings after tonight's games:

5. Binghamton  90 points
6. Providence  89 points
7. Albany  87 points
8. Hershey  84 points
9. Norfolk  84 points

Binghamton Senators 5, Hershey Bears 4 (4/11/14)

Box Score

Hershey (37-25-4-4) at Binghamton (41-23-1-5)
Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena: Binghamton, NY
Goalies: Leggio (22-17-3, 2.61) vs. Lawson (15-8-1, 2.97), Hammond (23-16-3, 2.82)

1st Period
Scoring
17:43- BNG Goal: Wideman (9), Thompson & Hobbs

Penalties
7:27- BNG Penalty: Hobbs for Hooking (2:00)

2nd Period
Scoring
1:09- HER Goal: Schmidt (2)
11:35- BNG Goal: Sdao (6), Hamilton & Cowick
12:20- BNG Goal: Puempel (29), Prince & Dzingel
15:19- HER Goal: Byers (14), Kolomatis & Newbury
17:30- HER Goal: Latta (13), Potulny & Kolomatis

Penalties
6:17- BNG Penalty: Mullen for Hooking (2:00)
15:12- HER Penalty: Genoway for Roughing (2:00)
15:12- BNG Penalty: Wideman for Roughing (2:00)

3rd Period
Scoring
3:58- HER Goal: Wellman (19), Stoa & Potulny
4:26- BNG Goal: Dziurzynski (11), D. Grant & Schneider

Penalties
12:23- HER Penalty: Herbert for Interference (2:00)

Overtime
Scoring
3:39- BNG Goal: D. Grant (12), A. Grant & Claesson

Penalties
No Penalties

Shots
HER: 17-16-7-4=44
BNG: 9-14-6-2=31

Recap

A tough game to lose with how hard-fought it was, but at least the Bears came away with a point out of it. The first period was slow (unlike the rest of the game). At the 7:27 mark, Binghamton's Danny Hobbs was charged with hooking. At the 17:43 mark, Binghamton took the 1-0 lead. Chris Wideman scored his 9th of the season, from Garrett Thompson & Danny Hobbs. After the 1st, the Bears had the 17-9 shot advantage, but trailed 1-0.

The 2nd period was an eventful one. 1:09 into the period, Hershey tied it up. Nate Schmidt, in his first game back from injury, scored his 2nd of the season unassisted. At the 6:17 mark, Binghamton's Patrick Mullen was charged with hooking. Within 45 seconds (starting at the 11:35 mark), Binghamton took a 3-1 lead. The 1st goal was Michael Sdao's 6th of the season, from Wacey Hamilton & Corey Cowick. The 2nd goal was Matt Puempel's 29th of the season, from Shane Prince & Ryan Dzingel. At the 15:12 mark, two penalties were issued. Hershey's Chay Genoway and Binghamton's Chris Wideman were both charged with roughing. 7 seconds later, Hershey cut the lead to 3-2. Dane Byers scored his 14th of the season, from David Kolomatis & Kris Newbury. A little over 2 minutes later, Hershey tied it up. Michael Latta scored his 13th of the season, from Ryan Potulny & David Kolomatis (2nd assist of the night). After the 2nd, the Bears had the 33-23 shot advantage.

The 3rd period was just as exciting as the 2nd, but with less statistics to show for it. At the 3:58 mark, Hershey took their first lead of the game. Casey Wellman scored his 19th of the season, from Ryan Stoa & Ryan Potulny (2nd assist of the season). Only 28 seconds later, Binghamton tied it back up. David Dziurzynski scored his 11th of the season, from Derek Grant & Cole Schneider. At this point, Binghamton switched goalies (from Nathan Lawson to Andrew Hammond). The only other happening in the period was at the 12:23 mark. Hershey's Caleb Herbert was charged with interference. Hershey continued to dominate the shot advantage, now at 40-29.

The overtime had only one happening, and it was the goal that won it for Binghamton. Derek Grant scored his 12th of the season (2nd point of the night), from Alex Grant & Fredrik Claesson. Hershey finished with a dominating 44-31 shot advantage. Hershey will look to get back in the win column tomorrow night, as they finish their 5-game road trip against the Springfield Falcons. Game time is at 7.

Standings Update

Here is the updated playoff race standings after tonight's games:

5. Wilkes-Barre-Scranton  90 points
6. Providence  88 points
7. Albany  85 points
8. Hershey  83 points
9. Norfolk  82 points

Update on Bears Playoff Chase

Eastern Conference Standings

Rank	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	SL	Points
1	Manchester Monarchs	72	45	19	2	6	98
2	Springfield Falcons	71	44	21	1	5	94
3	Binghamton Senators	70	41	23	1	5	88
4	St. John's IceCaps	70	42	22	2	4	90
5	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	71	40	23	3	5	88
6	Providence Bruins	71	38	23	2	8	86
7	Albany Devils	71	35	23	5	8	83
8	Hershey Bears	70	37	25	4	4	82
9	Norfolk Admirals	70	36	25	2	7	81
10	Worcester Sharks	71	34	31	4	2	74
11	Hartford Wolf Pack	71	33	31	1	6	73
12	Syracuse Crunch	70	29	30	4	7	69
13	Bridgeport Sound Tigers	71	27	36	2	6	62
14	Adirondack Phantoms	70	27	36	1	6	61
15	Portland Pirates	70	24	35	3	8	59

Remaining Bears Games

Date	Home or Away?	Opponent	Time of Game
Fri 4/11	Away	Binghamton Senators	7:05
Sat 4/12	Away	Springfield Falcons	7:00
Sun 4/13	Home	Binghamton Senators	7:00
Wed 4/16	Away	Norfolk Admirals	7:15
Fri 4/18	Away	Norfolk Admirals	7:30
Sat 4/19	Home	Adirondack Phantoms	7:00

Analysis

At the current moment, the Manchester Monarchs and the Springfield Falcons are the only two teams to have clinched anything. Manchester has clinched a playoff spot, and Springfield has clinched their division. Syracuse, Bridgeport, Adirondack, and Portland have all been eliminated from playoff contention.

Looking at where the Bears stand, it's quite the interesting situation. It's good for them to be in that 8th spot finally, but they only have it by a point. With how Norfolk can play, they have to keep up their current pace. Also, you have to look that the Bears, if they make the playoffs, have a chance of getting a better seed than 8th. They have a game in hand on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Providence, and Albany. If those teams would struggle in these last games, Hershey could possibly get to a better seed.

The remaining schedule for the Bears leads them to almost control their own destiny. They have two games against the leader of their division, the Binghamton Senators. Between those games is a matchup against the 2nd place team in the conference, the Springfield Falcons. Those three games are some of the toughest the Bears could have all season. The pressure is immense, let alone the fact that those are two good teams.

The pressure gets even more immense, as they then play two games against the team right behind them in 9th, the Norfolk Admirals. Depending on how the three games before go for the Bears, this could be the fight for the final playoff spot. Even if it's not a fight between Hershey and Norfolk, it could change the outcome of the fight between one of those teams and possibly Albany.

The final game is a home game against one of the weakest teams in the conference, the Adirondack Phantoms. It's the last game for the Bears' rival before they move to Allentown to become the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Depending on the previous games, Adirondack could be a spoiler for the Bears in their playoff hopes, and the games between these two teams always turn into a battleground.

In my opinion, if the Bears can keep the pace they've been going at, they can make the playoffs. I think they could get to the 7th seed, due to Albany being so close in the points, but I'm not sure if Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Providence will struggle enough for the Bears to take their spots. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton could even take the division, depending on how Binghamton plays. Here's how I think the standings will play out:

Rank	Team
1	Manchester Monarchs
2	Springfield Falcons
3	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
4	St. John's IceCaps
5	Binghamton Senators
6	Providence Bruins
7	Hershey Bears
8	Norfolk Admirals
9	Albany Devils
10	Worcester Sharks
11	Hartford Wolf Pack
12	Syracuse Crunch
13	Adirondack Phantoms
14	Bridgeport Sound Tigers
15	Portland Pirates

What do you think? Do you think the Bears will make the playoffs?

Hershey Bears 5, Bridgeport Sound Tigers 4 (4/6/14)

Box Score

Hershey (36-25-4-4) at Bridgeport (27-35-2-6)
Webster Bank Arena: Bridgeport, CT
Goalies: Leggio (21-17-3, 2.58) vs. Poulin (1-9-1, 2.68)

1st Period
Scoring
No Goals

Penalties
11:37- HER Penalty: Herbert for Holding (2:00)
13:51- BRI Penalty: Coderre-Gagnon for Tripping (2:00)

2nd Period
Scoring
2:53- HER Goal: Newbury (16)
7:56- HER Goal: Wellman (18), Newbury & Stoa
10:17- HER Goal: Newbury (17), Schilling
10:40- BRI Goal: Quine (7), Newton
14:18- BRI Goal: Pedan (4), Johnson
15:51- BRI Goal (SHG): Pedan (5)

Penalties
0:50- HER Penalty: Oleksy for Tripping (2:00)
4:57- BRI Penalty: Vaughan for High-Sticking (2:00)
5:51- BRI Penalty: Langkow for Hooking (2:00)
9:47- HER Penalty: Wellar for Fighting (5:00)
9:47- BRI Penalty: Gallant for Fighting (5:00)
14:53- BRI Penalty: Finley for Cross-Checking (2:00)
16:25- HER Penalty: Newbury for Fighting (5:00)
16:25- BRI Penalty: Vaughan for Fighting (5:00)

3rd Period
Scoring
1:31- BRI Goal (PPG): Harris (1), Pedan & Graham
5:40- HER Goal: Byers (13), Schilling & Newbury
10:23- HER Goal: Latta (12), Brown & Deschamps

Penalties
1:05- HER Penalty: Gazley for Tripping (2:00)
3:39- HER Penalty: Stoa for Slashing (2:00)
3:39- BRI Penalty: Harris for Delay of Game (2:00)
10:44- BRI Penalty: Gallant for Boarding (2:00)
11:17- HER Penalty: Taffe for High-Sticking (2:00)
11:38- BRI Penalty: Pedan for Holding the Stick (2:00)
15:14- BRI Penalty: Bruton for Slashing (2:00)
18:51- HER Penalty: Kolomatis for Slashing (2:00)

Shots
HER: 9-10-14=33
BRI: 8-13-8=29

Recap

Five in a row! With how the 1st period went, I would have never expected this game to turn out the way it did. The 1st period had two penalties and no goals. At the 11:37 mark, Hershey's Caleb Herbert was charged with holding. At the 13:51 mark, Bridgeport's Mathieu Coderre-Cagnon was charged with tripping. After the 1st, Hershey had the 9-8 shot advantage.

The rest of the game had 9 goals and 16 penalties, and became the Kris Newbury/Andrey Pedan show. It was a very different game from the 1st period. Due to the amount of penalties that occurred, the rest of the recap will just talk about the goals that occurred. At the 2:53 mark, 3 seconds after a penalty kill, Hershey got on the board. Kris Newbury scored his 16th of the season unassisted. 5 minutes later, Hershey increased the lead to 2. Casey Wellman scored his 18th of the season, from Kris Newbury (2nd point of the game) & Ryan Stoa. At the 10:17 mark, Hershey made it 3-0. Kris Newbury scored his 17th of the season (2nd goal/3rd point of the game), from Cameron Schilling. At this point, it looked as if Hershey could coast to the victory. However, Bridgeport had other ideas. 23 seconds after the 3rd Hershey goal, Bridgeport got on the board. Alan Quine scored his 7th of the season, from Jake Newton. At the 14:18 mark, Bridgeport made it 3-2. Andrey Pedan scored his 4th of the season, from Justin Johnson. At the 15:51 mark, while they were on the penalty kill, Bridgeport tied it up. Andrey Pedan scored his 5th of the season (2nd goal of the game) unassisted. After the 2nd, Bridgeport had the 21-19 shot advantage.

In the 3rd, Bridgeport quickly continued their momentum, as they took the lead 1:31 into the period (and on the power play). Brant Harris scored his 1st of the season, from Andrey Pedan (3rd point of the night) & Jesse Graham. 4 minutes later, Hershey stopped the momentum and tied it up. Dane Byers scored his 13th of the season, from Cameron Schilling (2nd assist of the night) & Kris Newbury (2nd assist/4th point of the night). At the 10:23 mark, Hershey got the lead back for good at 5-4. Michael Latta scored his 12th of the season, from Chris Brown & Nicolas Deschamps. Hershey was able to finish with the 33-29 shot advantage. Hershey continues its 5 game road trip on Friday, this time against the Binghamton Senators. Game time is at 7:05.

Side Note: At the time of this post, Norfolk (8th place in the conference, one point ahead of the Bears) was tied at 1 with Hartford in the 2nd period. If Norfolk loses in regulation, Hershey would take the 8th place spot in the standings by a point. I will try at some point in the week to make a post that details the current standings in the conference.

Hershey Bears 3, Worcester Sharks 2 (4/5/14)

Box Score

Hershey (35-25-4-4) at Worcester (34-30-3-2)
DCU Center: Worcester, MA
Goalies: Grubauer (11-11-1, 2.70) vs. Grosenick (17-11-0, 2.71)

1st Period
Scoring
No Goals

Penalties
18:20- HER Penalty: May for Cross-Checking (2:00)

2nd Period
Scoring
1:34- WOR Goal: Rau (3), Schwartz & Schmidt
8:28- HER Goal: Herbert (2), Kolomatis & Taffe
12:22- HER Goal: Genoway (4), Newbury & Byers

Penalties
9:17- WOR Penalty: Abeltshauser for Holding the Stick (2:00)

3rd Period
Scoring
19:25- WOR Goal: DaSilva (17), Kearns & Carpenter

Penalties
1:19- HER Penalty: Kolomatis for Hooking (2:00)
11:26- HER Penalty: Watkins for Tripping (2:00)

Overtime
Scoring
2:49- HER Goal: Wellman (17), Byers

Penalties
No Penalties

Shots
HER: 6-13-3-1=23
WOR: 13-10-12-0=35

Recap

Four in a row! For how much the Sharks dominated the 1st and 3rd periods, the Bears should feel lucky to get this win (and be thanking their goaltending once again). The 1st period only had one event. Hershey's Jeff May (in his 1st game as a Bear) was charged with cross-checking. After the 1st, the Sharks had a 13-6 shot advantage.

The 2nd period had most of the scoring in regulation. 1:34 into the period, Worcester got the 1-0 lead. Chad Rau scored his 3rd of the season, from Rylan Schwartz & Adam Schmidt. Around 7 minutes later, Hershey tied it up. Caleb Herbert scored his 2nd goal of the season, from David Kolomatis & Jeff Taffe. After two professional games, Herbert has 2 goals & an assist. Less than a minute later, Worcester's Konrad Abeltshauser was charged with holding the stick. At the 12:22 mark, Hershey continued their strong period by taking the lead. Chay Genoway scored his 4th of the season, from Kris Newbury & Dane Byers. Hershey had the shot advantage in the period (13-10), but overall, Worcester had the advantage at 23-19.

In the 3rd, the entire period was dominated by the Sharks. 1:19 into the period, Hershey's David Kolomatis was charged with hooking. At the 11:26 mark, Hershey's Matt Watkins was charged with tripping. With all the chances the Sharks had, it was a matter of time before they tied it up. Philipp Grubauer tried to make sure the tying goal never happened, but with 35 seconds left, and Worcester with an extra attacker from the empty net, they tied it up. Dan DaSilva scored his 17th of the season, from Bracken Kearns & Ryan Carpenter. Worcester had the 35-22 shot advantage after the 3rd.

The overtime period featured back and forth action, but no shots until the shot that won it for the Bears. At the 2:49 mark, Casey Wellman scored his 17th of the season, from Dane Byers (2nd assist of the night). With that being the only shot of the overtime period, Worcester finished with a 35-23 shot advantage. Philipp Grubauer continued the Bears' recent goaltending excellence, making 33 saves on the night. Even though the Bears won, they stayed a point behind 8th place in the conference, as the Norfolk Admirals won as well tonight. The Bears will look to stretch their winning streak to five tomorrow night against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Game time is at 3.

Hershey Bears 3, Portland Pirates 2 (4/2/14)

Box Score

Hershey (34-25-4-4) at Portland (24-33-2-8)
Androscoggin Bank Colisée: Lewiston, ME
Goalies: Leggio (20-17-3, 2.60) vs. Domingue (9-12-2, 3.50)

1st Period
Scoring
5:05- POR Goal: Rieder (27), Martinook & Klassen
5:32- HER Goal: Taffe (19), Herbert & Oleksy
15:02- POR Goal: Miele (27), Martinook

Penalties
12:05- HER Penalty: Newbury for Slashing (2:00)

2nd Period
Scoring
0:21- HER Goal: Herbert (1), Taffe & Gazley
8:43- HER Goal: Newbury (15), Watkins & Oleksy

Penalties
14:59- HER Penalty: Wellar for Fighting (5:00)
14:59- POR Penalty: Dziurzynski for Fighting (5:00)
18:31- POR Penalty: Todd for Tripping (2:00)
19:52- HER Penalty: Bench Minor for Too Many Men (Served by Stoa) (2:00)

3rd Period
Scoring
No Goals

Penalties
17:37- HER Penalty: Watkins for Boarding (2:00)

Shots
HER: 10-9-6=25
POR: 9-8-12=29

Recap

Another huge win for the Bears! This was a game that they should win, and they did. What a special night it was as well for Hershey's Caleb Herbert. The first period had mostly goals happening. At the 5:05 mark, Portland got on the board. Tobias Rieder scored his 27th of the season, from Jordan Martinook & Sam Klassen. 27 seconds later, Hershey tied it back up. Jeff Taffe scored his 19th of the season, from Caleb Herbert (1st professional point/assist) & Steve Oleksy. At the 12:05 mark, Hershey's Kris Newbury was charged with slashing. Around 3 minutes later, Portland took the lead again. Andy Miele scored his 27th of the season, from Jordan Martinook (2nd assist of the night). After the 1st, Hershey had a 10-9 shot advantage.

Hershey made sure the lead didn't last long into the 2nd. 21 seconds in, Caleb Herbert scored his 1st of the season (1st professional goal, 2nd point of the night), from Jeff Taffe (2nd point of the night) & Dustin Gazley. At the 8:43 mark, Hershey took the 3-2 lead. Kris Newbury scored his 15th of the season (1st as a Bear), from Matt Watkins & Steve Oleksy (2nd assist of the night). At the 14:59 mark, Hershey's Patrick Wellar & Portland's Darian Dziurzynski were charged with fighting. At the 18:31 mark, Portland's Daine Todd was charged with tripping. 8 seconds before the period ended, Hershey was charged with a bench minor for too many men on the ice. After the 2nd, the Bears had a 19-17 shot advantage.

The 3rd was mostly dominated by the Pirates, but the Bears defense and David Leggio made sure no goals went in. At the 17:37 mark, Hershey's Matt Watkins was charged with boarding, but nothing came from it. Portland finished with the 29-25 shot advantage. Leggio had another strong performance with his 27 saves. With this win, the Bears put themselves in 8th place in the Eastern Conference. Hershey will look to stretch their winning streak to 4 games on Saturday, as they play against the Worcester Sharks. Game time is at 7.