The Hershey Bears fell to 1-3 on the season after a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to rival Wilkes-Barre Scranton. The Bears’ only goal belonged to Caps prospect Riley Barber. The goal was Barber’s first of the year and was made off a centering pass from Chris Bourque.
Hershey goaltender Vitek Vanecek looked very calm in net, making 33 saves. The Penguins would win on a penalty shot goal by Dominik Simon.
Riley Barber goal
Steve Oleksy gets crunched by Ryan Bourque
Full highlights
Bears recap
(Hershey, PA – October 23, 2016) –In a game where sensational goaltending was the storyline, an overtime penalty shot goal was the difference as the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins beat the Hershey Bears 2-1 Sunday evening at GIANT Center. Dominik Simon’s tally earned the Penguins the extra point in the first clash of the 2016-17 season between the two Atlantic Division rivals.
Hershey netminder Vitek Vanecek and Wilkes-Barre Scranton’s Tristan Jarry turned in save after save throughout the balance of regulation. Vanecek, making only his third AHL start, was at his best in the second period, stopping 13 shots from the Penguins. Jarry denied 12 shots in the middle frame, but saved several of his best saves for the third period when he turned aside a pair of chances from Christian Thomas.
In the goaltender’s duel, the Bears opened the scoring midway through the second period. A clearing attempt hit the glass and deflected right to Hershey’s Chris Bourque on the left wing. He fired a pass across to teammate Riley Barber on the right side of the ice. Barber’s one-time shot beat Jarry to make it 1-0 Bears.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton would tie the game in the third period on a goal from Jake Guentzel. Off a face-off win, the Penguins forward redirected a Chad Ruhwedel shot past Vanecek’s blocker to make it 1-1 at 9:57.
In the extra session, Simon darted in on a breakaway and was slashed from behind. The forward took a shot that Vanecek stopped, and a penalty shot was awarded. On the penalty shot, Simon was able to slip a backhand shot past the Hershey goaltender to give the Penguins the win.
The Bears outshot the Penguins 35-31. The Penguins were 0-for-4 on the power play while the Bears were 0-for-3.
The Bears are on the road in Hartford on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on the Bears Radio Network as Zack Fisch has the call.
Hey @TheHersheyBears fans Tonights shirt is brought to you in part by @russianmachine #HBH #RMNB #BabyDeadGuin pic.twitter.com/SRP4bTpN72
— DJ Jones (@CottonEyeJones) October 23, 2016
Headline photo: Kyle Mace/Chocolate Hockey
