While the Capitals battled it out against the Penguins in Game Five, the Hershey Bears waged their own war against the Providence Bruins. Unfortunately for them, they did not find the same success as the Caps.

Playing in Game One of the Atlantic Division Finals, the Bears found themselves facing a three goal deficit by the end of the first period. Just three and a half minutes after the Bruins’ Austin Czarnik scored on a breakaway to put the Bruins up 1-0 at 10:08 in the first period, the Bruins struck twice more with two shorthanded goals just 56 seconds apart.

With 2:26 left in the game and Pheonix Copley on the bench to allow for an extra attacker for the Bears, Nathan Walker tallied his second goal of the 2017 playoffs to ruin the Bruins’ shutout. Although the goal was not enough to give the Bears a win and a 1-0 lead in the series, the team did outshoot the Bruins 25-22 during the game.

Game Highlights

The Bears will face the Providence Bruins again at home in Hershey on Sunday night at 5 p.m., when they will attempt to tie the best-of-seven series.

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The Providence Bruins scored three goals in the first period to beat the Hershey Bears, 3-1, in Game 1 of the Atlantic Division Finals on Saturday night. The Bruins took a 1-0 series lead, as Hershey fell to 0-3 at the Giant Cente rduring the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs.

The Bruins scored three goals in a span of just over four minutes in the second half of the opening period to take a commanding lead. Austin Czarnik opened the scoring at 10:08 on a breakaway. Hershey’s Zach Sill lost the puck in the offensive zone to Providence’s Chris Porter. With Czarnik streaking behind the Hershey defense, Porter hit his teammate with a stretch pass. Czarnik raced down the slot, and fired a shot over the glove of Hershey netminder Pheonix Copley to make it 1-0 Providence.

The Bruins would extend the lead to 3-0 with a pair of shorthanded goals that came just 56 seconds apart. Colby Cave tallied his first postseason goal at 13:37, stealing the puck from Tom Gilbert behind the Hershey net, and beating Copley over the glove. At 14:33, Jake DeBrusk also scored shorthanded, walking around Copley off a great feed from Chris Casto. Providence goaltender Zane McIntyre added the secondary assist on the goal that made it 3-0.

McIntyre was strong all night, stopping 24 Hershey shots to earn his fourth win of the playoffs. The Bears outshot the Bruins, 25-22 in the loss.

Hershey’s Nathan Walker spoiled McIntyre’s shutout with 2:26 to play. With Copley pulled for an extra attacker, Hershey defender Christian Djoos fed Walker on the right wing. The forward struck for his second goal of the playoffs to put Hershey on the scoreboard.

The Bears went 0-for-3 on the power play and are now 0-for-16 in the playoffs on the man-advantage. Providence was 0-for-2.

Headline photo via Chocolate Hockey