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Hershey Bears eliminated from playoffs after being swept by Charlotte Checkers

By Ian Oland

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May 8, 2019 9:51 pm

The Hershey Bears were eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs Wednesday night at Giant Center.

After losing the first three games of their second-round series to the Charlotte Checkers, the Bears lost Game Four 5-2 and were swept from the AHL playoffs. Swedish prospect Axel Jonsson-Fjallby did not play in Games Three or Four.

The game concludes an incredible season for a young Bears team, which saw the team rise from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings to clinching a playoff spot late in the spring.

Wednesday night, the Checkers jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, after Aleksi Saarela scored twice and Julien Gauthier and Tomas Jurco added goals of their own. Jayson Megna finally got the Bears on the board 5:37 in the third period.

Shane Gersich would further give the Bears life, narrowing the Checkers’ lead to 4-2 a little over nine minutes later. It was the Capitals draft pick’s first goal of the postseason.

After a furious few shifts late in the game, the Bears could not complete the comeback. Saarela would tally a hat trick, hitting the back of the empty net with 1:37 left in the game. Game over. The two teams lined up at center ice and shook hands, thus ending Hershey’s season.

But what a season it was. Hershey started the 2018-19 campaign with seven consecutive losses and were one of the worst teams in the AHL. The team featured a rookie AHL head coach in 36-year-old Spencer Carbery and a roster consisting of many new prospects.

The Bears eventually found their way, winning 11 straight and tallying points in a franchise record 17 consecutive games in February. The Bears’ big second half pushed them into the playoffs where their strong play continued.

Hershey eliminated the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the first round of the playoffs after Brian Pinho scored in overtime of the series’ decisive Game Five. Unfortunately, that’s as far as the Bears would advance this season.

The Bears will likely get even younger next season. Popular veteran players Riley Barber (Hershey’s leading goal scorer), Nathan Walker, Jayson Megna, Michael Sgarbossa, and Aaron Ness are all unrestricted free agents. Meanwhile, Liam O’Brien, Shane Gersich, Hampus Gustaffson, Vitek Vanecek, and Brian Pinho are RFAs.

Regardless of what comes next: Bravo, Bears. This was a season to remember.

Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk