Shane Gersich recorded his first career hat trick and his first multi-goal game ever in the AHL on Friday.
Gersich tallied two even-strength goals in the second period and an empty-netter in the third to lead the Hershey Bears to a 4-1 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Gersich now has nine goals on the season.
Full game highlights
Goal 1
See Shane Gersich score his seventh goal of the season. Bears with the lead early on in the first. #HBH pic.twitter.com/h7DtZbrDVJ
— Chocolate Hockey (@ChocHockey) February 1, 2020
Gersich’s first goal came 2:15 into the second period. Set up in front of the net, Gersich redirected a shot from Garrett Pilon at the blue line.
Goal 2
Gersich times two! Shane Gersich scores his second of the game and his eighth goal of the season, as the Bears retake the lead, 2-1 Hershey midway through the second. #HBH pic.twitter.com/0gCNdFQizf
— Chocolate Hockey (@ChocHockey) February 1, 2020
Gersich struck again 4:23 later. Taking a pass from Christian Djoos, Gersich skated to the top of the circles before unleashing a short side snipe past Christopher Gibson.
Hat trick goal
A hatty for Shane Gersich. His ninth of the season, and third of the game. Bears take down the Sound Tigers. Final score, 4-1 #HBH pic.twitter.com/9kT4t8Jx0w
— Chocolate Hockey (@ChocHockey) February 1, 2020
Gersich got the hat trick after Philippe Maillet raced out of the Bears defensive zone with the puck and found the diminutive forward with a backhand pass in the neutral zone. Gersich’s shot went past a diving Sound Tigers defenseman and hit the back of the net.
Hershey has now won 10-plus games in consecutive months for the first time in franchise history.
More from the Hershey Bears:
Bridgeport, CT – January 31, 2020) – Shane Gersich recorded his first professional hat-trick, and the Hershey Bears closed out January with a 4-1 win over the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday night at Webster Bank Arena. The victory marked the first time in franchise history the Chocolate and White have won 10+ games in consecutive months during the regular season. The Bears finished December with a 10-1-0-0 mark, followed by a 10-4-0-0 January.
After a scoreless opening period, Shane Gersich tallied his first of an eventual three on Bridgeport goaltender Christopher Gibson. Going to the net, Gersich redirected a perfect feed from Garrett Pilon at 2:15 of the 2nd period to open the scoring. Kody Clark earned the secondary assist for his first of an eventual three point night, setting a career-high.
Hershey’s initial lead was short lived, as Kieffer Bellows evened the score for the Sound Tigers only 37 seconds later. Bellows scored his 16th of the season after a pass across from Oliver Wahlstrom beat Pheonix Copley sliding to his right. Gersich reclaimed the Bears’ lead at 6:38 after beating Gibson short side with a quick snipe, and Kody Clark scored his third goal of the season at 19:22 after a curl and drag move to the inside, and a perfect snapshot under the bar. Hershey’s 3-1 lead after 40 minutes came with a 26-14 lead in shots.
Next period, the Chocolate and White successfully killed a pair of minor penalties, and Gersich hit the empty net to record the hat-trick at 17:55. Copley finished the night turning aside 19 of 20 shots, and now holds a 10-1-0 record in his last 11 starts. The Bears overall record improves to 28-14-2-3 on the regular season, and remain deadlocked with the Hartford Wolf Pack for the Atlantic Division lead with 61 points.
The Hershey Bears conclude their weekend and open February tomorrow night with a 7 PM home tilt against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. It’s Chocolate-Covered February, where all fans will receive candy upon exit, courtesy of The Hershey Company. Players will also be sporting Chocolate-Covered Themed Jerseys that will be auctioned off post game, and the Hershey Characters will be on-site to interact with fans. Ticket information is available online at HersheyBears.com.
Screenshot courtesy of AHL TV
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