HERSHEY, PA — Ahead of Game One of the Atlantic Division Final, Connor McMichael spent time in practice working on deflections. With a shooter far away from the net, McMichael would try to angle his stick to make contact with the puck, sending it flying in a different direction over the goal line.
On Thursday night, with the Bears trailing the Wolf Pack 2-1 and 2:09 remaining in the game, the Capitals’ top center prospect found a spot in front of the net and deflected a Jake Massie point shot past Hartford goaltender Dylan Garand, sending Giant Center into a frenzy.
Though Connor didn’t do it quite how he practiced.
Can't spell "McMichael" without H I M 😈
🍎 Massie
🍏 Day pic.twitter.com/Osp7WSWP2N— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) May 12, 2023
McMichael turned his body and deflected the puck with his arm to the top corner of the net.
“I just came off the bench and got into the play,” McMichael said after the game. “I saw an opening to get to the net and that’s what I did. Mass had a great shot, kind of just hit me and went in. I think it was all up to the guys before, leading up to that shift and creating momentum and hemming them in the zone. They made it easy to tire them out and score that goal.”
The tally, McMichael’s third in five playoff games, would send the game to overtime where Henrik Borgstrom won it in sudden death, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series. It was also one of the uglier goals of McMichael’s career.
“I’ll take them any way that I can get them,” McMichael said smiling. “I don’t care if it goes off my face.”
Connor’s dirty goal was greatly appreciated by Bears head coach Todd Nelson, who preached to the team to simplify their game against a hot goalie. Garand has been the best netminder in the Calder Cup playoffs so far, leading the AHL in goals against average (1.42), save percentage (0.946), and shutouts (2). Garand has won five of his seven games, helping Hartford upset the Providence Bruins in the second round.
“We were talking the whole game, their goaltender’s playing so well,” Nelson said. “We just said, ‘if he sees the puck, he’s going to stop it. And so we have to get in his way; we have to take his eyes away. It just so happened that Connor came on the ice off a line change and the play went low to high, and he’s kind of in the high slot. We had a good screen in front of him, tight to the net, and then when we had D-to-D and the shot came, Mikey went across. So the goalie is looking like this (leans to the left) and the shot came on this side (gestures over right shoulder). So it’s hard for him to track. But Mikey came across and ended up getting a piece of it and it went in. That’s the way we have to score on this goalie. We have to make sure to get traffic in front of him and try to manufacture goals that way.”
The goal showed continued growth from McMichael who’s learning how to score and contribute consistently in different ways — skills that will benefit him at the NHL level.
“He’s got a great shot and I think those are kind of his key points,” McMichael’s line-mate, Garrett Pilon, said. “But when you get older you learn, especially when you go through these playoffs which is great for a guy like him, is that you learn that you’re not always going to have the fancy goal. And a dirty one like that, he goes to the right area, probably beats a few cross-checks or something, gets a goal, gets rewarded for it, that’s huge for him to kind of learn that and I think he’s done great so far this playoffs. It’s been a pleasure to play with him.”
McMichael’s goal was nice, but his celebration on the ice was even better. After getting his head rammed into the boards by a Wolf Pack checker earlier in the period, McMichael winked and wagged his tongue at the Hartford bench as he approached Hershey’s fist-bump line.
*laces up hockey skates that were struck by lightning on a power line*
“Make me Like McMike” pic.twitter.com/Z6teiOOb8o
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) May 12, 2023
“Yeah, I don’t really know,” McMichael said of his taunt. “I kind of just blacked out. It was one of those things. Yeah, I wish I could get that one back but it’s just kind of funny.”
As for where the goal ranks in McMichael’s professional career, he wasn’t sure.
“I haven’t really thought about it too much, but obviously it’s pretty important,” McMichael said. “It’s obviously great. That one felt pretty good.”
Headline photo: Tori Hartman/Hershey Bears
