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Hershey Bears open up Eastern Conference Finals series against Rochester Americans with poor showing at home in 5-1 loss

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The Hershey Bears opened up their Eastern Conference Finals series with the Rochester Americans on Tuesday and laid an egg at home in Game One. The Bears will start the best-of-seven matchup in a one-game hole heading into Game Two on Thursday after a brutal 5-1 loss.

Goaltender Hunter Shepard was chased out of his cage after allowing four goals on 16 shots. Aaron Ness scored the lone goal for Hershey as he ruined Malcolm Subban’s shutout bid in the Rochester net.

Hershey is down in a series for the first time this postseason.

Rochester came out of the gates in the series strong…very strong as Joseph Cecconi beat Hunter Shepard on the first shot of the game just 14 seconds into the first period. Cecconi made a simple rush up the ice and fired a pinpoint wrister between Gabriel Carlsson’s legs which gave Shepard fits in net.

The tally was Cecconi’s second of the postseason and just his fifth overall goal this season in 50 games. Rochester came into Game One with a 4-0 record in the playoffs after scoring the first goal.

Hershey seemed to control the vast majority of the play after going down to the early goal but it was Rochester that would get on the board again in the first. This time big Brett Murray parked himself in the Hershey crease and knocked home a feed from down low to double the Amerks lead.

The first frame of the series would end with Rochester up two goals and the shots tied at nine apiece. Malcolm Subban started the night hot in the net opposing Shepard, coming up big in particular with stops on Carlsson and Garrett Pilon.

The Bears had a late power play drawn by Ethen Frank but were not able to get anything going as their postseason man advantage struggles continued.

The second started just as the first did. Rochester fired their first shot of the frame and it beat Shepard from deep. Veteran blueliner Matt Bartkowski grabbed the marker this time around.

When the puck beat Shepard, Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals became his worst start of the entire postseason. In his seven previous playoff games, Shepard had not given up more than two goals in a game.

Things didn’t get any better from there. Mason Jobst walked Lucas Johansen and found room past Shepard for Rochester’s fourth of the game.

The goal forced Shepard out of the net and gave Zach Fucale his first appearance in the postseason. Dylan McIlrath tried to engage in some rough stuff to fire up his teammates after the tally but ended up as the only player in the box.

It took Hershey half of the period to grab their first shot on goal in the second.

The Bears ruined Subban’s shutout in the third as defender Aaron Ness, making his return from injury, found a backdoor feed from his partner Logan Day and tapped it home.

Tuesday was Ness’ first game in twenty days after being injured against Charlotte on May 3. The marker was Ness’ first career playoff goal.

Rochester picked up an empty netter after the Bears pulled Fucale with 3:30 left down three goals. The Bears will have another at Giant Center on Thursday to try and even up the series.

Notes: Rochester scored their five goals on just 23 shots. Malcolm Subban stopped 21 of 22 Bears shots in the win. Hershey played yet again without top-line center Michael Sgarbossa due to injury.

Headline photo: Tori Hartman / Hershey Bears

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