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Hershey one win away from Calder Cup Finals after two-goal game from Mason Morelli

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The Hershey Bears took a commanding 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals after an exciting comeback victory in Rochester on Monday. The Bears, down 2-0 heading into the third period, scored four unanswered goals to win Game Four.

Hershey got a two-goal night from Mason Morelli, who was also credited with the game-winner. The Bears also got goals from defensemen Lucas Johansen and Logan Day. Aliaksei Protas and Connor McMichael added clutch primary assists.

The Bears will now play for the Richard F. Canning Trophy (Eastern Conference Champions) and a spot in the Calder Cup Finals on Wednesday in front of its home fans.

Rochester started quick for the fourth-straight game in the series and unlike the prior two matchups, were able to find success on the scoreboard. Winger Filip Cederqvist, who replaced top prospect Matthew Savoie in the lineup, fired a booming slap shot off Hunter Shepard’s left shoulder. The loose puck bounced right to forward Linus Weissbach who finished easily to give Rochester a 1-0 lead.

The Bears poured it on in the second period but could not solve goaltender Malcolm Subban. They held the Amerks to just one shot for half the frame and had three unsuccessful power play tries. Hershey recorded 14 shots of their own.

With Subban seemingly impenetrable at the other end, the Amerks took advantage of their one big chance in the second to double their lead. And, it was Weissbach again with another dirty goal. Weissbach deflected home a Matt Bartkowski point drive with three minutes and 59 seconds left in the period. Cederqvist earned another assist on the tally, making head coach Seth Appert look like a genius for inserting him back into the lineup.

The Bears needed another 10 minutes of play in the third period to finally crack Subban. Hershey’s third line made up of Protas, Hendrix Lapierre, and Sam Anas hemmed Rochester in their own zone with extended shift. After some great board work by Anas, he dished to Protas, who found a streaking Johansen pinching from the point into the slot. Johansen corralled the pass and poked the puck through Subban.

One minute and 55 seconds later, McMichael found a wide-open Logan Day pinching down from his point position, who shot the puck past Subban’s outstretched glove. Day leads all Hershey defensemen with eight points (3g, 5a) in 10 postseason games.

Morelli gave Hershey their first lead of game three minutes and 16 seconds later, crashing the net and scoring his fourth of the postseason. The pesky, hard-working forward was moved up to the top line by Bears coach Todd Nelson before Game Three, replacing Ethen Frank, and the change paid off.

Morelli would also scored the empty netter that was assisted by Protas, who won a battle along the boards and made an unselfish pass over to his teammate. The two-goal effort gives Morelli the team lead in playoff goals with five. Protas’ two-assist night gives him the overall team lead in scoring with 11 points (4g, 7a) in 11 games.

Notes: The Bears doubled up the Amerks in shots in both the second and third period. The eventual game total ended 36-22 in Hershey’s favor. After letting in two goals in the first two periods, Hunter Shepard pitched a shutout third to earn his eighth win of the postseason. Hershey was without Henrik Borgstrom (illness), Mike Sgarbossa (injury), and Vincent Iorio (injury).

Headline photo: Tori Hartman/Hershey Bears

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