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Hershey Bears blown out in Game Six, fall to Coachella Valley 5-2

By Chris Cerullo

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June 20, 2023 12:41 am

The Hershey Bears will face a Game Seven in the Calder Cup Finals after once again having no answers on the road in Southern California against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

The Firebirds defeated the Bears 5-2 in Game Six to tie the series three games apiece. The win was powered by a huge back half of the first period in which Coachella Valley scored three unanswered goals on just nine shots after Connor McMichael had given Hershey an early lead.

Hershey will need to be the first team in the series to win a road game on Wednesday if they want to bring home the franchise’s 12th Calder Cup. Otherwise, it’s season over and no championship silverware.

The Bears began the game far better than they did in their previous two tries inside Acrisure Arena. They quickly racked up seven shots to the Firebirds’ one in the first two minutes and McMichael, who had not scored since Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals, knocked home the team’s first road goal of the series.

McMichael’s first tally of the series came just 1:33 into the first frame. He charged into the slot and finished off a great feed from Joe Snively.

Unfortunately, that’s where things took a turn for the worse. At the 9:53 mark of the first, with Hershey still in charge of the even-strength play, defenseman Gabriel Carlsson took a soft hooking penalty that put Coachella Valley on their first man advantage of the game.

The Firebirds have the AHL’s most potent power play during the 2023 postseason, coming into Monday night’s action with 19 goals with an extra man. It has been especially effective on home ice as they’ve struck five times against the Bears in California during this series.

With Carlsson in the box, Andrew Poturalski found Firebirds captain Max McCormick alone in front of Hunter Shepard. In one quick motion, McCormick lifted the puck over Shepard with a backhand shot and tied the game 1-1. It was McCormick’s league-leading 13th goal of the playoffs.

John Hayden scored just 1:51 minutes later after Bears defenseman Logan Day was left without his stick and defensive zone coverage was scrambled to cover for it. Defenseman Ryker Evans sent a hard point drive on Shepard and Hayden was left alone in front with the rebound. The veteran forward made no mistake and slammed the loose biscuit past Shepard.

Coachella Valley’s third goal came on an unfortunate play where the puck was looped into the Hershey zone and bounced directly to Firebirds forward Cameron Hughes. Hughes corralled the bouncing puck and while falling fired an absolute dart to the top shelf.

Beck Malenstyn stopped the bleeding early in the second period as he found some nice puck luck with a tough angle shot that caromed off of a Coachella Valley defenseman in front and past netminder Joey Daccord. The marker was Malenstyn’s first since Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals.

That shortlived comeback attempt was put to bed by Kole Lind later in the second with the Firebirds on another power play. Daccord sprung Lind on a rush up the ice and the former second-round NHL draft pick beat Shepard with a far-side wrister. Daccord now has three assists in the playoffs.

Lind grabbed his second goal of the game just 3:57 into the third period. He was the beneficiary of some great passing from Alexander True and Brogan Rafferty. The Firebirds’ fifth goal on their 22nd shot chased Shepard from his net as Zach Fucale made his second appearance of the postseason.

Coachella Valley has now outscored Hershey 14-2 at home and will play the final game of the season at that same rink on Wednesday. The Calder Cup will be in attendance again and will be lifted this time. The only thing left to figure out is who exactly will be lifting it.

Notes: After going undefeated on the road coming to the Calder Cup Finals, the Bears have lost all three of their games inside Acrisure Arena. Coachella Valley went two-for-four on their power play while Hershey did not score on their two opportunities. Hunter Shepard was pulled for just the second time in the playoffs.

Headline photo: Eric Fowler/Coachella Valley Firebirds

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