The Hershey Bears collected their first road win of the season, beating the Providence Bruins 3-2 on Friday. The victory marked the Bears’ first win over the Bruins on the road for the first time since January 2020. It also made Todd Nelson the 12th-winningest coach in AHL history.
Veterans Mike Vecchione and Mike Sgarbossa led the team, each with a goal and an assist on the night. Ivan Miroshnichenko also scored his first AHL goal, a game after scoring his first AHL point.
Vecchione got the Bears on the board in the second period during the power play.
The New England kid just 𝑝𝑎ℎ𝑘𝑒𝑑 himself in the front of the net. Kid's 𝑤𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑠𝑚𝑎ℎ𝑡.
🍎 Priskie
🍏 Sgarbossa pic.twitter.com/pD9JdtvVEC— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) October 21, 2023
Miroshnichenko’s first goal – a rebound off a Pierrick Dubé shot – put the Bears ahead 2-1 in the final 30 seconds of the second period.
The first (of hopefully many) North American pro goals for Miro!
🍎Dubé
🍏Snively pic.twitter.com/q5hO8ZKTkr— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) October 21, 2023
After a review, a shot from Ethen Frank and a deflection off of Sgarbossa’s skate was deemed a goal, putting the Bears up 3-1 in the third.
Second straight game with a goal for Sgarbs!
🍎 Frank
🍏 Vecchione pic.twitter.com/CNGRT6SyUp— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) October 21, 2023
The Bruins put another goal on the board with 5:45 left in the third, making the score 3-2. But the Bears held them off for the rest of the game, securing their victory.
After the game, Miroshnickennko smiled for a picture with his first goal puck.
The two teams face each other again tomorrow night, where the Bruins will be looking to get revenge in the second of the back-to-back games.
Below is the full game recap from the Hershey Bears:
BEARS SCORE 3-2 ROAD VICTORY IN PROVIDENCE
Hershey snaps seven-game skid in Providence with victory in first road game of season
(Providence, RI – Oct. 20, 2023) – The Hershey Bears (2-1-0-0) hung on for a gritty 3-2 win over the Providence Bruins (1-2-0-1) on Friday night at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The victory gave the Chocolate and White its first win at Providence since Jan. 25, 2020, snapping a seven-game (0-6-0-1) winless road skid against the Bruins.
Providence opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal at 7:58 of the first period when Luke Toporowski fired the puck through the legs of a Bears defender to beat Hunter Shepard to the blocker side on the Bruins’ first shot of the contest.
Mike Vecchione tied the game with a power-play goal for Hershey at 5:19 of the second when he deflected Chase Priskie’s shot from the point past Brandon Bussi for his second tally of the season; Mike Sgarbossa earned the secondary assist.
The Bears took a 2-1 lead in the final minute of the middle frame when Washington Capitals prospect Ivan Miroshnichenko banged home Pierrick Dubé’s rebound from the left flank at 19:34 for his first American Hockey League goal, with Joe Snively adding a secondary helper.
Early in the third period the Bears took a 3-1 lead when Vecchione worked the puck from the right circle across to Ethen Frank, who shoveled the puck to the net, deflecting off the skate of Sgarbossa, who tallied his second of the season at 1:10. While Providence attempted to challenge the goal and argue the puck had been kicked in, the video review determined no distinct kicking motion directed the puck into the net, and the goal was upheld.
An additional video review was necessary at 5:16 to definitively determine if the puck had crossed the goal line of Shepard, but the review was inconclusive, and Hershey remained ahead by two goals.
The Bruins pulled to within one at 14:15 when Dan Renouf potted an even-strength goal for Providence, trimming Hershey’s lead to 3-2.
Shots finished 27-16 in favor of the Bears. Shepard picked up his first win of the season with a 14-for-16 performance; Bussi went 24-for-27 in net in the loss for Providence. Hershey was 1-for-5 on the power play; the Bruins went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
The Bears continue their road trip when they face the Providence Bruins at the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 7:05 p.m. Hershey is back on home ice when it hosts the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at GIANT Center on Saturday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. for PNC Bank Magnet Schedule Night, when the first 8,000 fans in attendance will receive a 2023-24 season magnet schedule, courtesy of PNC Bank. Purchase tickets for the game by CLICKING HERE.
Headline photo: TMAC2660/Providence Bruins
