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Bears return from break with 2-1 win against Iowa Wild

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The Hershey Bears defeated the Iowa Wild 2-1 in the first ever matchup between the two organizations. Now a quarter of the way through their season, the Bears currently 14-4-0 overall, sitting second in the league.

The Bears now have won 14 out of their first 18 contests, tying a team record set in 1958 for most wins throughout the first 18 games of the season.

Defenseman Chase Priskie had a two-point night tonight, notching assists on both goals. Alex Limoges and Pierrick Dube were named first and second stars of the night for their respective goals. Hunter Shepard, who played in his 100th career start, had 25 saves on the night.

The first period went scoreless for both teams, and the second was shaping out to be the same. Limoges finally kicked off scoring 16:58 into the second period. As Limoges shot a wrister toward the net, a screen from Snively blocked Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt’s vision enough for the puck to sneak by.

This woke the Iowa Wild up, who reciprocated with their own goal with 11 seconds left in the second period.

Dube gave the Bears their eventual game-winning goal, deflecting a Logan Day shot from the blue line into the back of the net. It was Dube’s seventh goal of the season.

A notable lineup change tonight included Ivan Miroshnichenko being moved down to the 4th line. The left-winger had previously spent most of his time this season on the 3rd line with Pierrick Dube and a mix of centers. Tonight, Miroshnichenko played on a line with Riley Sutter and Matt Strome as Bogdan Trineyev took his spot on the third line.

Here are the video highlights of tonight’s game:

Below is the full game recap from the Hershey Bears:

DUBÉ LIFTS BEARS TO 2-1 VICTORY OVER WILD

Hershey tops Iowa in first-ever meeting between clubs, remains in first place

(Hershey, PA – Nov. 25, 2023) – Pierrick Dubé broke a 1-1 tie late in regulation to lift the Hershey Bears (14-4-0-0) past the Iowa Wild (6-8-1-1) for a 2-1 win in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs, in front of a crowd of 9,208 on Saturday night at GIANT Center. Hershey reached the quarter-pole mark of the 2023-24 campaign atop the American Hockey League standings, and has now won its last five games.

The game marked Hershey’s first regular-season contest against a current member of the Western Conference since Feb. 23, 2019, a 3-2 shootout win against Rockford. Hershey’s victory gave the club its best 18-game start since the 2006-07 season (13-2-1-2, 29 points), and matched the 1957-58 Bears squad (14-2-2, 30 points) for the most wins in club history through the first 18 games of a season.

BOX SCORE

Both teams played through a scoreless first period, the first time since Nov. 1 vs. Lehigh Valley that both the Bears and their opponent had failed to score in the opening stanza. Bears goaltender Hunter Shepard (making his 100th professional appearance) turned aside all seven shots he faced, while his counterpart, Jesper Wallstedt, stopped six Hershey shots on goal.

Alex Limoges finally broke through late in the second period when his wrist shot beat a screened Wallstedt for his fourth of the season at 16:58, with Chase Priskie and Joe Snively earning assists.

Gavin Hain tied the contest for Iowa with his first pro goal at 19:49 when he gathered Jake Lucchini’s blocked shot in the slot and beat Shepard with a snap shot to the glove side.

The score remained 1-1 throughout much of the third period until the final four minutes of regulation, when Dubé broke the deadlock by redirecting Logan Day’s shot from the right point at 16:36; Priskie earned a secondary assist on the goal for his second helper of the night.

Shots finished 27-26 in favor of the Bears. Shepard went 25-for-26 to secure his eighth victory of the season; Wallstedt went 25-for-27 in the defeat for Iowa. Hershey did not receive an opportunity with the man advantage; the Wild went 0-for-1 on the power play.

Headline Photo: Tori Hartman/Hershey Bears

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