The Hershey Bears are Atlantic Division champions after defeating the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 1-0, Tuesday.
Pierrick Dubé, the Bears’ leading scorer, was the only player to score in the title-clinching victory, notching his team-leading 27th goal of the season.
Dubé lighted the lamp at 6:37 of the first perod and just as the Bears’ power play expired. Henrik Rybinski passed to Dube at the right circle, who calmed the puck down and fired a snap shot past Phantoms goaltender Cal Petersen.
Hunter Shepard would go on to do the rest, notching the Bears’ league-leading 12th shutout of the season and further extending the team’s single-season franchise record. Shepard, who was named Calder Cup Playoffs MVP last season, has five clean sheets while Clay Steven has seven.
The Bears earned the Frank Mathers trophy with the Atlantic Division title win. The division title is the Bears’ 19th in team’s history. The team last won the award three years ago during the 2020-21 season.
With the victory, the Bears (101 standings points) also clinched the Eastern Conference’s first seed as they now hold an 18-point lead over the next closest team, the Providence Bruins (83). Even if the Bears lost all seven of their remaining games and the Bruins won all eight of theirs, the Bears would still eek out the Eastern Conference crown by two points.
Hershey will get a first-round bye in the playoffs and will begin trying to defend their Calder Cup championship in the Atlantic Division semifinals.
Below is the full Bears’ press release:
BEARS CLAIM ATLANTIC DIVISION IN 1-0 WIN OVER PHANTOMS
Dubé scores and Shepard pitches 19-save shutout for Hershey
(Hershey, PA – April 2, 2024) – The Hershey Bears (48-12-0-5) clinched the 2023-24 Atlantic Division title and the Eastern Conference crown with a 1-0 victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (28-27-6-3) on Tuesday night at GIANT Center.
Pierrick Dubé scored the lone goal and led Hershey with a season-high nine shots on goal, and Hunter Shepard made 19 saves for Hershey to record his fifth shutout of the season. The Bears improved to 4-1-0-0 on home ice against the Phantoms and 8-2-0-2 overall against their I-78 rivals for the 2023-24 campaign. The two standings points earned by Hershey gives the Chocolate and White 101 points for 10th 100-point campaign in team history with seven games remaining, and the club’s first since 2014-15.
BOX SCORE
Dubé found the net in the first period just after an early power play expired, burying his 26th of the season past Cal Petersen at 6:34 from Henrik Rybinski and Jimmy Huntington.
In the second period, Dubé was awarded a penalty shot after he was hooked on a breakaway by Garrett Wilson at the 16:00 mark, giving Hershey its first penalty shot attempt on home ice since Brian Pinho failed to score on Max Lagace on Nov. 27, 2019 vs. Providence. Dubé failed to convert however, as his snap shot was paddled away by Petersen with a blocker save.
Shots finished 33-19 in favor of Hershey. Shepard earned his 25th win of the season for Hershey; Petersen took the loss for Lehigh Valley with a 32-for-33 effort. The Bears went 0-for-4 on the power play; the Phantoms went 0-for-5 with the man advantage.
The Bears continue the 2023-24 season, presented by Penn State Health
