The Hershey Bears will open their postseason against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Game One of the AHL’s second round after 10 days off post-regular season finale. Hershey only just got a large portion of their roster back from the Washington Capitals two days before the first scheduled puck drop against the Phantoms inside Giant Center.
Among the seven players returning for a run to help the Bears repeat as Calder Cup champions were talented, offensive forwards Hendrix Lapierre and Ivan Miroshnichenko. Hershey also got their captain, Dylan McIlrath, back as well as regular defensemen Vincent Iorio, Hardy Häman Aktell, and Lucas Johansen.
Head coach Todd Nelson and the rest of his staff got their full group together for the first time in a long time at practice on Tuesday and a morning skate on Wednesday. Here’s a line-by-line breakdown of what Nelson is going with to open the five-game, second-round series.
First line
Lapierre returns to Hershey and immediately takes the team’s top-line center spot. He’s joined by Limoges and Frank, two of the Bears’ three 20-goal scorers.
Second line
Snively led the Bears in postseason scoring in 2023 with 15 points (2g, 13a) in 20 games. During the regular season, the Bears were paced in scoring against Lehigh Valley by Dubé, who collected eight points (6g, 2a) in 11 games.
Third line
Miroshnichenko returns to the Bears and will play with the veteran Vecchione and Phillips. Vecchione scored the game-winning goal in overtime to bring home the franchise’s 12th Calder Cup last year.
Fourth line
Matt Strome, Dylan’s younger brother, forms a rather young fourth-line trio with Rybinski and Trineyev. Normal fourth-line center Riley Sutter is unavailable due to injury.
First pairing
Ness is Hershey’s active leader for career playoff games, with 52. McIlrath played in all four of the Capitals’ first-round series games against the New York Rangers.
Second pairing
Priskie was Hershey’s highest-scoring defenseman during the regular season with 34 points (8g, 26a) in 69 games. Johansen made his NHL playoff debut against the Rangers.
Third pairing
Häman Aktell will get his first taste of playoff hockey in North America. Logan Day was a key cog on the Bears’ backend last summer.
Goaltender
Shepard, the reigning AHL playoff MVP, went 27-4-3 this season with a 1.76 goals-against average, a .929 save percentage, and five shutouts. He was named the AHL’s most outstanding goaltender for the 2023-24 regular season.
Notable Scratches
Andrew Cristall, Riley Sutter, Vincent Iorio, Jake Massie, Garrett Roe, and Ryan Hofer among others will sit out. Sutter and Iorio are dealing with injuries. Iorio suffered his with the Capitals in Game One against the Rangers.
2023-24 Regular Season Team Leaders
Goals: Ethen Frank (29)
Assists: Joe Snively (45)
Points: Joe Snively (59)
Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank (13)
Shorthanded Goals: Bogdan Trineyev (3)
Plus/Minus: Vincent Iorio (+26)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (27)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (1.76)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.929)
Shutouts: Clay Stevenson (7)
The Bears and their in-state rivals are meeting in the postseason for the first time since 2017 and the sixth time in the history of the two franchises. Hershey is 14-11 in those games and holds a 4-1 series record in the five previous matchups. The winner of three of the series has gone on to win the Calder Cup that season.
Hershey closed out their regular season campaign with the second-best points percentage in AHL history, amassing a 53-14-5 record. They won 8 of 12 head-to-head against the Phantoms, dropping two in regulation and two in shootouts. Hershey was 5-1 in their home games.
In the history of the Bears-Phantoms playoff rivalry, every team that has won the first game of a playoff matchup went on to win the series. The Bears are 55-19 all-time when they take Game One of a series.
Hershey’s active roster has 402 games of Calder Cup Playoffs experience. 11 of the players from the 2023 championship team remain on this year’s team.
