HERSHEY, PA — Aaron Ness inadvertently used his Aaron Nass to score a huge goal for the Hershey Bears in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The tally came less than two minutes after the Cleveland Monsters took a momentum-grabbing 2-1 lead.
Ness got the Bears back in the game with his literal backside.
Bears captain Dylan McIlrath started the play with a cross-ice pass in neutral to Mike Vecchione. Ness, the team’s veteran first-pairing defenseman, stayed onside barely (this is another butt joke) and jumped into the play, tying up the Monsters defenseman in front of him. Vecchione shot the puck through Ness’s legs, beating Monsters goaltender Jet Greaves to the far side.
Vecchione was initially credited with the goal in-house and on the AHL’s game sheet. Minutes later though after review, the goal was switched to Ness’s, and a Bears’ representative told the media that the puck struck the inner part of Ness’s left leg.
“Yeah, it was pretty wonky,” Ness said after the game. “Their goalie played very well all night, he’s a really good goalie. Veccs made a great shot, a great play on it and it happened to just hit my leg and go in.”
But the leg was not the body part Ness told his teammates the puck struck in the goal hug.
“He said it immediately. ‘Went off my ass. Went off my ass,'” Vecchione said to the media smiling.
“Veccs, I think he purposely did it because he knows I’m not going to score any other way, right?” Ness joked. “He owed me one I guess. It was a great play on him, great shot, it was a lucky bounce. It’s part of the game.”
After hearing that hockey honesty, Vecchione let Ness go down the goal line first to fist-bump his teammates at the bench.
“He did a good job of boxing out and the goalie couldn’t really see,” Vecchione said. “He was kind of leaning glove, so I wanted to shoot blocker. I saw it kind of deflect a little bit.
“I don’t really care who scores,” he added. “It was a big moment for us. Tied the game right there and created momentum. We got one a little later there. He does everything for us out there. Blocking shots. He’s a leader. He’s making all the right plays.”
The tally was Ness’s first goal of the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs. The last time he found the back of the net this season was on February 9, 2024, against the Providence Bruins.
When I asked if there might be any possible bruising, Ness considered the question carefully and responded, “Oh, I hope not.”
The Bears would capture Game 1, 5-4, after Vecchione scored in overtime. That goal actually emained his.
Our sign for tonight’s game! pic.twitter.com/5aUlG7eqyH
— Kat (@kitKATwaters) June 1, 2024
