The Hershey Bears used a four-goal second period to down the Cleveland Monsters in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday night. Hershey is now just one win away from making their way back to the Calder Cup Final.
The Bears got yet another goal from Ethen Frank as well as strikes from Chase Priskie, Alex Limoges, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Joe Snively, and Henrik Rybinski to push them to the win. Hershey’s power play was a huge factor in securing the win, going 3-for-6.
Priskie got the Bears on the board first through a power play strike just under 13 minutes into the first period. The right-shot defenseman sent a seeing-eye wrister through goaltender Jet Greaves’s equipment that snuck over the goal line.
The goal marked Priskie’s third of the postseason and he has points in his last seven games.
Hershey closed out the first period with their 1-0 lead and then added to it with another power-play goal early in the second frame. Frank was the trigger puller as he’s now riding a six-game goal streak after finding room over Greaves’s shoulder for the top-shelf tally.
Alex Whelan got Cleveland on the board just a minute after Frank extended the Bears’ lead. Whelan got through the stick check of Garrett Roe and fired a wrister past Hunter Shepard from the slot.
Trey Fix-Wolansky tied the game with the Monsters on their own power play. After cruising along the top of the offensive zone, Fix-Wolansky let go a soft shot that dove between Shepard’s legs and in.
Hershey regrouped in a big way after losing their lead, first getting a goal from Alex Limoges after Dylan McIlrath forced a Cleveland turnover in the Bears’ defensive zone. McIlrath fed Miroshnichenko who dropped the puck to Limoges.
Limoges sniped past Greaves for his third of the playoffs.
Todd Nelson stuck with what was working and sent Miroshnichenko back over the boards where he found his own goal just over a minute after assisting Limoges. Mike Vecchione picked up the primary assist and Priskie also added another point to his impressive total.
Miroshnichenko’s six goals trail just Frank (8) and Milwaukee’s Zach L’Heureux (9) for the postseason lead.
Snively was the last to get on the board in the second period as he found his first marker of the playoffs with a one-time blast.
Henrik Rybinski added an empty-net goal to seal the deal.
Miroshnichenko led Hershey with three points (1g, 2a) in the game. Snively, Priskie, Frank, and Hendrix Lapierre also had multi-point nights.
Cleveland will host Game 4 and this time with elimination at stake. The Bears have yet to lose at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse this season. Hershey is struggling with some injury issues as Pierrick Dubé and Aaron Ness left the game early and did not return.
Here are the lines from the win:
Projected lineup for Game 3! 📝
Catch the broadcast:
📺@fox43.2 (Antenna TV), @MonSportsNet (DC region), @NHLNetwork
🖥️ https://t.co/HaxQBmLCRZ
📻@FroggyValley, @foxsports1460am, @WOYK1350 (joined in-progress), @CapitalsRadio pic.twitter.com/oZQ6D0V4gJ— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) June 4, 2024
