CLEVELAND, OH — The 2023-24 Hershey Bears had the best winning percentage in franchise history and managed to do something special during the regular season: not lose back-to-back games in regulation.
Saturday night that streak of resiliency ended at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where the Bears fell 5-1 in Game 5 to the Cleveland Monsters two nights after losing 3-2 in Game 4. The Bears took a commanding 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, but now the warning lights are flashing red. The Bears will return to Hershey on Monday where they’ll try to close out a surging Monsters team in Game 6 at Giant Center.
“I don’t really remember the last time we lost two in a row, so obviously it’s frustrating,” Riley Sutter said. “We’re just going to use that as motivation going into the next game.”
The Bears started the night strong, generating most of the best scoring chances and striking first with a Logan Day goal 12:11 into the first period.
But in the second period, the wheels fell off as the Bears surrendered four consecutive goals to the Monsters who were playing in front of 13,159 loud and raucous home fans.
“We’re up 1-0 and all of a sudden they score when they get it,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said. “The power-play goal they scored went off the back boards over the top of the net. How many times do you see that happen, right? So, that was a bit of a break for them. We just beat ourselves. Couple plays we’re coming up the walls and guys were told not to come up the walls. They chose to and [Cleveland] did a good job picking off the pass and going in transition. You gotta give credit to them but their goalie played really well tonight. We couldn’t score… They’re hungry and now it’s a series.”
“A couple uncharacteristic turnovers or mistakes by us, and they capitalize,” Bears captain Dylan McIlrath said. “So yeah, it’s frustrating, but I mean, we’re in the series.”
Ethen Frank’s seven-game goal-scoring streak ended and Hershey’s vaunted first line of Joe Snively, Hendrix Lapierre, and Frank were all held without a point. Snively, individually, took two minor penalties. The Bears’ high-octane third line of Mike Vecchione, Garrett Roe, and Ivan Miroshnichenko, which has provided 13 goals in the postseason, were also held off the board.
“It comes down to our best players have to be our best players once again,” a frustrated Nelson said. “That’s just the way it is. If you provided offense this year for us during the season, you have to provide offense in the playoffs as well.”
Bears goaltender Hunter Shepard was given the hook by Nelson at the second intermission, yielding the net to Clay Stevenson in the third period. The pull was the first time the 2023 AHL Playoff MVP has sat in the 2024 postseason. Stevenson stopped four of the five shots he faced, surrendering a goal to Josh Dunne with 4:02 remaining.
“Just give him some rest,” Nelson said of his decision. “[Shepard] had enough work.”
But goaltending wasn’t what frustrated Nelson the most. It was his team’s unwillingness to do what it takes along the boards to win.
“I think start with puck battles,” Nelson said. “Those have to be won. That’s working in the trenches and we have to do a better job at that. The offense will take care of itself and if we work hard and win puck battles we won’t play as much in our own end.
“They’re a good forechecking team but we have to do a better job breaking the puck out and that’s everybody not just including the defensemen,” he added. “The low center support, the wingers helping out and being stronger on the wall.”
When asked what it would take to take the series in Game 6, Nelson reiterated himself and said simply, “Winning puck battles.”
The Eastern Conference Finals have been exceptionally close as Hershey has only a plus-one goal differential of 17-16. The Bears pulled out Games 1 and 2 in overtime after Cleveland clawed back late in the third period.
Hershey won 9 of their first 10 playoff games, but now seem to be feeling some pressure. As the first period ended in Game 5, center Jimmy Huntington and defenseman Vincent Iorio could be seen having an animated discussion at the bench about a failed play. Several times during the game, players slammed their stick against the boards slumping their shoulders in frustration.
After Nelson called out his team in a listless 2-0 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the Atlantic Division Semifinals, Hershey responded with 5-3 victory in Game 4 to take the series. Miroshnichenko scored two goals and had one of the best shifts of his career in the game.
“I have full belief in our group that we’ll respond,” McIlrath said.
If Hershey can close out Cleveland, they’ll rematch the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the Calder Cup Finals.
