HERSHEY, PA — The Hershey Bears lost another important player to injury on Friday.
In the second period of Game 1, Garrett Roe absorbed a big hit at the Bears bench from Coachella Valley Firebirds defenseman Ryker Evans and then took a cross-check to the face from Connor Carrick. Evans would receive a two-minute minor for roughing at 10:14 of the period.
According to Bears Hockey Nation, Roe remained in the game for two more shifts before going down the tunnel to the locker room with 4:09 remaining in the second period and not returning.
Did a little digging to see where Garrett Roe might have gotten hurt at and this play that drew a power play seems to be it. Roe is hit up high by Ryker Evans then by Connor Carrick. Roe did play for a bit, last shift ended at a TV timeout shortly after. pic.twitter.com/C3HglfqZLE
— Bears Hockey Nation (@HBHNationBlog) June 16, 2024
“I haven’t heard yet from the doctors or anything,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said postgame when asked for an update on Roe. “That’s the first thing I’ll probably do after I leave this presser but we always have guys that can fill in. Matt Strome would probably be back in the lineup.”
Losing Roe’s production for any amount of time could prove difficult to replace. After being scratched the first three playoff games, the 36-year-old pivot has combined with Mike Vecchione and Ivan Miroshnichenko to score a combined 27 points (14g, 13a) on Hershey’s third line. Roe’s six goals are tied for second most on the Bears this playoff year and his 10 points rank tied for fifth. He scored the overtime game-winning goal in Game 7 to send the Bears to the Calder Cup Finals.
If Matt Strome jumps into the lineup, Riley Sutter or Henrik Rybinski would likely get promoted to center the third line. Sutter and Miroshnichenko had good chemistry earlier in the year. Vecchione, who usually plays on the wing, could also slide over to the spot as he was the team’s first-line center down the stretch with Mike Sgarbossa and Hendrix Lapierre up in Washington. High-scoring winger Matthew Phillips is also available in reserve.
If Roe can’t suit up on Sunday, he’d likely join regulars Aaron Ness, Lucas Johansen, and Vincent Iorio who are all out of the lineup due to injury. Ness appears to be the only rearguard who could return at some point during the series.
The Bears only surrendered 23 shots on goal but seemed to struggle to contain the Firebirds at five-on-five during Game 1, losing coverage several times. Hardy Häman Aktell scored a big goal in the second period.
“[The defense] may change but I didn’t mind the D corps today,” Nelson said. “I thought Osipov came in and did a fine job. Once again, I’ll check with the medical staff to see where we’re at after this game. I haven’t talked to them yet. Some things could change. I’m not ruling anything out.”
Per the Bears, Hershey is 6-7 lifetime in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals when opening the championship series with a loss. Puck drop for the Father’s Day game is at 5 pm at Giant Center.
