The Hershey Bears’ record fell to 2-1-1 on Saturday after losing to the Chicago Wolves 3-2 in overtime at Giant Center.
Pierrick Dubé and Alex Limoges, the Bears’ second and third leading goal-scorers last season respectively, lit the lamp for the first time this year in the loss.
Dubé led the Bears with two points on the night (1g, 1a).
After falling behind 1-0 due to a Bradly Nadeau tally 12:35 into the second period, Limoges responded with a five-on-five goal 16 seconds later.
Using a fancy dangle to escape from the side boards, Limoges skated the puck hard to the net where he dished to Dubé. The Bears’ French forward then completed the give-and-go with a no-look backhand pass right onto Limoges’s blade. The Penn State alum then beat Wolves goaltender Spencer Martin, tying the game.
Dubé notched a tally of his own 3:08 into the third period to give the Bears a 2-1 lead. While on a rush on a power play, Spencer Smallman hit Dubé with a quick pass for a one-timer. Dubé made no mistake and buried the puck quickly from the slot.
“I know [Limoges] and [Dubé] played together for a while last year,” Smallman said postgame. “And for me coming in playing with two guys of that caliber, it’s been a treat for me and a learning curve for sure. And I think I’m just starting to get used to their chemistry, and starting to read off them a little bit better.”
But the Bears could not hold onto the lead. The Wolves answered 17 seconds later with a Brendan Lemieux goal, which eventually forced overtime.
There, Scott Morrow scored on a two-on-one beating Clay Stevenson at the far post. Dubé smashed his stick against the Wolves’ crossbar after the goal.
Martin made 33 saves to earn the victory in net.
Nadeau and Morrow registered their first AHL goals in the victory.
so proud 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/UJOMbyqEXj
— Chicago Wolves (@Chicago_Wolves) October 20, 2024
“I thought this was one of our better games actually,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said afterward. “You know, we haven’t had a whole lot of time for practice time. You sprinkle in that Wednesday game at Bridgeport with travel, and it’s usually where you have a week off where you can really work on with your team.
“I’m not making excuses, it’s just the way the schedule is, but it’s a pretty heavy load to start the season. There’s still a lot of guys here so when you’re running practice, it’s hard to get guys their proper reps, but all in all, I thought we were trending in the right direction. We’d like to have the win; of course the result [tonight] was not there, but we’ve just got to learn that you have to win more puck battles and understand that the game tomorrow’s just gonna be the same thing, [Chicago’s] gonna be honest with their aggressive system and their speed.”
Saturday night marked the Bears’ Pink The Rink night where they raised awareness for breast cancer. All fans in attendance received a light-up wristband.
Unavailable for the Bears tonight:
Leivermann, (upper body), Day (upper body), Philp (lower body), McDonald (upper body) https://t.co/Exe9Q7RjWz
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) October 19, 2024
Many players decorated their sticks with pink tape.
Hershey and Chicago will rematch one another on Sunday at 3 pm. The game is the Bears’ last at home before a three-game road trip to Providence and Springfield.
