After playing Friday night, the Hershey Bears looked tired and surrendered the first eight shots of the game to the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds scored twice during that sequence, getting tallies from Reece Newkirk and Matthew Peca in the first 6:41 of the first period.
But the veteran Todd Nelson-coached squad weathered the early storm and went on to score six unanswered goals. The victory improved the Bears’ record to 5-1-1 and marked their second win of their three-and-three this weekend.
Alex Limoges got the Bears on the scoreboard while the team was on a five-on-three power play during the first period. Pierrick Dubé found Limoges with an indirect shot and the Penn State alum buried the puck into the back of the net, making the game 2-1 with 8:52 remaining in the stanza.
Chase Priskie tied the game with a PPG of his own 1:36 into the second period, scoring on a rebound after a missed shot bounced hard off the end boards.
Priskie added another PPG 2:54 later on a rush up the ice that turned into a semi-breakaway for the rearguard. The tally marked Priskie’s first multi-goal game since March 4, 2023, as a member of the Rochester Americans. It would be the game-winner.
The Bears poured it on in the third period as the Thunderbirds wilted, getting goals from Aaron Ness, Limoges again, and Riley Sutter.
Mitch Gibson made 26 saves on 28 shots to notch his victory in the AHL this season. Gibson got the start with Clay Stevenson back in Hershey injured.
Notably, Alex Sudzdalev made his AHL debut in the game.
Unavailable for the Bears tonight:
Leivermann (upper body), Häman Aktell (lower body), Day (upper body), Philp (lower body), Stevenson (upper body), McDonald (upper body) https://t.co/rzWU5G4x4g
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) October 26, 2024
“Well, it feels like a broken record right now,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said after the game. “It’s like when we play these hockey teams, they come out after us, they play with high intensity, and I give Springfield credit – they came out ready to play and our guys weren’t putting in the work ethic that we needed to have. So we had a healthy discussion after the first period and then in the second and third periods, we started working and then the game turned in our favor.”
The Bears will finish their three-in-three against the Providence Bruins, Sunday, and could see smoe changes to their lineup.
“We’re going to put some fresh guys in again tomorrow,” Nelson said. “Zac Funk’s a possibility to go in tomorrow, so is Dmitry Osipov, Mike Vecchione, and Matt Strome. So we have options heading into Sunday.”
