The Hershey Bears fell to the Toronto Marlies 4-3 in overtime at Coca-Cola Coliseum, Wednesday. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead, the Bears wilted down the stretch, surrendering four unanswered goals. The defeat came a day after the team lost Ivan Miroshnichenko, who was called up to the Capitals with Alex Ovechkin going on injured reserve due to a lower-leg injury.
Hershey’s loss came in Todd Nelson’s 1,000th game as a professional head coach. Nelson has been behind the bench for 722 AHL games, 46 NHL games, and 232 UHL games.
The Bears got goals, all in the first period, from Mike Sgarbossa (PPG), Brennan Saulnier (penalty shot), and Luke Philp (5v5).
Per the Bears, Saulnier’s penalty shot goal was the first since Matt Strome scored on April 17, 2024, vs. Charlotte, and the first road penalty shot for the Chocolate and White since Christian Thomas on March 11, 2017, at Binghamton.
The Marlies responded with three goals of their own in regulation to tie: two tallies from Alex Nylander and another from Zach Solow. Nick Abruzzese scored in overtime after Nylander registered his third point of the night, a primary assist.
“We’re up 3-0 in the game playing good hockey,” Nelson said post-game per the Bears. “Then Toronto’s first goal was the result of loose coverage and on the second goal, there’s about a second left in the period. All we had to do is hang on to the puck and smother it, and instead we tried to make a play, we turned the puck over, and they scored with about one second left. Now the game’s 3-2, they score with a power-play goal, and then in overtime we blew a wheel and gave up a breakaway. I’ve said it many times: this was a case of the Hershey Bears losing to the Hershey Bears tonight.”
Hunter Shepard made 17 saves on 21 shots in the loss, seeing his record fall to 9-2-1 on the season.
The Bears remain first in the Atlantic Division with an 11-4-2-0 record, good for 24 points. They hold a six-point edge over the Hartford Wolfpack, who sit in second, but the Rangers’ farm team has two games in hand on the Bears.
“We’re going to practice [Thursday] after traveling to Rochester and it’ll be a light practice, but our focus will shift towards just getting our heads screwed on straight for two big games this weekend,” Nelson concluded.
