The Hershey Bears broke an American Hockey League record on Sunday when they defeated the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in Game 5 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals. The series victory marked Hershey’s ninth consecutive playoff series win dating back to the start of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs.
The AHL was founded in 1936 and has been around for 89 years.
Since arriving in Hershey as the team’s head coach, Todd Nelson has won two straight Calder Cup championships and is an undefeated 9-0 in playoff series — a stunning stretch that adds to his already impressive resume as a bench boss and will likely end with an AHL Hall of Fame nod in the future.
Nelson told his team inside the locker room what they accomplished after their 4-2 victory at Giant Center.
Todd Nelson: Hell of a job, boys. I’m proud of ya. Broke a league record tonight. Nine straight (playoff) series won.
Bears locker room: OHHHH
Mike Vecchione: How YA doin?? HA HA HA.
Todd Nelson: Hell of a job, I’m proud of ya. The way you just battled. Played against a really heavy team. They gave us everything they had. You know, but we got the job done, so, just congrats.
The Bears, who received a first-round bye in all three playoff appearances, began their Calder Cup Playoffs series-winning streak by defeating the Charlotte Checkers 3-1 in the 2023 Atlantic Division Semifinals. They’d win four series in 2023, four in 2024, and the one thus far in 2025.
Hershey Bears’ playoff winning streak
1. 2023 Atlantic Division Semifinals
Hershey Bears defeat Charlotte Checkers 3 to 1
2. 2023 Atlantic Division Finals
Hershey Bears sweep Hartford Wolf Pack 3 to 0
3. 2023 Eastern Conference Finals
Hershey Bears defeat Rochester Americans 4 to 2
4. 2023 Calder Cup Finals
Hershey Bears defeat Coachella Valley Firebirds 4 to 3
5. 2024 Atlantic Division Semifinals
Hershey Bears defeat Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 to 1
6. 2024 Atlantic Division Finals
Hershey Bears sweep Hartford Wolf Pack 3 to 0
7. 2024 Eastern Conference Finals
Hershey Bears defeat Cleveland Monsters 4 to 3
8. 2024 Calder Cup Finals
Hershey Bears defeat Coachella Valley Firebirds 4 to 2
9. 2025 Atlantic Division Semifinals
Hershey Bears defeat Lehigh Valley Phantoms 3 to 2
During this stretch, where the roster had a lot of turnover, the Bears won 31 of 45 games (31-14 record) and posted a plus-27 goal differential (139-112). They’ve won 13 different one-goal games (6 in 2023 and 7 in 2024). Hershey has faced elimination only four times: twice in the 2025 Atlantic Division Semifinals, once in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, and once in the 2023 Calder Cup Finals.
Hunter Shepard started 43 consecutive games during this streak — the third-most in Hershey franchise history — before yielding the net to Clay Stevenson in Game 4 of the 2025 Atlantic Division Semifinals against the Phantoms. After Stevenson won, Shepard returned to the net in Game 5, becoming the victorious netminder in all nine series-clinching wins.
Most consecutive playoff starts in Hershey Bears history
Nick Damore – 50 (1940-1945)
Frederic Cassivi – 45 (2006-2008)
Hunter Shepard – 43 (2023-2025)
The Bears scored consecutive Calder Cup championship-winning goals in overtime in 2023 and 2024. Mike Vecchione, during the only game the Bears faced elimination in the 2023 playoffs, scored in overtime of Game 7 to give Hershey its 12th championship.
The next year, Matt Strome was the hero, lighting the lamp 1:06 into overtime of Game 6 to hand Hershey title no. 13.
Garrett Roe also scored a huge playoff goal in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. The Vienna, VA native scored in overtime of Game 7 to send Hershey back to the Calder Cup Finals for a second straight year.
The Bears won the series’ first three games before dropping the next three to the Cleveland Monsters. The Game 7 victory marked the only time Hershey faced elimination during the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Two different Bears have been Playoffs MVP during this span — Shepard in 2023 and Hendrix Lapierre in 2024. Lapierre leads the team in playoff points during this stretch, posting 31 points (10g, 21a) in 45 games.
Incredibly, the Bears broke their own AHL record, which they previously set in 2009 and 2010. Those Bears playoff teams, led by names like Keith Aucoin, Bryan Helmer, Chris Bourque, and Andrew Gordon, won 8 playoff series in a row (2009, 4; 2010, 4).
