Travis Boyd returned to Hershey for the first time since November 13, 2019, and put on a show in his former barn.
Boyd, now a member of the Toronto Marlies, had a season-high four points in his team’s 5-2 victory over the Bears, helping snap Hershey’s four-game winning streak.
Point 1 (Secondary assist)
Boyd’s first point of the night came on Henry Thrun’s goal from the top of the left circle, after some forechecking along the sideboards. The goal tied the game 1-1 with 12:21 remaining in the first period.
Point 2 (Goal)
Boyd’s first goal of the evening came 6:19 into the second period, when he intercepted a poor pass from Ilya Protas in the middle of the ice. The Marlies forward dragged the puck and then sent a quick shot past Bears goaltender Garin Bjorklund, tying the game 2-2.
Point 3 (Primary assist on GWG)
With 2:34 remaining in the second period, Boyd had the primary assist — a beautiful cross-ice pass for a Reese Johnson one-timer goal — that ended up being the game-winner.
Point 4 (Empty-Net goal)
Boyd would later add an empty-net goal to further seal the game.
For his heroics, Boyd was named the First Star of the Night.
He was also named the team’s Player of the Game inside the Marlies locker room, receiving their team-branded title belt.
A Capitals’ 2011 sixth-round draft pick, Boyd previously spent parts of six seasons with the Bears, notching 172 points (57g, 115a) in 221 games.
Boyd helped the Bears reach the 2016 Calder Cup Finals during his rookie season, scoring two game-winning goals during that run. The most memorable being his overtime goal in Game 7 of the Atlantic Division Finals, which sent Hershey to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boyd also spent parts of three seasons playing for the Capitals from 2017 through 2020, posting 31 points (8g, 23a) in 85 games. During that time, he was also a black ace for the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup championship team, suiting up in one game — Game 6 at Pittsburgh, where the Capitals eliminated the Penguins in the second round.
Since moving on, Boyd played five seasons in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes, and Minnesota Wild. His best season in the NHL came with the Coyotes during the 2021-22 campaign, when he scored 17 goals and registered 18 assists in 74 games, posting a career-high 35 points.
Boyd spent almost all of last season in the AHL with the Iowa Wild, recording 53 points (22g, 31a) in 63 games. After his four-point night against the Bears, Boyd has 11 points (7g, 4a) in nine games with the Marlies.
