Alex Suzdalev won’t be forgetting his Sunday night at Giant Center any time soon.
The 21-year-old winger scored his first career AHL goal in the Hershey Bears’ 2-1 victory over the Rochester Americans. The tally was not only Suzdalev’s milestone first in the league, but also ended up as the game-winning marker for the Bears.
Suzdalev fired Hershey into a 2-1 lead with 13:03 remaining in the third period.
Suzdalev picked up the puck after receiving an indirect pass off the boards from Ryan Chelsey that sprung him and Bogdan Trineyev on a 2-on-1 rush. The Russian-born, Swedish-raised winger looked shot the whole way and fired a wicked wrister past Americans goaltender Topias Leinonen.
The goal is Suzdalev’s third point (1g, 2a) in five games for the Bears this season. He also played three AHL games last year but did not register any points.
After the game, Suzdalev posed with his milestone goal puck.
Sam Bitten scored Hershey’s first goal of the game, his second in as many games since joining the Bears earlier this week. Clay Stevenson made 22 saves on 23 shots faced to improve to 3-3 in net this season.
As part of Hometown Heroes night, the normally chocolate and white clad Bears donned red, white, and blue first-responder-themed jerseys.
The Bears got the win after seeing their four-game winning streak ended by the Toronto Marlies on Friday. Hershey is now 6-4-1 on the season and sit fifth in the Atlantic Division with 13 standings points.
