Thanks to Ivan Miroshnichenko, a shorthanded Hershey Bears team earned their first victory at Utica, NY in four years.
The Capitals’ first-round pick from the 2022 NHL Draft scored twice, notching his first multi-goal game of the season, and recorded his first three-point game since February 1, 2025, against Bridgeport.
Hershey got off to a quick start against the New Jersey Devils affiliate, with strikes from Henrik Rybinski and Corey Schueneman, giving the Bears a 2-1 lead going into the first intermission. But Hershey fell behind 3-2 quickly in the second after surrendering consecutive tallies to the Comets by Cam Squires and Ethan Edwards. Then Miroshnichenko took over.
First, the 21-year-old winger tied the score, 3-3, on the power play. With 54 seconds remaining in the stanza, Miroshnichenko gathered in a backhand pass from Ilya Protas and ripped a shot past a Comets goaltender Nico Daws, notching his seventh goal of the season. Protas and Andrew Cristall were awarded the assists.
After a scoreless third period, the Russian forward conjured some Miro Magic, beating Daws with a sensational rip to the far post. Taking a cross-ice pass in the offensive zone from Brett Leason, Miroshnichenko put his entire soul into a snap shot that flew by Daws’ glove.
The “MIRO-VERTIME WINNERRR” was Ivan’s first career overtime goal with Hershey.
“Good moment for me and my linemates,” Miroshnichenko said postgame per the Bears. “They played a strong game. But most important is the win. We get a couple of points. We need points to make the playoffs. But it was my first overtime goal here – good moment.”
Not only was Miroshnichenko the first star of the game in Hershey’s victory, but he was also the AHL’s second star of the night league wide.
“You know what? He played a good 200-foot game,” Bears head coach Derek King said. “He played hard, he was battling for pucks, and I think when guys are known to score goals or get points, when they get that first goal during the game, it makes them relaxed and feel better about themselves, and I thought his game took off.”
Inside the locker room, King highlighted Miroshnichenko’s play before he had the team recite together what is becoming a growing mantra for players.
“Miro stepped up,” King said as everyone clapped. “So what are we?”
“Too dumb to quit.”
The win against Utica was a rare one for Hershey. And they did so without star forward Bogdan Trineyev and both of their starting goaltenders due to injuries in Washington. Per the team:
The victory marked an end to Hershey’s five-game winless skid against the Comets, and gave the Bears their first triumph over the Comets since Oct. 15, 2022 (3-1 W) and their first win at Utica since Feb. 25, 2022 (4-0 W).
Notably, prospect Ilya Protas received Hershey’s first penalty shot of the season — and first since Nov. 20, 2024 at Toronto (Brennan Saulnier, goal) — 1:07 into the game, but was turned away by Daws on his backhand.
The two teams will play again on Wednesday, Feb. 25, in Hershey.
