The Hershey Bears swept the Texas Stars in their weekend back-to-back at Giant Center, winning the franchise’s first two regular-season games versus the Western Conference club a combined 8-2.
After defeating Texas 2-1 on Saturday, the Bears put up a six-spot on the Stars in Sunday’s rematch, getting two goals each from Bogdan Trineyev and Jonny Brodzinski. Andrew Cristall registered three assists.
For Trineyev, the two goal outing was his second multi-goal performance of his AHL career and gave him three goals over the weekend. He now leads the team in goals.
Trineyev kicked off the scoring 5:22 in the first while killing a Stars power play. Skating down the ice, the Russian power forward took a drop pass from Spencer Smallman and rifled a shot past Stars goaltender Arno Tiefensee from the left circle.
Bogdan Trineyev shorthanded goal
Brodzinski took advantage of a porous Stars defense and scored consecutive goals 1:18 apart — his first jamming home a rebound and his second potting a wide open shot in front — to put the Bears up 3-0 in the first period.
Jonny Brodzinski first goal as a Bear
Jonny Brodzinski’s second goal
Tiefensee was pulled at interrmision after giving up three goals on 11 shots and Stars goaltender Brandon Halverson took the net in the second period, but that didn’t stem the bleeding. Halverson gave up three goals of his own in the third period, getting beaten first by Bears veteran forward Spencer Smallman, who sent a wide-open shot from the slot home.
Spencer Smallman first goal of the season
Trineyev then scored his second of the night on a power-play, deflecting an Andrew Cristall shot home while set up just outside the crease.
Bogdan Trineyev’s second goal of the game
Swedish centerman Theodor Niederbach then scored his first AHL goal with 4:07 remaining, steering a Lynden Lakovic centering pass into the net. The apple was Lakovic’s second AHL point.
Theodor Niederbach’s first AHL goal
Bears goaltender Mitch Gibson got the win in his first start of the season after missing the team’s first three games due to a lower-body injury he suffered in the preseason. Gibson, the team’s number one goaltender in net, stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced.
“Well, it’s huge, especially the guys that were doing [the scoring],” Bears head coach Derek King said. “You know, they were overdue for it. Brodzinski, Trini, great for Trini again, you know, sticking with it. Cristall doing his thing. It was great to see Smallman. You know, I’m using Smallman as a bit of a rover to fill in spots with lines to keep that line settled down and stuff, and he’s done a great job. There’s a lot of people that, you know, first-time goals, Nieder… I feel like I’m at the Oscars right now, and I’m doing my thanking everybody. But just good, solid performance by everybody.
“Gibby coming back in. But we’ve got stuff we can still work on and improve, and we’ll do that this week.”
After managing only seven goals in their first three games and the team’s forward lines lacking chemistry, Sunday’s blowout 6-1 win over a potentially tired Stars team may provide a blueprint for how to find offense as the team looks to take advantage of a seven-game homestand to start the season.
