Bears Allow Late Goal in 3-1 Loss to Checkers

February 22, 2025

The Hershey Bears (30-14-5-0) battled back to level the score at 1-1 in a game that appeared headed for overtime, but the Charlotte Checkers (28-14-3-2) scored a pair of goals in the final minute of regulation to deal Hershey a 3-1 loss on Saturday night at Bojangles Coliseum, as the club continued its 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health.

After Hendrix Lapierre tied the score at 1-1 at 5:22 of the third period, Charlotte's Michael Benning blasted a shot inside the left post with 28 seconds remaining to put the Checkers ahead 2-1, and Kyle Criscuolo added an empty-netter to seal the game for the hosts. The loss snapped a three-game win streak at Bojangles Coliseum for Hershey dating back to last season, and the Bears are now 3-4-0-0 against Charlotte in the current season series.

BOX SCORE

NOTABLES:

• Lapierre's goal was his third of the season and marked his third consecutive game with a tally.
• Hershey was limited to three shots on goal in the first period, marking the fifth time the Bears were held to their season-low for shots in a single period, and the third time in the season against Charlotte.
• Several Bears hit career or Hershey games-played milestones, as Jon McDonald (100 pro games), Alex Limoges (100 Bears games), Chase Priskie (300 pro games), and Brad Hunt (700 pro games) dressed for Hershey.
• The Checkers set a Bojangles Coliseum attendance record with a crowd of 8,665.

SHOTS: HER 18, CLT 38

GOALTENDING: HER - Hunter Shepard, 35-for-37; CLT - Chris Driedger, 17-for-18

POWER PLAY: HER - 0-for-5; CLT - 0-for-4

THEY SAID IT:

Bears head coach Todd Nelson on what led to tonight's outcome:
"I think we sleepwalked through the first two periods - our first, we kind of expected something like that to happen just with not playing in a while. Then we got worse in the second period. The third we came out, and we put forth an effort into getting the game tied and then we couldn't get that next one. They were able to generate a goal off the rush for the last 30 seconds of the game. So, it's a tough pill to swallow, but once again, it comes down to just playing 60 minutes."

Nelson on the intensity displayed by both teams in the game:
"They had a big crowd tonight, fans were all in it and they came out and worked. They worked hard, especially in the second period - they had us hemmed into our zone and finally we woke up in the third period, but it kind of had a playoff-style feel to it."

Nelson on what makes Charlotte such a challenging matchup in terms of generating shot chances:
"They played very well in their own end and breaking the puck out, I think they're in the top five in spending time in their D-zone. So that means that we've got to put a little extra into our forecheck and get pucks stopped. And then offensively, they like rolling and getting the five-man unit buzzing around in our defensive zone, which makes it tough for our team to check. But it comes down to effort once again; we had too many passengers tonight, and I told the guys that we have four or five guys that are healthy or chomping at the bit to get back in the lineup and the players will make that determination who comes out because it's just based on their applying."

NEXT GAME:

The Bears continue the 2024-25 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, when they conclude their season series with the Charlotte Checkers on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 1 p.m. at Bojangles Coliseum. Hershey returns home to host the Penguins on Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center for Penn State Health Drawstring Bag Night. All fans in attendance will receive a Bears drawstring bag, courtesy of Penn State Health. Purchase tickets for the game by CLICKING HERE.