Bjorklund, Bears Top Islanders, 4-1

March 26, 2025

The Hershey Bears (39-16-6-1) roared out to a 3-0 lead in the first period on their way to an eventual 4-1 victory over the Bridgeport Islanders (14-42-4-3) on Wednesday night at Total Mortgage Arena, as the club continued its 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health.

Goaltender Garin Bjorklund made his American Hockey League debut for Hershey, stopping his first 11 shots and ultimately finishing with 26 saves to earn his first AHL victory.

Hershey finished its regular-season series against the Islanders with a 5-1-0-0 record. The Bears are now 6-1-1-1 during their franchise-record 10-game road trip, and will conclude the swing away from home on Saturday night at Utica.

BOX SCORE

NOTABLES:

• Ivan Miroshnichenko opened the game by scoring on Hershey's first shot just 49 seconds into the contest with his 19th of the season.
• Mike Vecchione scored his 18th of the season at 8:29 with the Bears on the man advantage to give Hershey a 2-0 edge.
• Pierrick Dube made it 3-0 at 11:08 with his 17th of the season, and sealed the game with an empty-netter at 17:30 of the third period.
• Hendrix Lapierre assisted on both of Hershey's first two goals as well as its final tally, extending his point streak to four games (1g, 6a).
• Garrett Roe provided assists on both of Dube's goals.
• Cole Bardreau netted a shorthanded goal for the Islanders at 15:34 of the second period to cut Hershey's lead to 3-1.
• Bears head coach Todd Nelson earned his 136th career win with Hershey to tie Don Penniston for seventh on the franchise list.

SHOTS: HER 30, BRI 27

GOALTENDING: HER - Garin Bjorklund, 26-for-27; BRI - Henrik Tikkanen, 26-for-29

POWER PLAY: HER - 1-for-3; BRI - 0-for-2

THEY SAID IT:

Bears head coach Todd Nelson on the team's performance:
"I thought we played a really good first period. Then our second period wasn't very good at all. Garin [Bjorklund] stood on his head for us in the second period and we were turning the puck over, and then in the third they were making a push. And once again, 'G' made some pretty big saves and we were able to get the empty-net goal. But I'm happy with the two points, but we've got to play like we did in the first, for the full game."

Nelson on the play of Garin Bjorklund:
"He just played a really calm game. He looked so much more compact and confident than he did at the start of the year during preseason, but he made some huge saves. He made the game look easy."

Garin Bjorklund on making his AHL debut:
"I feel like I felt pretty calm for most of the night. It helps out when our team scores three goals early, so it kind of helps you settle in and whatnot. There were a couple odd-man rushes that kind of had me on my toes, but that's what kind of helps break the ice a little bit and you get those saves and then you feel good about yourself. It's a big kudos to the team. They helped me out, and like I said, it was a long time waiting for this, so to get the win, it's very special and I'm just super excited to get the job done."

NEXT GAME:

The Bears continue the 2024-25 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, when they conclude their franchise-record 10-game road trip against the Utica Comets on Saturday, March 29, at 7 p.m. at Adirondack Bank Center. Hershey returns home to host the Utica Comets on Sunday, March 30, at 5 p.m. at GIANT Center for Hall of Fame Night and Toyota Postcard Night. Purchase tickets for the game by CLICKING HERE.