Lapierre Leads Bears to 4-3 OT Win Over Penguins

February 15, 2025

Chase Priskie scored to tie the game with less than 13 seconds remaining in regulation and Hendrix Lapierre netted the winner in sudden-death to cap a three-point night as the Hershey Bears (30-13-5-0) rallied for a 4-3 overtime victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (26-12-5-1) on Saturday night at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza, as the club continued its 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health.

Hershey now leads its season series with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at 4-3-0-0. The two teams will next meet on Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center.

BOX SCORE

NOTABLES:

• Lapierre (1g, 2a) scored the overtime goal at 3:13 of the extra frame as Ethan Bear won a wall battle in the offensive zone and found Lapierre in the slot. The tally marked Lapierre's second consecutive game with a goal after scoring his first of the season on Tuesday against the Penguins at home. Lapierre's three points matched an AHL career-high.
• Bear finished the night with three assists to match his single-game AHL career-high for assists.
• Hershey trailed by 1-0 after the first but Alex Limoges netted a power-play goal for the tying score at 4:55 of the second.
• Pierrick Dube put the Bears up 2-1 at 4:04 of the third; after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton had taken a 3-2 lead, Priskie tied the game with Clay Stevenson on the bench for an extra attacker at 19:47.
• Luke Philp had a pair of assists.
• Bears head coach Todd Nelson earned his 127th win behind the bench for Hershey, passing Ralph "Cooney" Weiland for sole possession of eighth in franchise history for wins by a head coach.

SHOTS: HER 33, WBS 32

GOALTENDING: HER - Clay Stevenson, 29-for-32; WBS - Filip Larsson, 29-for-33

POWER PLAY: HER - 1-for-5; WBS - 0-for-4

THEY SAID IT:

Bears head coach Todd Nelson on the wild ups and downs of an emotional game:
"It was a heck of a game. Both teams played hard and like you said, there's a lot of emotion out there and it had a playoff-style feel to it. That's how games are gonna be against us this year: two good teams going at it. We managed to get the game tied with the extra attacker. Then Lappy did it in overtime, but it was a good, hard-fought battle for our team. A lot of guys are playing through sickness. I think it's going around to every team right now - the bug's hitting everybody. I just liked the way the guys responded tonight."

Nelson on the play of Hendrix Lapierre:
"You know, he [hadn't] scored all year, and now he's got a goal in [each of] the last two games. It means a heck of a lot to a guy like him. For a player like him, as a skilled guy that's supposed to provide offense, when you're not, it's tough. But you know what - Lappy got banged up pretty good in the first period and he fought through it. He wasn't 100 percent, but he came back and showed his teammates that he wanted to help the team win, and that's what he did."

Hendrix Lapierre on the team's ability to battle back:
"Great resiliency by our team. We knew it wasn't going to be easy against Wilkes, a really good team, and it's always a highly emotional match, so it was good we were able to get one. Obviously [Priskie] with the big goal, he seems to always be in the right spots at the right time, so happy to get the two points and happy we were able to finish it off."

NEXT GAME:

The Bears continue the 2024-25 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, when they visit Charlotte Checkers on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 4 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.