The Hershey Bears (22-11-3-0) rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to tie the game, then Alex Limoges provided the game-winner in overtime to lift his team to a 4-3 victory over the Charlotte Checkers (19-8-2-2) on Friday night at Bojangles Coliseum, as the club continued its 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health.
Limoges won the game in the extra frame when Clay Stevenson came out of his net to cut down on a potential breakaway and sent a pass up the left boards to neutral ice, where Limoges collected the puck and broke in on a 2-on-1 with Ivan Miroshnichenko before beating Chris Driedger to the blocker side at 2:21 for his seventh of the season.
NOTABLES:
SHOTS: HER 29, CLT 22
GOALTENDING: HER - Clay Stevenson, 19-for-22; CLT - Chris Driedger, 25-for-29
POWER PLAY: HER - 0-for-2; CLT - 1-for-4
THEY SAID IT:
Bears head coach Todd Nelson on the momentum of Friday's game:
"Well we weren't ready at the start of the game - it was pretty obvious - even our trainers could tell with our guys during the warmups that they weren't engaged. All of a sudden, we found ourselves down 2-0 and really didn't generate anything offensively. So we had a spirited conversation in between the first and second, and we came out and started getting more engaged, and we started to turn the game around in our favor. In the third period, we just pressured hard and we got rewarded for it. The ice was tilted in our direction, we were able to get it to overtime and win it there. It was a great comeback."
Nelson on what was said and done by Aaron Ness to rally the group:
"I'm not in the room for the entirety of the intermission when the guys are talking amongst themselves, so I'm sure he had some words for the guys, and then he led on the ice by playing a pretty gritty second period, pulling guys into the fight. so I'm sure he had some words for the guys, and then he led on the ice by playing a pretty gritty second period, pulling guys into the fight. And that's why he wears the 'C' in our room, that's why he's our captain."
Alex Limoges on his overtime-winning goal:
"It was a good period there in the third, and the ice was pretty chewed up. I got the puck, it was rolling already - today I thought I was forcing it a little bit and this time I was sure I wanted to shoot the puck, so I [settled it down] and [shot]."
Limoges on the leadership of Aaron Ness:
"We didn't like [the first period]. So in the first intermission, Nesser stepped up big time. He's our captain, our leader, and he did everything that he preached in that locker room. He started the second period with the physical play, it set the tone, and the guys rallied behind him. And then of course, Nelly came in echoing what Nesser said. So we wanted to turn it around. I thought we had a good second period and a lot of confidence in the second intermission coming into the third."
Aaron Ness on what led to the turnaround against Charlotte:
"I just think we finally just started playing the right way and got back to what we do [successfully] and winning battles. I think that was the biggest part of turning it around, and it was a good third period that we can hopefully can build on when we play them again tomorrow."
Ness on what the comments of Limoges and Nelson regarding his contributions mean:
"For me, I think hockey is a funny game. I think things can go your way or not at certain times, and I think teams that go through stuff like this - find a way to win games like this and go through some difficult times and different difficult situations with each other - build and bond together. Hopefully we can take a step forward here and then continue to play hard-nose hockey when we have to."
NEXT GAME:
The Bears continue the 2024-25 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, when they complete their weekend series with the Charlotte Checkers at Bojangles Coliseum on Saturday, Jan. 11, at 6 p.m. Hershey returns home to host the Belleville Senators on Friday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center. Purchase tickets for the game by CLICKING HERE.
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