Marlies Cap Comeback to Hand Bears 4-3 OT Loss

November 20, 2024

The Hershey Bears (11-4-2-0) built a 3-0 lead in the first period against the Toronto Marlies (9-1-2-2), but the home team stormed back to deal Hershey a 4-3 overtime loss on Wednesday night at Coca-Cola Coliseum, as the club continued its 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health.

The Bears remain undefeated in regulation on the road this season with a road record of 6-0-1-0.

The game marked Bears head coach Todd Nelson's 1,000th career game as a head coach in pro hockey. Nelson's head-coaching resume is comprised of 232 games in the now-defunct United Hockey League (149-58-25, .674 pct) with Muskegon, 46 games in the National Hockey League (17-22-7, .446 pct) with Edmonton, and 722 games in the American Hockey League (417-226-79, .632 pct) with Oklahoma City, Grand Rapids, and Hershey. In total, Nelson boasts a lifetime head coaching record of 583-306-111 in the regular season (.639 pct), and also owns a postseason head coaching record of 99-54, with two UHL Colonial Cup championships and three AHL Calder Cup titles.

BOX SCORE

NOTABLES:

• Mike Sgarbossa's power-play goal at 1:35 of the first period ended a stretch of five games for Hershey without a goal on the man advantage.
• Brennan Saulnier was awarded a penalty shot and converted for the Bears at 15:02 of the opening frame to give Hershey its first penalty shot goal of the season on its third chance; it was the first penalty shot goal for the club since Matt Strome on April 17, 2024 vs. Charlotte, and the first road penalty shot for the Chocolate and White since Christian Thomas on March 11, 2017 at Binghamton.
• Ethan Bear's assist on Sgarbossa's goal gives Bear 10 points (2g, 8a) in his last 11 games and extended the defenseman's road assist streak to six games (6a); his 11 points on the season are tied for sixth among AHL blueliners.
• Toronto's Alex Nylander scored twice, finding the net at the 19:58 mark of the second period and tying the game at 3-3 with a power-play goal at 8:30 of the third. Nylander then set up Nick Abruzzese's overtime-winner 47 seconds into sudden death.

SHOTS: HER 24, TOR 21

GOALTENDING: HER - Hunter Shepard, 17-for-21; TOR - Dennis Hildeby, 21-for-24

POWER PLAY: HER - 1-for-4; TOR - 1-for-3

THEY SAID IT:

Bears head coach Todd Nelson on the loss:
"We're up 3-0 in the game playing good hockey. Then Toronto's first goal was the result of loose coverage and on the second goal, there's about a second left in the period. All we had to do is hang on to the puck and smother it, and instead we tried to make a play, we turned the puck over, and they scored with about one second left. Now the game's 3-2, they score with a power-play goal, and then in overtime we blew a wheel and gave up a breakaway. I've said it many times: this was a case of the Hershey Bears losing to the Hershey Bears tonight."

Nelson on the loss:
"If you look at the first two goals against and the overtime goal, it's a result of a lack of detail and execution. The guys that made the mistakes out there are veteran guys, these guys know that they can get the job done, but we've got to be mentally stronger in those situations.

Nelson on the mood in the locker room and resetting heading into the weekend:
"I think they'll be fine. I told them to take some time and sit with tonight's result, but then wipe the slate clean and understand we've got to be better in the upcoming games. We're going to practice tomorrow after traveling to Rochester and it'll be a light practice, but our focus will shift towards just getting our heads screwed on straight for two big games this weekend."

Nelson on what it meant to have worked his 1,000th game as a head coach in pro hockey tonight:
I was surprised when somebody mentioned it. I thought it was just coaching games, but it was in fact as a head coach - that's still a lot of hockey. I'm grateful: I'm still around to be coaching hockey (chuckles). I really enjoy what I do and over the years I've made a lot of fond memories that I can look back on but I simply love what I do, and I just want to keep things going here with Hershey and just keep on coaching."

NEXT GAME:

The Bears continue the 2024-25 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, when they visit the Rochester Americans on Friday, Nov. 22 at 7:05 p.m. at BlueCross Arena. Hershey returns home to face the Laval Rocket on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center for Canteen Vending Turkey Shoot Night. Purchase tickets for the game by CLICKING HERE.