Stevenson, Bears Blank Checkers 2-0

February 23, 2025

Ivan Miroshnichenko scored the game-winning goal and Clay Stevenson made 26 saves to earn his first shutout of the season as the Hershey Bears (31-14-5-0) blanked the Charlotte Checkers (28-15-3-2) by a 2-0 score to earn a split of their weekend series on Sunday afternoon at Bojangles Coliseum, as the club continued its 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health.

The Bears finished their regular-season series with the Checkers with a 4-4-0-0 record. Hershey went 4-2-0-0 in the month of February.

BOX SCORE

NOTABLES:

• Miroshnichenko scored on the man advantage at 11:38 of the second period to give Hershey a 1-0 lead, giving the winger his 13th of the season and his second game-winner of the campaign.
• Hendrix Lapierre earned the primary assist on Miroshnichenko's goal, extending his point streak to four games (3g, 4a).
• Ethan Bear added an unassisted empty-net goal at 17:44 of the third period.
• Stevenson's shutout was his first since March 3, 2024 at Lehigh Valley, and his eighth career clean sheet as a Bear, tying Alfie Moore, Ed Chadwick, and Don Edwards for 13th in franchise history.

SHOTS: HER 22, CLT 26

GOALTENDING: HER - Clay Stevenson, 26-for-26; CLT - Ken Appleby, 20-for-21

POWER PLAY: HER - 1-for-3; CLT - 0-for-4

THEY SAID IT:

Bears head coach Todd Nelson on how the team earned a big win:
"Well you know what, it's huge - against a good team like Charlotte, for us to get six out of eight points is really a confidence builder for us on the road. The guys came to play today. It looks like the fresh legs helped us out today as well. It comes down to special teams. We scored on the power play and we didn't give up anything on their power play, which is very good, and we got the empty-netter. It was a great road win - the guys showed up today for sure."

Nelson on how he managed his lines following the first-period injury to Henrik Rybinski:
"I kept Lapierre and Miroshnichenko together and I just rotated Sgarbossa's line on the left side with that line, so they did double duty for the last 40 minutes. It was great by everybody. Losing Ryby early was disappointing because he was playing a strong game - it's too bad, but we'll get back to Hershey and talk to our doctors. It sounds like it may not be as serious as we thought at first."

Nelson on the performance of his goaltenders this weekend:
"For [Stevenson] he was in great position. He was always in great position, so even if he didn't see the puck it hit him, and he just battled and competed, and the same thing with Shep yesterday. He didn't get much support, but Shep held us in the game and gave us a chance to win; we just couldn't score any goals. But with both goaltenders, we knew what we had in them, and they just had to find it, and they definitely found it over the last couple of games."

Nelson on the play of Lapierre and Miroshnichenko:
"I was happy for them, because I challenged both of them before the game, like, 'We need more out of you guys if we want to have success,' and they took it to heart. I thought both guys played real hard today."

Clay Stevenson on the team's play:
"You know, I think we were all pretty hungry as a group to get the job done today. We felt we had more to give last night. Tonight we put together a pretty solid 60 minutes, blocking shots when we need them, getting pucks out when we needed it, on the PK getting our 200-foot clears. They kept it pretty simple for me. Just a great effort all-around."

NEXT GAME:

The Bears continue the 2024-25 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, when they return home to host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 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.