The Hershey Bears enter the week up two games to none on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinals. After winning the first two games at home last week, the series now shifts to Allentown, with a chance for the Bears to wrap the series up in Game 3 on Wednesday night at PPL Center.
2024 CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Ethen Frank, Hendrix Lapierre, Henrik Rybinski (2)
Assists: Bogdan Trineyev (3)
Points: Ethen Frank (4)
Power-Play Goals: Alex Limoges (1)
Shorthanded Goals: N/A
Plus/Minus: Hendrix Lapierre (+4)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (2)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (1.00)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.968)
Only includes qualified players
LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF MAY 6:
Monday, May 6
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center
Tuesday, May 7
Practice, 10 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena
Travel to Lehigh Valley
Rest of Week
TBA
All practices are open to the public. Practice dates and times are subject to change; please check HersheyBears.com daily for updates.
RECENT RESULTS:
- Game 1 - Wednesday, May 1 - Hershey 2 vs. Lehigh Valley 1
- Game 2 - Saturday, May 4 - Hershey 5 vs. Lehigh Valley 1
REMAINING ATLANTIC DIVISION SEMIFINALS SCHEDULE:
Game 3 - Wednesday, May 8 - Hershey at Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 7:05 p.m.
*Game 4 - Saturday, May 11 - Hershey at Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 7:05 p.m.
*Game 5 - Sunday, May 12 - Hershey vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 7 p.m. - BUY TICKETS
*if necessary
Television Coverage: FOX43.2 Antenna TV, Monumental Sports Network (Washington, D.C. market); Video Coverage: AHLTV; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network, Capitals Radio Network
All times Eastern
TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:
CHANCE TO ADVANCE:
With wins in the first two games of the series last week, the Bears have an opportunity to sweep the Atlantic Division Semifinals with a victory on Wednesday at PPL Center. Historically, the Bears own a lifetime 9-1 series record when taking a 2-0 lead in a best-of-five series, but that often has not guaranteed a series sweep, as Hershey is 5-5 in Game 3 under those same conditions. Hershey's two most recent best-of-five series victories came last spring, when the Bears took a 2-0 series lead against the Charlotte Checkers and ultimately won 3-1 in the Atlantic Division Semifinals, then swept the Hartford Wolf Pack 3-0 in the Atlantic Division Finals. The Bears have a lifetime record of 77-66 in series-clinching playoff games.
SHUTDOWN SHEPARD:
Goaltender Hunter Shepard has picked up where he left off in the regular season, only allowing one goal in each of his first two playoff games. His 1.00 postseason goals-against average and .968 save percentage are both second to only Ontario's Erik Portillo, who has played two more games owing to Ontario not receiving a first-round bye. Shepard's next appearance will move him into a tie with J.F. Labbe for sixth place in franchise history in postseason games played by a goaltender, with 23. Shepard's 16 career playoff wins for Hershey already ranks sixth in club history. Shepard's penalty shot save on Bobby Brink in the third period of Game 2 makes him one of three goaltenders to face - and stop - multiple playoff penalty shots in his Bears career, after previously stonewalling Carsen Twarynski on June 10, 2023 at Coachella Valley, joining Michal Neuvirth (April 24, 2009 vs. Philadelphia and May 30, 2009 at Manitoba) and Nick Damore (March 24, 1940 at New Haven, March 28, 1940 vs. Pittsburgh, and March 20, 1945 at Indianapolis).
SHOOT TO THRILL:
Two of Hershey's forwards are among the leaders in shooting percentage in the Calder Cup Playoffs, as Hendrix Lapierre is second at 66.7% (2-for-3), while Henrik Rybinski is third at 50% (2-for-4). Dating back to last spring's Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals, Lapierre has goals in three consecutive playoff contests, while Rybinski has found the net in both of his first two career postseason matches.
ROLE REVERSAL:
After finishing with the second-fewest penalty minutes per game in the regular season (9.99) and the fewest in the Eastern Conference, the Bears have surged to the top of the league in the postseason, thanks to a pair of incidents near the end of Game 2 that saw 62 penalty minutes handed out to several Hershey players and has inflated the Chocolate and White's totals to 72 and per-game average to 36. Hershey's playoff record for most penalty minutes in a series is also a league-record 323, assessed to the club during the 1995 Southern Division Semifinals against the Cornwall Aces, decided in six games.
BEARS BITES:
Aaron Ness is Hershey's active leader for career playoff games, with 54; he notably led the entire Calder Cup Playoffs with 12 assists during Hershey's run to the championship round against Cleveland in 2016; his 15 career playoff assists is also the active leader for the Bears and is tied for 11th in franchise history among defensemen with Pascal Trepanier, while his next assist will move him into a four-way tie for eighth with Rich Brennan, Mike Gaul, and Steve Smith...Ethen Frank's three-point outing in Game 2 marked a new postseason career-high for the second-year forward...Alex Limoges' 12 penalty minutes is tied with Logan Day for the team lead; Limoges received all 12 penalty minutes in Game 2, the largest among of PIMs assessed to the forward in either the regular season or playoffs in his career...The last time the Bears faced the Phantoms in an elimination game occurred at PPL Center on April 30, 2017 in Game 5 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals, a 3-2 win; Hershey has won all three previous playoff games at PPL Center.
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