HERSHEY, Pa. (WHTM) - The Hershey Bears finally found a way past Coachella Valley's Joey Daccord to score their first points of the Calder Cup Finals series against Coachella Valley on Tuesday night, defeating the Firebirds in a thrilling overtime victory for game three.
Now, the Bears have forced a game five and trail the Firebirds 2-1 in the battle for the Calder Cup. Games four and five will be played at the Giant Center. The puck drops for the fourth matchup at 7 p.m.
The biggest potential change, other than the confidence boost the Bears now knowing the Firebirds goalie isn't unbeatable, is that Ethen Frank finally broke through his scoring blockade.
Frank, who was the Bears' top scorer of the regular season, had not been present at all in the playoffs prior to last night's game. With that hurdle crossed, Hershey might be able to make more plays happen with their regular-season star.
"It [was] tough on him mentally," Hershey head coach Todd Nelson said about first-year Frank's drought. "He was dealing with that [and] I think it was just like a huge weight off his back when he scored that goal."
The Stats
Aliaksei Protas, Sam Anas, and Joe Snively are tied as the points leaders for the Bears in the playoffs so far with 12 a piece. Snively was the star of game three, scoring the overtime game-winning goal. Protas and Mason Morelli are the top goal producers with five each.
Bears goalie Hunter Sheppard is boasting a 0.913 save percentage for the playoffs with a 2.30 goals-against average. The Firebirds Daccord had two back-to-back shutouts for games one and two and has boasted a 0.926 save percentage.
The Firebirds have been led in goals by Max McCormick who has a five-goal difference between the number two spot with 12 goals. Kole Lend, who has the second most goals, is leading in points with 28.
Up Next
It was one game. It was an exciting, much-needed win for the Hershey Bears, but they still have a long way to go.
"It gives us confidence going into the next game," Nelson said.
The win came from a close matchup that required overtime, showing that Coachella Valley is still very strong. It should, however, bolster the Bears' confidence and could make them more assertive on the ice heading into game four tomorrow.
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