Happy weekend, everyone! It's gonna be a rainy few days but at least we have the return of Bears hockey! The Bears start this weekend's slate of games on Friday night in Hartford, Connecticut where they will face the Wolf Pack at 7:15pm at the XL Center. The last time we saw the Atlantic Division bottom feeder was on back-to-back nights in Hershey on March 17 and 18. The Bears beat the Wolf Pack Friday night with an overtime goal by Christian Djoos making the final score 4-3. This game marked the eighth straight home game win for the Bears. The Pack struck first with a goal by Matt Carey only 44 seconds into the contest. Paul Carey, in turn, responded with his 19th of the season off an assist by Djoos. This was the start of Carey's thrilling weekend that named him CCM Hockey's AHL Player of the Week. Carey and Djoos switched roles as Carey set up the goal for Djoos as the Bears potted their second goal of the night, to take the lead with three seconds to play in the period. Neither team gave up as the Wolf Pack scored with less than four minutes to play forcing the game to go into overtime. Djoos answered 59 seconds into the extra session to clinch the 4-3 victory. The following night Hartford and Hershey lined up again in Giant Center for another dance. Paul Carey had a stellar night scoring a hat trick with a goal in each period and even scoring a fourth goal later in the third. Carey's phenomenal night landed Hershey a 6-4 win over the Pack.
After the conclusion of the game Friday night, Hershey will travel back to their home ice to take on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers Saturday night at 7:00pm. Currently, Bridgeport sits in fifth place in the Atlantic Division and are looking for a playoff spot. The Bears took down the Sound Tigers with a 3-1 win the last time these teams faced one another. The game was March 19 at Bridgeport. After a scoreless first period, the Sound Tigers struck first in the second. At 7:33 in the second Johnston scored the first goal of the night but it was not long until none other than Paul Carey answered with a power play goal 14:04 into the second. He finished the weekend with six goals and two assists. Boyd put away a power play goal late in the third to pull away with the 2-1 lead. Captain Garrett Mitchell sealed the deal with an empty netter with less than a minute to play in regulation time. The action remains in Hershey as the Bears host the Phantoms Sunday night at 5:00pm. This second place team in the Atlantic Division took down the Bears with a 3-2 loss at Lehigh Valley on March 10. The teams remained close with a 2-2 game, but Hershey couldn't hold on as Corban Knight of Lehigh Valley scored with 2:18 to play in regulation. Ryan Bourque opened up the night scoring in the opening period. The Phantoms took all the momentum the second period and came away with a 2-1 lead. A power play goal late in the second by Paul Carey made the score even but the Bears couldn't hold on and lost 3-2 in regulation time. However, the Bears were 3 for 3 on penalty kills for the night. Saturday night is Fan Appreciation Night with all fans receiving a scratch off card for the chance to win some great prizes. It is also Healthcare Night, and groups in the healthcare industry can receive $20.00 tickets in the 100 level and $14.50 tickets in the 200 level. Sunday night is Fairview Golf Course Golf Ball Night with the first 3,000 fans receiving a golf ball courtesy of Fairview Golf Course. It is also Faith & Family Night. Bring a church group to the game and receive $20.00 tickets in the 100 level and $14.50 tickets in the 200 level. Suffice it to say that this is another extremely crucial weekend for the Chocolate and White. They need to come away with at least 4/6 points, but another weekend sweep would be yet another burr in their saddle. Go Bears!
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Paul Carey proved to be the number one star of them game Saturday Night against the Wolf Pack scoring 4 of the 6 goals for the Bears. Not only was he named the number one star Saturday night, he was also named CCMHockey AHL Player of the Week. Saturday night Carey was unstoppable. He scored four goals in a single game. Carey was the first Hershey player to land four goals in a single game since Mathieu Perreault 7 years ago. This was also Carey's first professional hat trick. How did it happen? Christian Djoos set up the shot at 7:50 into the first period, assisting Carey in his first of the game and 20th goal of the season. A beautiful play set up by Stan Galiev and Travis Boyd set up the second goal for Carey, taking the Bears to a 3-0 lead. Carey sat for 2 for delay of game causing the Bears to go on the penalty kill. Partway through the third period Carey answered for his penalty with a power play goal and his third of the nights. The hats came off as the crowd went wild. With just over a minute to play, Carey found the back of the empty net, scoring his fourth of the game. For the first time in seven years the Bears had an individual score four goals in a single game. Currently, Carey has an eight game point streak heading into the home game Wednesday. There was talk among the officials as Carey put the puck into the net at the horn with a possible fifth goal of the game. After discussion it was ruled no goal and the game ended with a 6-4 victory. Carey continued to stay on fire, scoring the first Goal for Hershey Sunday against Bridgeport to tie the game 1-1 in the second. He was also named the third star of the game. Paul Carey earned eight points in only three games this past weekend. He scored six goals and had two assists. Friday night Carey recorded one goal and one assist against the Wolf Pack and kept that luck going scoring four goals against the Pack. He scored a power play goal on Sunday to notch two more points for the weekend. Currently, Carey has an eight-game point streak. (More about Carey Below)
This 6-1, 28 year old, Massachusetts Native got his first call up to the Washington Capitals on November 20, 2016. He played in three games during that time. In 2007, Carey was drafted in the 5th round (135th overall) by the Colorado Avalanche. Carey played for the Lake Erie Monsters starting in the 2011-12 season. He played a season with the Providence Bruins in 2014-15 only to return to the Monsters the following season. This is Carey's second season with the Bears as he signed with the Capitals July 8, 2015. On October 10, 2015 he scored his first Hershey goal. He also appeared in four games in Washington and scored his first NHL goal on Feb. 6, 2016 against New Jersey. As of today, he played a total of 286 games with the AHL.
Happy Friday! I hope everyone is all dug out of the snow and ready for another eventful hockey weekend. With six points up for grabs in yet another three-in-three weekend set, and a fourth game this coming Wednesday, the Bears need to prove they are ready to fight for what belongs to them. Tonight, they welcome the Hartford Wolf Pack to town for a 7:00 pm faceoff at Giant Center. The lowly Wolf Pack are bringing up the bottom of the Atlantic Division, but that doesn't mean they should be taken lightly. These two teams last met three weeks ago tonight, with the Bears defeating the Pack 6-1 at the XL Center. Five of the goals were scored in the second period on 20 shots, after taking only two shots in the first period, and barely pressuring the net. The Bears look to dominate the Pack once again and start the weekend out with a huge and highly-coveted two points. It is also Scout Night! Scouts can also receive $20.00 tickets for the 100 level and $14.50 tickets for the 200 level. Each attendee gets a complimentary Scout Patch. This is also the 11th Annual Scout Sleepover. You can connect with Group Sales for more information by calling 717-508-2327. On Saturday, the two teams once again take the ice for the second of the back-to-back set at Giant Center. Teams playing consecutive games tend to get heated, so don’t be surprised if you see a few scuffles break out throughout the night. Saturday is also College Night delivered by Papa John's. College students (like myself!) can receive a special package pricing of $20.00 for the 100 level and $15.00 for the 200. Just simply present a valid college ID at the box office when purchasing tickets. This package includes a ticket to the game, a t-shirt, and a coupon for a free large pizza. Girl Scouts can also receive $20.00 tickets for the 100 level and $14.50 tickets for the 200 level. Each attendee gets a complimentary Scout Patch and has the chance to earn an animal adventure patch. Upon the conclusion of Saturday night’s tilt with Hartford, the Bears will embark on a near-four hour bus ride into the night to Bridgeport, Connecticut. Hershey will be taking on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in a highly-critical game at 3:00 Sunday afternoon. The Sound Tigers currently sit in the third spot of the Atlantic Division. They have proven to be a tough team to beat, as they defeated the Bears on three consecutive Sunday’s last month. Overall, they’ve been on fire since receiving goaltender Jaroslav Halak on December 30th from the New York Islanders. The Bears fell 2-1 the last time these teams faced one another on February 26th. Christian Djoos scored the lone Hershey goal on the power play 4:38 into the game. Unfortunately, they couldn't hold onto the lead and ended up falling to the Sound Tigers. The Bears looks to change roles and are hoping to take down the Sound Tigers in their own territory. Lastly, the Bears return to Giant Center on Wednesday Night as they take on the North Division bottom-feeder, the Binghamton Senators. Face off is at 7 PM. These two teams last met six days ago in Binghamton, where the Bears marched away with a dominating 7-1 victory. Four of the goals were scored in the first period alone. Wednesday night is also Hershey Park Pass Night! This is a favorite among Bears fans, however tickets are extremely limited for this game. Call 717-508-2327, as this is a night you surely won’t want to miss! Have a great weekend, everyone, and here’s hoping for three hard-fought Bears victories! Going into the Weekend Team Leaders Goals Christian Thomas-23 Stanislav Galiev-21 Paul Carey-18 Assists Travis Boyd-37 Chris Bourque-35 Christian Djoos-34 Points Chris Bourque-52 Travis Boyd-49 Paul Carey-47 |
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