Hershey Bears punch ticket to Eastern Conference Finals with 3-game sweep
Hershey punches ticket to conference finals with 3-game sweep originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Six wins down, eight to go. The Hershey Bears advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 3-1 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack on Wednesday, improving to 6-1 in postseason play and securing their first conference final berth since 2016.
The Capitals’ AHL affiliate swept the Wolf Pack out of the Atlantic Division Finals to set up a best-of-seven showdown with the Rochester Americans, the No. 3 seed out of the North Division. The Bears, the Atlantic Division’s second seed, went 1-0-0-1 against Rochester during the regular season.
Hershey has relied on a deep roster to produce offense during its Calder Cup run. 19 different players have registered at least one point, led by forwards Aliaksei Protas (three goals, four assists), Sam Anas (two goals, five assists) and Joe Snively (one goal, six assists). Capitals’ first-round picks Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre have four points apiece.
Perhaps the biggest star of the Bears’ run thus far has been their goaltender. Hunter Shepard has started all seven games for Hershey and surrendered just 12 goals over that span. Among netminders with at least 200 minutes of ice time in net during the Calder Cup Playoffs, Shepard ranks first in GAA (1.71) and third in save percentage (.933).
The Bears’ run is hardly a surprising development. Hershey finished the regular season with 97 points, its highest total in eight years. Yet the team was hardly ever at full strength with the injury-depleted Capitals often recalling its key contributors up to the NHL to fill roster spots. Nine different players who played for Washington this season are on Hershey’s roster.
Now, the Bears are at full strength and clicking at the perfect time. They’ll face perhaps their biggest test yet in Rochester, who are coming off their own sweep of the No. 1-seeded Toronto Marlies. The Bears and Americans are among the oldest franchises in the AHL. Hershey holds the record for the most Calder Cup Finals won with 11 while Rochester ranks fourth with six.
