Bears boss Todd Nelson He always wants more, win or lose.
So the three-time Calder Cup champion offered no conciliatory words to his players after Hershey lost 5-2 in Game 6 on Monday night. Nelson is a simple and player-friendly coach, but only on condition that the level of play on the ice remains high.
Nelson knows the Bears can — and must — give more tonight if they want to lift the Calder Cup. They went 0-3 at Accresure Arena and were outscored 14-2. As was the case in Games 1 and 2, ill-timed penalties and defensive zone breakdowns doomed the Bears’ chances in Game 6.
“We weren’t very good,” said Nelson, dismissing any excuses. “Look at their fifth goal. Our coverage was horrible. Again, it’s a wake-up call. We can’t afford to give up four or five goals.”
“We need more guys to pay the price. Some guys haven’t, and it shows. Against a team like that, you can’t have stirrups.”
Fortunately for the Bears, they defended their home ice with three wins at Giant Center, which means it still takes one win on the road to take the series. This is not the first time they find themselves in trouble. After all, they trailed the Finals two games to nothing before scoring their first goal of the series. They have shown that they can get themselves out of these situations.
“We have to learn to overcome some adversity,” Nelson said. “We have it all year round.”
Even one win at Hershey, and the Firebirds could have already gone home in the summer after lifting the Calder Cup. It didn’t happen, of course, but they saw the silver lining.
The Firebirds have a chance to win the Calder Cup on home soil tonight, in front of their home fans. Usually head coaches don’t go into the locker room after a loss, however Dan Bielsma It changed course after losing 1-0 in extra time in the fifth match that put the club’s season in jeopardy.
“I want to get back to Game 5 on the road,” the AHL’s leading scorer in the playoffs Ugly bird He said following Game 6.”[We] Obviously they were all hanging over our heads. [Bylsma] He was the first person to enter the room and tell us to keep our chins up. Three tough road games, and they played really well, but we won this thing at home.
“That’s the attitude we’ve had since then. We executed our game plan. I think everyone was excited, but the job wasn’t done.”
Actually it is not. Lind and the Firebirds have a bear-sized obstacle standing between them and the Calder Cup tonight. But just as they have done five times already this season when they face elimination, they expect to emerge victorious.
“It will be the most electric game of my life,” said Lind.
– Patrick Williams