^ Posted by Patrick Williams
Hershey, Pennsylvania. … With the Calder Cup Finals shifting east earlier this week, something had to change for the Hershey Bears – and fast – if this was going to be a series at all.
Two games later, the Bears caught their scoring touch. Ethan Frank He returned to the score sheet. This is how he sleeps Mike Vecion. Hershey has had a best-of-seven series in two games apiece.
Frank enjoyed an excellent regular season in Hershey, representing the Bears in the AHL All-Star Classic—where he set a league record in the fastest skater event—and leading all AHL rookies with 30 goals in the campaign.
But the Calder Cup playoffs were nothing but a sweet dream for 25-year-old Frank. Eleven games. no goals. Scratched by the coach Todd Nelson Four times, including the first game of the finals.
Looking for something – anything – After losing 5-0 in the series opener, Nelson reinserted Frank into the lineup. But then the Bears were shorthanded nine times, crippling the Hershey bench, and Frank and the rest of the club went scoreless in a 4-0 loss in Game Two.
Tension was around Giant’s center as the Bears prepared for Game 3. Another loss would put them in an almost impossible bind. However, as disappointing as this postseason run was for Frank, it’s the Calder Cup Playoffs. Even with the Bears’ predicament after their loss at Coachella Valley, only four wins separated them from the Calder Cup championship. If you play, you still have a chance.
Quickly after the third game began, Frank took over. He proved it Joey Dacord It can be solved, by taking a cross ice lane in the first period of Anas himself and shredding it home for Hershey’s first goal of the series. The Bears survived a desperate third period with a Firebirds three-goal run to take a 5-4 overtime victory.
Then, after scoring late in the second period of Game 4, Frank scored again. Vecchione battled the puck inside the Coachella Valley blue line and tipped the pass to Frank, who sprinted to the edge of the right-hand circle before firing a shot past Dacor for the eventual match-winner in a 3-2 Hershey decision. Vecchione scored the other two Bears goals in the win.
“I kind of realized a couple of days ago that this isn’t something you do every season or maybe ever in your career,” Frank said after Game 4 on Thursday. “I try to keep my head level no matter what happens, but, yeah, it kind of clicked. I was like, ‘It’s not going to happen that often, so I need to take advantage of it and up my game.’ I’m glad I’m helping the team win.”
Top scorer in the regular season Mike Sgarbosa Having been out of the lineup for the last 13 games, Nelson’s club needs every attack he can get against a tough opponent like Coachella Valley.
“I hope they warm up in time,” said Nilsson of Franck and Vecchione.
“If we play Bears hockey, I don’t think there’s a team in the league that can beat us,” said Frank. “We said that from the first game. We think if we play the right way, play physical and stay above them on the defensive side, we will be in a good place, because we are very good at marking. We pride ourselves on that. If we continue to be smart and responsible, we will be ready.”
Patrick Williams has been in the American Hockey League for nearly two decades for outlets including NHL.com, Sportsnet, TSN, The Hockey News, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, and SLAM! Sports, and she is currently the co-host of Hockey news on the “A” podcast. He was awarded the James H. Ellery Memorial Award from the AHL for his excellent coverage of the league in 2016.