Photo: Rochester Americans
The Hershey Bears advanced to the 24th American Hockey League Finals on Friday night with a 1-0 victory over the Rochester Americans in Rochester. They await the Finals winner Coachella Valley Firebirds and Milwaukee Admirals Western Conference, with Coachella Valley currently leading the series three games to two. Game 6 is set Monday night in the Coachella Valley.
If Coachella Valley closes the series, they will have home ice advantage in the Finals and the Bears will open the Finals on the road in Southern California. If Milwaukee rallies to take the series, the Bears will open the Finals against the Admirals at home.
As the Bears rest up and start preparing for the Calder Cup Finals, it’s time to look back at the Bears’ top three series of the postseason, who the leaders are and who they need to step up.
Basic classification
Vitbsk’s Viper, Aliaksei Protas, was simply the best offensive Bear in the first 13 games. He leads all Bears in points, tied for first in goals and leads all Bears in assists. Mason Morelli Tied with Protas in goals with Conor McMichael Second place in the number of goals scored in all positions. [Click To Enlarge]
Bears coach Todd Nelson made it clear in his post-game press conferences on more than one occasion that some players just don’t have their share of the burden. He doesn’t name names, but it’s not too hard to see who he’s referring to.
I would prefer this by saying that all players are in the doldrums, and it’s hard to imagine what the postseason would be like if the “rednecks” were producing at regular season rates, but Nelson speaks directly to Ethan FrankAnd Joe Snelly And Mike Vecion, who were all top scorers during the regular season, but have a combined two-goal total in the postseason.
Scoring – equal power
If we narrow the focus and look at players’ performances with equal strength, we start to see a slightly different picture, with Anas himself Leads in total points (7) and points per game average. Conor McMichael Leads the team in goals of equal strength (4) f Alexi Brutas Leads the team in first passes (4).
Logan day, in perhaps the biggest upset so far in the off-season, is tied for second in points per game. He needs to play every game in the last series, and he probably will.
lead generation
Conor McMichael He leads all Bears in total shots created and ranks second Mike Sgarbosa Average shots per game.
Mason Morelli Leads all Bears in overall shooting percentage (31.25%) b Henrik Borgstrom The second (28.57%) and Lucas Johansen the third (25.0%).
team performance
It’s no secret that the Bears’ scoring has been a bit lower in the postseason, but their defense has made up for it. Maybe the defense is already winning championships?
What worked
Penalty kill – To little surprise, the Bears’ penalty kick was fairly strong again, allowing just five goals on 35 penalty kills (85.7%). This is the fifth best player in the AHL postseason. For what it’s worth, the Milwaukee Admirals are 4th with 88.0% and Coachella Valley is 11th with 80%.
defense The Bears have allowed just 25 goals in 13 post-season games, or 1.92 goals per game. This is the best average among the remaining teams in the postseason and among the best in the entire postseason.
Hunter Shepard Shepherd continued his high level of play from the regular season, with the occasional overnight. Shepard ranks fourth in goals against average (1.85) and fourth in save percentage (. 929). The Bears lost on those bottom nights. This is just as much of a reflection on Shepard as it is on the Bears struggling for goals.
Black and blue wrecking crew – Beck Malenstyn has been excellent in the postseason, doing his thing, blocking shots and leading the penalty shootout. The Bears fourth streak was also excellent as a whole, as the “black and blue wrecking crew” set the right tone to start each game. Nelson continues to start the streak in every game.
What needs to be done
Power play – The Bears Power Play has scored eight times in 37 power play opportunities with a conversion rate of 21.6%, which is good enough for one person in the postseason. Not terrible, but it could be better. The unit remains disjointed due to numerous power play opportunities.
a crime The Bears stumbled in the scoring department, but scored when it mattered most. As long as the defense stands tall and the Bears continue to win games, it’s hard to complain about scoring fewer goals.
Four more wins…
The Bears have done relatively light work in the last two series, compared to a first-round tilt with the Charlotte Checkers, who remain the strongest competitive test so far in this postseason race. Charlotte figured out how to handicap the Bears but came up short in Game Three in a best-of-five series with the Bears taking the first two games.
All teams have weaknesses or players who struggle in the postseason, and the Bears are no different. The bottom line is that the team is just four wins away from its 12th Calder Cup.
Written by John Sorensen