Palm Desert, California. (theahl.com) … For the twelfth time in their history, the Hershey Bears are Calder Cup champions.
The Bears extended their league record and captured their first championship since 2010 with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Coachella Valley Firebirds tonight at Akrisor Arena, winning the Calder Cup Finals series four games to three.
carries forward Mike Vecion He became the first player in AHL history to score a surprise overtime goal in Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals, clinching the championship at 16:19 of overtime. Senior prospects of the Washington Capitals Conor McMichael And Hendrix Lapierre Scored in regulation for Hershey, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit to become the first road team to win a game in the series.
Ricker Evans And Max McCormick He scored for the Firebirds, who are one goal short in the championship in their inaugural season.
Goalkeeper Hunter Shepard had won Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs. Shepard started all 20 games for Hershey during the postseason and posted a record of 14-6 with a 2.27 goals against average, . 914 save percentage and three shutouts, capped by a 45-save performance in Game 7.
The Bears 2023 championship marks their fourth Calder Cup since becoming DC’s largest development affiliate in 2005. Under the leadership of Head Coach Todd Nelsonwho won his second Calder Cup as a head coach and fourth overall, defeated Hershey’s Charlotte Checkers (3-1), Hartford Wolf Pack (3-0) and Rochester Americans (4-2) before edging out to Coachella Valley in the Finals.
Hershey’s victory puts an end to the AHL’s 87 season. The Hockey League has been in operation since 1936, and it still serves as the top development league of all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players are alumni of the American Hockey League, and more than 100 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame have spent time in the AHL in their careers.
P2-Coachella Valley Firebirds vs. A2-Hershey Bears
Game 1 – Thursday, June 8 – Coachella Valley 5, Hershey 0 | Conclusion/highlights
Game 2 – Saturday, June 10 – Coachella Valley 4, Hershey 0 | Conclusion/highlights
Game 3 – Tuesday, June 13 – Hershey5, Coachella Valley 4 (OT) | Conclusion/highlights
Game 4 – Thursday, June 15 – Hershey 3, Coachella Valley 2 | Conclusion/highlights
Game 5 – Saturday, June 17 – Hershey 1, Coachella Valley 0 (OT) | Conclusion/highlights
Game 6 – Monday, June 19 – Coachella Valley 5, Hershey 2 | Conclusion/highlights
Game 7 – Wednesday, June 21 – Hershey 3, Coachella Valley 2 (OT)