Palm Desert, Calif. (theahl.com)… For the 12th 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 He won the Jack A. Butterfield Award as 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, a . He made 45 saves in Game 7.
The Bears’ 2023 Calder Cup championship marks their fourth time since becoming D.C.’s top development affiliate in 2005. Under head coach Todd Nelson, who won his second Calder Cup as head coach and fourth overall, the Hersheys defeated the Charlotte Checkers (3-1) and the Hartford Wolf Pack ( 3-0) and Rochester American (4-2) before beating 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 8th June – Coachella Valley 5, Hershey 0 | Conclusion/highlights
Game Two – Saturday, June 10 – Coachella Valley 4, Hershey 0 | Conclusion/highlights
Game 3 – Tuesday, June 13 – Hershey 5, Coachella Valley 4 (OT) | Conclusion/highlights
Game Four – Thursday, June 15th – Hershey 3, Coachella Valley 2 | Conclusion/highlights
Game Five – Saturday, June 17 – Hershey 1, Coachella Valley 0 (OT) | Conclusion/highlights
Game 6 – Monday, June 19th – Coachella Valley 5, Hershey 2 | Conclusion/highlights
Game 7 – Wed, Jun 21 – Hershey 3, COACHELLA VALLEY 2 (OT)