On Saturday night, the defending Calder Cup champions, Hershey Bears, faced off against the Cleveland Monsters for Game 2 of the AHL Eastern Conference Finals. With a 1-0 series lead, the Bears aimed to secure a 2-0 lead, putting pressure on the Monsters as the series shifted to Cleveland. This game was crucial for the Monsters, as falling behind 2-0 to the defending champions was not an ideal situation. Similar to Game 1, the match went down to the wire.
Period One & Two:
In the first period, both teams displayed solid goaltending and tight defensive play, resulting in a low-scoring affair with Cleveland tallying 11 shots and Hershey recording 12 shots. However, the action picked up in the second period, with two goals scored. Garret Roe opened the scoring for the Bears with a power-play slap shot, while Josh Dunne tied the game at 1 in the final two minutes after a sequence where Hershey’s goaltender left the net, leading to an empty net goal. The period ended with the score tied at 1-1.
Period 3 & OT:
In the second period, Hershey quickly answered with a goal from Ethen Frank, taking a 2-1 lead. The Bears maintained the lead throughout the third period, but just like in Game 1, Davidi Jiricek managed to tie the game 2-2 in the final minutes of regulation, forcing overtime. The overtime period was intense with both teams pushing hard, but once again, Hershey emerged victorious, just like in Game 1. Pierrick Dube sealed the deal with a crowd-thrilling overtime goal, securing a 3-2 win. The Monsters experienced a sense of deja vu with back-to-back OT losses and will need to regroup for Games 3 and 4 back in Cleveland.
