Hershey Bears Fight for the Cup

Hershey Bears Fight for the Cup

by Benjy Eisen

The greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky, once said: “You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.” For the Hershey Bears, that doesn’t just apply to goals — it applies to playoff hockey at large.

Hershey crawled into the post-season with a 34-39-4-3 regular season record, barely clenching a playoff berth and hardly looking like a Calder Cup contender. The Bears may have been in mock hibernation for the winter, but this spring they’ve come out of the woods, ready to play. They swept the top-seeded Kentucky Thoroughblades in the first round of the playoffs. Whereas Kentucky led the AHL in scoring during the regular season, Hershey held them to just five goals in the post-season.

The Bears went on to face the Norfolk Admirals. A best-of-seven series, Hershey won Game Two after dropping the first to Norfolk. After the game, Norfolk Captain Aaron Downey predicted that his team would win the next three, kicking their opponent out of the playoffs. Turns out his prediction was right … but for the wrong team. Hershey kept Norfolk winless and sent them packing.

So the Bears have made it to the Western Conference Finals (up against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins). They made it by playing better than they did during the regular season. Now the Bears have to play even better than that if they hope to advance to the final round of the playoffs. That is to say, if they hope to win the Calder Cup. Is it possible? Yes. Is it probable? No. But remember — probability said that the Bears wouldn’t make it this far.

“You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.” If Gretzky’s advice has been the Bears’ saving grace, it also is quite possibly their kiss of death. Hershey has advanced by capitalizing on chances but their shots on goal have been sluggish, with little exception. Defensively the Bears have been spectacular, especially in goaltending, but the Bears need to be out-shooting their opponent if they hope to beat the opponent. Especially this opponent.

Although the Bears have lost the first two of the series, Game One went into overtime; Game Two went into double overtime. And both games were on Penguins’ ice, in front of sold-out Penguins’ crowds. Hard fought? You betcha. Hershey’s fighting this one till the end. Game Three is just underway at press time. Game Four is at Hersheypark Arena on Saturday May 12.