BRIDGEPORT, Ct. – The Hershey Bears and the Bridgeport Islanders met up for their third matchup of the season and first from Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, but the Bears used a four-point game from Ethen Frank and Mike Vecchione to win their second consecutive game by a 4-2 final score. It’s Hershey’s third win in as many games over the Islanders this season as the Bears earned two important points in a head-to-head matchup. Zach Fucale had a quiet but sound game with 20 saves while Cory Schneider suffered the loss with 37 saves.
For all of Hershey’s scoring in this one, it was Bridgeport that would get on the board first only 1:34 into the contest with impressive Islanders rookie Ruslan Iskhakov‘s seventh goal of the season. Hershey responded in the latter stages of the period with an impressive goal for Vecchione, his eighth of the season, as Frank set him up with a memorable feed from behind his back to the Bears’ leading scorer to even the count at one. Hershey set a single period record in the first with 21 shots on goal, the highest total they’ve had this season.
Tasty dish from @efrank_98 🍝and @Mvecc8 is there to feast 😋
🍎Frank
🍏McIlrath pic.twitter.com/d7mCvYca7y— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 10, 2022
Hershey jumped to the lead early in the second when Vecchione set up Mike Sgarbossa for his sixth goal of the season. The Bears dumped the puck on Schneider, who played it quickly to his right but had the pass taken by Vecchione, who got the puck to Sgarbossa and quickly beat the goaltender on the backhand to extend the Bears’ lead. Hershey tallied one more goal before the period’s end as Frank took the puck in his own end and fed Vecchione on the rush to add to the Bears’ lead.
"And we'll take that, thank you!"
– Mike Sgarbossa
🍎Vecchione pic.twitter.com/yZmFgnahlR
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 10, 2022
Much like the Bears’ game on Tuesday against the Charlotte Checkers, the door was wide open for the Islanders to try and send the game to overtime for the third straight game between these two teams. Cole Bardreau scored his sixth goal of the season to reduce Hershey’s lead to one goal only 22 seconds into the third period, giving his team the rest of the frame to find the equalizer. However, just as the Bears held off the Checkers, they held off the Islanders as Frank potted an empty net try from Vecchione that ran out of steam before it got to the net for his seventh goal of the season and fourth point of the evening.
This line is running🥵
🍎Frank (third assist tonight) pic.twitter.com/RwxYzaZGy3
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) December 10, 2022
The win lifts Hershey into first place ahead of a crucial weekend of Atlantic Division games in the American Hockey League. The Islanders will take on the Providence Bruins in a home-and-home set of games on Saturday and Sunday while the Bears host the Cleveland Monsters for a pair of games at Giant Center on the same days. Hershey’s win opens a four-point gap between the Bears and the Islanders in the standings between first and third place.
The Bears may have some lineup adjustments to make ahead of Saturday’s game as the team lost Henrik Borgstrom during the game, as one of Hershey’s top forwards left in the second period and did not return in the third. Out of town, former Bear and current Washington Capitals defenseman Alex Alexeyev was injured during the Capitals’ game on Friday, which may require a recall from the Bears.
