Hershey wore throwback jerseys featuring the team's "Skating Bear" logo. The emblem, initially designed in the mid '60s, features an illustration of a hockey-playing bear in full gear, with the type HERSHEY in a bold brown rectangle overtop - the same design seen on Hershey's iconic chocolate bar wrappers. "I think they're pretty, pretty sweet," Andrew Cristall told RMNB of the jersey design before its debut. "I think it's gonna be pretty cool. They look unreal, so I'm pumped to wear them."
Gibson's call-up suggests that the Bears will soon see one of their netminders, Clay Stevenson or Garin Bjorklund, sent to the Washington Capitals. Gibson's recall comes after Charlie Lindgren was unable to dress for the Capitals against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night due to an upper-body injury. Lindgren was a late scratch, forcing the Caps to use practice netminder Parker Milner as an emergency backup to Logan Thompson.
The trio was dominant and showed great chemistry in the Bears' two games against the Cleveland Monsters late last week, scoring six goals combined, with all three players tallying once in each game. Protas even notched his first three-point game as a professional in Friday's contest, highlighted by a brilliant primary assist on a Trineyev goal where he put the puck through his legs before dishing on his backhand.
Suzdalev fired Hershey into a 2-1 lead with 13:03 remaining in the third period. Suzdalev picked up the puck after receiving an indirect pass off the boards from Ryan Chelsey that sprung him and Bogdan Trineyev on a 2-on-1 rush. The Russian-born, Swedish-raised winger looked shot the whole way and fired a wicked wrister past Americans goaltender Topias Leinonen. The goal is Suzdalev's third point of the season (1g, 2a) for the Bears in five games.
Bourque, the son of legendary NHL defenseman Ray Bourque, first joined the Bears after being drafted in the second round of the 2004 NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals. After playing one year in the AHL with the Portland Pirates before the Capitals switched affiliation to the Bears, Bourque won his first of three Calder Cups in Hershey at the end of the 2005-06 campaign.
The goal was made possible due to some hustle by Protas on the forecheck. As Thunderbirds defenseman Theo Lindstein looked to break out of the zone, Protas's pressure forced him to make a poor pass, chunking his feed off the netting of Springfield's goal. Protas then picked up the loose biscuit and fed Thomas, who beat goaltender Georgi Romanov with a shot from between the circles.
"In a perfect world, especially in the American League, and trying to get these players the best opportunity to play their game, a veteran with two young guys or a young guy with two veterans, that would be helpful," King told RMNB on Thursday.
"Today on the plane, I told the guys, 'If I score, I'm going to bring out the roar one more time for old time's sake,'" McMichael told RMNB's Ian Oland. The 24-year-old forward kept his word, going full grizzly mode after sniping home a shorthanded goal at the 1:07 mark of the third period. "I'm glad I got a chance to do it," McMichael added.
