Hershey Bears Advance to Second Round of Calder Cup Playoffs – The Hockey Writers – Hershey Bears

The Hershey Bears, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Washington Capitals, have advanced to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. Since becoming an affiliate of the Capitals in the 2005-06 season, the Bears have won the championship five times, including two back-to-back victories. Most recently, they won subsequent Calder Cups in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

First Round Sweep

To start the playoffs this season, they faced the Bridgeport Islanders, an affiliate of the New York Islanders, in the best-of-three first round. The Bears completed the sweep, overtaking the Islanders 2-0 in Game 1 and 5-2 in Game 2. Goaltender Clay Stevenson earned the shutout in the first game by making 18 saves. The team put up 23 shots on Bridgeport goalie Marcus Hogberg, and defenseman David Gucciardi and forward Ilya Protas each scored late in the third period to give their team the victory.

In Game 2, the Bears were off to a much hotter start. Forward Andrew Cristall scored just over four minutes into the period. He would later go on to score again in the second period to complete his two-goal outing. Bogdan Trineyev assisted on Cristall’s second goal and also earned a multi-point night with his goal in the third period. Sam Bitten and former Capital Sonny Milano were the other goal scorers for the team. Stevenson made 22 saves, and Hogberg made 18.

Player Transactions for the Playoffs

In preparation for their playoff run, numerous players have joined the Bears. Tarik Parascak, a 2024 first-round draft pick, most recently played in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Prince George Cougars. The forward led the Cougars in scoring during the regular season with 79 points in 61 games. He also had 17 points in 10 playoff games and is sure to be a major key to the Bears’ offense as they chase another championship.

They also signed defenseman Aron Dahlqvist, a 2025 draft pick, to an amateur tryout agreement. He comes from Sweden and is a pure physical force for the Bears’ back end. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, he brings the “boom” to the blue line and will help shut down the Penguins’ scoring abilities.

Protas, Stevenson, and Ivan Miroshnichenko were the other three players added to the Hershey roster for their playoff run. Protas has a goal and an assist and is expected to be on the scoresheet nearly every game. He had 66 points (29 goals, 37 assists) in 69 games during the regular season, and totaled four points in four games in his short stint with the Capitals.

Stevenson played 37 games with the Bears this season, ending with an 18-13-4 record. He was impressive between the pipes, with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. He is expected to start the majority of the team’s playoff games, but will be backed up by Mitch Gibson when needed.

Miroshnichenko was impressive in the AHL this season, notching 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 41 games. He also joined the Capitals for 13 games, but struggled with the NHL standard of play and had just three points. He did not have any points through the first two playoff games, but contributed five points in eight postseason games last season. Expect to see Miroshnichenko on the board sometime soon.

Second Round Information

The Bears will face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, an affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins, in the Atlantic Division Semifinals. Just as the Capitals are no strangers to tough competition with the Penguins, so it goes with the Bears. The division rivals have faced each other countless times, and nine times this season alone.

The team will need to be on its A-game. They posted a 3-6-0 record against the Penguins in the regular season. If they want to shut down their opponents and advance to the Atlantic Division Final and beyond, they need to step up their defense, increase their offensive opportunities, and have their goaltenders be in peak form.

They play the first semifinal game on April 30. Games 2 and 3 take place on May 2 and May 5. If Games 4 and 5 are necessary, they are scheduled for May 7 and 9. All games can be streamed online via AHLTV on FloHockey.