Hershey Does Bear-ly Enough To Knot Calder Cup Final With Firebirds, 5-2

Despite three failed 1st period power plays and badly outshot, the Hershey Bears showed why they're defending AHL champions.

Hershey rode opportunistic offense to a 5-2 victory over the Coachella Valley Firebirds in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Final Sunday at Giant Center.

The rematch of the 2023 Final is knotted at one game apiece, with Games 3, 4, and 5 to be played at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, CA.

The Bears got goals by Ivan Miroshnichenko (his 7th), Jimmy Huntington, Pierrick Dubé and Hardy Häman Aktell. Goalie Hunter Shepard stopped 32 shots, including a shorthanded breakaway.

Luke Henman and Marian Studenic scored for the Firebirds, who missed several other point-blank chances.

Henman, a Seattle Kraken free agent signing in 2021, scored his first of the 2024 postseason to create a 1-1 tie at 2:42 of the 2nd period.

Coachella goalie Chris Driedger permitted two goals on four 2nd period Bears shots to break that tie.

Huntington restored the home-team lead at 13:01, and 3:41 later, Dubé doubled it.

As the 3rd period opened, Kraken 2022 1st round draft choice Shane Wright helped serve notice the Firebirds wouldn't go away quietly.

Wright took a snap shot, retrieved the puck, and fed a pass through two Bears to six year AHL vet Marian Studenic. He narrowed the gap to 3-2 at 17 seconds.

By seven minutes into the final frame, CV had taken the first five shots, increasing its SOG lead to 29-13.

Driedger suddenly got busy. Miroshnichenko, who had scored in the 1st period, stubbed a breakaway backhand when Driedger gave him nothing to shoot at. The CV goalie then squeezed a Häman Aktell blast.

Häman Aktell got revenge on the ensuing faceoff for a 4-2 Hershey lead at 9:45. He's scored in both games of this year's Final.

Although the Firebirds outshot the Bears 34-21 for the game, Hershey goalie Hunter Shepard repeatedly came up big.

Coachella Valley pulled Driedger for a sixth attacker, drawing a tripping penalty on Hershey's Riley Sutter at 18:09. What became a 6-on-4 couldn't bring the Firebirds closer. Häman Aktell scored into an empty net with 10 seconds left.

Should this series return to Giant Center for Game 6 and maybe Game 7, one request: either confiscate the vuvuzelas, or replace the puck with a soccer ball.