Hershey Returning To Calder Cup Final, Capitals Prospects Step Up To Help Bears Avoid Reverse Sweep & Secure Game 7 OT Win vs. Monsters

It was a close call — almost too close for comfort — for the Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate Hershey Bears against the Cleveland Monsters in the Eastern Conference Finals of these Calder Cup Playoffs, but they overcame adversity and avoided the worst-case scenario with a huge overtime win to return to the Calder Cup Final.

Garrett Roe scored the OT winner, and several Capitals prospects, including Hunter Shepard, Pierrick Dubé, Hendrix Lapierre, Hardy Häman Aktell and more stepped up to lead  Hershey back to the Calder Cup Final with a 3-2 victory in Game 7.

Just 39 seconds after Cleveland took a 1-0 lead late in the first period on a power-play goal from Trey Fix-Wolansky, Logan Day struck on a rocket of a shot off a feed from Henrik Rybinski to make it 1-1 for the Bears heading into the second.

Hershey titled the ice in the middle frame, swarming Jet Greaves and the Monsters while Dubé, who made his return from injury in a full face shield, scored on an early power-play opportunity to make it 2-1. Lapierre and Joe Snively picked up the assists.

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In the third, Cleveland came back with a vengeance, turning up the pressure on Shepard and the Bears. Though Shepard came up big with quite a few stops, James Malatesta finally broke through with his first of the playoffs to make it a 2-2 game with 5:52 remaining in regulation.

The Monsters were swarming, but Shepard stood tall, stopping 42 of 44 shots as things escalated in overtime. Hershey then went on the power play, and shortly after missing out on a 5-on-4 opportunity, Roe jumped on a blocked shot in the slot and buried the loose puck for the overtime winner. Day and Jimmy Huntington had the assists.

Häman Aktell also had a notable performance, helping shut down Cleveland's impressive offense.

Hershey will face the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Seattle Kraken's AHL-affiliate, for the second consecutive year in the Calder Cup FInal.