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By Joe McConnell
The Hershey Bears were by far once again the best regular season team in the entire American Hockey League (AHL) this year with a 53-14-5 record for 111 points. Their success has continued on in the playoffs with an 8-1 record.
The Bears are currently 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Monsters. The first two games ended in overtime triumphs. They won the first game, 5-4 on May 30. It was the organization’s first-ever playoff victory over the Monsters. Last Saturday night (June 1), they made it two in a row, a 3-2 victory.
Saugus native Mike Vecchione netted the Game 1 OT clincher. In nine playoff games, Vecchione has two goals and two assists.
The Bears opened up the playoffs against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the Atlantic Division semifinal round, winning that series three games to one. They then swept the Hartford Wolf Pack in the divisional finals three games to none, which advanced Vecchione’s Bears to the above-mentioned conference finals against Cleveland.
Again, after winning the first two games at home, the conference finals resumed this week in Cleveland on June 4 and 6 after press deadline. Game 5, if necessary, is slated for Saturday night (June 8) in Cleveland once again, starting at 7 p.m. Games 6 and 7 are tentatively scheduled for Monday (June 10) and Wednesday (June 12) back in Hershey, Pa., also beginning at 7 p.m., again if necessary.
