There was good news and bad news for the Hershey Bears in their 4-3 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday.
The good news: the team once again valiantly fought back after being down by three goals, and the power play unit finally snapped a long drought. The bad news: goaltender Daren Machesney’s recent struggles continued.
Machesney, winless in his last two outings, allowing 11 goals in the process, surrendered an early goal to Dustin Jeffrey at 5:51 of the first period, putting Hershey in an early 1-0 hole.
Hershey defenseman Sami Lepisto quickly responded to the Jeffrey tally, netting his second marker of the season at 6:04. Kyle Wilson picked up the lone assist on the Lepisto goal.
The Pens escaped the first period with a 2-1 lead on Jonathan Filewich’s second goal of the season, despite being outshot 16-5 and facing down a pair of 5-on-3 Hershey power plays.
Early in the second period, with Hershey on another fruitless power play, Bill Thomas stunned the Chocolate and White with a short-handed strike at 3:26. Before the center ice face-off following the goal, Hershey coach Bob Woods elected to pull the beleaguered Machesney, who departed after allowing three goals on only six shots.
Simeon Varlamov, who was scheduled to have the entire night off after shutting out the Albany River Rats on Friday night, replaced Machesney in goal.
Jeff Taffe’s power play goal, after Varlamov had made the original save, gave the Pens a 4-1 lead at 12:23of the second period.
Finding themselves in the same situation that they were in last Sunday in Philadelphia, in a deep three goal hole, the Bears started the slow climb back into the game when Kyle Wilson struck at 17:29 of the second period. Wilson’s goal, his second in four games, after failing to find the net in the season’s first 10 games, cut the Hershey deficit to 4-2.
Entering the third period, Woods made a tactical decision, re- inserting Machesney back between the pipes. Perhaps inspired by Woods’ decision, Wilson struck again, just 1:02 into the stanza to make it 4-3. Wilson’s goal, on the power play, snapped an 0-for-37 skid.
Hershey was unable to get the equalizing goal in the final 18:58 of play but there was a glimmer of hope in the setback, as Machesney rebounded to stop all seven shots he faced in the third period.