Coming off two straight losses, the Hershey Bears were looking for a new recipe that would lead to victory. Tonight, combining the basic ingredient of hard work, sprinkled with opportunistic offense, proved to be just what they needed to succeed against the Philadelphia Phantoms, 3-2.
In the past week or two, several players, including Graham Mink, have been heard talking about the need for the team to simply work harder in order to achieve positive results. Tonight at the Wachovia Spectrum, the power forward put some action behind his words. After his linemates had gone to the bench for a line change, Mink sensed an opportunity to lead by example when he dumped the puck into the Phantom’s zone, and tracked it down himself, which eventually led to the Bears’ first tally of the game from Francois Bouchard at 2:04 of the first period.
“I didn’t do much earlier in that shift except play a little defensive zone coverage so I had a little more legs and I wanted to get it deep. I saw an opportunity to regain possession of the puck. It was just part of the game plan to keep it simple,” Mink said.
With the game tied at 1-1 near the midpoint of the second period, Mink went to work again when he pounced on the rebound of a Chris Bourque shot before sliding the puck into the net under the Phantom’s goaltender, Scott Munroe. The Bears’ tenacity was also demonstrated through Oskar Osala, when in the first period, he departed the ice in need of medical attention, which included 18 stitches, only to return later in the contest to finish the game with his teammates.
Hershey’s power play unit, which has been in a prolonged slump, saw their luck change just past the midway point of the second period.. Chris Bourque’s point blast took a Boston bounce and found the back of the net, providing the Bears with their game-winning goal, cashing in on the power play for the first time this season against the Phantoms.
“That was my patented skip shot…two bounces and in and I picked a corner,” Bourque joked. “Nothing’s been going in for me and sometimes that’s all it takes-a little skip shot to go in.”
Even though tonight’s game was just the first step in a grueling 3-in-3 weekend stretch, Bourque was enjoying a moment after the game.
“It felt good,” he said. “Winning’s a lot more fun.” Especially in Philly.