Balance was the buzz word at Giant Center following the Hershey Bears\u2019 5-3 victory over the Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton Penguins in the first game of the Eastern Division Finals on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
While taking their 1-0 lead in the series, the Bears received goals from five different players. That, combined with the outstanding performances from special teams units, factored heavily into the triumph.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s (balanced scoring) been one of our strengths all year long, and this time of year, usually that\u2019s how it works,\u201d said Bears\u2019 head coach, Bob Woods. \u201cYou look at the NHL series, and it\u2019s not always the big dogs scoring all the time. Our (big) guys scored a couple nice goals, but for the most part, you have to have chip ins from everybody. I think that\u2019s what makes us dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
After Hershey\u2019s penalty killing unit continued it\u2019s perfect post-season pace, killing off an early Penguins\u2019 power play, the Bears struck with a power play goal of their own, with defenseman, Staffan Kronwall, supplying the charge at 9:38 of the first period.<\/p>\n
Kronwall, who sat out Hershey\u2019s series clinching win over the Phantoms last Friday after suffering a scratched cornea in the previous game, fired a seeing-eye shot that deflected off Pens\u2019 defenseman, Joey Mormina.<\/p>\n
Chris Bourque, a former college teammate of Penguins\u2019 net minder, John Curry, cued a shot off him at 11:13, giving the Bears a 2-0 advantage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew someone was going to shoot it, and I wasn\u2019t even watching it,\u201d Bourque said. \u201cI just kind of put my stick out there, and it hit my stick and went to the backboards. I knew Curry wasn\u2019t getting to the post as quick as he could have, and I banked it off his skate and barely made it over the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
Late in the first period, Hershey\u2019s Oskar Osala, hooked down by Mormina after receiving a pass from Alzner, was awarded a penalty shot by referee, Ghislain Hebert. Osala\u2019s awkward attempt beat Curry, but failed to find the back of the net, ricocheting harmlessly off the post.<\/p>\n
The visitors tied the game in the latter stages of the second period when Jean-Michel Daoust and Nick Johnson scored less than three minutes apart.<\/p>\n
At 19:43 of the stanza, Andrew Gordon\u2019s power play goal gave the Bears a lead that they refused to surrender for the remainder of the evening.<\/p>\n
\u201cHelmer good at finding those lanes, so that\u2019s my job on the power play, to get in front of the net and stir up some traffic and make it tough for the goalie to see,\u201d said Gordon. \u201cIt was one of those plays where I swung my stick at it. I probably do that a hundred times a game and don\u2019t connect on any of them, but I was fortunate to get my stick on that one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gordon showed another side to his game, setting up Kyle Wilson for a slam dunk at 1:38 of the third period.<\/p>\n
Baby Pen Johnson, who scored the game winner in the regular season finale between the two teams, added a second goal to his playoff resume, keeping the Bears on their toes.<\/p>\n
Hershey\u2019s big gun, Alexandre Gioux, put a halt to the Penguins\u2019 comeback march, scoring his third goal of the playoffs to ice the game, 5-3.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"