The Hershey Bears, facing a must-win situation on Sunday evening at Giant Center, responded magnificently to the challenge when they shut out the Wilkes-Barre\/Scranton Penguins, 3-0.<\/p>\n
The whitewash was the Penguins first game without scoring a goal since their contest with the Albany River Rats on March 21, 2008.<\/p>\n
Bears\u2019 goaltender, Michal Neuvirth, who politely declined to comment after the game, citing illness as the reason, let his actions do the talking during the game, stopping all 30 shots fired in his direction, including a pair of dandies in the middle portion of the second period from Nick Johnson and Bill Thomas.<\/p>\n
After an initial early feeling-out sequence that featured plenty of action, but no finishing, Andrew Gordon gave the Bears a 1-0 lead at 11:35 of the opening period. Gordon, with his linemate, Chris Bourque, created congestion in the crease area, and patiently waited for Pens\u2019 netminder, Adam Berkhoel, to commit before depositing a wrist shot behind him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe defenseman that was originally on me went down and forced Wilson, and Bourque was sort of tied up in front,\u201d said Gordon, whose goal was his third of the playoffs. \u201cI knew if I could get to that far post, Bourque had net side on him, so he was blocking him out a little bit. When I got the puck from Wilson, I just kept thinking, \u2018I\u2019ve got to get this up top\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Early in the second period, Darren Reid, used primarily in a defensive role by Woods in the regular season, eluded the grasp of former Bears\u2019 defenseman, Deryk Engelland, then used a sweet backahand-to-forehand move to best Berkhoel at 22 seconds.<\/p>\n
The line of Darren Reid, Andrew Joudrey, and Steve Pinizzotto played a pivotal role in getting the Bears off to a good start in each of the three periods. Hershey head coach, Bob Woods, who, thanks to getting the last line change due to being on home ice, expertly exercised his power to put specific personnel on the ice, explained that the matchup was exactly what he had intended.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were playing against the guys we had them scheduled to play against,\u201d said Woods. \u201cWhoever they started, we knew who we were starting, and that\u2019s who it worked out with. Those three are probably good guys to start your period. They\u2019re going to be energy, they\u2019re going to get pucks deep, they\u2019re going to cycle, they\u2019re going to bang, and usually good things happen from that; it\u2019s contagious.\u201d<\/p>\n
Referee, Frederic L\u2019Ecuyer, who did not call any penalties in the first period, whistled the Pens\u2019 Nick Johnson off the ice at 2:09, giving the Bears the first power play of the game. With Johnson in the \u201cjoint\u201d doing his time, Alexandre Giroux beat Berkhoel with a wraparound power play goal at 3:11 to give the Bears a 3-0 lead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think about the goalie or anything,\u201d Giroux said. \u201cI was going to stop at the blue line and wait for the guys because we were on the power play, and try to set up. I saw the defenseman (Engelland) step out on me, so I had a lot of speed and decided to keep going. I saw a little opening and I put it in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giroux\u2019s goal stood as the last goal of the game, with Gordon garnering his first career game-winning goal. The 23-year-old Gordon, who has quietly assumed an unofficial leadership role, was humbled when asked if he envisioned himself in that position.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sort of caught somewhere between a young guy and an older guy. I\u2019m only a 2nd year pro, so guys like Perreault and Bouchard and Carlson, who are a little younger than me, can feel a little more comfortable talking to me rather than an older veteran like Mink, who plays a different style. I\u2019ll assess that role if that\u2019s what I\u2019m being given. It\u2019s great if I can play a leadership role on a team as special as this.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"