Hershey wins back-to-back Calder Cups, the 13th in franchise history
The Hershey Bears won their second straight Calder Cup this season, defeating the Coachella Valley Firebirds in six games, setting a win record in the process.
With the victory the Bears became the first team to win back-to-back AHL titles since Hershey did it in 2009 and 2010. This is the third time in the franchise's history they have won the Calder Cup two years in a row.
Given their title and record breaking regular season, we wanted to run through some stats and storylines that highlight how dominant Hershey were this season.
The Bears won 53 games, finishing 53-14-0-5, setting a record for most wins in a 72-game AHL season. They finished with a points percentage 0.771, the second best all-time behind the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers (.775), missing out on the record by one point.
Hershey's total record this season, regular and Calder Cup Playoffs combined, was an insane 67-20-0-5. The team never lost back-to-back games in regulation.
Their penalty kill was a key factor in their success, they led the league with a 87.7% success rate and scored 10 shorthanded goals. Their powerplay finished sixth best at 20.1%. They also had incredible success at Giant Center, finishing with a league best 80.6% win percentage at home.
They were able to win on the road when it mattered, heading into the Calder Cup Finals Coachella Valley was 6-0 at home, they were then 7-0 after beating Hershey in Game 3. Hershey then went on to win the next two games in the Valley to take the lead in the series.
On an individual front, Hershey goaltender Hunter Shepard won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL's most outstanding goaltender. Along with Clay Stevenson, the Bears goaltending tandem set a franchise record with 12 shutouts during the regular season and took home the Harry Holmes Memorial Award for Best Goaltending Duo.
The incredible goaltending and Hershey's team defense were evident as the Bears allowed a league low 151 goals during the regular season, 31 less than the Firebirds who allowed the second least.
Hershey coach Todd Nelson took home the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL's outstanding coach for 2023-24.
The top three scorers in the Calder Cup Playoffs were all Bears, Hendrix Lapierre, Joe Snively, and Ethen Frank. Lapierre took home the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as Calder Cup Playoff MVP.
The Bears are the oldest franchise in the AHL, and this year's title was their league record 13th. They also hold the record for most times making the playoffs, most times making the finals, and most playoff games won.
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