The Capitals' AHL affiliate put on a show to move closer to defending Hershey's Calder Cup title.
The Hershey Bears have one more win to go on their quest for a second consecutive Calder Cup, as the Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate pulled off quite the Game 5 victory over the Firebirds on Saturday in Coachella Valley.
Jimmy Huntington scored twice for Hershey, and Capitals prospect Hardy Häman Aktell also struck while Hunter Shepard stood tall in net en route to a 3-2 victory.
Coachella Valley, the Seattle Kraken's AHL affiliate, opened the scoring halfway through the first when Kole Lind beat Shepard. But, with just .3 seconds to go in the opening frame, Huntington solved Chris Driedger to even the score going into the second.
Washington prospects Pierrick Dubé and Alex Limoges had the assists on Huntington's fourth goal of the postseason.
After a scoreless second, Ryan Winterton gave the Firebirds a 2-1 lead early in the third period. Soon after, though, Häman Aktell would pick up a pass from Chase Priskie and carry the puck into the zone before sniping a shot past Driedger.
It marked Häman Aktell's fifth goal of the playoffs and his fifth point of this series, and he has points in four of his last five outings overall. Meanwhile, Priskie's 13 points in 19 games are tied for the most by a defenseman this postseason.
With just 3:15 remaining in regulation and the game on course to head to overtime, Huntington broke through again with the help of Limoges and Logan Day to make it a 3-2 game.
After that, Shepard worked hard with his team to hold off Coachella Valley's rally, and it was enough for the vital win. Shepard finished the night with 24 saves on 26 shots, while all four lines also put on a strong performance to shut down the Firebirds' offense.
Hershey can hoist the Cup with a victory on Monday at home.