The Capitals’ AHL affiliate will have to wait until Monday for their chance to return to the Calder Cup Final.
The Washington Capitals’ AHL-affiliate Hershey Bears had the chance to advance to the Calder Cup Final for the second straight year in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday, but things fell apart as the Bears suffered back-to-back losses for the first time these playoffs.
Logan Day gave the Bears a 1-0 lead in the first period, with Hardy Häman Aktell picking up the assist, but Cleveland would dominate the second period with four unanswered goals in under 14 minutes, resulting in an ultimate 5-1 defeat.
The Monsters’ surge chased Hunter Shepard from the crease, as he was pulled for the first time in this playoff run for fellow Capitals goaltending prospect Clay Stevenson after giving up four goals on 20 shots.
It marked Stevenson’s first career Calder Cup Playoff game. He finished the night with four saves on five shots against Cleveland.
Hershey has spurts of pressure, but struggled to solve Jet Greaves while they were outworked and outmuscled while losing battles for the puck. In turn, the Monsters were able to take advantage of the time and space available and make the most of their chances.
The Bears also dealt with special teams trouble, as Joe Snively took three penalties for Hershey while the team also failed to convert on the power play.
Ultimately, the Bears struggled with coverage and positioning while leaving Shepard in vulnerable spots.
With the loss, Hershey’s series lead, which was once at 3-0, has been cut to 3-2, as Cleveland is working toward an impressive comeback in a series that the Bears dominated early.
It also didn’t help that Pierrick Dubé, Lucas Johansen and Aaron Ness were unavailable due to injury. Ethen Frank, who saw his seven-game goal-scoring streak come to an end, played despite suffering an injury late in Game 4.
Hershey returns home on Monday for another chance to close out the series and get back to the final.