The Capitals prospect struck at the end of a power-play to break a scoreless Game 5 between Hershey and the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
It was a rough start to the Calder Cup Finals for the Hershey Bears against the Coachella Valley Firebirds. And three games later, heroics from Washington Capitals prospects Garrett Pilon, Hunter Shepard and more have Hershey within one game of the title.
In a 0-0 Game 5 that went the distance, Pilon scored the overtime winner while Shepard made 21 saves for a shutout en route to a vital Game 5 victory at Giant Center, which was sold out with 10,893 fans in attendance in its last game of the 2022-23 season.
Pilon's fourth of the playoffs came just at the end of a second overtime power-play opportunity as he ripped a shot from the point past Joey Daccord. Mason Morelli and Logan Day picked up the helpers on the winner to give the Bears the 3-2 series lead.
With a win over the Firebirds on Monday, Hershey can win the Calder Cup in Southern California. It would be the team's 12th title, the most all-time in AHL history.
The tilt was tight all the way through, with both sides doing a good job of limiting each other's chances.
It's a huge victory for the Bears, who have won three straight games to go up in the series after falling behind 2-0 in the Finals following rough 5-0 and 4-0 losses to the Firebirds to kick things off.
Pilon is set to become a Group 6 UFA come July 1. The goal is perhaps the biggest he has scored with Hershey. Pilon, 25, has spent the entirety of his career in the AHL with the Bears and in the Capitals organization. He went in the third round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Shepard is also an unrestricted free agent, but his stellar season likely has him pegged for an extension.