The Capitals' AHL-affiliate Bears outlasted the Firebirds in a 3-2 overtime win.
The Washington Capitals' AHL-affiliate Hershey Bears fought until the finish, and it paid off as they won the Calder Cup in historic fashion in Coachella Valley.
Hershey overcame a 2-0 deficit and forced overtime, where Mike Vecchione struck on a scramble in front late to give the Bears the 3-2 win and their 12th Calder Cup.
It was a somber start to action for the Bears in Southern California. Coachella Valley had a whopping 17 shots on goal in the opening frame and took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Ryker Evans.
Then, to kick off the second, Max McCormick scored his 14th of the playoffs to put the Firebirds up by two. However, Hershey would come to life in the second half of the game.
On the power play at 13:52 of the middle frame, Connor McMichael helped generate strong puck movement and made his way to the crease before tapping in a pass across from Mason Morrelli.
It marked the 22-year-old's sixth goal of the playoffs, and Mason Morelli and Joe Snively picked up the assists.
Minutes later, Hendrix Lapierre tipped in a Vincent Iorio point shot to even the score for the Bears.
It was his third goal of the postseason, and Iorio, Lapierre's roommate, had the primary helper, while fellow Capitals prospect Aliaksei Protas picked up the secondary assist for his 14th point of the playoffs.
Pressure ramped up in the third, with Hershey attacking early and getting several Grade-A chances while the Firebirds also did their fair share to take back the ice.
Though there were plenty of opportunities, the game ended up going to sudden death OT after a dominant third saw the Bears outshoot Coachella Valley 9-4.
Hershey and the Firebirds continued to turn up the pressure in overtime, and ultimately, Vecchione potted the winner after crashing the net and burying Henrik Borgstrom's rebound
Ethen Frank had the secondary assist on the winner, his fourth of the postseason and another crucial point in the Finals, where he found his game again after a rough start to the playoffs.
Hunter Shepard put on a show in net with 45 saves on 47 shots. He was named the Calder Cup Playoffs MVP.