2023-06-22 05:39:00
Mike Vecchione scored with 3:41 left in the first overtime period and the Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup by beating the Coachella Valley Firebirds 3-2 in Game 7.
The Bears, who are the most often crowned team in the American Hockey League, added a 12th coronation, and a 4th as a Washington Capitals academy.
Head coach Todd Nelson won the league title for the fourth time following winning as a player (1994), assistant (2008) and head coach (2017, 2023).
The Firebirds, which are affiliated with the Seattle Kraken, had forged a 2-0 lead early in the second period before Quebec’s Hendrix Lapierre managed to tie the game late in the period with his third goal of the playoffs.
Connor McMichael scored the other goal for the winners on the power play, while goaltender Hunter Shepard was perfect following allowing the first two goals to finish with 45 saves.
In the other clan, Ryker Evans provided a goal and an assist, while Joey Daccord made 35 saves. Fourth overall pick in the last draft, Shane Wright was cleared from the scoresheet following taking just one shot on net.
Evans opened the scoring at 4:41 of the first period with a good wrist shot following catching Andrew Poturalski’s pass.
The Firebirds took just 24 seconds as they returned from intermission to double their lead thanks to Max McCormick’s goal, his 14th of the tournament. McCormick had been left completely free on the left wing when Kole Lind handed him the disc. Evans was also credited with an assist on the streak to come within one unit of the record for points by a defenseman (28) that has been held by Alex Goligoski since 2008.
Connor McMichael made it 2-1 in the second period, then Lapierre, the Caps’ 2020 first-round pick, tied the game with just under three minutes left in the kickoff.
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