Bears Stop Sound Tigers, Take 2-1 Series Lead

Hershey left wing Liam O'Brien (20) shows off his athleticism with some
nifty work in the air. O'Brien scored his eighth playoff goal in the Bears'
2-1 victory over the Sound Tigers. Hershey leads the best-of-five game
series two games to one.

HERSHEY, PA—Josh Ho-Sang scored his first career playoff goal on a first-period breakaway

Tuesday night, but that was all the offense the Sound Tigers could muster as the Hershey Bears came away with a 2-1 victory before 7,152 fans at Giant Center in Game 3 of the American Hockey League Atlantic Division semifinals.

Bridgeport netminder Christopher Gibson (1-1) kept the Sound Tigers close, turning aside 32 of the 34 shots taken at him, including 17 stops in the opening frame. Hershey goalie Ilya Samsonov (1-1) had an even better night, however, stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced. Liam O’Brien and Ryan Sproul had the goals for Hershey.

The Bears scored first for the third time in as many games, courtesy of O’Brien’s eighth career playoff goal. Samsonov made a save in his own crease and propelled the puck to O’Brien, who raced through center and converted a give-and-go with Riley Barber over Bridgeport’s blue line. Barber received a pass and returned it to O’Brien on the left wing, where he carved in and beat Gibson with a backhand shot at 11:22 of the first period.

Nearly six minutes later, Ho-Sang used his speed to tie the game at 1-1, darting straight at Samsonov after gathering a loose puck. Oliver Wahlstrom chipped a lead pass out of his own end and Ho-Sang sped onto the sliding puck, before banking a forehand shot off of Samsonov’s blocker at 17:38.

Bridgeport out-shot Hershey 13-8 in the second frame, but neither team lit the lamp in Tuesday’s nail biter. The Sound Tigers also outshot the Bears 10-8 in the third, but Sproul scored the eventual game-winner at the 2:50 mark when he directed home a long shot from the blue line that Gibson never saw. Garrett Pilon guided a pass to the point where Sproul ripped the opportunity inside the right post from distance to make it 2-1.

Bridgeport Right Wing Oliver Wahlstrom tries to slide one under Hershey
goalie Ilya Samsonov to no avail.

The Sound Tigers finished the game 0-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, while Hershey outshot Bridgeport 34-27.  

The Sound Tigers now must try to stave off elimination when they face the Bears on Thursday for Game 4 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals. First puck drops at 7 p.m. at Giant Center, and fans can follow all of the live action via the Sound Tigers Radio Network and AHLTV, beginning with the pregame show at 6:45 p.m.

Should Bridgeport prevail on Thursday, the series will return to Bridgeport on Saturday for Game 5. Face-off at the Webster Bank Arena will be at 7 p.m. For ticket information, visit the Webster Bank Arena box office, call 203-345-2300, or click HERE.

THE SKINNY

—Staff Reports

#soundtigers #hersheybears #ahl #caldercup