CrashingTheGoalie

The following is what Tim Leone of The Patriot-News wrote about the Hershey Bears – after they had defeated the Providence Bruins:

“…the Bears earned a berth in the finals against the Manitoba Moose with Monday’s 5-2 victory over the Providence Bruins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals to win the series 4-1.

After clawing through the brutal East Division with a sweep of Philadelphia and a seven-game marathon with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Hershey continued the dominance the division….

As the Hershey-Providence series wore on, it was fair to start wondering if the P-Bruins would even have made the playoffs had they resided in the East

After the first period of Game 4, the series ceased to be competitive as Hershey’s superior depth overwhelmed Providence. From that point, the Bears outscored Providence 8-2 en route to a sweep of three games at Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

Hershey outscored Providence 18-12 in the series and 11-3 in the third period and overtime. The P-Bruins used their power play (eight goals) and goalie Tuukka Rask to win one game and keep two losses to one-goal margins.

“We played as hard as we could,” P-Bruins forward Brad Marchand told the Providence Journal. “They’re a much older, much more experienced team. And we’re happy with how we played in this series.”

The Bears, who led the AHL in scoring during the regular season, have earned a valid reputation as an offensive powerhouse. But this club’s wrecking-ball capability, which has emerged during the postseason, must be noted and lauded.

Hershey isn’t just outscoring foes. It’s pounding them into submission.

The opposition EKG has flat-lined in each series.

Philadelphia was shut out in clinching Game 4. WBS was shut out in Game 6 and Game 7. Following Game 4’s first period, Providence mustered just one even-strength goal.

There’s been an opposition breaking point in each series. The collective score following those breaking points: Hershey 15, Foes 2.

“It was a pretty physical series [against Providence],” Bears head coach Bob Woods said. “You look at every game, especially in this [Providence] building. Everybody finished their checks.”

*****

Hershey has gone a collective 12-4 in its last three Eastern Conference finals appearances, eliminating Portland 4-3 in 2006, Manchester 4-0 in 2007 and Providence 4-1 in 2009.