In the 2023 Calder Cup Finals, the home team won each of the first six games. That set up a winner take all Game 7 that could’ve gone either way. Earlier in the game it looked like the home team winning narrative would continue until the Hershey Bears mounted a comeback.
They overcame a 2-0 deficit with two goals in the second period then prevailed in overtime 3-2 with the game winner coming from Mike Vecchione at 16:19.
It was the Bears first Calder Cup championship since 2010 and their league leading 12th Calder Cup. The game was only the second ever Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals to be settled in extra time and the first since 1953.
Goaltender Hunter Shepard received the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs. Pretty much the AHL’s equivalent of the Conn Smythe Trophy. He deserved it.
Shepard started every game for the Bears during the playoffs and went 14-6 with a 2.27 goals against average, a .914 save percentage, and three shutouts. He allowed two or fewer goals in 14 of his 20 games.
Hershey became the fourth team in AHL history to rally from a 2-0 series deficit to go on to win the championship round. They’re also the first team to do so since the 2010 Bears.
Coachella Valley opened up the scoring at 4:41 with a goal from Ryker Evans. The Bears were outshot 17-12 in the first period.
Max McCormick doubled Coachella Valley’s lead just 24 seconds into the second period. The Bears finally got on the board with a power play goal at 13:52. Connor McMichael put in his sixth goal of the playoffs with a bang in front of the net that was assisted by Mason Morelli.
The Bears tied the game at 17:09 when Aliaksei Protas fed the puck to Vincent Iorio who’s one timer shot was redirected by Hendrix Lapierre for his third of the playoffs.
The Bears outshot the Firebirds 9-4 in the third period but the game remained tied after 60 minutes of regulation. The heroics from Vecchione came late In the third period as a result of Henrik Borgstrom’s shot being rebounded by him. It was Vecchione’s fifth of the playoffs.
On Saturday June 24 at 3 p.m. the Bears will celebrate the Calder Cup victory at Giant Center. More information in the coming days so check HersheyBears.com for more info once it’s released.