Hershey Clinches 2nd Straight Calder Cup With OT Win
It has been 63 years since a visiting team has won the Calder Cup on the home ice of the Hershey Bears.
Despite a game-tying goal from Cale Fleury with 3 minutes left that sent Game 6 of the Calder Cup Finals into overtime last night, the Bears kept their stellar home ice record intact.
Hershey scored the Cup-clinching goal just a minute into overtime, to beat the Firebird 5 to 4, and clinch the second consecutive Calder Cup for the Bears.
Last season, the Firebirds played Games 6 and 7 at Acrisure Arena, winning Game 6, only to fall in overtime in Game 7 to the Bears.
This season, the Firebirds needed to win Games 6 and 7 in Hershey, and fell short.
No team in the history of the AHL has ever won Games 6 and 7 on the road to win the Calder Cup.
Todd Nelson, head coach of the Bears has met Firebirds Coach Dan Bylsma 4 times with the Calder Cup on the line. They met once as players, once as assistant coaches and twice as head coaches. Nelson has won all 4 encounters.
The Bears also won back to back Calder Cups in 2009 and 2010. In 2009, the Bears victory came on the same night as the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Coaching he Penguins that night…Firebirds Coach Dan Bylsma.
New name of the Coachella Valley Firebirds minor league ice hockey team. Red and Orange bird with wings flared out…
Photo from Oak View Group and the Seattle Kraken of the NHL