Calle Odelius deflects home the game-winner in the final minutes as Bridgeport closes the regular season with a road win and home ice in the play-in round. April 18, 2026.
Bridgeport Islanders 2, Hershey Bears 1 Giant Center, Hershey, PA
The final regular-season meeting between these two franchises — and Bridgeport made it count. The Islanders got a late deflection goal from Calle Odelius and a masterful 28-save performance from Semyon Varlamov, loaned to Bridgeport on a conditioning stint, to beat the Hershey Bears 2-1 at Giant Center on Saturday night. With the win, Bridgeport secured fourth place in the Atlantic Division and home ice for the AHL Calder Cup play-in round. It was a bittersweet result for Hershey, who dropped to sixth in the Atlantic and will now open the playoffs on the road.
How It Happened
First Period: A tight, physical opening period produced no scoring. Notable was the return of Bears captain Aaron Ness to the lineup for the first time since sustaining a lower-body injury on February 7 that required surgery — the defenseman missed 26 games. On the other side, Semyon Varlamov — on a conditioning stint with Bridgeport, loaned from the NHL — made his first game appearance at Giant Center since starting for the Hershey Bears against the Connecticut Whale on November 21, 2010. He was sharp from the opening whistle.
Second Period: Adam Beckman got Bridgeport on the board first at 5:35, cleaning up a rebound in front of Stevenson for his 30th goal of the season. Cole Eiserman assisted on the goal, extending his point streak to five consecutive games (1G, 6A). Hershey answered on the power play at 9:16 — Henrik Rybinski converting from Corey Schueneman and Brett Leason to pull even at 1-1. The period ended knotted heading to the third.
Third Period: With the game still tied and time winding down, Odelius ended it at 17:14 — rifling a shot that deflected past Stevenson for his first professional goal, set up by Ethan Bear and Cam Berg. Stevenson was pulled with 2:21 remaining as Hershey pushed for the equalizer, but Varlamov held firm to seal the win.
Goaltending
Semyon Varlamov — on a conditioning stint loaned from the NHL — was outstanding in net for Bridgeport, stopping 28 of 29 Hershey shots (.966 SV%) in a full 60 minutes. It was his first game appearance at Giant Center since playing there as a Bear in 2010, and he was the difference in a tight one-goal game. Clay Stevenson took the loss for Hershey, stopping 21 of 23 Bridgeport shots (.913 SV%) in 57:39 before being pulled for the extra attacker late in the third.
Special Teams
Bridgeport: 0-for-1 PP | Hershey: 1-for-2 PP | Penalties: Bridgeport 4 min (2 infractions), Hershey 2 min (1 infraction)
Three Stars
⭐ Calle Odelius (BRI) — 1G, game-winning goal at 17:14 of the third ⭐⭐ Semyon Varlamov (BRI) — 28 saves, .966 SV%, 60:00 TOI ⭐⭐⭐ Henrik Rybinski (HER) — 1G (PP)
Team Statistics
| Category | Bridgeport | Hershey |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 2 | 1 |
| Shots | 23 | 29 |
| Power Play | 0/1 (0%) | 1/2 (50%) |
| Penalty Minutes | 4 min (2 infractions) | 2 min (1 infraction) |
Shots by Period
| Period | Bridgeport | Hershey |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 5 | 4 |
| 2nd | 8 | 10 |
| 3rd | 10 | 11 |
| Total | 23 | 29 |
Scoring Summary
First Period
- No Scoring
Second Period
- 5:35 BRI — Adam Beckman (30) — Assists: Cole Eiserman (7), Pierrick Dubé (9)
- 9:16 HER — Henrik Rybinski (10) (Power Play) — Assists: Corey Schueneman (25), Brett Leason (29)
Third Period
- 17:14 BRI — Calle Odelius (1) — Assists: Ethan Bear (23), Cam Berg (13)
AHL Prospect Flags
- Adam Beckman (BRI) — 30th goal of the season; New York Islanders prospect
- Brett Leason (HER) — assist on Rybinski’s goal; Washington Capitals prospect
- Calle Odelius (BRI) — first professional goal; New York Islanders defensive prospect
- Aaron Ness (HER) — returned from 26-game absence after lower-body surgery; Bears captain played his 465th regular-season game as a Bear, 19th in franchise history
Key Notes
- With the win, Bridgeport secured fourth place in the Atlantic Division and home ice for the AHL Calder Cup play-in round; Hershey dropped to sixth and will open the playoffs on the road — they can still move to fifth with a win over Rochester on Sunday
- This was the final regular-season meeting in history between Hershey and the Bridgeport/Connecticut franchise — the Islanders are relocating to Hamilton, Ontario next season; the Bears went 2-4-0-1 against Bridgeport in 2025-26 and owned a lifetime record of 78-37-3-5-11 against the franchise
- Semyon Varlamov was playing on a conditioning stint, loaned to Bridgeport from the NHL — his last appearance at Giant Center was November 21, 2010, when he started for the Hershey Bears against the Connecticut Whale
- Calle Odelius scored his first professional goal — the game-winning deflection with 2:46 remaining
- Adam Beckman reached 30 goals on the season — a significant milestone for the Bridgeport forward
- Cole Eiserman extended his point streak to five consecutive games (1G, 6A) with the assist on Beckman’s goal
- Bears captain Aaron Ness returned to the lineup for the first time since a lower-body injury on February 7 that required surgery; he missed 26 games and played his 465th regular-season game as a Bear, placing him 19th in franchise history
- Hershey outshot Bridgeport 29-23 but couldn’t solve Varlamov when it counted; the Bears will face either Bridgeport or Charlotte to open the Calder Cup Playoffs
- Attendance: 10,528 at Giant Center
Up Next
Bridgeport Islanders: Calder Cup Playoffs — Play-In Round (home ice, dates TBD) Hershey Bears: Sunday, April 19 vs. Rochester Americans, 3:00 PM EDT at Giant Center (Fan Appreciation Night — Jersey Off Our Backs postgame ceremony) | Calder Cup Playoffs to follow (opponent and dates TBD)
