BEARS DROP FINAL GAME OF THE WEEKEND TO CHECKERS, 3-1
Charlotte’s Samoskevich scores twice; Lapierre tallies shorthanded goal for Hershey
A pair of early goals against and a season-low 14 shots on goal felled the Hershey Bears (19-6-0-0) in a 3-1 loss to the Charlotte Checkers (12-10-0-0) on Sunday evening at GIANT Center, as Hershey closed out a three-in-three weekend.
The defeat marked Hershey’s first home loss since Nov. 12, snapping a five-game win streak on home ice. The loss also prevented Hershey from reaching its 20th win of the season in only its 25th game, which would have established a new club mark for the Chocolate and White. The Bears still have a chance to match the franchise record (set by the 2008-09 Bears; 20-5-0-1) with a win on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at home against Providence.
The Checkers opened the scoring just 1:11 into the first period, as Mackie Samoskevich jammed a loose puck through Clay Stevenson on Charlotte’s third shot of the contest, marking the earliest this season the Bears had conceded a goal.
Charlotte extended its lead to 2-0 at 3:03 when Patrick Giles drove the net and put in a rebound at the right of the cage past Stevenson.
Hershey got on the board at 12:42 when Hendrix Lapierre scored against Spencer Knight on a shorthanded breakaway for his second goal of the season, with Jimmy Huntington and Dylan McIlrath earning assists.
Both teams played through a particularly physical second frame, with no additional goals scored in the middle stanza.
Samoskevich tallied his second of the night at 6:45 of the third period when he corralled a puck that had rolled out of the corner toward the top of the crease and put his own rebound past Stevenson to make it 3-1 for Charlotte to cap the scoring.
Shots finished 27-14 in favor of the Checkers. Stevenson saw his personal five-game winning streak snapped with a 24-for-27 effort in the loss; Knight earned the win for Charlotte with a 13-for-14 performance. Hershey went 0-for-2 on the power play; the Checkers went 0-for-5 with the man advantage.
The Bears continue the 2023-24 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they host the Providence Bruins for Berks Dollar Dog Night at GIANT Center on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. Fans can purchase $1 Berks hot dogs on the concourse at select locations; fans 21-and-over can also enjoy $5 16 oz. Labatt beer specials, available from doors to puck drop. Purchase tickets for the game by CLICKING HERE.
