Even on the brink of winning a second consecutive Calder Cup, Hershey head coach Todd Nelson still wants more from his players.
“We played against a Coachella team that I thought checked really well,” Nelson said after his team’s Game 5 victory. “We were pretty sloppy in the first period. That’s a credit to them because they had good sticks and they were working to stay over top, and I expect the same out of them in Game 6.”
But for the Bears, who recorded just two shots over the first 14-plus minutes of the game, Jimmy Huntington’s marker with 1.3 seconds to go in the opening frame provided a needed boost.
“It wasn’t a very good first period,” Nelson said, “and to get that goal just before the intermission was a huge goal for us.”
They’ll get another boost tonight with a return to home ice after three games at Acrisure Arena.
“It’s going to be nice to go back to Giant Center and see our fans,” Nelson said.
Andrew Poturalski has been missed lately.
A two-time Calder Cup champion who has 73 points (26 goals, 47 assists) in 81 career playoff games in the AHL – including 20 points in 18 Finals games over four appearances in the championship series. Winner of the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2019 Calder Cup Playoffs with Charlotte. Captain of Chicago’s 2022 title team.
Last year, he made an accelerated comeback from a midseason knee injury to rejoin the Firebirds during the playoffs. But this spring, Coachella Valley has been forced to go without Poturalski since he departed with another injury during Game 1 of the Finals 10 days ago. The two-time AHL scoring champion (2020-21, 2021-22) had 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 13 playoff games after a 51-point regular season.
“More than providing points, he’s a winner,” head coach Dan Bylsma told reporters after Game 5. “He’s done it over and over and over again.”
But Bylsma did not reveal whether Poturalski could be an option tonight or, if necessary, in Game 7 on Wednesday.
“He’s been in the Finals… he’s still in the Finals right now,” Bylsma said. “Whether he gets in his jersey or not, he will be with us. He will be a part of the team for Games 6 and 7.”
With Poturalski out, rookie forward Lleyton Roed went into the lineup for Game 2 and has remained there since. He picked up a goal in Game 3.
The Calder Cup will be in the building tonight with the Bears one win away from the championship.
Giant Center is hosting its 19th Calder Cup Finals game since opening in 2002; only twice previously has there been a chance for a trophy presentation.
In 2009, the Bears had a 3-1 series lead over the Manitoba Moose but lost Game 5 at home, sending the series back to Winnipeg. Hershey won Game 6 on the road to claim the Calder Cup.
In 2010, Hershey lost the first two games of the Finals to the Texas Stars at home before winning three in a row in Cedar Park. They won the championship in front of a franchise-record crowd in Game 6.
― with files from Patrick Williams
