As the trade deadline has passed, the Hershey Bears head into the last quarter of the season with the playoffs in sight. During the deadline, the Capitals traded Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights and former Hershey Bear John Carlson to the Anaheim Ducks. In exchange, the Capitals received draft picks and goaltender Jasper Vikman. However, Vikman is week-to-week with an injury and was reassigned to Hershey.

The Bears saw a trade that sent forward Greame Clarke to the Ottawa Senators for forward Wyatt Bongiovanni, a trade that caught us Bears fans by surprise. Many, myself included, thought Sonny Milano would go at the deadline, a skilled bottom-6 forward, that almost any NHL team could use, but it was not meant to be. This move hurts the Bears as Clarke was third on the Bears in points and is now a Belleville Senator.

However, the hockey must flow, and Hershey traveled to Hartford to face the Wolf Pack for the third time this season. The Bears are 0-2 against them. The Bears were without another offensive weapon as Sonny Milano was out with illness, but Andrew Cristall opened the scoring with his 13th of the season to make it 1-0. Unfortunately, the Wolfpack would take over the game with a Trey-Fix Wolansky breakaway goal to tie the game. Carey Terrance would score twice to extend Hartford's lead. It would be his fourth and fifth goals of the season, and a lifeless performance from the Bears, who had 10 SOG halfway through the game.

Wolansky would add another goal in the third period, his 23rd of the campaign and 6th goal against the Bears this season. It was 4-1 and all but over. Grant Cruishank would get a garbage-time goal for his ninth, but Adam Syorka would get an empty-net goal to make it 5-2 and a laugher. The Bears caused some rough stuff at the end of the game, leading Sam Bitten being suspended for the next game after spearing a Wolfpack player before leaving the ice. The Wolfpack took this one 5-2, and Hersey moved on to Rhode Island.

On Sunday, March 8th, Hershey faced the Eastern Conference-leading Providence Bruins in their Teddy Bear Toss game. Sonny Milano returned to the lineup and would be needed as the Bruins were 30-2 when scoring first, and they did just that as Joey Abate sent the teddys flying with his fourth of the season. Hershey would respond with a Dalton Smith deflection for his first goal as a Bear to tie the game and give Hershey some life.

However, the Bears would also lose goaltender Clay Stevenson, who went down after a scramble, appeared to be injured, and needed help getting off the ice. Garin Bjurklund took over after seeing action the previous night in Hartford. Providence would get the next two goals from Christian Wolanin, his seventh, and from Matej Blumel, his 14th, both power-play goals, and the game looked over.

However, the Bears would fight back as Bogadan Trineyev with his 11th of the season, brought Hershey within one early in the third period. Then Ilya Protas scored back-to-back goals to give the Bears the lead with eight minutes to go. It was his 23rd and 24th goals of the season, team-leading too, and gave the Bears a chance to steal a win in Rhode Island.

Providence proved why they are the best in the East as Jake Schmaltz tied the game a minute later with his sixth of the season, and the game remained 4-4 late. Riley Tutfe came down the right wing and caught Bjurklund cheating off the post a bit and rifled a puck under the legs of Bjurklund to give Providence the lead with 48 seconds to go. The Bruins would take the game, 5-4, and Hershey would get no points in the weekend set.

The Bears are still in fourth place in the Atlantic division with 60 points, but the Bridgeport Islanders are now in the fifth spot with 56 points and are catching up to the Bears, Phantoms, and Thunderbirds. Hershey will have three in three for the last time this weekend, as they travel to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to take on the Pens, then back home for a pair of games against the Belleville Senators and Greame Clarke. It's getting late early, and Go Bears!

- Richard Blosser/Olde City Sports Network

- Photo Credit: Hershey Bears

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