HERSHEY, Pa.— The Hershey Bears lost another important player to injury on Friday.
In the second half of Game 1, Garrett Roe He absorbed a big hit on the Bears bench from Coachella Valley Firebirds defenseman Ryker Evans and then took a cross check to the face from Connor Carrick. Evans would receive a two-minute minor for roughing at 10:14 of the period.
According to Bears Hockey NationRoe stayed in the game for two more shifts before going down the tunnel to the locker room with 4:09 left in the second period and not returning.
I did some research to see where Garrett Roe might have gotten hurt and this power play play seems to be the answer. Roe is hit up high by Ryker Evans and then Connor Carrick. Roe played for a while, the last turn ending with a TV timeout shortly after. pic.twitter.com/C3HglfqZLE
– Bears Hockey Nation (@HBHNationBlog) June 16, 2024
“I haven’t heard from the doctors or anything yet,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said after the game when asked for an update on Roe. “That’s the first thing I’ll probably do after leaving this press, but we always have guys that can fill in. Matt Strome would probably come back into the lineup.”
Losing Roe’s production for any period of time could prove difficult to replace. After being eliminated in the first three playoff games, the 36-year-old center has combined with Mike Vecchione and Ivan Miroshnichenko to score a combined 27 points (14g, 13a) on Hershey’s third line. Roe’s six goals are tied for second among the Bears this playoff year and his 10 points tie for fifth. He scored the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 7 to send the Bears to the Calder Cup Finals.
If Matt Strome jumps into the lineup, Riley Sutter or Henrik Rybinski would likely be promoted to third-line center. Sutter and Miroshnichenko had good chemistry at the beginning of the year. Vecchione, who normally plays on the wing, could also slide into the spot as he was the team’s first-line center down the stretch with Mike Sgarbossa and Hendrix Lapierre in Washington. Scoring winger Matthew Phillips is also available in reserve.
If Roe is unable to suit up on Sunday, he will likely join regulars Aaron Ness, Lucas Johansen and Vincent Iorio, who are out of the lineup due to injury. Ness seems to be the only rearguard who could return at some point during the series.
The Bears only allowed 23 shots on goal, but seemed to have difficulty containing the Firebirds at five-on-five during Game 1, blowing coverage several times. Hardy Häman Aktell scored a great goal in the second half.
Hardy Häman Aktell
Dylan McIlrath
Jake Massie
Chase Priskie
“(The defense) can change, but I didn’t care about the D corps today,” Nelson said. “I thought Osipov came in and did a good job. Once again, I will check with the medical staff to see where we are after this game. I haven’t talked to them yet. Some things could change. “I don’t rule out anything.”
According to the Bears, Hershey is 6-7 lifetime in Game 2 of the Calder Cup Finals as they open the championship series with a loss. Puck drop for the Father’s Day game is at 5 pm at Giant Center.
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