The Hershey Bears suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game Three of the Atlantic Division Semifinals on Tuesday (May 5) at GIANT Center. The Bears now trail 2-1 in the best-of-five series and face a must-win situation in Game Four.
The Penguins jumped to an early 2-0 lead with goals from Phil Kemp and Mikhail Ilyin. However, the Bears responded with goals from Ivan Miroshnichenko and Bogdan Trineyev to tie the game by the end of the first period. Brett Leason then gave Hershey a 3-2 lead just 37 seconds into the second period.
The Penguins pulled their goalie late in the third period, and Avery Hayes scored to send the game into overtime. Five minutes into the extra period, Rutger McGroarty secured the win for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with his first playoff goal. The goal was initially questioned, but video evidence confirmed it crossed the line, as reported by FOX43.
Bears head coach Derek King emphasized the importance of playing their best game in the upcoming match, stating, "We just got to go out and play, leave it all on the ice for three periods," according to the Hershey Bears' official site.
The Bears will host Game Four on Thursday (May 7) at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center. If necessary, Game Five will be held on Saturday (May 9) at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza.