By Don Scott
Hershey’s Sunday game in Providence saw the Bruins jump out to a 4-0 lead, which concluded in a 6-3 Bears’ loss that extended the team’s road losing streak to seven games.

Ryan Fitzgerald started the scoring 4:32 into the contest, firing the puck past Hershey goalie Vitek Vanecek, then former Bear Paul Carey doubled the lead to 2-0 at 18:18 of the opening frame. 

Urho Vaakanainen tallied twice just 4:04 apart to give Providence a commanding 4-0 advantage. Vaakanainen netted his first at 3:39 when he slid a dribbling puck through Vanecek, then at 7:45 Vaakanainen ripped a seeing-eye shot home from the left point.

Joe Snively got the Bears on the board at 12:45 with his second goal in as many nights. Snively played a puck that bounced off the end wall and beat Bruins goaltender Sean Bonar, who was an emergency call up for the game. His only previous AHL time was 20 minutes in relief last season, so it was his initial AHL start.

In the third period, Shane Gersich took advantage of a Bonar mistake for his second shorthanded goal of the season. Bonar lost a foot-race to a loose puck against Liam O’Brien, who hit the goal post of an empty net. The puck bounced right to Gersich who drilled it home at 2:13 to bring Hershey within 4-2. 

The Bears were on a power play to potentially have a chance to pull within one, but the P-Bruins countered for a shorthanded goal of their own. On a turnover, Jack Studnicka scored on a breakaway to restore Providence’s three-goal advantage at 11:05.

Hershey again pulled within two goals, making it a 5-3 game on a Garrett Pilon tally at 13:19. Then with Vanecek on the bench for the extra attacker, Trent Frederic hit the empty net for the 6-3 final. 

Hershey’s record dropped to 8-8-2-2 in the loss. The two teams will square off again on Wednesday, November 27 at Giant Center at 7 p.m.