Hershey Bears Win Calder Cup


Break out the candy bars.  The Hershey Bears have won the Calder Cup championship in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Mike Vecchione scored at 16:19 of overtime to lift the Hershey Bears to their first Calder Cup championship since 2010 and their league-leading 12th overall Wednesday night in a 3-2 overtime victory over the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena, winning the 2023 Calder Cup Finals four games to three.

Hershey rallied from a 2-0 deficit with a pair of goals in the second period to force overtime before Vecchione’s marker in sudden death secured the victory for the Chocolate and White. The contest was only the second-ever Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals to be settled in extra time, and the first since 1953 (The Cleveland Barons defeated the Pittsburgh Hornets, 1-0).

Goaltender Hunter Shepard was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs. Shepard started every game for the Bears during the postseason run, going 14-6 with a 2.27 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage, and three shutouts. Shepard allowed two or fewer goals in 14 of his 20 games.

After losing the opening two games of the Finals, the Bears reeled off three straight victories on home ice at GIANT Center before returning to California. Coachella Valley then forced the decisive Game 7 with a 5-2 win in Game 6 on Monday; Hershey became just the fourth team in the history of the American Hockey League to rally from a 2-0 series deficit and eventually win the championship round, joining the 1972 Nova Scotia Voyageurs (won series 4-2), 1991 Springfield Indians (won series 4-2), and 2010 Hershey Bears (won series 4-2).

The contest was the 12th Game 7 in the history of the Calder Cup Finals, and the fourth involving the Bears, improving Hershey’s all-time record in Calder Cup Finals Game 7s to 2-2, and giving Hershey its first Game 7 win in the Finals since its first championship in 1947. The Bears became only the fourth road team to win the Calder Cup in a Game 7. Hershey improved to 10-9 all-time in playoff Game 7s with the victory.

Hershey's road to the title began in April with a 3-1 series win over the Charlotte Checkers in the Division Semifinals.  They swept the Harford Wolf Pack 3-0 in the Division Finals.  In the Conference Finals they defeated the Rochester Americans 4-2.  

Here's a recap of the AHL season:
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
  1. Providence Bruins
  2. Hershey Bears
  3. Charlotte Checkers
  4. Springfield Thunderbirds
  5. Hartford Wolf Pack
  6. Lehigh Valley Phantoms
  7. Bridgeport Islanders
  8. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
North Division
  1. Toronto Marlies
  2. Syracuse Crunch
  3. Rochester Americans
  4. Utica Comets
  5. Laval Rocket
  6. Cleveland Monsters
  7. Belleville Senators
Western Conference
Central Division
  1. Texas Stars
  2. Milwaukee Admirals
  3. Manitoba Moose
  4. Iowa Wild
  5. Rockford IceHogs
  6. Chicago Wolves
  7. Grand Rapids Griffins
Pacific Division
  1. Calgary Wranglers
  2. Coachella Valley Firebirds
  3. Colorado Eagles
  4. Abbotsford Canucks
  5. Bakersfield Condors
  6. Ontario Reign
  7. Tucson Roadrunners
  8. San Jose Barracuda
  9. Henderson Silver Knights
  10. San Diego Gulls
Calder Cup Playoffs
First Round
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
  • Charlotte 2, Lehigh Valley 1
  • Hartford 2, Springfield 0
North Division
  • Utica 2, Laval 0
Western Conference
Central Division
  • Rockford 2, Iowa 0
Pacific Division
  • Abbotsford 2, Bakersfield 0
  • Coachella Valley 2, Tucson 1
  • Colorado 2, Ontario 0
Division Semifinals
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
  • Hartford 3, Providence 1
  • Hershey 3, Charlotte 1
North Division
  • Toronto 3, Utica 1
  • Rochester 3, Syracuse 2
Western Conference
Central Division
  • Texas 3, Rockford 0
  • Milwaukee 3, Manitoba 2
Pacific Division
  • Calgary 3, Abbotsford 1
  • Coachella Valley 3, Colorado 2
Division Finals
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division: Hershey 3, Hartford 0
North Division: Rochester 3, Toronto 0

Western Conference
Central Division: Milwaukee 3, Texas 2
Pacific Division: Coachella Valley 3, Calgary 2

Conference Finals
Eastern Conference:  Hershey 4, Rochester 2
Western Conference:  Coachella Valley 4, Milwaukee 2

Final
Hershey 4, Coachella Valley 3

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