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Hershey Bears Fall To Rochester, Hold 3-2 Series Lead

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Hershey Bears captain Dylan McIlrath pursues the puck during Game 5 of the 2023 Calder Cup Eastern Conference Finals. (Tori Hartman/Hershey Bears)

The Hershey Bears were stopped dead in their tracks Wednesday night, preventing them from clinching a spot in the Calder Cup Finals.

Rochester Americans forward Lucas Rousek scored twice en route to a 4-1 Americans win, narrowing the Bears series lead at 3-2.

Buffalo Sabres 2022 first-rounder Jiri Kulich found the net first, beating Hershey goalie Hunter Shepard four minutes into the first period.

The score would stay at 1-0 until the third period, when Rousek scored the first of his goals one minute in.

Hershey would get on the board with a goal from Aliaksei Protas two minutes later, but the Bears’ comeback effort was short lived. Americans goalie Malcolm Subban would end the night having blocked 32 of the 33 shots he faced, leading to the Bears’ demise.

Americans forward Michael Mersch found the net with seven minutes to go, before Rousek tallied his second score of the game — cementing Rochester’s 4-1 win.

Bears Highlights

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Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals is scheduled to be played in Rochester on Friday, with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Jared Serre covers the Washington Capitals for Washington Hockey Now. He is a graduate of West Virginia University.