HERSHEY, PA – The Springfield Thunderbirds (4-8-0-0) broke out to a two-goal lead, but could not hold off the defending champion Hershey Bears (8-3-1-0) at the Giant Center on Saturday night in a 3-2 defeat.
Looking to bounce back after getting bested by the Bears two weeks earlier, T-Birds goaltender Vadim Zherenko was stellar in the opening period, denying 17 Hershey attempts. There were a pair of A-plus stops in the mix, as Zherenko stonewalled Aaron Ness on a post-to-post save in the splits. Later in the frame, Zherenko held his ground at the edge of the paint with the left pad and skated to prevent Riley Sutter from a tally in close.
