The Bears got a goal and an assist each from Jared Lombardi, Ian Burgard and Collin Stough in the game. Bryce Miceli made 34 saves to keep the Battalion Bantams competitive. Michael Casamassa needed to turn aside just 15 shots to record the win.
On the penalty kill for interference 2:50 into the first period, the Battalion scored short handed to get the games first goal. Jason Roland, in on a one man fore check, didn’t just tie up the play against two Bears but won the puck battle in the corner and laid the puck perfectly to the top of the left circle. That gave Jason Pinkerton the chance to step into the puck and blow the puck by the glove side of Casamassa That goal would hold up for most of the period as Miceli closed the door on a shot off of a cross-ice pass by Daniel Yanich. However, with 4:08 to go and a scramble in front of the Berks net Lombardi found the loose puck and tucked it home. Two more goals in the last 1:41 gave the Bears the lead. Hershey’s Sean Patt launched a shot from the point that squeezed through then with the Battalion out manned 3 on 1 down low Ian Hihshman backhanded the puck in off of a rebound that left Miceli helpless.
Miceli continued to hold the Berks team in as the second period started, finding himself with an open Bear to his left he made a great pad save again on Yanich. The Battalion would take advantage, catching the Bears breaking out of their own zone; Derek Seifert poked the puck off of a forward’s stick at the blue line. Pinkerton picked up the loose puck and moved past the defenseman and wristed it home to pull the Bantams back to within one. Just five and a half minutes later the Bears would regain their two goal lead when a lost defensive zone face off ended with Burgard uncovered in the slot and Miceli left on his own. At 6:01 the Bears would go up by three on a nice passing play by Bugard to Stough who potted his own rebound uncontested at the side of the net.
Miceli continued his solid play in the third making a big save on Lombardi in front. That gave the Battalion a chance to get back in it on a 5 on 3 power play for a minute and a half. Unfortunately, Berks registered just two shots on net and Miceli who faced down an uncovered Lombardi again in the waning seconds made the biggest save. Miceli also managed to throw himself across the ice post to post a minute later to snag a shot from Burgard with his glove.
The teams didn’t post a goal in the third. Hershey outshot the host team 39-17. In games, including the Washington tournament, this weekend’s two league games and the exhibition in Hershey on Saturday night, the Battalion has scored just nine goals in seven contests. In a nice gesture, the coach of the Bears handed Pinkerton the water bottle he broke open in the first period.
Berks Bantams are now 6-7-1 in the DVHL. The Battalion’s next game is Saturday, at 9:20 am in a non-league game against the Valley Forge Colonials in Oaks. Their next league game is against the Grundy Senators at BodyZone on Sunday at 10:15. The Senators are 5-4-2 in DVHL play.
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