HERSHEY, Pa. (WHTM) — The Hershey Bears are trending in the wrong direction at the end of February after losing to the Penguins on Tuesday night. The Bears have lost four of their last five games.

Brian Pinho scored, and Hunter Shepard stopped 22 of 23 shots for the Hershey Bears, but the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins earned a 3-1 win at GIANT Center on Tuesday evening. The result sent Hershey’s record to 25-18-3-3 and snapped the Bears four-game point streak on home ice. 

After a scoreless opening period of play, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton struck first at the 6:57 mark of the second period on a fortunate bounce. Jordy Bellerive threw a shot towards the goal from the right wing, and the puck deflected off both Hershey’s Jake Massie and Cody Franson. The double deflection pulled Shepard out of position, and the puck landed on the tape of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Kyle Olson on the left wing. He tapped the puck into the open net for his seventh goal of the season. 

The game remained 1-0 until the closing minutes of the third period. Hershey pulled Shepard for an extra attacker, and Olson scored again, striking from center ice to make it 2-0 at 18:16. 

Hershey pulled Shepard again and finally solved Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltender Tommy Nappier. Hershey defender Alex Alexeyev let a slap shot go from the center point which broke his stick in half. As the puck slowed up, Pinho redirected the shot top corner for his sixth goal of the season at 19:00. 

Jonathan Gruden finished the night for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, scoring another empty net goal from the red line at 19:37 to seal the 3-1 win for the Baby Pens. Gruden finished the night with one goal and two assists.
The win was just Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s second versus Hershey in 10 games this season. The Pens finished up the season series 5-1-0-0 at GIANT Center. 

Shots favored Hershey, 27-25. The Bears were 0-for-3 on the power play while the Pens were 0-for-5. 

Hershey returns to action on Friday night versus the Utica Comets on the road. The puck drops at 7 p.m. and the game may be heard on the Highmark Bears Radio Network and viewed on AHLTV.