Sateri, T-Birds Defense Secures Road Win in Hershey

Hershey, PA – The Springfield Thunderbirds (7-12-1-0) held onto a slim lead through a late Hershey charge to come away with a 2-1 win on Wednesday night over the Hershey Bears (8-9-0-2) at the Giant Center. It was Springfield's first-ever win over the Bears in their eighth try. The win also snapped a 15-game road losing streak dating back to March 17 of last season.

 

The first period had a great pace to start play, as whistles were scarce in the opening five minutes. Goaltenders Harri Sateri for Springfield and Pheonix Copley for Hershey were not heavily tested in the first period, with each player denying seven shots.

 

The Thunderbirds would need their penalty killers to rise to the occasion in the first period, fending off one Hershey power play and successfully killing two more into the early stages of the second.

 

Finally back at 5-on-5 action, the Thunderbirds finally dented the score sheet first. AHL shots leader Anthony Greco took an entry pass from Denis Malgin over the right wing and carried it into the corner. The Thunderbird winger filtered a pass in front, and in a bounce of good fortune, the disc careened off a Hershey skate and in behind Copley at 5:58 to put Springfield on top, 1-0.

 

From there, Sateri and the penalty killers would be thrust back into action, with the Springfield goalie denying nine more shots in the second period to bring his two-period total to 16, and the PK went a perfect 5-for-5 through 40 minutes.

 

The Thunderbirds would not make their winning task an easy one in the third, as Dustin Gazley tied the game for Hershey off a Springfield turnover, even after Sateri made an impressive first denial.

 

Not to be deterred, the Thunderbirds broke through less than 10 minutes later. With Ludwig Bystrom firing a shot through traffic at the left point, Thomas Schemitsch sneaked down the right wing wall and for the third time in four games, the second-year pro stashed home a rebound to give Springfield the lead for good.

 

Sateri was phenomenal down the stretch to pick up his third consecutive win, stopping 29 of 30 Hershey offerings.

 

Following the Thanksgiving holiday, the Thunderbirds are next on home ice on Friday for a Black Friday, Nov. 24 tangle with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at 7:05 p.m. ET. Springfield stays on home ice for one final Sunday game at the MassMutual Center against the Hartford Wolf Pack at 3:05 p.m. on Nov. 26.

 

Springfield Thunderbirds fans are encouraged to visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com to learn more about Thunderbirds Season Ticket Memberships. Packages start at just $12 per game, and Thunderbirds Full Season Ticket Members receive the most benefits, including a refillable collector’s mug and a commemorative jersey. For more information or to order now, call (413) 739-GOAL (4625) or visit www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com.