Minor BEARings: Ethen Frank, Pierrick Dube and Henrik Rybinski Pacing Hershey Bears

Photo: Eric Lord

After a strong opening month of the American Hockey League (AHL) season, the Hershey Bears took a step back in November. The Chocolate and White still finished the month 8-3-2-0 and remain atop the Atlantic Division with a record of 14-5-3-0. The Bears have amassed 31 points, eight points ahead of second place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins have six games in hand on Hershey.

Despite their position in the standings, issues within their play arose in November and the Bears had difficulty holding onto leads. Hershey surrendered the advantage in eight games during the month and some of these included multiple blown leads. While the Bears managed to win seven of these contests, they were forced to go beyond regulation in games they could have ended earlier and not expose their bodies to additional wear and tear. The two worst of these were on November 10 versus the Springfield Thunderbirds and November 20 in Toronto against the Marlies.

Against the Thunderbirds, Hershey led 2-0, but allowed Springfield to score twice in 28 seconds with under a minute to play in regulation. Mike Vecchione rescued the Chocolate and White with an overtime winner. On November 20, Hershey raced out to a 3-0 advantage after one period, but wound up losing 4-3 in overtime. The Bears have survived giving up leads up until this point. However, sooner or later it will catch up with them. Learning to close games out is something Hershey has to figure out.

One of the reasons the Bears have had trouble holding onto leads is poor decisions that result in goals against. This ranged from bad passes to trying to make a pass at the end of period instead of holding onto the puck, to a defenseman stepping up when it wasn’t  needed, to getting involved in a scrum instead of staying in position to poor line changes. All of these factors have contributed to goals against.

Head Coach Todd Nelson has called some of these mistakes “unacceptable” and stated after a loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on November 30: “I know it’s frustrating, I know it’s only our fifth regulation loss, but if we play the right way and don’t beat ourselves, we’d only have two. So that’s why it’s disappointing, we’ve gotta make teams earn their points, not just give it to them. That’s the disappointing thing.”

Another concern for the Chocolate and White was a drop off in the special teams. The penalty kill was staunch in October with a 90.6 kill percentage, but November saw that percentage drop down to 83.3 percentage. The unit surrendered 14 goals in 47 power plays faced for a kill percentage of 70.2%. Part of the decline was due to taking too many penalties. The Bears were shorthanded four or more times on four different occasions and faced three or more power plays in nine of their 13 contests.

On the other side, the power play was a mess in the middle of the month. From November 9 through November 16, Hershey went without a power play goal during a five game stretch. The unit started to turn things around when Mike Sgarbossa returned from Washington and recorded a power play goal in the final six games of the month. Overall, the unit was 10 for 47 for a conversion percentage of 21.3. That is down from 24.5 percent in October.

The Bears continue to be led by Ethen Frank offensively. He tops the Hershey scoring list with 21 points. The winger netted a team best eight goals in November and posted 10 points, tied for the most on the team with Mike Vecchione. The veteran sprung to life in the month, with 10 points and six assists, which was tied for the team lead in the month. Pierrick Dube compiled nine points, including six helpers. Spencer Smallman added eight points. Mike Sgarbossa amassed 7 points in eight games and dished out six assists. Alex Limoges, Ethan Bear and Henrik Rybinski each chipped in with seven points.

The aforementioned defensive issues contributed to the Bears surrendering 44 goals in November. Hershey gave up four more goals on six occasions.

[Note: scoring 1-5, 2.5 being average]

Forwards

Pierrick Dube (RW) – 23 – Undrafted

The Frenchman came to life, offensively, in November, more than doubling his output from October. Dube netted three goals and dished out six assists in the month. He tallied his second goal of the season against Charlotte. After going without a point in his next two games, the winger posted back-to-back, two-assist outings. On November 10, Dube recorded the primary helper on Mike Vecchione’s overtime winner. The Lyon, France native registered a three-game point streak from November 11 through November 27, totaling a goal and two apples during the span. The speedster now has four goals and nine assists on the campaign. One area Dube needs to improve on his shooting accuracy. He is second in the AHL in shots with 74, but has only converted four times.

Monthly Score: 3.4

Ethen Frank (RW) – 26 – Undrafted

Frank simply produces, offensively. After compiling 11 points in October, the sniper produced 10 points in the season’s seconds month. He entered November on a two-game point streak and extended that run to four games by assisting on Pierrick Dube’s second period marker versus the Charlotte Checkers on November 2 and then burned the Checkers for two second period goals on the next night. The Western Michigan product potted goals in back-to-back contests with Bridgeport. Frank ended the month on a four-game goal streak. The Papillion, Nebraska native leads the Bears in points with 21, 15 goals and game-winning goals with three. Frank is tied with Calgary’s Rory Kerins atop the AHL’s goal-scoring list and his eighth in the league in scoring. The Nebraska is also tied for fourth in the AHL in game-winning goals.

Monthly Score: 4.7

Zac Funk (RW/LW) – 21 – Undrafted

The winger skated in seven games in November after playing just once in the opening month of the season. Funk spent most of his time on Henrik Rybinski’s wing on the third line. The rookie was scoreless in his first three appearances, but broke through on November 16 in Allentown against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He earned his first professional point with a secondary helper on Pierrick Dube’s second period tally. Later in the frame, Funk scored his first professional goal when he snapped a shot over the left pad of Eetu Makiniemi to give the Chocolate and White a two-goal edge. The native Coldstream, British Columbia added a helper in the last game of the month to finish November with three points. Head coach Todd Nelson has stated that Funk has earned his increased playing time. He has shown signs of improvement and has the chance to play his way into a bigger role.

Monthly Score: 3.0

Ryan Hofer (LW) – 22 – Drafted 2022 (Sixth Round, 181^st overall)

The second-year forward played in the opening game of the month. Hofer was then sent down to South Carolina to get more playing time.

Monthly Score: Incomplete

Alex Limoges (LW) – 27 – Undrafted

The Penn State alum remains a solid offensive contributor for Hershey. Limoges dished out three assists in his first two games of the month, but then was held off the scoresheet in his net four contests. He missed two games due to injury before returning on November 22. Upon his return, the Northern Virginian rattled off a four-game point streak. Limoges opened the scoring with a first period marker in Rochester on November 22. He registered an assist in Syracuse a night later. The forward scored on the power play versus Laval on November 27 before picking up a helper on the Bears’ lone goal in Lehigh Valley on November 29. He completed the month with seven points in 11 games. On the season, Limoges ranks second on the team in assists with 11 is tied for second in scoring with 16 points. The problem for the winger is at even strength. He has been a plus player only four times in 20 games and his minus seven rating is tied for the worst among Hershey forwards.

Monthly Score: 3.0

Ivan Miroshnichenko (LW) – 20 – Drafted 2022 (First Round, 20^th overall)

Miroshnichenko played in the first seven games of November for the Bears. He was then recalled to the Washington Capitals after Alex Ovechkin was injured. The Russian winger amassed a goal and three assists during his time in the AHL. This included a two-helper night versus Springfield on November 9. Both assists were important. First, he set up Henrik Rybinski’s tying goal in the second period. In the third, Miroshnichenko had the primary assist on Ethan Bear’s winning goal. The winger’s lone goal of the month began the Hershey comeback in Bridgeport on November 12. He one-timed a shot past the blocker of Jakub Skarek 44 seconds into the second period. Miroshnichenko remains second on the Bears in goals with seven.

Monthly Score: 3.2

Luke Philp (C) – 28 – Undrafted

The pivot returned on November 2 from a lower body injury that sidelined him for all but the first two games of October. Philp skated in 12 of the 13 games that the Bears played in November, totaling six points for the month. The Canmore, Alberta native has been more of a provider than a finisher, as five of his six points were on assists. Philp posted his second multi-point game of the season in Rochester on November 23. He had the primary helper on Alex Limoges’ opening goal and added another apple on a Chase Priskie tally. A night earlier, the center netted his second goal of the season in Toronto when he converted a two-on-one with Henrik Rybinski by roofing a shot over Dennis Hildeby’s blocker. Philp has centered the second line mostly, but started the month on the top line when Mike Sgarbossa was in the NHL. Offensively, he has started to settle in. It is defensively where Philp needs to improve. He was minus nine for the month and was a minus five over his last four games.

Monthly Score: 2.8

Henrik Rybinski (C) – 23 – Drafted 2019 (Fifth Round, 136^th overall – Florida)

In his third season, Rybinski is playing with a confidence he has not shown previously in his career. He is on pace to shatter his career highs in goals, assists and points. The native of Vancouver, British Columbia is only one goal off of equaling his career best in goals and is four assists off of tying his best mark for assists. Rybinski has tallied four goals and has dished out nine helpers. Three of those goals and four of those assists came in November. He produced those numbers with a variety of wingers on his line after playing almost exclusively with Ivan Miroshnichenko and Bogdan Trineyev in October. Rybinski began the month on a three-game point streak, including goals in back-to-back games. His goal versus Springfield on November 9 tied the game at two in the second period. The pivot’s numbers could be even better if he would shoot more. Too often, he passes up open looks and passes to teammates. Rybinski needs to put the puck on net when he has the opportunities. Defensively, he is one of the most reliable forwards in his own end. He is a stalwart on the penalty kill.

Monthly Score: 4.2

Mike Sgarbossa (C) – 32 – Undrafted

The veteran spent the first half of the month in the NHL with the Washington Capitals. After being sent back to Hershey, Sgarbossa picked up right where he left off, offensively. In eight games, he dished out six helpers and tallied a goal. The Campbellville, Ontario native recorded at least a point in five of his last six games during the month. Sgarbossa delivered two important assists in Rochester on November 22. First, he slipped a backhanded feed from behind the net to set up Mike Vecchione’s tying power play marker with nine seconds remaining in regulation. In overtime, the center banked a pass off the right boards to Vecchione, who would drive in and score the game-winner. Sgarbossa posted another two-assist game versus Laval on November 27. He has five two-assist games in 15 games this season. His 14 assists lead the Chocolate and White. Sgarbossa has 16 points on the season.

Monthly Score: 4.3

Spencer Smallman (C/RW) – 28 – Drafted 2018 (Fifth Round, 138^th overall – Carolina)

Smallman found his groove offensively in November. The forward compiled eight points, five more than he had in October. He scored his first goal as a Bear with an empty net tally against Springfield on November 10. Two days later, Smallman came up clutch in the dying seconds in Bridgeport. Positioned in the slot, he redirected a Vincent Iorio shot from the center point past Jakub Skarek’s blocker with 7.3 seconds left in the third period to give Hershey a 5-4 victory. It was his second point of the matchup, having assisted on Garrett Roe’s goal in the second period. Smallman recorded another multi-point game at Lehigh Valley on November 16. The first point was the primary apple on Roe’s opening goal in the first period. Later in the first, he executed a between the legs pass to Pierrick Dube, setting up the Frenchman’s goal. Smallman’s third multi-point game of the month came on November 27. He opened the scoring by putting a one-timer by the blocker Jakub Dobes from the slot. The Summerside, Prince Edward Island native later picked up the secondary assist on Iorio’s game winning goal. Smallman saw an increased role on the penalty kill when Bogdan Trineyev was out due to injury.

Monthly Score: 4.0

Riley Sutter (C) – 25 – Drafted 2018 (Third Round, 93^rd overall)

The son of former NHLer Ron Sutter needs more consistency on his wings. There has been a revolving door and it has prevented Sutter from developing the chemistry that has been vital to the success of the fourth line over the past two seasons. The fourth line line enjoyed a few games of success when Matt Strome and Brennan Saulnier lined up alongside Sutter, but then the wingers changed again. The center has three points through the season’s first two months. He totaled a goal and assist in November. His goal came in the second period against Springfield on November 10. Sutter elevated a shot up and over Colten Ellis for the first goal of the night. The native of Calgary, Alberta still brings a physical presence to the Bears and is the team’s best penalty killing forward. Sutter also is the most reliable faceoff guy on Hershey.

Monthly Score: 2.9

Bogdan Trineyev (LW) – 22 – Drafted 2020 (Fourth Round, 117^th overall)

Trineyev missed half the month with an upper body injury. His absence was felt on the penalty kill as the unit declined in November. The Russian returned after missing seven games on November 23. Trineyev had an assist in that game. The second year winger found the back of the net for Hershey’s first goal versus the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on November 30. He put a one-timer past the glove of Sergei Murashov for his only goal of the month.

Monthly Score: 2.8

Defensemen

Ethan Bear (RD) – 27 – Drafted 2017 (Fifth Round, 124^th overall – Edmonton)

Bear’s play has been a mixed bag. Offensively, the blue liner has been strong and is tied for team lead in points by a defenseman with 11, seven of which came in November. On the other end of the ice, he has had some serious brain cramps that cost his team. Bear netted two goals in November and both were game-winners. The first tally came with 3:27 remaining in the third period against Springfield on November 9. He powered through the right circle and banked the puck off the end boards to himself. Collecting the puck, Bear skated around the net and threw a shot at the net that deflected off the skate of Vadim Zherenko and in. The second deciding goal came on the road at Lehigh Valley on November 16 on a night where he recorded his first multi-point game for Hershey. He took a feed from Hardy Haman Aktell and wired a shot from the bottom of the right circle over a sprawled Cal Petersen to put the Bears up 4-3 in the third period. He had an assist later in the frame in a 6-3 Hershey win. The Ochapowace, Saskatchewan native began the month with a four-game point streak and ended it on a four-game scoreless drought. On the other hand, Bear made two unnecessary mistakes that ended with the puck in his own net. With his team up 3-1 late in the second period in Toronto on November 20, he possessed the puck in the corner with time winding down. Instead of just sitting on the puck and allowing the last few seconds to tick off, Bear tried to pass the puck along the boards. The pass hit Hiri Rivonen and bounced out in front. Alex Nylander one-timed the puck home to bring the Marlies within one. Then, the former Edmonton Oiler made a poor decision in month’s final game with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Valterri Puustinen brought the puck up the right wing with the game tied at four. Staying home and playing defense would have been the correct play, but Bear stepped up on Puustinen. However, he was late and Puustinen easily passed around Bear to spring a two-on-one that resulted in a Rutger McGroarty goal that put the Penguins up to stay with a minute and 15 seconds left in regulation. A day earlier, the defender went down in the corner after minimal contact during overtime in Lehigh Valley. Instead of pulling himself up and getting back into the play, Bear remained down and barked at the official. Meanwhile, Olle Lycksell was left uncovered to score the overtime winner.

Monthly Score: 2.9

Hardy Haman Aktell (LD) – 26 – Drafted 2016 (Fourth Round, 108^th overall – Nashville)

The injury bug hit the Swedish defenseman in November and caused him to miss five games. Haman Aktell contributed three assists for the second month in a row and is only three off his assist total from last season. He set up Ethan Bear’s game-winning tally at Lehigh Valley on November 16. The Swede still makes the occasional coverage mistake defensively or the poor exit pass, but they have less frequent than last season. Haman Aktell is a solid penalty killer. He has only been a minus twice all season.

Monthly Score: 3.2

Vincent Iorio (RD) – 22 – Drafted 2021 (Second Round, 55^th overall)

Iorio ended the month with his best offensive stretch of the season. The native of Coquitlam, British Columbia delivered the game winning goal against Laval on November 27. At the right point, he received a pass from Aaron Ness. He wristed a shot through a screen and past Jakub Dobes to put the Bears up one. The marker would be decider in a 5-3 Hershey win. Iorio then came through with his first multi-point game of the season on November 30 versus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He evened the scoreline at 2-2 late in the second period with a shot over the shoulder of Sergei Murashov and later earned a secondary assist on Ethen Franks’ third period goal. Defensively, Iorio continues to improve defensively. He makes fewer mistakes in his own end and spent a majority of the month paired with Aaron Ness on the top pair. The blue liner also sees a lot of time on the penalty kill.

Monthly Score: 3.7

Chase Priskie (RD) – 28 – Drafted 2016 (Sixth Round, 177^th overall)

The Pembroke Pines, Florida native got off to a slow start offensively in November, but finished the month on a bit of a hot streak. Priskie was held off the scoresheet for the first four games of November. He then ran off a five-game point streak. The former captain at Quinnipiac University netted three power goals during the month to run his team-leading total to five. Priskie’s 11 points are tied with Ethan Bear for the most by a Hershey defenseman. The Floridian has struggled at times defensively and is a team worst minus 10. He sometimes gets caught up the ice trying to make an offensive play, but this leaves the team vulnerable to odd-man ruses coming back the other way.

Monthly Score: 2.5

Goalies

Hunter Shepard – 28 – Undrafted

The Minnesota-Duluth alum is tied for second in the AHL in wins with 11. Shepard’s numbers fell off some in November, but that cannot be all put on him. The Bears struggled with penalty trouble and was mistake-prone defensively. This contributed to the decline in numbers. It is harder to stop odd-man rushes and breakaways than it is shot that come from the outside. Yes, sometimes the goalie has to come up with a save in these situations but a team cannot give up numerous odd-man rushes a game up because the goalie is not going to stop every single one of them. The netminder started in nine of Hershey’s of 13 games. He gave up three or more goals in eight of those starts and only had a save percentage above .900 once. Shepard has played a lot of games during the past two seasons with the runs to the Calder Cup. Todd Nelson may need to give him more rests to keep fresh for the stretch run. The Bears need a sharper Shepard to be successful.

Monthly Score: 3.0

Clay Stevenson – 25 – Undrafted

Stevenson made his first start since October 19 on November 10 after returning from an upper body injury. He made 19 saves in a 3-2 overtime win and was a minute from a shutout, but Hershey broke down in the final minute with Springfield scoring twice in 28 seconds to force the extra session. The Dartmouth College product surrendered six goals on 36 shots in his next start against Bridgeport on November 15. It was not a good night for the netminder, but it was a bad game for the team overall. Stevenson was solid in his last two starts of November. He stopped 23 shots, including 12 in the third period, in a 4-3 overtime victory over Rochester. The Drayton Valley, Alberta native was a hard luck loser in his final start of the month. He turned aside 24 of 26 shots in a 2-1 loss to Lehigh Valley on November 29. Stevenson denied Anthony Richard with a glove save on a shorthanded breakaway with 1:30 left the third period to keep the game tied at one. On both goals against, Olle Lycksell was uncovered. The first was a breakaway in the second period. The overtime winner came with Ethan Bear down in the corner. Stevenson has started to return to the level he played at last season. This would be good for the Chocolate and White and allow the team to give Hunter Shepard more rest.

Monthly Score: 3.3

By Eric Lord