Well lets see, after the lost in game three Hershey came back to regain control over the Pirates with a 4-0 win in game four at home. Freddy achieved his fourth shutout of the post season and second of the series. Goals in the game came from a wide varity of out guys. Starting off with a goal from Klepis in the second with help coming from Tenute and Robitaile. Hershey then got three goals in the third from Beech, Steckel, and Johansson. Johansson being the biggest surprise of the night due to that fact that I can’t even tell you the last time he played and making his first appearance in the playoffs. He appeared to still be well conditioned even with the lack of ice time.



Game five then headed back to Portland where the Pirates came roaring and ready to go and unfortunately beat the Bears 3-2 after a close game. Game six was then the following night in the six games in eight nights stretch and needless to say that both team were feeling the strain of travel and play. The outcome in game six was less than wanted were Portland won 5-3 to force Hershey to return home for a game seven.



Once returning home both teams were really feeling the tension raising. Well between games six and seven there was a six day brake due to the circus big in the Giant Center. In this brake there was an interesting confrontation between Hershey’s coach Bruce Boudreau and Portland’s coach Kevin Dineen when Boudreau moved his practice early by a half hour so that there would not be a problem with the team’s closed practice. Dineen didn’t seem to get this idea when he showed up at Hershey’s practice and made a scene by having a cussing fit with Boudreau, Robitaile, and Mike Green. Then enter game seven where the extremely (expletive)y Portland team thought they had it all wrapped up and had their flight plans made for Milwaukee. This had to be one of the most unnerving games I have ever witnessed. Portland came out firing in the first by scoring the first two goals with in the first 9 minutes, yet then Hershey responded by tying the game by fifteen minutes into the first. After a turn at goals each at the end of the first period they were tied at 3-3. In the second period Portland scored a shorthanded goal thirteen minutes into the second. Entering into the third Hershey was down 4-3 and this continued until 17:51 into the third when Graham Mink scored the tying goal to force overtime. Entering overtime the house was louder than I have ever heard it before. Then 9:07 into the first overtime Eric Fehr delivered the game winning and series winning goal to send the Bears to the Calder Cup finals. The celebrating was phenomenal; the crowd went nuts as did the players. Then when it came time to do the historical hand shakes Portland’s coach Dineen was a classy man and headed directly back to the dressing room without shaking one hand. Needless to say that the Portland team that after winning game one gave my entire section the finger was on a long ride home back to Maine. Today in the paper if also saw that Portland’s classy coach was caught for DUI yesterday in south Maine.