
The Hershey Bears secured a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs with a 5-1 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Key contributions came from Capitals' call-ups Ivan Miroshnichenko and Ilya Protas, marking Hershey's sixth consecutive playoff appearance.
Travis Boyd/Special to the Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK
The Washington Capitals’ AHL affiliate Hershey Bears clinched a spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs. They did so with a dominant 5-1 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday.
Ivan Miroshnichenko, Ilya Protas, and Clay Stevenson all returned after being called up by the Capitals. They helped Hershey clinch a playoff spot for the sixth consecutive season and the first under head coach Derek King.
Miroshnichenko recorded his 13th goal of the season on the power play along with an assist, while Protas finished with two assists. Protas has 64 points through 67 games, which lead all AHL rookies and rank sixth in the league. Meanwhile, Miroshnichenko now has 100 career AHL points.
Stevenson started in net a day after stopping 27 of 28 shots to help the Capitals beat Columbus. He fared even better with 32 saves on 33 shots in the Bears’ victory.
Corey Schueneman and Matt Strome, Dylan’s younger brother, also contributed with goals for Hershey. Then, in the third period, Alexander Suzdalev and Sam Bitten both recorded empty-netters to seal the win.
Unfortunately, Bogdan Trineyev suffered an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return. It’s bad enough the Bears were already missing some key players in the lineup.
With the win, Hershey improves to 31-30-6-3 and currently sits fifth in the Atlantic Division. They have two games remaining which will determine who their first-round opponent will be.
Related Headlines
The Hershey Bears clinched a playoff spot by defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 5-1.
Ivan Miroshnichenko, who scored a goal and had an assist, and Ilya Protas, who recorded two assists, were key players in the victory.
Ilya Protas has 64 points in 67 games, leading all AHL rookies and ranking sixth in the league.

Subaru vs Hyundai: A New Rivalry at the 2026 Nürburgring 24h
Pirates catcher Joey Bart surprises Braxton Ashcraft with an on-field gender reveal before his start!
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Manninger dies at 48 after being hit by a train in Salzburg.
Mike Trout becomes the first visiting player to homer in three straight games at Yankee Stadium since 2013.
NHL Playoffs 2026 begin April 18; key standings and tiebreakers explained.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.