Hershey Bears eliminated from playoffs after dramatic 10-second sequence sees Andrew Cristall miss empty net and Penguins score game-winning shorthanded goal

"With 13:53 remaining in the second period and the Bears on a power play, rookie forward Andrew Cristall missed a wide-open net after playing a give-and-go with Ivan Miroshnichenko, watching his attempt clang hard off the far post. The Penguins then took the puck the other direction, and defenseman Harrison Brunicke beat goaltender Clay Stevenson with a shot from a Gabe Klassen rebound."

""That's just how it goes sometimes," defenseman Louie Belpedio said. "Like a play like that where you think it's for sure gonna be in and it's not. I've been in that position before where it doesn't fall your way. Yeah, it's just super unfortunate. You think you're scoring on one end, they go down, they score on the other. It's just one bad thing after another.""

""Yeah, I think that's how it's been all year," King said. "It seems like we're on teams, we're putting pressure on them, we miss, we hit a post, we shoot wide, they come back the other way and put a puck in the net. Good teams like they are, they can do that. They capitalize on their chances, and they've got some guys that can put the puck in the net. Our guys will get there. They're going to be two, three years in the league, and all of a sudden they're the guys that don't give them the opportunity, or they're going to score on that.""

The Hershey Bears ended their 2025-26 season with a 4-1 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game 4 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals. Hershey fell behind 2-1 in the second period and did not recover. With 13:53 remaining in the second period and the Bears on a power play, Andrew Cristall missed a wide-open net after a give-and-go with Ivan Miroshnichenko, hitting the far post. The Penguins then scored on the other end when defenseman Harrison Brunicke beat goaltender Clay Stevenson from a Gabe Klassen rebound. The quick momentum shift was seen as a turning point, reflecting a season of missed chances and opponents capitalizing.

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