SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds (4-5-2-1) were unsuccessful in carrying over momentum from the night before, falling 5-1 to the Hershey Bears (7-5-0-0) on Saturday night inside the MassMutual Center.

After a pedestrian showing a night ago, the visiting Bears, unsurprisingly, had a strong push in the opening 20 minutes, putting 17 shots at Springfield goaltender Will Cranley, with the T-Birds' backstop making answers 16 times, including a pair of point-blank denials on Jonny Brodzinski and Theodor Niederbach on back-to-back opportunities. 

The only time Hershey dented Cranley came on a 5-on-3, set up by two Springfield penalties less than a minute apart. Brodzinski slid a perfect diagonal pass to the right circle, where second-year pro Andrew Cristall one-timed it through Cranley’s five-hole for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 Bears lead at 14:26.

Mitch Gibson got the start in the Hershey crease, where much of the pressure he faced came in the opening half of play. Chris Wagner and Otto Stenberg each found themselves with their point blank chances, with Gibson making a pair of pad-flashing stops. The T-Birds got one power play of their own in the first, but could not find the twine. 

Hershey picked up right where they left off as the second period got underway. Longtime AHL enforcer and former Springfield Falcon Dalton Smith provided the next punch in the goal column, crashing the net front and putting a backhander over Cranley's glove to make it 2-0 just 1:13 into the second.

The Bears' defense was unyielding, as the T-Birds did not have a single shot for the first nine minutes of the second. Springfield drew two power play opportunities, but the Hershey penalty kill kept Gibson from having to face much in the way of shots. Unlike an evening earlier, the Bears did not allow any pushback in the second, and the 2-0 score carried into the third.

Springfield's power play struggles continued early in the third, and things were made worse when Petr Sikora beat Cranley on a shorthanded 2-on-1 to extend Hershey's lead to 3-0 at 3:05.

Brodzinski's continued success against Springfield came to the forefront when he connected on a snapper in the slot at 9:17, making it 4-0 on his fourth point of the weekend. 

Zach Dean finally ended Gibson's shutout bid on a forehand roof shot in close at 10:41, but the Bears never looked back. With Cranley pulled for an extra skater during 4-on-4 action, Ryan Chesley sailed a loose puck into the empty net at 14:15, and Sikora added his second of the period for good measure at 18:15 to round out the Bears' offensive explosion.

The T-Birds wrap up the five-game homestand on Tuesday morning at 10:35 for the annual School Day Game against their Braman I-91 rivals, the Hartford Wolf Pack.

2026-27 T-Birds season memberships and individual game tickets are on sale now. Reserve your seats at SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or call (413) 739-GOAL (4625).