Bears, Sharks advance in Eastern Conf.

Full Playoffs Schedule

WORCESTER 5, LOWELL 1 II Atlantic Division Finals schedule
T.J. Trevelyan tallied two goals and added an assist as Worcester closed out its Atlantic Division semifinal with a 5-1 road win over Lowell on Wednesday at the Tsongas Center.

The regular-season division-champion Sharks dropped the series opener but rallied to take four straight wins and will oppose Manchester in the Atlantic Division Finals, beginning on Sunday afternoon at the DCU Center.

Benn Ferriero, who snapped a 24-game goal-scoring drought with a tally in Game 4 Tuesday night, scored twice more in this one for the Sharks, including the eventual game-winner at 13:02 of the first period.

Andrew Desjardins rounded out Worcester’s offense, and AHL All-Rookie goaltender Alex Stalock backstopped the Sharks to the victory with 33 saves on 34 shots between the pipes.

The Sharks have advanced to the division finals for the second consecutive season. Last spring, Worcester was eliminated by Providence in six games.

Nick Palmieri notched the Devils’ lone goal of the night.

HERSHEY 4, BRIDGEPORT 1 II East Division Finals schedule
Hershey built a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes and thoroughly dominated Bridgeport in a series-clinching 4-1 win over the Sound Tigers before 8,407 fans at the Giant Center on Wednesday.

The Bears advance past the first round for the fourth time in five years and will take on Albany in the East Division Finals beginning on Saturday night.

Hershey held a 13-1 advantage in shots on goal in the first period and had taken 23 of the game’s first 24 shots at one point during the second period.

Kyle Wilson paced the Bears with a goal and an assist on the night, while Alexandre Giroux and defensemen Karl Alzner and Zach Miskovic also found the back of the net.

Giroux now leads all AHL scorers with six goals and ranks second with nine points in five postseason games thus far.

Bears goaltender Michal Neuvirth collected about as easy of a victory as there is, as he only needed to make six saves on seven shots in order to improve to 3-0 this postseason. Hershey finished with a remarkable 34-7 edge in shots on goal.

Defenseman Dylan Reese buried the Sound Tigers’ lone shot of the first period, and it turned out to be Bridgeport’s only goal of the game.

The Sound Tigers, who lost to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2009, suffered a first-round elimination for the second consecutive spring.