Andrew Cristall scored a pair of goals as the Hershey Bears finished a two-game sweep of the Bridgeport Islanders with a 5-2 win at Giant Center on Thursday night.
Hershey advances to face either Providence or Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the division semifinals.
Sam Bitten’s goal with 9:05 left in the second period broke a 1-1 tie and put the Bears ahead to stay. Cristall upped the lead to 3-1 less than two minutes later, and Sonny Milano and Bogdan Trineyev added empty-netters to seal the Bears’ 10th series win in their last 11 tries. It was also Hershey’s first win in a best-of-three series since defeating the Providence Reds in 1964.
Clay Stevenson (2-0) stopped 22 shots in the win for Hershey.
Matt Luff and Calum Ritchie scored for the Islanders in what would prove to be the franchise’s final game in Bridgeport. New York is relocating its AHL affiliate to Hamilton, Ont., in the fall.
(Hershey wins series, 2-0)
Game 1 – Tue., Apr. 21 – Hershey 2, BRIDGEPORT 0
Game 2 – Thu., Apr. 23 – HERSHEY 5, Bridgeport 2
