The result on the ice took a backseat to the concern for Bears forward Kale Kessy, who was hurt during a fight with Derek Sheppard and had to be stretchered off the ice and transported to a local medical facility, where he was thankfully alert and in stable condition.
Following the fight, which occurred with 8:30 left in the second, both teams returned to their respective rooms. After an extended delay, it was ultimately decided that the game would be completed and would resume from that point.
The Checkers stayed within striking distance for the opening period, evening the score with a Morgan Geekie tally on the power play before the Bears edged back ahead just before the first intermission.
Things fell apart for Charlotte after the first 20 minutes, though. The Bears knocked in two more to extend the advantage before the injury delay and never looked back, racking up six goals on their 30 shots against Charlotte netminder Jeremy Helvig.
The visiting offense had no answer for Hershey’s strong attack, and the Bears cruised to a 6-1 victory on their home ice.
