Hershey wins Calder Cup with Game 7 OT victory against Coachella Valley

PALM DESERT, Calif. -- Mike Vecchione scored at 16:19 of overtime, and the Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup by defeating the Coachella Valley Firebirds 3-2 in Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals at Acrisure Arena on Wednesday.

Vecchione sealed it when he scored during a net-front scramble, helping the Washington Capitals affiliate win the best-of-7 series and become champions of the American Hockey League, the top developmental league of the NHL.

Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre scored 3:17 apart in the second period, and Hunter Shepard made 45 saves for the Bears, who have won the Calder Cup 12 times.

Ryker Evans had a goal and an assist, and Joey Daccord made 35 saves for the Firebirds, the affiliate of the Seattle Kraken.

The home team had won each game in the series prior to Game 7.

Evans gave Coachella Valley a 1-0 lead at 4:41 of the first period with a shot from the left face-off circle after a feed from Andrew Poturalski.

Evans finished the Calder Cup Playoffs with 26 points (five goals, 21 assists) in 26 games to lead all defensemen. He was selected in the second round (No. 35) of the 2021 NHL Draft by the Kraken and was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team.

Max McCormick made it 2-0 just 24 seconds into the second when he took a cross-ice feed from Kole Lind and scored five-hole from point-blank range.

McMichael cut it to 2-1 on a power play at 13:52 at the left side of the net after a backhand pass from Joe Snively, and Lapierre tied it 2-2 at 17:09 on a redirection of Vincent Iorio's one-timer from beyond the right circle.

Shepard was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs. He went 14-6 with a 2.27 goals-against average, .914 save percentage and three shutouts in 20 games.