HERSHEY, Pa. — Spencer Carbery’s return to GIANT Center came with a familiar result: a Washington Capitals win and plenty of reminders of the championship-standard program he once guided in town.
The Capitals beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 in a Monday preseason game at the home of the Hershey Bears. It was Carbery’s first time back in the building as Washington’s head coach, and the setting carried weight for both the coach and a large group of players in his lineup.
Carbery coached the Bears for three seasons from 2018 through 2021, posting a 104-50-9-8 record. His final Hershey club went 24-7-2, the best record in the AHL that season, and he received the Louis A. R. Pieri Memorial Award as the league’s outstanding coach.
“Coming back here always gives me goosebumps,” Carbery said after the game. “Whether it is arriving on the bus, flying in or walking into the building, I spent three years coaching here and really five years living in this community with my family. You see so many familiar faces.”
Former Bears fill the Capitals lineup
Washington dressed seven players with Hershey ties, and each of them saw ice time against Philadelphia. Six have lifted the Calder Cup with the Bears.
- Ethen Frank
- Ivan Miroshnichenko
- Aliaksei Protas
- Dylan McIlrath
- Clay Stevenson
- Bogdan Trineyev
- Ilya Protas
Frank, Miroshnichenko, Aliaksei Protas, McIlrath, Stevenson and Trineyev were Calder Cup winners in Hershey. Ilya Protas played for the Bears last season.
Carbery said the night resonated beyond the scoreline because of what the rink, franchise and community have meant to the players who developed there.
“A lot of the guys who played tonight have a real connection to this building, this organization and this community,” he said. “They won Calder Cups here and made it home. There are so many memories on that ice. To return and play well in front of the Hershey fans, I’m proud of the group because this meant a great deal to many people in the building.”
Another preseason stop in Hershey
Monday was Washington’s second straight preseason visit to GIANT Center and its fourth such appearance overall. The Capitals also faced the Flyers in Hershey last preseason, taking that game 5-1.
