STROME STRIKES CALDER CUP WINNER AS BULLDOGS ALUMNI SHINE IN PLAYOFFS
Matthew Strome struck 1:06 into the first overtime on Monday night to lift the Hershey Bears to their second straight Calder Cup Championship & 13th in franchise history. Strome exclamation point led a group of four Bulldogs alumni in an impressive AHL playoff with fellow OHL Champions Logan Morrison, Ryan Winterton and Marian Studenic all playing with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the final.
Strome, the third captain in Bulldogs history, and key part of the Bulldogs first Robertson Cup Championship team in 2018, brought his second season with the Bears to a close igniting the over 11,000 in attendance at the Giant Center, besting Firebirds goaltender Chris Driedger to hoist the Calder Cup for a second time. Strome adds to his personal trophy case with his second Calder Cup joining the 2015 GTHL Championship, OHL Gold Cup & OHL Cup & 2018 OHL Championship.
The Bulldogs were well represented across the ice as well, as the AHL’s Western Conference Champion Coachella Valley Firebirds featured 3 Championship Alumni. Strome’s teammate on the 2018 OHL Champions Marian Studenic potted a goal in the decisive Game 6, his 4th of the AHL playoffs to go along with 7 assists for 11 points.
2022 OHL Championship teammates Ryan Winterton & Logan Morrison each made tremendous impacts on the Firebirds playoff run. Winterton struck twice in Game 6, his 6th & 7th of the playoffs finishing up with 12 points.
Former Bulldogs captain Logan Morrison, who was OHL Playoff MVP on the Bulldogs run to the 2022 Championship, also cracked double digits as a rookie in the playoffs with a goal and 10 assists to help bolster the potent Firebirds attack.