After falling precipitously to sixth place in 1959-60, Mathers' Bears then finished second in the Eastern Division for five consecutive seasons (1961-66). During that five-year span five more key players would also join the club who would each stay from anywhere from seven to nine seasons -- defensemen Barry Ashbee (1962-70) and Ralph Keller (1963-72), and forwards Roger DeJordy (1962-70), Michel Harvey (1963-71) and Gil Gilbert (1965-72). Together they would eventually account for 2,654 games played, 710 goals, 1,251 assists, and 1,961 points as Bears!
In 1966-67, these five and league MVP Mike Nykoluk all helped the Bears finally win their Division's regular season title again for the first time since 1957-58 with 86 points on a 38-24-10 record behind the goaltending of First Team All Star Andre Gill and a league-leading 52 goals by left wing DeJordy -- most of which were set up by Nykoluk. A fourth Cup title was not to follow just yet, however, as the Bears were knocked off in the first round of the 1967 play-offs by the Western Division champion Pittsburgh Hornets.
The Bears suffered a similar fate at the hands of the eventual Cup champion Rochester Americans the next season, but after a decade's absence Hershey finally captured its fourth Calder Cup crown in 1968-69 by defeating the Flyers' then AHL farm club, the Quebec Aces, four-games-to-one. Center Gil Gilbert led the league in scoring that season with 100 points (35 goals, 65 assists) with teammate Michel Harvey close behind at 93 as the Bears also won their third consecutive Eastern Divisional title. That season also saw Frank Mathers add the duties of GM to his portfolio with the retirement of Lloyd Blinco from that post.
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