HERSHEY, PA. -- Hockey tradition says a captain shouldn't touch a trophy until he's handed the one they give out after the last game of the season -- and that teams shouldn't celebrate a series victory until they've actually put that last win in the bank.For the Hershey Bears, Sunday's 2-1 win over the Manitoba Moose in the Calder Cup Final was so uplifting they decided to flaunt tradition and whooped it up on the ice after a Game 4 win like they'd just secured the 10th AHL title in their fabled franchise's history.

Just a minute, fellas, we understand your excitement and the future is bright enough to require shades but there is a little matter of a fourth win in this best-of-seven series.

Sure, being up 3-1 with the next game scheduled for your barn is a nice situation to be in. Kind of like hanging in a hot tub with two or three supermodels and no one else. Like, what could go wrong man?

So the touchdown dance is understandable. But poking your opponent in the eye with a stick is never a good idea. Especially when said opponent is on one knee and trying to decide whether getting up is worth the trouble. Maybe, just maybe, the premature partying is enough to give the other side a reason to fight.

Now let's be clear about Manitoba's chances of getting back in this series. They're not very good. In fact, only three teams in the 72 years of Calder Cup history have ever bounced back from a 3-1 deficit. And the last time it happened was in 1949.

It should be noted it was a Hershey Bears team that coughed up that lead to the Providence Reds.

So the Moose are in the glue. Deep glue. Sticky glue. Bad glue. Can it be done? Well, yeah. But your dad also told you there was a Santa Claus and a tooth fairy and an Easter Bunny and those of us over 10 know how that turned out.

The scene around the Moose dressing room on Sunday was absolutely blue. Ever pet a big dog that's growling? You stick out your hand real slow and just hope one of your fingers doesn't turn into Brutus's next chew toy. That's what it was like asking questions about the precarious state of the club's future as the players and coaches shuffled out of the dressing room after a loss that fits snugly under the heading of demoralizing.

"I'd tell them they don't know anything about hockey," came the measured reply from Moose captain Mike Keane after being asked how he'd respond to someone saying his team is finished. "We need one more win to get this thing back to Winnipeg. That's what we came down here and wanted from these three games. We had our chances in this game and when the two best teams in the league play against each other the room for error is very small. Anything can happen. We have to worry about Tuesday night and make sure we're ready to play."

Moose coach Scott Arniel says the next step for his team is real simple.

"It's all about getting back to Winnipeg and still having a game to play. Finding a way to win on Tuesday. To get to Game 6. Finding a way to get back to our building," said Arniel, who except for having his tie a little askew looked relaxed and poised. If being in a hole bothers the third-year coach, he sure isn't showing it.

"We have to put this behind us and clear our minds and look forward to Tuesday and what we need to do to beat the Bears."

Manitoba goalie Cory Schneider scoffed at the notion that his team would roll over and give the Bears a free pass to the party they so desperately want to hold on their home ice.

"I won't quit until they hand out that trophy. And neither will the rest of us. We haven't played our best game yet in this series," said Schneider.

"Tuesday night would be a good time for it. We know where we are and what we're facing. I think we'll come out and be desperate on Tuesday and I like our chances in that kind of situation."

So there's another hockey game on Tuesday night. And maybe the Bears will get to celebrate for real in front of their fans and enjoy a night they'll never forget. Or maybe they'll go home and pack their toothbrushes for a trip back to Winnipeg and a Game 6. Who knows.

But you have to get to four before they hand out the trophy. And no one's there yet.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 8, 2009 C5