There are many factors that determine who is most suited to fill the role of team captain, but dropping the gloves is not usually a prerequisite for the position. However, Hershey Bears’ captain, Bryan Helmer’s, decision to come to the defense of a teammate fit the bill on Saturday night at Giant Center during the his team’s 3-1 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Hershey alternate captain, Boyd Kane, gave the Bears a 1-0 lead at 5:02 of the opening stanza when he lit the lamp on his patented “Kane carom” shot with the Bears in shorthanded mode.

Kane’s original bid for the shorty was repelled by Pens’ netminder, John Curry, but the bid then bounced off the body of his own defenseman, Jon D’Aversa, with the puck eventually finding a soft landing behind Curry.

Early in the second period, with Hershey still enjoying their one-goal lead, Helmer stepped up to the plate against Tim Wallace after Wallace had laid a questionable hit on Bear’s rookie forward, Trevor Bruess.

Just because I have a “C” on my shirt doesn’t mean anything, I would had did the same thing,” said 37-year-old Helmer, who stood up for 23-year-old Bruess. “I don’t do it too often, but when it happens it happens. I think Frenchie said it best when he said the youngest guy got hit and the oldest guy stood up for him, and when you can do something like that, it’s a good feeling.”

Bruess contributed to the Bears’ cause later in the period when he assisted on Karl Alzner’s 1^st goal of the season, picking up his first professional point in the process.

“Alzner made a beautiful shot to put that puck over the goalie’s shoulder,” said Bruess. “I’ve got two guys on my line (Pinizzotto and Joudrey), who really like to work hard and forecheck, and we controlled the play on that shift for a long time and had them down to them only having three sticks between the five skaters.”

Long-time Hershey nemesis, Jesse Boulerice, made it a 2-1 game 9:54 into the third period, netting his first goal of the season, after converting an odd-man rush.

Chocolatetown’s ironman, Kyle Wilson, who has appeared in each of the Bears’ games this year and during the previous two seasons, killed any hope of a Penguins’ comeback when he tallied the final goal of the game at 13:28, breaking a five-week goal-scoring drought.

“Obviously some frustration sets in when things like that happen, but you learn over your long career that you go in slumps, and then you get in peaks; hopefully this is the start of a peak,” said Wilson.

If the rest of the team follows their captain’s example of dedication and of doing whatever is necessary to secure the victory, the Bears should be poised for another successful run.

“What a captain he is; he’s a great leader to go along with being a great guy. I would do the same for him,” said Bruess of Helmer. “It’s an awesome feeling to have a guy step up for you when you need it.”