MANCHESTER — Against a veteran team like the Hershey Bears, one good period of hockey just isn't enough.

The Manchester Monarchs fell, 2-1, to the Bears in front of 8,973 fans at Verizon Wireless Arena Saturday night. The Monarchs have lost three straight, dropped to 28-24-2 and will try to salvage the weekend as they host Adirondack today at 3 p.m.

Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, Manchester put on a big effort in the final frame but could not net the equalizer and overcome the sloppy start.

“Effort was there in the third period. We had more than two dozen turnovers in the first two periods. There was a lot of reaching and batting at pucks,” Manchester head coach Mark Morris said. “You've got to skate if you're going to score goals. You're going to have to skate if you want to control the puck.”

The strong third period featured some solid scoring opportunities for Manchester, but Hershey goalie Braden Holtby was sharp.

Monarchs rookie Alex Hudson had the best chance late, getting off a good wrist shot all alone in the slot with 6:42 remaining. But Holtby swallowed up the puck with a flash of his catching glove to preserve the lead and eventually the win.

“It was definitely a big save by him,” Hudson said. “I saw that puck squirt out to the high slot and I just wanted to get a good shot on net and put it up in the corner. But he made a good save.”

Traling 1-0, the Bears tied the game with a power-play goal at 3:16 of the second period. Patrick McNeill's cross-ice pass from the high left side was one-timed past Martin Jones by Ryan Potulny with a slap shot from the right circle.

The power play chance came on a controversial penalty to Richard Clune for unsportsmanlike conduct. It wasn't clear what the infraction was, but Hershey's Tomas Kondratek fell to the ice as though he'd been decked.

“Wow,” Morris said of the officiating. “That's all I'm going to say.”

Hershey took a 2-1 lead at 8:22 of the second, striking on the power play again. Chris Bourque (son of Boston Bruins legend Ray) set up the goal with a no-look pass from the top of the right circle. Potulny snapped off a quick shot from deep on the right side to beat Jones low inside the near post.

The Monarchs started strong, taking a 1-0 lead 1:08 into the game on a Justin Azevedo goal. Patrick Mullen chipped the puck toward the net from high on the left side and Azevedo stretched out to get his stick on it and deflect it past Holtby for the goal.

But that would be the only one to elude Holtby, who made 33 saves on the night and wasn't tested with many rebounds or second chances.

“We played a lot of poke-and-go hockey. It was a lot of one and done. There was not a whole lot of second and third effort,” Morris said. “Too much circling. Too many shortcuts.”

NOTES: A veteran of 497 NHL games, Trent Hunter cleared waivers and is on his way to Manchester from Los Angeles. Hunter had two goals and five assists in 38 games with the Kings this year…Former University of New Hampshire standout Jacob Micflikier assisted on Hershey's second goal. Micflikier is having a stellar season with 21 goals and 34 assists in 51 games.