The Hershey Bears begin the final third of their 2024-25 schedule tonight when they face the Charlotte Checkers tonight at Bojangles Coliseum in the first of two weekend meetings to close out the regular-season series with their Atlantic Division foe.
Hershey Bears (30-13-5-0) at Charlotte Checkers (27-14-3-2)
Feb. 22, 2025 | 4 p.m. | Bojangles Coliseum
Referees: Stephen Hiff (46), James Kraft (89)
Linespersons: Luke Pye (42), Jake Rennert (10)
Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, and Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman on the call
TELEVISION: Antenna TV (WPMT FOX 43.2, Xfinity Ch. 247 and 1178, Verizon FiOS Ch. 463, Blue Ridge Ephrata Ch. 91, and Blue Ridge Newberry/Duncannon Ch. 88)
RADIO: WFVY-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, SportsRadio 98.9-FM & WOYK 1350-AM (joined in-progress)
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 3:30 p.m.; television coverage begins at 4 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears battled back for a thrilling overtime win at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last Saturday, as Chase Priskie scored with under 13 seconds remaining in regulation and goaltender Clay Stevenson pulled for an extra skater. Hendrix Lapierre then scored his second goal of the season in sudden death to lift Hershey to a 4-3 victory. The Checkers also needed a rally for a 4-3 overtime victory in their last game against the Hartford Wolf Pack on Sunday, overcoming a 3-2 deficit with John Leonard tying the score with 30 seconds left in the third period. Kyle Criscuolo then scored the game-winner in overtime for Charlotte.
SEASON'S FINAL THIRD ABOUT TO BEGIN:
At the 48-game mark, the Bears sit atop the Atlantic Division as Hershey enters the final third of the 2024-25 season. Hershey has played 27 of its first 48 games at home, meaning its final 24 games will feature a heavily-loaded road slate, including this weekend's pair of games and a franchise-record 10-game road trip in the month of March; Hershey happens to boast a league-leading .810 road points percentage thanks to a 15-2-4-0 record away from GIANT Center. Last season, the Bears went 16-5-0-3 over their final 24 games, and the club posted a record of 14-7-0-3 in its final third of the 2022-23 campaign.
TIME TO TIGHTEN UP:
Hershey enters tonight looking to snap a streak of surrendering three or more goals in 10 consecutive games. While they own a 6-2-2-0 record in that span, they have allowed 43 goals in this stretch, an average of 4.30 goals per game. Hershey has allowed 3.06 goals per game over the course of the season, a mark that is 16th in the league. Prior to the recent 10-game stretch, the Bears were permitting just 2.16 goals per game, a mark that was first in the AHL in mid-January. The Checkers enter tonight's game scoring an average of 3.33 goals per game, good for eighth in the league, and a home power play unit that is converting at a league-leading 26.1% (24-for-92) of its chances.
MILESTONE MEN:
Four Bears enter tonight in position to reach various games-played milestones in their next contest. Brad Hunt is on the cusp of 700 pro games (288 NHL, 411 AHL); Chase Priskie is one game away from 300 pro games (4 NHL, 295 AHL); Alex Limoges is one game away from his 100th as a Bear; Jon McDonald's next game will mark his 100th pro contest (13 AHL, 86 ECHL). Garrett Roe is also two games away from his 200th career AHL contest.
LIMOGES LEADING THE WAY:
Alex Limoges has found the net seven times in his last dozen games played, including in both of Hershey's previous games at Charlotte on Jan. 10 and 11. The forward leads Hershey in scoring against the Checkers with five points (2g, 3a) in four contests; Limoges missed Hershey's Dec. 14 home contest with an upper-body injury. The Winchester, Virginia native is two points away from his 200th professional/AHL point.
CHALLENGING THE CHECKERS:
Hershey's visit to Charlotte this weekend sees the Bears face the Checkers for the final two meetings of the season. Each team has earned three wins apiece through the first six games, with Charlotte owning a slight edge due to points earned in overtime and shootout losses. The Bears took both of their previous games at Bojangles Coliseum in January; Hershey has posted a 6-2-1-1 record at Charlotte during the Todd Nelson era.
RIVER RAT REDUX:
The Checkers are hosting their first-ever "What If? Night," which will see the team rebranded for the evening as the Charlotte River Rats, paying homage to the AHL franchise's identity in Albany, New York before it relocated to Charlotte before the 2010-11 season. The Albany River Rats franchise existed from 1993-2010 and won the Calder Cup in 1995 when the club was affiliated with the New Jersey Devils, and featured current Bears vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer on its roster, along with current Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear. The River Rats shifted their affiliation to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 before the franchise was purchased by Michael Kahn and relocated to North Carolina in 2010. In 94 regular-season contests, Hershey owned a lifetime record of 55-35-1-2-1 against the River Rats, and also won both of its playoff series against Albany: a 4-1 series win of the East Division Semifinals in 2007 and a 4-0 sweep of the East Division Finals in 2010.
PAGING PULJUJARVI:
Jesse Puljujarvi - a veteran of 382 major league games - had his NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins mutually terminated earlier this month, and the veteran forward subsequently joined the Checkers on a Professional Tryout Agreement on February 10. The former fourth overall pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 NHL Draft took the ice for his first practice with Charlotte last Tuesday, and has appeared in two games already with his new club, dishing out a pair of assists. Puljujarvi has been held scoreless in two career games against Hershey.
BEARS BITES:
Hershey leads the AHL in victories in games decided by one goal (20). Four of Hershey's six games against Charlotte this season have been decided by one goal...Mike Vecchione's next assist will mark his 100th career helper as a Bear...Hunter Shepard is tied for the league lead with 18 wins, and his next victory will mark his 74th career win with Hershey, tying him with Braden Holtby for eighth in franchise history...Garrett Roe is two points away from his 100th career AHL point and is celebrating his 37th birthday today.
ON THIS DATE:
Feb. 22, 1985 - Rookie goaltender Cleon Daskalakis made 57 saves for the Bears in a 3-3 tie at New Haven, establishing a still-standing club record for saves by a goaltender in a regular-season game including overtime. Daskalakis' performance against the Nighthawks came as New Haven outshot Hershey 60-20 for the game, including 24-3 in the third and 6-0 in the overtime frame. Len Hachborn assisted on all three of the goals scored by the Bears.
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