The Hershey Bears visit the Chicago Wolves for the first of two games this weekend. This is Hershey's first visit to The Windy City since the 2005-06 season, and with a win tonight, and a Hartford regulation loss at Milwaukee, the Bears could punch their ticket to the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs.
Hershey Bears (35-15-5-1) at Chicago Wolves (30-23-3-0)
March 15, 2025 | 8 p.m. ET | Allstate Arena
Referees: Alex Lepkowski (44), Will Kelly (29)
Linespersons: Justin Johnson (57), Kirsten Welsh (10)
Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, former Bears captain Garrett Mitchell, 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), Capitals Radio (joined in-progress)
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream, Caps Radio 24/7
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 7:30 p.m. ET; Television coverage starts at 8 p.m. ET
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears continued the club's franchise-record 10-game road trip on Wednesday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, dropping a 5-4 shootout decision to the Penguins. Hershey battled back from three separate deficits, including a 2-0 hole in the first period, and the Bears got goals from Dalton Smith, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Chase Priskie, and Alex Limoges in the contest. Hershey outshot the Penguins 35-30 in the loss, and the Bears now stand at 2-0-0-1 during the club's road trip. The Wolves were in action on home ice on Thursday night versus the Manitoba Moose, and Chicago won its third straight game with a 4-3 victory. Austin Wagner scored the winner for the hosts and Dustin Tokarski earned the win in relief in net after starting goaltender Spencer Martin left with an injury in the second period.
CHANCE TO CLINCH:
Hershey has a chance tonight to become the first team in the AHL to clinch a playoff berth. The club's Magic Number is down to just four, and with a win in Chicago tonight, and a Hartford regulation loss at Milwaukee, Hershey would officially punch its ticket to the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs. The Bears have qualified for the postseason 71 times in franchise history, winning the Calder Cup a league-best 13 times, including in both 2023 and 2024. Hershey was also the first team in the AHL to clinch a playoff berth last season.
WELCOME BACK TO THE WINDY CITY:
With a set of games versus the Wolves this weekend, the Bears make the club's first visit to Rosemont, Illinois since Dec. 23, 2005, a game in which Hershey defeated Chicago 4-3 in overtime on a goal by Lawrence Nycholat. Since the Wolves joined the AHL in the 2001-02 season, Hershey has a lifetime 1-0-1-0-0 regular-season record at Chicago. The two teams also met in the 2003 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, with the Wolves winning two of three games at Allstate Arena, including taking the winner-take-all Game 5 via an overtime goal from Steve Maltais.
CHI-TOWN CONNECTIONS:
Hershey has several members of the club with connections to the Wolves, as Bears head coach Todd Nelson won the 2008 Calder Cup with the Wolves as an assistant coach, forward Spencer Smallman was part of Chicago's 2022 championship victory, and defender Brad Hunt skated in two stints with the Wolves from 2011-13 and 2016-17. Chicago's vice chairman/governor Wendell Young played with the Bears in the 1987-88 season and won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs, leading Hershey to a perfect 12-0 record in the playoffs en route to the championship.
RUNNING WITH THE WOLVES:
Hershey and Chicago met for a pair of games earlier this season at GIANT Center, with the Bears going 1-0-1-0 versus the Wolves. Chicago bested the Bears 3-2 on Oct. 19 thanks to an overtime tally from defenseman Scott Morrow. The next night, Hershey got revenge with a 5-0 shutout, thanks to 26 saves from netminder Hunter Shepard. Hershey's Ivan Miroshnichenko posted three points (1g, 2a) in the two games versus the Wolves, as did recalled winger Ethen Frank (2g, 1a), and the Bears were 3-for-6 on the power play, and held the Wolves to 0-for-8 on the man-advantage.
MIRO THE MACHINE:
With a goal in Wednesday's game at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, forward Ivan Miroshnichenko extended his career-best point streak to seven games. The 21-year-old has compiled 10 points (6g, 4a) in that stretch, and his point streak is the longest of any Bear this season. He's fired 31 shots over his last seven games, and overall this year, he ranks second on Hershey in shots with 109. His .92 points per game is also second on the Bears, only trailing Hendrix Lapierre (.95), and he's tied for second on the club in power-play goals (7) despite only playing 37 games this season. Hershey is 18-2-0-1 when Miroshnichenko records a point this season.
BEARS BITES:
Hendrix Lapierre enters tonight two points from 100 in his professional career (67 AHL, 31 NHL)...Wednesday's game was the 11th time this series Hershey has played to a 5-4 decision (8 wins, 3 losses)...Wednesday's shootout loss was Hershey's first of the season. The Bears are now 3-1 in shootouts this season, and Hershey goaltenders have stopped 15-of-16 (93.8%) of opposition attempts...A scoring change on Chase Priskie's goal Wednesday has retroactively awarded Alex Limoges an assist, giving him his eighth multi-point game this season (1g, 1a)...Both teams are stingy in allowing shots as Hershey ranks third in the league in shots against (26.23) while the Wolves are fifth (26.61) in that category.
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