The Hershey Bears open their 87th regular season campaign in the American Hockey League when the 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health, gets underway tonight. Before the puck drops, the Bears will hoist their 13th Calder Cup banner to the rafters of GIANT Center, earned after claiming the 2024 Calder Cup title in a six-game series over the Coachella Valley Firebirds. Hershey will then begin its attempt to become just the second franchise in league history to seek a third straight postseason title, matching the Springfield Indians (1960, 1961, 1962).
Hershey Bears (0-0-0-0) vs. Cleveland Monsters (0-0-0-0)
Oct. 12, 2024 | 7 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Chris Rumble (65), Adam Tobias (16)
Linespersons: Shawn Oliver (56), Bill Lyons (27)
Tonight's Promotions:
PLEASE NOTE: Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:40 p.m. for the start of all pre-game ceremonies.
Home Opener Red Carpet Event - 3 p.m. marks the return of our Red Carpet event, featuring music, photo opportunities, face painting, and more. At 4 p.m., Bears players and coaches will begin to make their arrival, and fans will have the opportunity to get autographs and pictures with the team as they walk the red carpet. Pre-game fun continues inside GIANT Center with a Party on the Concourse, featuring a DJ, corn hole and Jenga games, and a kids area to make signs and get your face painted to cheer on the Bears. The Calder Cup and Richard F. Canning Trophy will be on display for photos during pre-game and first and second intermissions.
Calder Cup Banner Ceremony - Be a part of Hershey Bears history as we raise banner No. 13 to the GIANT Center rafters in a pre-game ceremony.
Mini Calder Cup Banner, presented by Highmark Blue Shield - All fans in attendance will receive a miniature 2024 Calder Cup champions banner, presented by Highmark Blue Shield.
Opening Weekend Specialty Jerseys - The Bears will wear specialty jerseys during both games against the Monsters this weekend featuring a back-to-back Calder Cup champions crest. The jerseys will be auctioned off following Sunday's game; a portion of the proceeds from the jersey auction will benefit one of several local area non-profits in conjunction with the Hershey Bears Cares charitable initiative.
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Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, former Bears captain Garrett Mitchell, and FOX43's Ryan Ye 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, In-Arena on 88.9 FM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey (special freeview via FloHockey Facebook)
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream
Radio and television pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m.
TO THE RAFTERS:
Before dropping the puck on the 2024-25 season, the Bears will celebrate their team's historic 2023-24 season with the raising of their 13th Calder Cup championship banner to the rafters of GIANT Center in a pregame ceremony, providing a fitting coda to a memorable campaign. During the regular season, Hershey set numerous franchise and league records, including the most wins (53) in a 72-game AHL regular season, and the best points percentage (.771) in a single season in franchise history. The Bears' season-opening roster contains 18 skaters and two goaltenders who played in at least one of Hershey's 20 games during the 2024 postseason.
WE MEET AGAIN:
Before advancing to the 2024 Calder Cup Finals, the Bears had to vanquish the Monsters in a memorable seven-game Eastern Conference Finals series that saw Hershey take a 3-0 series lead before Cleveland stormed back with three wins of its own, setting up a do-or-die Game 7 on June 12 at GIANT Center. After both teams traded leads, Garrett Roe netted the series-clinching goal at 7:38 of overtime to give Hershey a 3-2 victory.
HOME OPENER HISTORY:
Hershey will look to avoid the fate it suffered in last year's home opener, when after raising the 2023 Calder Cup banner, the Belleville Senators blanked the Chocolate and White by a 3-0 score. Hershey has a lifetime 40-39-4-2-1 record in the first game of the regular season, a lifetime 42-35-4-3-2 record in home openers, and a record of 10-7-3-2 in home openers at GIANT Center since the building opened its doors to start the 2002-03 season. Tonight's game will mark the seventh consecutive season that Hershey has opened the campaign on home ice, posting a 2-3-1-0 record in that span. Hershey's largest win in a season-opening game was an 11-1 victory over the Providence Reds on Oct. 15, 1967; the club's largest defeat came in an 11-0 road loss to the Cornwall Aces on Oct. 8, 1993. The Bears have a lifetime record of 506-216-10-41-48 in 821 regular-season games at GIANT Center.
POUR ME A DRAFT:
Hershey's roster boasts 16 former NHL Draft picks, including seven former selections of the NHL's Washington Capitals, most notably 2022 first-round selection Ivan Miroshnichneko, who split his rookie season in North America last year between Hershey and Washington.
NELSON CLOSING IN ON CENTURY MARK:
With 97 wins in 144 regular-season games since stepping behind the bench for Hershey before the 2022-23 season, head coach Todd Nelson is three wins away from his 100th victory with the Bears. Nelson's record of 97-33-5-9 represents the best points percentage (.722) by a head coach in franchise history. If he opens the season with a 3-0-0-0 record, he will tie Mark French for the franchise record for the fastest 100 career wins by a head coach. Nelson enters the season with 406 career victories in the AHL, good for eighth all-time, and one win behind Scott Gordon in seventh.
MONSTER MAYHEM:
Tonight's game marks the 30th regular-season contest between the Bears and Monsters since the two teams first faced each other in the 2007-08 season. In that time, Hershey has gone 17-8-0-4 against Cleveland, with a 9-3-0-3 record on home ice; the Bears have earned points in 13 consecutive games (11-0-0-2) against the Monsters and are 7-0-0-1 in the last two seasons against the Monsters under head coach Todd Nelson. After this weekend, Hershey will not face Cleveland again until a pair of games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in early March that kicks off a franchise-record 10-game road trip.
PRESEASON RECAP:
Hershey went 1-1-0-1 in preseason action, claiming its lone victory on Friday, Oct. 4 in a 4-2 victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Mike Vecchione led the way for Hershey in scoring during the exhibition slate with four points (2g, 2a). The Bears went 3-for-9 (33.3%) on the power play and 7-for-9 (77.8%) on the penalty kill. Cleveland did not participate in any preseason games.
BEARS BITES:
Aaron Ness enters his seventh season with the Bears with 29 goals, 10 of which have been game-winners; Ness is third on the franchise list for game-winning goals by defensemen, trailing only Mike Mahoney and Joe Schertzl, tied for first with 11 each...Hunter Shepard's next appearance will mark his 80th career game played for Hershey, moving him into a tie with Zach Fucale for 26th on the franchise list. His next win will be his 56th career victory for the Chocolate and White, moving him into a tie with Peter Budaj for 15th on the franchise list. His 55 career wins with the Bears are currently tied with Philipp Grubauer for 16th in franchise history...Ethen Frank is three points away from 100 in his pro career, all with the Bears...Brad Hunt is one assist away from his 200th AHL helper...Hershey was an impressive 8-0 in games decided in regular-season overtime in 2023-24...The Bears enter the campaign credited with 21,973 goals scored in the regular season...Referee Chris Rumble is the son of former Hershey defender Darren Rumble.
ON THIS DATE:
Oct. 12, 1968 - After falling at Baltimore the previous night, the Bears opened their home schedule for the 1968-69 season with a 5-3 win over the Clippers at Hershey Sports Arena. Jeannot Gilbert tallied a hat trick for Hershey to kick off a seven-game winning streak for the Bears, who went on to claim the franchise's fourth Calder Cup later that season.
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