Game Preview: Bears vs. Penguins, 7 p.m.

November 22, 2023

The Hershey Bears look to head into the Thanksgiving holiday on a high note, with a win against their division rivals, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton have already met four times this season, with the Bears owning a 2-2-0-0 record against the Penguins.

Hershey Bears (12-4-0-0) vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (8-5-2-0)
November 22, 2023 | 7 p.m. | Game 17 | GIANT Center
Referees: Alex Lepkowski (74), Patrick Hanrahan (52)
Linespersons: Tommy George (61), Bob Goodman (90)

Tonight's Promotions: 

• Canteen Vending Turkey Shoot Night - All fans in attendance are welcome onto the ice post-game to take part in the Canteen Vending Turkey Shoot

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Broadcast Information 
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, former Bears captain Garrett Mitchell, FOX43 sports director Todd Sadowski 
TELEVISION: FOX43
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
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m., FOX43 coverage starts at 7 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears completed a sweep of a perfect 3-0-0-0 week on Sunday at Bridgeport with a 4-0 win over the Islanders. Mike Vecchione scored the eventual game-winning goal at 4:45 of the first period, and rookie netminder Clay Stevenson made 25 saves to earn his league-leading third shutout of the season. Ethen Frank, Riley Sutter, and Pierrick Dube also scored to pad Hershey's lead. The Penguins are coming off a 2-1 road win at Providence on Saturday, in which Alex Nylander returned to the lineup and scored the opening goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the first period, and Justin Addamo scored the game-winner midway through the second frame to give the Penguins the edge. Joel Blomqvist finished with 29 saves for the Penguins.

TURKEY TALK: 
Tonight marks the first Thanksgiving Eve game the Bears have hosted since the 2021-22 season, when Hershey defeated the Providence Bruins in a 4-3 overtime decision. The first instance of the Bears hosting such a game came in 1961. Since then, Hershey has hosted a total of 55 games the day prior to Thanksgiving, with the longest run of games in consecutive seasons being a 31-year stretch from 1987-2017. Hershey owns a lifetime record of 28-20-4-2-1 in home games played on Thanksgiving Eve.

PENGUIN PATROL: 
Joe Snively leads the Bears in scoring against the Penguins this season with six points (4g, 2a) in four games. Linemates Jimmy Huntington and Alex Limoges trail close behind with five points apiece. Goaltender Hunter Shepard has been in between the pipes for Hershey in both of its wins against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, sporting a 2-1-0 record in three total outings with a 2.30 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage. Several skaters share the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team lead for points against Hershey with three, while Joel Blomqvist has gone 2-0-1 against the Bears with a 2.66 GAA and a .877 save percentage. Hershey is 3-for-12 (25%) with the man advantage against the Penguins, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has gone 4-for-14 (28.6%) on the power play against Hershey.

BEARS BITES:
Bears forward Mike Sgarbossa entered the week with a share of the American Hockey League's assist lead, collecting 14 assists through his first 16 games of the season...Riley Sutter has three points (1g, 2a) in his last two games...Matt Strome has assists in his last two games...Hunter Shepard has won two straight games...Defenseman Aaron Ness is three points away from passing Patrick McNeill (152 points) for eighth all-time in Bears scoring among blueliners...Jimmy Huntington's next point will the 100th of his professional career.

ON THIS DATE:
Nov. 22, 1961 - The Bears hosted their first-ever game on Thanksgiving Eve, a 2-1 victory earned in overtime against the Quebec Aces in front of a crowd of 6,077 at Hersheypark Arena. Veteran forward Parker MacDonald, acquired in a swap with the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, made his Bears debut by scoring at 4:38 of the first period, then added the game-winner at 5:24 of the overtime period to seal the game for Hershey, while goaltender Bob Perreault was credited with 36 saves. The win gave Hershey its ninth consecutive win on home ice, setting a since-broken club record.