The Hershey Bears go toe-to-toe with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the second straight day as they look to earn another win against their rivals on Hersheypark Pass Night at GIANT Center.
Hershey Bears (16-5-3-0) vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (9-7-4-1)
Dec. 8, 2024 | 5 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Alex Lepkowski (44), Rob Hennessey (87)
Linespersons: Richard Jondo (55), Bill Lyons (27)
Tonight's Promotions:
Hersheypark Pass Night - All fans will receive a 2025 Hersheypark Ticket, valid for one-day admission through June 30, 2025.
Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, AHL Hall of Famer Mitch Lamoureux, and Jim Jones on the call
RADIO: WFVY-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, Caps Radio 24/7, In-arena on 88.9 FM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream, Caps Radio 24/7
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 4:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears and Phantoms opened the weekend set last night at the PPL Center with Hershey skating away with a 3-2 overtime victory. Hershey trailed 1-0 entering the third period, but Ethan Bear tied the score for the visitors at 12:11, however the Phantoms regained the lead on a goal by Helge Grans at 16:21. Hershey pulled netminder Clay Stevenson for an extra attacker, and with just 2.3 seconds left, Henrik Rybinski scored to tie the game, 2-2, and force overtime. In the extra session, Chase Priskie tallied the winning marker at 4:39 to give Hershey the victory.
STREAKING SGARBOSSA:
With his assist on Chase Priskie's overtime tally last night, Hershey forward Mike Sgarbossa has logged helpers in his last five outings. The seventh-year Bear has collected seven assists in the streak, and he has 17 assists in 17 games, one helper behind league-leader Vinnie Hinostroza of Milwaukee. The veteran of 591 games enters tonight's contest just five assists from 300 in his tenure.
POINT-PRODUCING PRISKIE:
Defender Chase Priskie scored the second overtime-goal in his two-year tenure with the Bears last night, and the tally was the defender's first goal that didn't come on the power play this season. Priskie has recorded points in three straight games (2g, 1a), and found the scoresheet in eight of his past nine games (4g, 4a). The defender is tied with Ethan Bear for the team's scoring lead among defenders with 13 points, and he sits two assists from 100 in his AHL career.
FACING THE PHANTOMS:
Tonight marks the fourth head-to-head meeting between these two teams over the last 23 days, with those previous three outings occurring at PPL Center. Overall, tonight is the second game between the two teams at GIANT Center this season, with the Phantoms claiming the previous outing by a 2-1 score on Oct. 30, as Jacob Gaucher, who also scored for the Phantoms last night, tallied the winning marker. Over the four games in the season series Hershey is 2-1-1-0, and the Bears are paced by Spencer Smallman's four assists.
HUNT TO HIT 400:
Should he dress this evening, defender Brad Hunt will skate in his 400th career American Hockey League game. Hunt is in his first season with Hershey and has logged nine points (2g, 7a) in 18 games, including an assist in last night's win. Over parts of nine AHL seasons, Hunt has notched 288 points (82g, 206a) for Chicago, Oklahoma City, Bakersfield, Colorado, and Hershey.
BEARS BITES:
Last night's win gave Hershey its 12th consecutive road contest with a point (10-0-2-0) to extend the franchise mark. However, Hershey is just 6-5-1-0 on home ice this season...With his goal last night, Henrik Rybinski set a new career-best in goals (6)...With two assists last night, Spencer Smallman has five multi-point games this season, and he has posted three assists over his past two games. His 11 assists in 22 games are more assists (9) than he had in 53 games last season for the Colorado Eagles...Last night's victory was Hershey's 10th win in a one-goal game, tying the Bears with Laval for the most in the league...The Bears are averaging 3.58 goals per game, a mark that ranks fourth in the AHL...Hershey and Henderson are the only teams in the AHL that are yet to score a shorthanded goal.
ON THIS DATE:
Dec. 8, 2018 - The Bears picked up a 6-3 home win over Hartford at GIANT Center. Rookie forward Garrett Pilon scored his first career American Hockey League goal, and Mike Sgarbossa and Liam O'Brien each tallied a pair. Future NHL goaltenders Ilya Samsonov and Alexandar Georgiev dueled in net, with Samsonov getting the edge with a 28-for-31 performance.
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