Game Preview: Bears vs. Phantoms, 5 p.m.

March 2, 2025

The Hershey Bears host Hersheypark Pass Night this evening as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms come to town for a Keystone State duel. Hershey owns a 3-2-1-0 record versus the Phantoms this season. 

Hershey Bears (32-14-5-0) vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms (28-20-5-2)
March 2, 2025 | 5 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Mathieu Menniti (30), Ben Betker (70)
Linespersons: Patrick Dapuzzo (57), J.P. Waleski (14)

Tonight's Promotions:

Hersheypark Pass Night -  All fans will receive a 2025 Hersheypark Ticket, valid for one-day admission through June 30, 2025.

Hersheypark Night - Hockey + roller coasters... a perfect combination! Join us as we welcome your favorite Hersheypark characters to the rink. 

Throwback Jersey Auction - Players will be wearing Throwback themed jerseys that will be auctioned off post-game.

BUY TICKETS NOW VIA TICKETMASTER

Broadcast Information 
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, former Bears captain Garrett Mitchell, and FOX43 sports director Todd Sadowski 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, Capitals Radio, 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.; television coverage begins at 5 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears returned home to GIANT Center for the first time since Feb. 11 last night, posting a 5-4 overtime victory versus the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hershey trailed 3-0 and 4-3 in the game, but rallied to tie the score thanks to a pair of goals from Ivan Miroshnichenko, and tallies from Mike Vecchione and Pierrick Dube. In overtime, Dube scored his second of the game at 2:08 to secure Hershey the win and the extra point. The Phantoms earned a win on home ice last night over the struggling Bridgeport Islanders by a 5-3 score. Olle Lycksell had three points (2g, 1a) for the Phantoms, and goaltender Cal Petersen, who had not played since Jan. 15 due to injury, returned to the net to earn the win with 24 saves. 

HEAD-TO-HEAD VS. LEHIGH:
Tonight marks the seventh of 10 meetings between Hershey and Lehigh Valley this season, however today's contest is the first head-to-head game since the Phantoms earned a 5-4 win at GIANT Center on Jan. 7. The Bears are 3-2-1-0 versus Lehigh Valley this season and five of the six games have been decided by one goal. Both teams enter tonight's game having won two straight contests, and the Phantoms are 6-3-0-1 over the past 10 games while the Bears are 7-3-0-0. Lehigh Valley's Olle Lycksell comes into today's Keystone State clash with a nine-game point streak (4g, 9a), and his five points (2g, 3a) versus Hershey are tied for the most among all Lehigh Valley skaters. The Bears are paced by six points from Ethan Bear (2g, 4a) and Mike Sgarbossa (2g, 4a) in head-to-head play. The Phantoms will make one more visit to the GIANT Center this season for Hershey's regular-season finale on April 19. 

ETHAN IS EXCELLING: 
Defender Ethan Bear continued his solid season with the Bears last night, logging a pair of assists for his seventh multi-point game of the season. Additionally, the defender earned a +4 rating, the best mark of his AHL career, and it was just the third time in his professional career he has accomplished this feat, with the other two occurrences coming at the NHL level on Jan. 18, 2020 for Edmonton vs. Arizona and Dec. 27, 2022 for Vancouver vs. San Jose. Bear leads Hershey in scoring with 35 points (8g, 27a), and he is tied with Cody Franson (2021-22) for the most points by a Hershey blueliner since Aaron Ness had 55 points during the 2018-19 season. Bear's plus/minus of +26 is tied for second in the AHL, and he enters tonight with points in four of his past five games (2g, 4a). 

LET'S ROE:
If he plays tonight, Hershey forward Garrett Roe will skate in his 200th AHL contest. The 37-year-old is also two points from 100 in his AHL tenure, logging 30 goals and 68 assists in his 199 outings. Roe started his professional career in the Phantoms organization with the then Adirondack Phantoms, dressing for 129 games over two seasons from 2011-13 before enjoying great success overseas until he joined Hershey in 2023. Roe has registered five assists over his past six games for the Bears. 

HOW YOU DOIN' HENDRIX?:
Forward Hendrix Lapierre registered an assist last night to extend his point streak to five games. He's scored eight points (3g, 5a) in that stretch and has now posted 14 points (3g, 11a) in his 16 AHL games this season. Tonight marks just his second game versus Lehigh Valley this season, but over his AHL career, Lapierre has scored six points (3g, 3a) in 13 career games versus the Phantoms, and the third-year center also enjoyed a strong 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs versus Lehigh Valley with four points (2g, 2a) in four games.

BEARS BITES:
Hershey forward Mike Sgarbossa and defenseman Aaron Ness both left last night's game with upper-body injuries...In addition to Ethan Bear, Hershey defender Alex Alexeyev, down from Washington on a conditioning assignment, also posted a +4 rating last night, a feat he accomplished just once previously with Hershey on Feb. 25, 2020 versus Charlotte...Alex Limoges' next point will be the 200th of his AHL/professional career, while Mike Vecchione's next helper will be his 100th assist as a Bear...Hunter Shepard's next victory will mark his 74th career win with Hershey, tying him with Braden Holtby for eighth in franchise history...With last night's win, Hershey is tied with Texas for the most wins when trailing after the first period with 12. Last night also marked Hershey's fifth win when trailing after two periods, and the team's first win in that scenario on home ice. Laval leads the league with seven comeback wins when trailing after 40 minutes. 

ON THIS DATE:
March 2, 1939 - The Bears earned their first-ever overtime win in the regular season, as Terry Reardon tied the game against the Cleveland Barons with 58 seconds remaining in regulation and Earl Roche knocked in a Sammy McManus rebound past goaltender Moe Roberts 1:39 into the extra frame for a 4-3 victory at Hershey Sports Arena.