The Hershey Bears host the Springfield Thunderbirds in the first of a pair of games this weekend tonight at GIANT Center.
Hershey Bears (7-3-1-0) vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (4-7-0-0)
Nov. 9, 2024 | 7 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Patrick Hanrahan (52), Mason Riley (79)
Linespersons: Tommy George (61), Richard Jondo (55)
Tonight's Promotions:
Pepsi Reversible Bucket Hat Night - The first 6,000 fans in attendance will receive a reversible Bears bucket hat, courtesy of Pepsi.
BUY TICKETS NOW VIA TICKETMASTER
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, SportsRadio 98.9-FM & WOYK 1350-AM, In-Arena on 88.9 FM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears faced the Charlotte Checkers last Sunday, and after falling behind 1-0, Hershey took a 3-1 lead thanks to a pair of goals from Ethen Frank and a tally by Henrik Rybinski. After Charlotte rallied to force overtime, Pierrick Dube netted the shootout-winning goal to give the Bears a 4-3 win. Springfield is coming off a Wednesday morning home win over Bridgeport that saw the Thunderbirds overcome a 3-0 deficit after the first period. Matthew Peca assisted on Nikita Alexandrov's goal in the second period to spark a three-goal run that drew Springfield level, then he scored the game-winner midway through the third period en route to a 5-3 win.
BOOTLAND AND WELLAR TO RUN BENCH:
As announced on Monday, Bears head coach Todd Nelson is away from the team for family reasons; assistant coaches Nick Bootland and Patrick Wellar will oversee the Hershey bench in Nelson's absence. The AHL considers any games won or lost as part of Nelson's record; his next win will be his 105th with the Chocolate and White, and will give him sole possession for 10th in club history, passing Spencer Carbery and Gary Inness.
FRANK'S FURY:
Ethen Frank is tied with Calgary's Rory Kerins for the league goal-scoring lead, after tallying a blistering nine goals through 11 games. Hershey has posted a record of 5-0-0-0 this season when Frank has scored a goal. The third-year pro also had the first penalty shot attempt of his career on Saturday in the third period against Charlotte, but failed to score on Ken Appleby. Frank's 13 points are tied for second in league scoring with Rochester's Isak Rosen and San Diego's Jansen Harkins.
'MIRO' CRACKS THE HOCKEY NEWS' TOP 100 21-AND-UNDER LIST:
Ivan Miroshnichenko was recently featured in The Hockey News as No. 54 on the publication's list of the Top 100 21-and-under players. Also of note are the Chicago Blackhawks' Connor Bedard taking the No. 1 spot, along with fellow Capitals prospect and Boston College forward Ryan Leonard, ranked No. 12, and Springfield rookie forward Dalibor Dvorsky, ranked No. 47.
SPRINGFIELD SHOWDOWN:
This weekend's pair of games against the Thunderbirds marks Springfield's lone visit to Hershey this season. The Bears previously overcame a 2-0 deficit on Oct. 26 at MassMutual Center for an eventual 6-2 victory over their Atlantic Division foe, as Chase Priskie and Alex Limoges scored twice and Mitch Gibson made 26 saves. Hershey will journey back to Massachusetts later this season for a final encounter with the Thunderbirds on March 19. Springfield's Dalibor Dvorsky has scored a goal in each of his last four games. Hershey has won 11 straight home games against Springfield dating back to the 2018-19 season.
BEARS BITES:
Alex Limoges leads the league with six power-play assists, and is second with seven power-play points...Hunter Shepard ranks second among goaltenders with six wins and third in saves with 217...Hershey is averaging the fifth-fewest penalty minutes per game at 10.36...The Bears possess a power play unit that ranks fourth on home ice (9-for-33, 27.3%) and fourth overall (13-for-53, 24.5%).
ON THIS DATE:
Nov. 9, 1985 - Carl Mokosak recorded the first hat trick of his professional career and an assist as the Bears concluded a franchise-record eight-game homestand with a 7-3 win over the New Haven Nighthawks in front of 5,261 at Hersheypark Arena. Hershey began the stretch of games at home on Oct. 19 with a 5-1 victory over the St. Catharines Saints, and ultimately went 7-0-1 over that span.
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