The Hershey Bears host Hersheypark Pass Night this evening and go for a sixth straight win on home ice as they battle the Charlotte Checkers at GIANT Center.
Hershey Bears (19-5-0-0) vs. Charlotte Checkers (11-10-0-0)
December 10, 2023 | 5 p.m. | Game 25 | GIANT Center
Referees: Riley Brace (49), Justin Kea (44)
Linespersons: Ryan Jackson (84), Shawn Oliver (56)
Tonight's Promotions:
Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, former Bears captain Garrett Mitchell, and FOX43 sports director Todd Sadowski on the call
TELEVISION: FOX43
RADIO: WFVY-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, In-Arena on 88.9 FM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 4:30 p.m., FOX43 coverage starts at 5 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears opened a five-game homestand last night at GIANT Center, securing a lopsided 6-0 victory over the Cleveland Monsters. The win was Hershey's fifth straight on home ice, and Hershey netminder Clay Stevenson earned his league-leading fourth shutout of the year with 21 saves. The Bears scored on their first three power plays of the game, with Alex Limoges connecting at 5:39 of the first period, and Ethen Frank at 9:58 of the opening stanza. Pierrick Dube added a power-play marker of his own at 2:58 of the second period for his first of two goals in the game. Mike Sgarbossa and Hendrix Lapierre also scored in the win, as Hershey improved its point streak versus Cleveland to 11 games (9-0-0-2). The Bears were 3-for-6 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. The Checkers lost 4-1 at Lehigh Valley last night, with the club's only goal coming from Jake Wise in the third period. Charlotte fired 37 shots but went 0-for-4 on the power play in the defeat. Hershey and Charlotte met last weekend for a pair of games at Bojangles' Coliseum with the Bears coming away with 4-2 and 5-2 victories.
RECORD ON THE LINE:
Tonight is Hershey's 25th game of the season, and the Bears enter the contest with a league-best 19 victories and a chance to make history. Should Hershey win tonight, the Bears will shatter the team mark for fastest 20 wins. The 2008-09 Bears team reached the 20-win plateau in their 26th game, a 3-0 victory over Norfolk on Dec. 7, 2008, to cap an 11-game winning streak.
BIG FRANK:
Hershey forward Ethen Frank earned first star honors last night with a four-point performance, striking for a goal and three assists in the victory over Cleveland. For Frank, his three assists and four points both tied career-bests, and he now sits at 12 goals, tied with Pierrick Dube for the team lead. His goal last night gave him seven strikes on the man-advantage this season, which ties him with Ontario's Samuel Fagemo as the AHL's leader in power-play goals. Frank has seven points (4g, 3a) in his last three outings, including a hat trick versus tonight's opponent, the Charlotte Checkers, last Saturday. His 22 points (12g, 10a) rank second on the team this season.
HELLO HENDRIX:
Prior to last night's game, the Washington Capitals loaned forward Hendrix Lapierre to Hershey. The 2023 Calder Cup Champion made an immediate impact for the Bears, jumping into the lineup and scoring his first goal of the season with the Chocolate and White in last night's win. Lapierre played in 11 games during his recall with the Capitals, posting three points (1g, 2a). He notched 30 points (15g, 15a) over 60 games in his rookie season last year for Hershey, and added six points (3g, 3a) in 20 playoff games.
BEARS BITES:
Hershey forward Joe Snively is set to skate in his 200th professional game tonight. Snively has played in 175 AHL games with the Bears and 24 NHL contests with the Washington Capitals...Last night's 6-0 win for Hershey was the club's largest margin of victory in a shutout win since Mar. 23, 2016, when the Bears blanked the Lehigh Valley Phantoms 8-0 at PPL Center. Dan Ellis earned the clean sheet with 21 saves in that game...Last night was also Hershey's first six-goal margin of victory in the regular season since a 7-1 win at Binghamton on Mar. 11, 2017, and Hershey's first 6-0 shutout victory since Dec. 27, 2011 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Braden Holtby)...In addition to leading the league in shutouts, Clay Stevenson tops the AHL in goals-against average (1.58) and save percentage (.938)...Last night's game was the fifth time this season Hershey has scored multiple power-play goals in a game, and the first time Hershey has struck three times on the man advantage...Charlotte forward Rasmus Asplund enters tonight with points in three straight games.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY:
December 10, 2016 - Hershey forward Chris Bourque becomes the 46th player in AHL history to record 600 regular-season points, reaching the milestone with an assist in Hershey's 6-2 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Mohegan Sun Arena. Bourque finished his AHL career with 746 points before retiring in 2022. Bourque had his number 17 retired by Hershey last January.
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