The Hershey Bears host the Springfield Thunderbirds for the second straight day at GIANT Center. Today's game is Hometown Heroes, as the Bears will honor military and veterans.
Hershey Bears (8-3-1-0) vs. Springfield Thunderbirds (4-8-0-0)
Nov. 10, 2024 | 3 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Casey Terreri (75), John Lindner (92)
Linespersons: Patrick Dapuzzo (57), John Rey (16)
Tonight's Promotions:
Hometown Heroes: Seats For Soldiers and Veterans - Military themed activities and recognition throughout the evening. Plus, players will be wearing Hometown Heroes themed jerseys that will be auctioned off in February.
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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, 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 2:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears scored three straight goals to rally from a 2-0 deficit on their way to a 3-2 win over the Springfield Thunderbirds last night at GIANT Center. Down 2-0, Hershey forward Brennan Saulnier scored his first goal as a Bear at 4:17 of the second period, and Henrik Rybinski knotted the game at 7:30 of the middle frame. In the third period, Hershey defenseman Ethan Bear netted the game-winning tally on a wrap-around at 16:33. Hunter Shepard stopped 23 shots to earn the win in goal, and both teams went 0-for-2 on the power play.
THE SPRINGFIELD STREAK:
With the victory last night, Hershey has won 12 straight home games against Springfield dating back to the 2018-19 season. The last time the Thunderbirds defeated the Bears at GIANT Center was on Dec. 1, 2018, a 4-2 decision for the visitors. Hershey got two goals from Nathan Walker in the loss as Anthony Greco struck twice for the T-Birds. Since then, Hershey has outscored the T-Birds 47-23 in the dozen consecutive wins.
BIG GAME FOR BEAR:
Defender Ethan Bear appeared in his 100th American Hockey League game last night, and the rearguard celebrated the occasion by scoring his first AHL game-winning goal since he tallied the deciding marker for the Bakersfield Condors in a 4-3 overtime win at Iowa on Jan. 19, 2018. Bear now has points in back-to-back games (1g, 1a), and points in five of his last six outings (1g, 4a). He has scored 55 points (14g, 41a) in his AHL tenure.
STEVENSON RETURNS:
Goaltender Clay Stevenson is back for the Bears after an upper-body injury forced him to miss six games. The netminder dressed as Hunter Shepard's backup last night, and with the early start time today, he is likely to make his first appearance since Oct. 19, a 4-3 overtime loss to Chicago. Stevenson went 24-10-2 in 36 games last year in his rookie season, recording a 2.06-goals against average, the second best mark in the AHL. He tied a team record with seven shutouts, and shared the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award with Shepard.
BOOTLAND AND WELLAR RUN THE 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; so Hershey's win last night was Nelson's 105th with the Chocolate and White, giving him sole possession for 10th in club history, passing Spencer Carbery and Gary Inness.
BEARS BITES:
Ivan Miroshnichenko had two assists last night to register his fourth multi-point game of the season. His 13 points rank him tied for third in the league in scoring with teammate Ethen Frank and two others...Forward Bogdan Trineyev missed last night's game with an upper-body injury for Hershey...Hunter Shepard made his 88th career appearance with Hershey last night, moving into a tie with Dany Sabourin for 23rd in franchise history. Shepard ranks second in the AHL in minutes played (540:29), trailing only Calgary's Devin Cooley (555:41). Shepard and Cooley are tied for first in the AHL in wins (7)...Forward Henrik Rybinski enters today's game with points in three straight contests (2g, 1a)...Hershey lost forward Mike Sgarbossa via a recall to Washington yesterday afternoon. Sgarbossa had a goal and an assist in Washington's 8-1 win at St. Louis last night.
ON THIS DATE:
Nov. 10, 1956 - Bears legends Arnie Kullman and Willie Marshall each pot three goals in a 7-3 victory over the Rochester Americans at Hershey Sports Arena. Marshall's hat trick is his first of what would eventually be a franchise-record 12, and the forward also collects the eventual game-winner, the first of his 33 career game-winners for the Chocolate and White.