Weekly Release: Bears Battle Wolf Pack, Penguins

January 16, 2024

The first-place Hershey Bears (29-7-0-2) look to get back in the win column this week with a pair of games, as Hershey closes out a three-game road trip with a visit to the Hartford Wolf Pack on Friday before quickly turning around and skating on home ice against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday.

TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Pierrick Dube (19)
Assists: Mike Sgarbossa (28)
Points: Mike Sgarbossa (35)
Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank (7)
Shorthanded Goals: Henrik Rybinski, Bogdan Trineyev (1)
Plus/Minus: Chase Priskie (+15)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (14)
GAA: Clay Stevenson (1.74)
SV%: Clay Stevenson (.935)
Only includes qualified players on active roster

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

-        Saturday, Jan. 13 - Hershey 3 at Lehigh Valley 4 (SO)
-        Monday, Jan. 15 - Hershey 1 at Bridgeport 2 (SO)

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF JAN. 15:

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF JAN. 15:

Monday, Jan. 15
Game at Bridgeport

Tuesday, Jan. 16
DAY OFF

Wednesday, Jan. 17
Private Team Event, No Public Practice

Thursday, Jan. 18
Travel to Hartford

All practices are open to the public. Practice dates and times are subject to change.

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

Friday, Jan. 19 - Hershey at Hartford Wolf Pack, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 20 - Hershey vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 7 p.m. - BUY TICKETS (limited standing-room-only tickets available)

• PSECU Knit Cap Night - The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a Calder Cup Champions knit cap, courtesy of PSECU.

Video Coverage: AHLTV; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network, Capitals Radio Network; Tickets: HersheyBears.com

All times Eastern

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

PUSH FOR 30:
After coming up short in their last two games, the Bears will hope that the third time is the charm on Friday at Hartford, as Hershey seeks to become the first team in the AHL this season to hit the 30-win mark. Should the Bears do so, they will eclipse the current franchise record for the fastest 30 wins, which was set by the 2009-10 team in the 41st game (30-9-0-2) of an 80-game schedule.

SGARBOSSA KEEPS ADDING TO POINT TOTALS:
Mike Sgarbossa is tied with Lehigh Valley's Cooper Marody for the most power-play points among Eastern Conference skaters with 16 points. Sgarbossa carries a three-game point streak (1g, 2a) into this week's slate of games; the Bears are 22-1-0-2 this season when Sgarbossa records at least a point.

BACK TO THE CONSTITUTION STATE:
Less than a week after visiting the Bridgeport Islanders, the Bears are making the drive back to Connecticut, as they get set to take on the Hartford Wolf Pack for the second time this season with a visit to XL Center on Friday. The Bears hosted Hartford on Jan. 6, in which the Wolf Pack came away with a 5-3 win and prevented Hershey from extending its win streak to 10 games. After this Friday's game, the two clubs will reconvene for a pair of games in late March. Hartford (23.7%) and Hershey (22.2%) possess the two top-ranked power-play units in the Eastern Conference.

PRICKLY PENGUINS:
Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will square off for the eighth time this season, and the first since a 4-1 home romp over the Penguins on Dec. 27. The Penguins represent over 14 percent of Hershey's remaining schedule, with the Bears slated to play Wilkes-Barre/Scranton five times over their remaining 34 games. Hershey is 5-2-0-0 this season against the Penguins, with a 3-0-0-0 record on GIANT Center ice. Joe Snively leads the Bears with 11 points (7g, 4a) in seven games against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season. Hunter Shepard has earned all five wins against the Penguins, sporting a 2.31 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in six outings. Sam Houde leads the Penguins in scoring against Hershey with five points (4g, 1a) in four games.

BEARS BITES:
The back-to-back shootout losses by the Bears last week marked the first time Hershey had dropped back-to-back decisions in the shootout since Feb. 10 and 15 of 2013, when the Bears fell 4-3 to Norfolk and 3-2 to Hamilton...Alex Limoges missed both games last week with an upper-body injury; Hershey has lost a combined 48 man-games due to injury or illness this season...Vincent Iorio's next game will be his 100th AHL/Bears game...Jimmy Huntington needs three points for 100 in his AHL career...Hershey is a league-best 22-1-0-1 when scoring first...The Bears have allowed the fewest goals against and shots against per game, at 2.16 and 26.00 respectively.