Weekly Release: Bears Get Set to Raise Banner, Open Season

October 9, 2023

The Hershey Bears make their return to the ice this weekend to drop the puck on their 86th season in the American Hockey League. The defending Calder Cup champions get set to raise Banner No. 12 to the GIANT Center on Saturday, Oct. 14 when they clash with the Belleville Senators. Less than 24 hours later, Hershey hosts the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday, Oct. 15.

RETURNING TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Ethen Frank (30)
Assists: Mike Sgarbossa (37)
Points: Mike Sgarbossa (58)
Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank (9)
Shorthanded Goals: Henrik Rybinski, Riley Sutter (1)
Plus/Minus: Mike Sgarbossa (+19)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (20)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (2.18)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.916)
Only includes qualified players on active roster

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF OCT. 9:

Monday, Oct. 9
Day off

Tuesday, Oct. 10
Practice at 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center

Wednesday, Oct. 11
Practice at 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Thursday, Oct. 12
Practice at 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center

Friday, Oct. 13
Practice at 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center

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

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

- Saturday, Oct. 14 - Hershey vs. Belleville Senators, 7 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

• Home Opener Red Carpet Event presented by Members 1st - All fans are invited to our Opening Night Red Carpet event out front of GIANT Center. Festivities start outside the main entrance to GIANT Center at 3 p.m., with players set to hit the red carpet at 4 p.m. MORE DETAILS
• Members 1st Calder Cup Champions Mini Banner Night - The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a replica Calder Cup Mini Banner, courtesy of Members 1st Federal Credit Union.
• Calder Cup Banner Raising Ceremony - Be a part of Hershey Bears history as we raise banner No. 12 to the GIANT Center rafters forever during a pre-game ceremony.

- Sunday, Oct. 15 - Hershey vs. Cleveland Monsters, 5 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

• Hersheypark Pass Night - All fans in attendance will receive a 2024 Hersheypark Ticket, valid for one-day admission through June 30, 2024.
• 12X Calder Cup Champions Warmup Jersey Auction - Players will wear sublimated warmup jerseys prior to the games on Oct. 14 and 15 that will be auctioned off postgame to benefit local charities. MORE DETAILS ABOUT JERSEYS

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

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

OPENING NIGHT HISTORY:
Saturday's game marks the sixth consecutive season-opening game for the Bears to be played on home ice. In that time, the Bears own a 2-2-1-0 record and have won their last two consecutive season-opening contests. Last season, Hershey defeated the Utica Comets 3-1 in their home opener on Oct. 15, 2022. Forward Mike Sgarbossa has appeared in four of Hershey's last five season-openers, and has six points (2g, 4a) in season-opening games for the Bears. In 85 seasons of AHL hockey, Hershey has posted a record of 40-38-4-2-1 (.512) in its first game of the season, and a record of 42-34-4-3-2 (.547) in home-openers.

RETURNING PLAYERS:
As of Monday, the Bears' roster boasts 19 returning players who were a part of last season's Calder Cup run. Among them are forwards Mike Vecchione, Joe Snively, Mike Sgarbossa, Riley Sutter, Ethen Frank, and Hendrix Lapierre, defensemen Jake Massie, Vincent Iorio, Logan Day, Aaron Ness, and Dylan McIlrath, playoff MVP netminder Hunter Shepard, as well as playoff Black Aces Benton Maass, Michael Kim, Julian Napravnik, Henrik Rybinski, Bogdan Trineyev, Matt Strome, and Clay Stevenson. Prior to Saturday's game, the members of the Bears who were part of Hershey's 2023 Calder Cup Finals victory over the Coachella Valley Firebirds will receive their championship rings in an on-ice ceremony.

NELLY CLOSING IN ON FTOREK:
Bears bench boss Todd Nelson enters this season needing only two more wins to pass Robbie Ftorek (354) for 12th on the AHL's wins list for coaches. Nelson, 54, began his AHL head coaching tenure in 2010-11 at the helm of the Edmonton Oilers affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons, after previously winning the Calder Cup in 2008 as an assistant with the Chicago Wolves. His first captain in Oklahoma City was coincidentally former Bears captain (and current Bears vice president of hockey operations) Bryan Helmer. In his nine seasons as an AHL head coach, Nelson has compiled a record of 353-208-72 (.615) and won championships with Hershey in 2023 and Grand Rapids in 2017. A 36-win season for Nelson in the 2023-24 campaign could move him as high as eighth on the AHL's coaching wins list, passing Ftorek, Terry Reardon (362), Mark Morris (374), Randy Cunneyworth (384), and Ken Gernander (388).

PILON COULD MAKE RETURN:
The Bears could see another member of their 2023 championship squad in the house on Saturday night, as Garrett Pilon is currently on the roster of the Belleville Senators after signing an NHL contract with Ottawa on July 1. The longtime Bears forward collected 156 points (60g, 96a) in 259 regular season games for Hershey from 2018-23, and played the role of hero in Game 5 of the 2023 Finals against Coachella Valley, scoring the overtime-winner in a 1-0 victory.

STRETCH LIMO-GES:
Last Friday the Washington Capitals placed a group of players on waivers with the purpose of loaning those players to Hershey. Among that group is fourth-year pro Alex Limoges, who signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Capitals on July 3. Last season, Limoges led the AHL's Manitoba Moose in scoring with a 54-point (20g, 34a) campaign in 63 regular season games. The Winchester, Virgina native played four seasons of college hockey for the Penn State Nittany Lions from 2017-21 and ranks third all-time in program scoring. Limoges is expected to become the first Penn State alumnus to suit up for the Bears since the program returned to varsity status for the 2012-13 season.

AUBÉ-KUBEL BRINGS CUP EXPERIENCE:
Also among the group of players loaned to the Bears is veteran forward Nicolas Aubé-Kubel. The eighth-year pro began his career in the Philadelphia Flyers organization as a second-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft and played parts of five seasons in the AHL with Lehigh Valley, collecting 105 points (50g, 55a) in 229 games. In his NHL career, the native of Slave Lake, Alberta has skated for Washington, Toronto, Colorado, and Philadelphia, helping the Avalanche capture the 2022 Stanley Cup by appearing in 14 playoff games. Aubé-Kubel will receive sweater No. 96, becoming the first Bears player in team history to wear the number.

BEARS BITES:
Defender Jake Massie's next game will be his 100th AHL contest...Forward Mike Vecchione's next point will be his 100th in a Bears sweater, while his next goal will mark the 100th time in his pro/AHL career that he has lit the lamp...Defenseman Aaron Ness is two points away from 300 AHL points, and is six points away from passing Patrick McNeill for eighth all-time in Bears scoring among blueliners...Defender Logan Day needs three points for his 100 in his pro/AHL tenure...Hershey went 1-1-1-0 in the preseason...Last season, the Bears finished second out of 32 teams in goals against per game, leading the Eastern Conference with 2.56; Hershey also ranked first in allowing the fewest shots against per game, at 26.19, and the club possessed the top-ranked road penalty kill, negating 88.1% of opposing man advantage opportunities.