The Hershey Bears (25-11-3-0) continue the 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they journey north for three games in Canada, visiting the Laval Rocket on Wednesday, before battling the Belleville Senators on Friday and Saturday. The Bears are the hottest team in the American Hockey League's Atlantic Division - winners of four straight, and seven of their last 10. Follow along and watch all three games as the Bears bring you the action on FOX43.2 Antenna TV.
2024-25 TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Alex Limoges, Bogdan Trineyev, Mike Vecchione (9)
Assists: Mike Sgarbossa (22)
Points: Mike Sgarbossa (29)
Power-Play Goals: Chase Priskie (6)
Shorthanded Goals: Grant Cruikshank, Bogdan Trineyev (1)
Plus/Minus: Ethan Bear (+16)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (15)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (2.68)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.898)
Only includes qualified players on active roster
LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Monday, Jan. 20
Travel to Laval
Practice schedule is subject to change. Please check HersheyBears.com daily for updates.
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
- Friday, Jan. 17 - Hershey 4 vs. Belleville 1
- Sunday, Jan. 19 - Hershey 5 vs. Rochester 4
UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE & PROMOTIONS:
Wednesday, Jan. 22 - at Laval Rocket, 7 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 24 - at Belleville Senators, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 25 - at Belleville Senators, 7 p.m.
Television Coverage: Antenna TV; Video Coverage: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network, Capitals Radio Network
All times Eastern
TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:
BEAR SET TO PLAY IN 400TH PRO GAME:
Ethan Bear's next game will mark his 400th professional game. The defender has logged 275 games in the National Hockey League with Edmonton, Carolina, Vancouver, and Washington, and has also appeared in 124 career AHL games with Bakersfield and Hershey. Bear's 22 points (5g, 17a) leads Hershey's blue line and is tied for 10th in league scoring among defensemen, and he is slated to represent the club next month at the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic in Coachella Valley.
TWO-HEADED MONSTER:
Hunter Shepard was loaned back to Hershey from the Washington Capitals on Saturday, reuniting him with Clay Stevenson to form one of the top tandems in the AHL. Shepard leads all Eastern Conference goaltenders with 15 wins this season, while Stevenson leads all goaltenders in the month of January with a 5-0-0 record, and has posted a 2.06 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. Shepard's next victory will give him his 71st as a Bear, tying him with Vitek Vanecek and Philippe Sauve for ninth in franchise history.
PRISKIE POWER:
Defenseman Chase Priskie added another power-play goal to his ledger in Sunday's win over Rochester, giving him six on the season to tie him for second among league defensemen, and the most by a Bears defender since Julien Brouillette collected seven with the man advantage in 2013-14. Hershey's single-season mark on record for power-play goals by a defenseman is 11, achieved by Patrick Traverse in 1997-98.
SAUCY SAULNIER:
Brennan Saulnier has enjoyed increased offensive production over the past two weeks. The forward has generated five points (1g, 4a) over his last four games and has produced his first two multi-point contests of the season in that span.
NELSON CLOSING IN ON DINEEN:
At 431 career wins in the AHL with Oklahoma City, Grand Rapids, and Hershey, Bears head coach Todd Nelson needs only two more victories to pass Kevin Dineen for sole possession of fifth place on the league's coaching wins list.
THE PLACE TO BE:
Hershey has already faced the Rocket once this season, earning a 5-3 win on home ice on Nov. 27. The series concludes Wednesday at Place Bell, where Hershey has gone winless in its last three contests (0-1-1-1) since the 2021-22 season. Hershey's last win in Quebec came on Oct. 19, 2019, a 4-2 victory that saw the Bears put three against current Washington Capitals netminder Charlie Lindgren; Mike Sgarbossa is the only member of Hershey's current roster who suited up in that game. The Rocket are averaging the most penalty minutes per game (15.92) this season, while the Bears are averaging the second-fewest (10.10).
RING MY BELLE-VILLE:
After taking a 4-1 home win over Belleville last Friday, the Bears continue their season series with the Senators this weekend when they visit CAA Arena for a pair of games. Hershey is a lifetime 5-0-1-0 at Belleville; the club's last game at CAA Arena yielded a 4-2 win on Feb. 19, 2024 that saw Hendrix Lapierre record a natural hat trick that included a shorthanded goal and a game-winning power-play goal.
DOWN ON THE FARM:
The South Carolina Stingrays went a perfect 3-0-0-0 last week (5-1 at Greenville; 5-2 vs. Orlando; 5-2 vs. Greenville), with Zac Funk (2g, 1a) and Alex Suzdalev (0g, 3a) notably recording three-point games against Orlando on Saturday. The Stingrays are tied for the ECHL lead with 18 wins when scoring first and are second in the league in offense by averaging four goals per game.
BEARS BITES:
Ethan Bear (0g, 7a) and Alex Limoges (3g, 4a) lead Hershey's skaters for the month of January with seven points apiece...Hershey will be without the services of Pierrick Dube for this week's matches as the forward serves the final three contests of a five-game suspension...The Bears have gone 4-for-12 (33.3%) with the power play over their last three games...Hershey has gone 7-2-1-0 this season against North Division clubs...Hershey owns the league's top road penalty kill at 47-for-53 (88.7%)...The Bears lead the AHL with 16 wins in games decided by one goal...Last Sunday's win against Rochester marked the first time an opposing team had not had a power play since Nov. 19, 2022 vs. Hartford (6-1 W).
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