The Hershey Bears (3-1-1-0) continue the 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they hit the road this weekend for a swing through New England, as Hershey visits the Providence Bruins on Friday, Oct. 25, heads to Western Massachusetts for a tussle with the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday, Oct. 26, before returning to Providence on the afternoon of Sunday, Oct. 27. Hershey enters the week in first place atop the Atlantic Division standings.
2024-25 TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Ethen Frank, Ivan Miroshnichenko (5)
Assists: Alex Limoges (6)
Points: Ethen Frank, Alex Limoges, Ivan Miroshnichenko (7)
Power-Play Goals: Ivan Miroshnichenko (3)
Shorthanded Goals: N/A
Plus/Minus: Ethan Bear, Hardy Haman Aktell (+4)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (3)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (1.67)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.944)
Only includes qualified players
UPCOMING LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE:
Monday, Oct. 21
Day Off
Tuesday, Oct. 22
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center
Wednesday, Oct. 23
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center
Thursday, Oct. 24
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena
Travel to Providence
LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:
- Wednesday, Oct. 16 - Hershey 3 at Bridgeport 2
- Saturday, Oct. 19 - Hershey 2 vs. Chicago 3 (OT)
- Sunday, Oct. 20 - Hershey 5 vs. Chicago 0
UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE & PROMOTIONS:
Friday, Oct. 25 - Hershey at Providence Bruins, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 26 - Hershey at Springfield Thunderbirds, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 27 - Hershey at Providence Bruins, 3:05 p.m.
Television Coverage: FOX43.2 Antenna TV; Video Coverage: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network, Capitals Radio Network
All times Eastern
TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:
NELSON CONTINUES COACHING CLIMB:
Following his 100th regular-season victory with the Bears on Sunday against Chicago, Hershey head coach Todd Nelson now sits at 409 career wins as an AHL head coach over the course of his tenure with Oklahoma City, Grand Rapids, and the Bears. That puts him seventh place all-time; up next in sixth with 424 wins is John Anderson, under whom Nelson served as an assistant coach in both the AHL with Chicago from 2006-08 (winning a Calder Cup together in 2008), and in the NHL with the Atlanta Thrashers from 2008-10.
POWERFUL PLAY:
Hershey's power play has converted in each of the club's five games, leading to a man-advantage unit that ranks first in the AHL, going 8-for-23 (34.8%). Hershey's single-season record for power play percentage is 25.49%, set during a 76-game 2011-12 campaign in which the Bears went 91-for-357. Ivan Miroshnichenko leads the way for the Bears this season with three power-play goals, tied for first overall in the league.
SUPER SGARBS:
Mike Sgarbossa leads the entire AHL with five (1g, 4a) power-play points, and his four power-play assists are tied with teammate Alex Limoges, along with Charlotte's Ryan McAllister and Toronto's Logan Shaw for the league lead. Last season, the Sgarbossa tied Joe Snively for the team lead with both players posting identical 21-point (2g, 19a) stat lines with the man advantage; the veteran forward's 19 power-play assists were good enough to finish tied for ninth in the league, despite his last game with Hershey being on Feb. 3, 2024 vs. Bridgeport before his NHL recall to Washington, where he spent the remainder of the campaign. In his time in the Chocolate and White, Sgarbossa has generated 28 goals and 72 assists on the power play, for an eye-popping 100 power-play points.
T-BIRDS CONNECTIONS:
New assistant coach Chad Wiseman skated for the Chocolate and White in the 2006-07 season, helping the club reach the Calder Cup Finals. Thunderbirds general manager Kevin Maxwell played the final two seasons of his professional career in Hershey, helping the club win the 1988 Calder Cup. Bears players Jake Massie, Mike Sgarbossa, and Chase Priskie all previously spent time with the Thunderbirds organization; recently-signed forward Dalton Smith also played for the Springfield Falcons in the first two seasons of his career.
NEW BENCH BOSS IN SPRINGFIELD:
The St. Louis Blues announced former Washington Capitals forward Steve Konowalchuk as head coach on May 20, taking over for interim head coach Daniel Tkaczuk. Konowalchuk was most recently the associate head coach of the Colorado Eagles during the 2023-24 season, where Brad Hunt, Spencer Smallman, and Dalton Smith all played. Defenseman Ethan Bear also played under Konowalchuk with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League from 2012-17.
WHAT'S BRUIN:
Bears defenseman Aaron Ness played the 2021-22 season with Providence before returning to Hershey, while Dalton Smith appeared in 17 games with the Bruins during the 2015-16 season. Providence head coach Ryan Mougenel served as an assistant coach in Hershey on Mike Haviland's staff during the 2013-14 campaign.
BEARS BITES:
This weekend's road trip represents one of two three-in-three stretches this season...Ethen Frank (5g, 2a), Ivan Miroshnichenko (5g, 2a), and Alex Limoges (1g, 6a) are tied for fourth in league scoring with seven points...Limoges' six assists are third in the league, while Frank's and Miroshnichenko's five goals are tied for third...Limoges has an active five-game point streak (1g, 6a), three away from his career-best of eight (Jan. 3-Feb. 19, 2024; 5g, 7a)...Goaltender Hunter Shepard's three wins are tied for the AHL lead, while his 179:41 played ranks fourth...Hershey's 11.40 penalty minutes per game rank 20th in the league...Hershey is one of only five teams to post a 3-0-0-0 record when scoring first...Hershey's four goals scored per game is fifth in the AHL.
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