Weekly Release: Bears Host Penguins, Phantoms

February 25, 2025

The Hershey Bears (31-14-5-0) continue the 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they return home to face a pair of in-state rivals this weekend. The Bears host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday and the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday.

2024-25 TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Alex Limoges, Ivan Miroshnichenko (13)
Assists: Ethan Bear (25)
Points: Ethan Bear (33)
Power-Play Goals: Chase Priskie (8)
Shorthanded Goals: Grant Cruikshank, Bogdan Trineyev (1)
Plus/Minus: Ethan Bear (+22)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (18)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (2.90)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.891)
Only includes qualified players on active roster

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Monday, Feb. 24
Day Off

Tuesday, Feb. 25
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Wednesday, Feb. 26
Day Off

Thursday, Feb. 27
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Friday, Feb. 28
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Saturday, March 1
Morning Skate, 10:15 a.m. at GIANT Center

Practice schedule is subject to change. Please check HersheyBears.com daily for updates.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

-        Saturday, Feb. 22 - Hershey 1 at Charlotte 3
-        Sunday, Feb. 23 - Hershey 2 at Charlotte 0

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE & PROMOTIONS:

Saturday, March 1 - vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 7 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

• Penn State Health Drawstring Bag Night - All fans in attendance will receive a Bears drawstring bag, courtesy of Penn State Health.

Sunday, March 2 - vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 5 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

• Hersheypark Pass Night - All fans in attendance will receive a 2025 Hersheypark ticket, valid for one-day admission through June 30, 2025.
• Hersheypark Night - Hockey + roller coasters...a perfect combination! Join us as we welcome your favorite Hersheypark characters to the rink!
• Throwback Jersey Auction - Players will wear throwback-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off following the game.

Television Coverage: Antenna TV; Video Coverage: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network, Capitals Radio Network

All times Eastern

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

FEBRUARY LEADERS:
Defenseman Ethan Bear led Hershey in scoring for the month of February with eight points (3g, 5a) in six games, along with a plus/minus of +5. Bear and forward Hendrix Lapierre paced the Chocolate and White with three goals, while Bear also dished out a team-leading five assists. Ivan Miroshnichenko managed a team-leading 15 shots on goal. Clay Stevenson accounted for three of Hershey's four wins in February and one shutout, while Hunter Shepard led the way with a .909 save percentage.

FRONT-ROE SEAT:
Garrett Roe is one game away from his 200th AHL contest, and two points away from his 100th AHL point. The recently-turned 37-year-old has spent much of his professional career overseas playing in some of the top leagues in Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland, but has appeared in 70 career games with the Chocolate and White since returning stateside before the 2023-24 season. Hershey is 13-7-2-0 this season with Roe in the lineup, and 7-0-1-0 when he records at least a point (3-0-0-0 in multi-point games).

HOME COOKING:
The Bears enter the week with nine home games remaining on their 2024-25 schedule, with a run of three coming up against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Lehigh Valley, and Belleville. Hershey has gone 7-2-0-0 on GIANT Center ice since the start of the New Year, averaging 4.11 goals scored and 3.44 goals against over its last nine home contests.

PENGUIN PUNCH-UP:
Hershey resumes its I-81 rivalry with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday, after the Bears earned a pair of wins against the Penguins in back-to-back games two weeks ago, including a hard-fought 5-4 home contest that featured season-highs in penalty minutes for the Bears (46) and a Hershey opponent (53). Hendrix Lapierre led the way over both games with five points (2g, 3a), including the overtime-winner on Feb. 15 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

FIGHTING THE PHANTOMS:
Hershey and Lehigh Valley are tied with Hartford for the league lead with 12 games decided in the overtime period, with both the Bears and Phantoms owning identical 7-5 records in the extra session, and each team earning an overtime win against the other. Hershey owns a 3-2-1-0 record against Lehigh Valley this season, with five of the six games being decided by just one goal. Ethan Bear and Mike Sgarbossa are tied for the team scoring lead against the Phantoms with identical six-point stat lines of two goals and four assists.

DOWN ON THE FARM:
Washington Capitals goaltending prospect Garin Bjorklund was named the ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Feb. 17-23, going 2-0-0 with one shutout, a 0.50 goals-against average, and a save percentage of .980 in two appearances last week. The 22-year-old made 25 saves in a 5-1 win against Greenville on Friday and stopped all 23 shots he faced in a 3-0 shutout victory over Worcester on Sunday. Bjorklund was briefly on Hershey's roster in mid-January while re-assigned to the club by the Washington Capitals, but has yet to make his AHL debut.

BEARS BITES:
Hunter Shepard is tied for the league lead with 18 wins, and his next victory will mark his 74th career win with Hershey, tying him with Braden Holtby for eighth in franchise history...Alex Limoges is two points away from his 200th professional/AHL point, while Dalton Smith is two points away from his 100th pro point...Bears forward Mike Vecchione celebrated his 32nd birthday today and needs just one more assist to reach 100 as a Bear...Hershey is tied with Manitoba for the league lead with 10 wins when tied after the second period.