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AHL Hershey Bears

After All-Star Break, Hershey Looks to Stay on Track

January 29, 2019 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears are set to return from the AHL's All-Star break this week, and the Chocolate and White will look to continue the momentum the team has gained over the past weeks. The Bears have points in seven straight games, and are within six points of a playoff position in the Atlantic Division. The club will return to the ice for practice on Thursday, and will open February with a pair of home games. Six of the Bears next seven games will come at the Giant Center, and February sees Hershey play 12 games total.

Last week the Bears went 1-0-0-1. The club's five-game win streak ended last Wednesday in Lehigh Valley as Hershey dropped a 2-1 shootout decision to the rival Phantoms at the PPL Center. The Bears opened the scoring on a Connor Hobbs goal at 13:08 of the opening period. Hershey held the 1-0 lead until Greg Carey equalized with a 5-on-3 power play goal at 3:34 of the third frame. After the remainder of regulation and overtime passed by without a goal, Carey scored the lone shootout goal to give the Phantoms the win. Ilya Samsonov stopped 25 shots in the loss. On Saturday, the Bears returned to the Giant Center with a 4-2 victory over the Laval Rocket. Special teams was key, as the Bears opened up a 3-0 lead thanks to power play goals from Nathan Walker and Mike Sgarbossa, and a shorthanded tally from Beck Malenstyn. Riley Barber also added an empty net goal, and Vitek Vanecek earned the win with 19 saves for the Chocolate and White.

UPCOMING GAMES/PROMOS:

-Saturday, Feb. 2 vs. Lehigh Valley, 7 p.m.

Promotion: AAA License Plate Frame Night (First 5,000)

-Sunday, Feb. 3 vs. Belleville, 2 p.m.

#HersheyBearsCares:

The Bears are committed to giving back to the local community. On Thursday, Jan. 31, Beck Malenstyn, Jayson Megna, Garrett Pilon, and Nathan Walker will play games, sign autographs, and meet fans at Dave and Buster's at the Capital City Mall from 6-8 p.m.

LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: The Bears current point streak of seven games (6-0-0-1) is the third longest in the AHL, only trailing Bakersfield (8-0-0-0) and Providence (7-0-1-1). The last time the Bears had a streak of this magnitude was in 2016-17, when they posted points in eight straight games (6-0-1-1) from Jan. 25-Feb. 11, 2017.

POWER PLAY SPECIALIST: Hershey forward Riley Barber is tied for first in the AHL in power play points with 22. Barber has nine goals and 13 assists on the man-advantage, tying him with three other players, including Lehigh Valley's Greg Carey. Barber's previous career-high in power play points was 20, set during his rookie campaign in 2015-16.

HEY NOW, VITEK'S AN ALL-STAR: Hershey goaltender Vitek Vanecek served as the club's representative at the 2019 Lexus AHL All-Star Classic in Springfield on Jan. 27-28. The goaltender stood tall in the 3-on-3 All-Star Challenge on Monday, recording the best statistics of any goaltender, stopping 18 of 20 shots, posting a 1.06 goals against average, and a .900 save percentage in four games for the Atlantic Division.

SGARBOSSA SNIPES 20: For the first time in his professional career, Mike Sgarbossa is a 20-goal scorer. The veteran is one of just 10 players in the AHL to accomplish this feat so far this year. Nine of Sgarbossa's goals have come on the power play, a mark that is tied for third in the AHL. Last season, Hershey just had one 20-goal scorer in Riley Barber, as the forward hit that mark in 60 games. This year Barber already has 18 goals in 38 contests.

MANN, MURPHY RETURN: Sunday's game versus Belleville will mark the return of former Bears head coach Troy Mann, and former assistant coach Ryan Murphy. Mann, who was with the Bears as an assistant coach from 2019-2013, helped the team to a Calder Cup in 2010, and returned as head coach in 2014. In four seasons at the helm, Mann went 162-102-22-18, leading the Bears to two division titles, and a trip to the 2016 Calder Cup Finals.

BEARS BITES: Forward Liam O'Brien's assist in last Sunday's victory was the 100th point in his AHL career...The Bears have the fourth ranked penalty kill on home ice (86.5%) and the seventh ranked power play (22.5%) at Giant Center...Sunday marks the 10th straight year the Bears have played on Super Bowl Sunday. Despite a 5-2 loss last year on the day of "The Big Game", Hershey has won four of the past five contests on Super Bowl Sunday.

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