Atlantic Division Finals Game 2 Preview: Bears at Checkers, 7 p.m.

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AHL Hershey Bears

Atlantic Division Finals Game 2 Preview: Bears at Checkers, 7 p.m.

May 17, 2025 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Charlotte, NC) - The Atlantic Division Finals continue tonight as Hershey looks to even the best-of-five series with Game 2 at Bojangles Coliseum.

Hershey Bears (3-3) at Charlotte Checkers (4-2)

May 17, 2025 | 7 p.m. | Bojangles Coliseum | Charlotte leads series, 1-0

Referees: Graedy Hamilton (41), Alex Lepkowski (44)

Linespersons: Dylan Blujus (70), Jeremy Faucher (85)

Broadcast Information

Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, former Bears captain Garrett Mitchell, and FOX43 sports director Todd Sadowski on the call

TELEVISION: Antenna TV (WPMT FOX 43.2, Xfinity Ch. 247 and 1178, Verizon FiOS Ch. 463, Blue Ridge Ephrata Ch. 91, and Blue Ridge Newberry/Duncannon Ch. 88)

RADIO: WFVY 100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, Capitals Radio

WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey

LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports 1460-AM Stream, Caps Radio 24/7

Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m.; Television coverage starts at 6:55 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:

The Bears opened their Atlantic Division Finals series with a 3-2 loss against the Charlotte Checkers on Friday night at Bojangles Coliseum. After falling behind 1-0 through 20 minutes, Hershey scored twice in the second period on goals by Bogdan Trineyev and Mike Vecchione to take a 2-1 lead. Charlotte tied the game before the period ended on a Mike Benning power-play goal. In the third period, John Leonard scored the game-winner for the Checkers at 11:58 while shorthanded. The Checkers outshot Hershey 24-19 and went 1-for-3 on the power play while the Bears were 0-for-2.

BEAR IS BACK:

Hershey's roster has received a big boost with the return of Ethan Bear from the NHL's Washington Capitals. Bear recorded 46 points (10g, 36a) in 62 games - all career highs in his AHL tenure - with Hershey during the regular season to lead the Chocolate and White in scoring. His +33 rating ranked second in the AHL, and he was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team. He was named Hershey's Team MVP and won the club's Milton Garland Memorial Award as the team's best defenseman. He recorded four points (1g, 3a) in eight games versus the Checkers this season.

CLAY IN CHARLOTTE:

Goaltender Clay Stevenson also returned to Hershey's roster yesterday after a brief recall to Washington. The netminder went 3-1-0 in four games versus Charlotte in the regular season with a 1.49 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage; Stevenson was 3-0 at Bojangles Coliseum, surrendering just five goals, and in his last appearance on Feb. 23, he posted a 26-save shutout against the Checkers in a 2-0 win. Stevenson has gone 6-1-0 all-time in his AHL career in Charlotte, posting a 2.14 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage while also recording one assist.

ANOTHER CLOSE ONE:

Last night's loss for Hershey was another one-goal affair with the Checkers. In the regular season, four of Hershey's head-to-head matchups with the Checkers were decided by a single goal. The other four meetings were decided by two goals, with each contest having an empty-net goal serving as the second difference-making tally. In the regular season Hershey had a franchise-best 25 victories in one-goal games, going 25-8-7-1 in that scenario.

BOGDAN BEAMING:

Coming into the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs, Hershey forward Bogdan Trineyev did not have a postseason goal in 22 outings. He's now found the back of the net four times in six games in these Calder Cup Playoffs, leading Hershey in goals. He has goals in his last three outings; the last time he struck for goals in three straight games was from Feb. 21-24, 2024 in contests versus Laval, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Rochester. He has five points (4g, 1a) in the playoffs, which represents more points (0g, 4a) than he had in 20 games during Hershey's run to the 2024 Calder Cup title.

BOUNCING BACK IN A BEST-OF-FIVE:

The last time Hershey trailed a best-of-five series 1-0 came in the 2019 Atlantic Division Semifinals versus the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Hershey dropped a heartbreaker in double-overtime in Game 1, falling 3-2 at GIANT Center on a Kieffer Bellows goal. Hershey would rally in Game 2 with a 2-0 win, and the Bears went on to win the series in five games. Hershey is 6-11 in franchise history when they fall behind 1-0 in a best-of-five series. However, of those series, the Bears have a 4-4 lifetime series record when winning Game 2.

BEARS BITES:

Over Hershey's run to the Calder Cup the last two years, Hershey has lost Game 1 of a series three times before battling back...Hershey captain Aaron Ness skated in his 68th career playoff game with the Bears last night to tie Howie Yanosik for fourth in club history...The Bears have surrendered four shorthanded goals in six playoff games after allowing eight shorthanded goals over the 72-game regular season; the most shorthanded goals allowed by Hershey in a playoff run over the last 20 years is five (2007)...Hershey is 0-3 when they surrender a shorthanded goal in the postseason...In nine total meetings with the Checkers this season, the Bears have recorded 20 or more shots in a game just three times...Defender Vincent Iorio has an assist in two straight games for Hershey...Alex Limoges' point streak in the playoffs ended at five games last night (1g, 5a)...The Bears have not lost back-to-back games at Charlotte since Oct 21-22, 2022, when they suffered a 5-4 loss and a 3-2 overtime defeat.

ON THIS DATE:

May 17, 1980 - The Bears hoisted the Calder Cup for the sixth time in franchise history as Hershey defeated the New Brunswick Hawks 7-4 in Game 6 of the Calder Cup Finals. Claude Noël collected a hat trick - including the Cup-clinching tally - as Hershey captured the championship for the final time on Hersheypark Arena ice, skating the trophy in front of 6,745 fans. The Bears were led by player-coach Doug Gibson to a 12-4 postseason record after Gibson took over the coaching reins from Gary Green following the latter's promotion to the NHL's Washington Capitals during the regular season, marking the only time in franchise history that the club won the Calder Cup after a mid-season coaching change.

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