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Hershey Bears

Bears Head to Canada

February 12, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears (37-9-0-2) head north of the border this week to begin the Canadian segment of their current five-game road trip, after splitting a pair of games last weekend in New England. Hershey enters the week with a 13-point lead on first place in the Atlantic Division and the American Hockey League standings.

TEAM LEADERS:

Goals: Pierrick Dubé (24)

Assists: Joe Snively (30)

Points: Joe Snively (40)

Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank (10)

Shorthanded Goals: Hendrix Lapierre, Jake Massie, Henrik Rybinski, Bogdan Trineyev (1)

Plus/Minus: Jimmy Huntington (+17)

Wins: Hunter Shepard (19)

GAA: Clay Stevenson (1.93)

SV%: Clay Stevenson (.930)

Only includes qualified players on active roster

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

- Friday, Feb. 9 - Hershey 3 at Providence 1

- Saturday, Feb. 10 - Hershey 3 at Bridgeport 6

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF FEB. 12:

Monday, Feb. 12

Skating practice, 9:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena (select players)

Practice, 10:45 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Tuesday, Feb. 13

Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Wednesday, Feb. 14

Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Thursday, Feb. 15

Travel to Toronto

All practices are open to the public. Practice dates and times are subject to change.

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

Saturday, Feb. 17 - Hershey at Toronto Marlies, 4 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 19 - Hershey at Belleville Senators, 2 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 21 - Hershey at Laval Rocket, 7 p.m.

TV Coverage: NHL Network (Saturday only), Video Coverage: AHLTV; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network

All times Eastern

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

KEEPING THE PACE:

Through the first 48 games of the 2023-24 regular season, the Bears' record of 37-9-0-2 is identical to that of the 2009-10 Bears team at the same point. The 2009-10 Bears own the franchise record for the fastest 40 wins, earned in 51 games (40-9-0-2); Hershey must win each of its next three games in Canada to equal the franchise record. Earlier this season, the current Bears team shattered the club mark for fastest 30 wins, reaching the plateau in 39 games. This season's team is playing a 72-game schedule, while the 2009-10 squad benefitted from an 80-game regular season, culminating in a league-record 60 wins. The AHL record for most wins in a 72-game schedule was established last season, when the Calgary Wranglers earned 51 victories; Hershey must win 14 or more of its final 24 games to equal or surpass that figure.

TWO-HEADED GOALIE MONSTER:

Goaltenders Hunter Shepard and Clay Stevenson are among the league leaders in several statistical categories, with Stevenson and Shepard notably ranking first (1.93) and second (2.10) respectively, in goals-against average; Shepard is tied for the Eastern Conference lead with 19 wins, while Stevenson is tops among all goaltenders in save percentage (.930) and shutouts (6).

LOOK OUT FOR LIMO:

Forward Alex Limoges has not missed a beat since returning from a nine-game absence as a result of an upper-body injury sustained in practice in January. Since getting back into game action, Limoges has scored in three straight games, and enters the week with an overall goal-scoring streak of four games (4g) and a point streak of six games (4g, 4a) dating back to Jan. 3 vs. Charlotte. Hershey has gone 18-1-0-0 this season when Limoges records at least a point, and he leads the Bears with two overtime goals.

MIGHTY MAC:

Bears captain Dylan McIlrath's next game will mark the 600th AHL game of his career. The 12th-year pro is in his third season with the Chocolate and White and is under NHL contract with the Washington Capitals through the 2024-25 campaign. In his three seasons with Hershey, nobody has skated in more games (173) or accrued more time in the penalty box (257 PIMs) than McIlrath. The defenseman is also six assists away from his 100th professional assist, and nine helpers away from his 100th in the AHL.

TREK TO TORONTO:

The Bears will cover over 1,200 miles over the next week and a half as they play the three Canadian members of the North Division, starting with a 400-mile trek to Toronto, where they will take on the Marlies in a 4 p.m. clash on Saturday at Coca-Cola Coliseum. Hershey topped the Marlies in a 4-3 overtime victory on Jan. 28, in which Joe Snively scored the game-winning goal with only two seconds left on the clock in the sudden-death frame. Hershey has won its last three meetings with Toronto dating back to the 2022-23 season. The Marlies boast a league-leading 3.65 goals per game.

BUSTING UP BELLEVILLE:

The Bears will look to remain unbeaten in regulation at CAA Arena when they face the Belleville Senators on Monday afternoon. Since the Senators relocated to the Bay of Quinte region in 2017, Hershey has posted a 4-0-1-0 road record against the Ottawa AHL affiliate. Last season, the Bears picked up a 4-2 win at CAA Arena by storming back from a 2-0 deficit with a four-goal third period; Garrett Pilon, now a member of the Senators, scored the eventual game-winning goal for Hershey. Hershey will look to exact some revenge against Belleville, after the Senators blanked the Bears 3-0 at GIANT Center on Opening Night back on Oct. 14.

LIVING LAVAL LOCA:

The Bears are 2-2-1-0 lifetime at Place Bell, and will look to get back in the win column in Laval after enduring a 3-2 overtime loss to the Rocket back on Jan. 20, 2023. Laval native Jimmy Huntington will make his homecoming as a member of the Chocolate and White (and only the third time in his career he will have played at Laval in the AHL). Hershey enjoyed its largest victory of the season against the Rocket at home on Dec. 16, a 7-1 triumph in which Garrett Roe recorded four points (3g, 1a).

BEARS BITES:

Hershey leads the AHL with a penalty kill that has gone 148-for-169 (87.6%)...The Bears are tied for the league lead with 12 wins on the road when leading after the second period...Joe Snively has a four-game assist streak (5a); his 13 assists since Jan. 1 are the most by any Eastern Conference player and are tied for the third-most in the AHL...Hershey allowed a season-low 13 shots in its 3-1 win over Providence on Friday...Hunter Shepard's next win will be his 20th of the season, matching his previous AHL career-high set last season...Pierrick Dubé ranks second in the AHL with 24 goals...Hershey is 10-2-0-1 on the road this season when not allowing a power-play goal.

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