Bears Head to Charlotte for Pair of Games
March 4, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears (41-10-0-4) continue their four-game road trip with a pair of games this weekend in the Queen City, as the Bears make their final visit of the season to Bojangles' Coliseum to take on the Charlotte Checkers.
TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Pierrick Dubé (24)
Assists: Joe Snively (33)
Points: Joe Snively (43)
Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank (10)
Shorthanded Goals: Bogdan Trineyev (2)
Plus/Minus: Vincent Iorio (+20)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (21)
GAA: Clay Stevenson (1.82)
SV%: Clay Stevenson (.932)
Only includes qualified players on active roster
RECENT RESULTS:
- Saturday, March 2 - Hershey 0 vs. Utica 1
- Sunday, March 3 - Hershey 0 at Lehigh Valley 1 (SO)
LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF MARCH 4:
Monday, March 4
Day off
Tuesday, March 5
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center
Wednesday, March 6
Travel to Charlotte
All practices are open to the public. Practice dates and times are subject to change.
UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday, March 8 - Hershey at Charlotte Checkers, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 9 - Hershey at Charlotte Checkers, 6 p.m.
Television Coverage: Antenna TV (Friday and Saturday); Video Coverage: AHLTV; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network
All times Eastern
TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:
PILING UP THE POINTS:
Last Sunday's standings point earned against Lehigh Valley and a Springfield Thunderbirds loss to Providence managed to inch the Chocolate and White ever closer to a playoff-clinching scenario. As it stands, Hershey enters the week with a Magic Number of six points, which is reduced when the Bears earn standings points or when the team with the highest possible points total outside the playoff picture fails to earn points. The Bears need to earn nine points out of their remaining nine road games to ensure they surpass the franchise mark for best road points percentage (.675, 2006-07), 25 points out of their remaining 17 games to best the franchise mark for overall points percentage (.769, 2009-10), and 26 points out of their remaining 17 games to best the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers' league record for points percentage (.775).
FEAT OF CLAY:
Despite the shootout loss at Lehigh Valley on Sunday, goaltender Clay Stevenson celebrated his 25th birthday by stopping all 17 shots he faced in regulation and overtime against the Phantoms, and receiving credit for his seventh shutout of the season as a result, adding to his franchise single-season record totals for most shutouts by a Bears rookie netminder. The achievement also ties Stevenson with Alfie Moore (1938-39) and Nick Damore (1944-45) for most shutouts by a Bears goaltender in a single season. Stevenson currently leads the AHL with a 1.82 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage; if he can maintain those figures for the remainder of the season, it would surpass Moore's club record for lowest goals-against average in a single season (1.98, 1938-39) and match Tom Lawson's (2003-04) and Braden Holtby's (2012-13) single-season club marks for save percentage.
WORKIN' OVERTIME:
By forcing Sunday's game at Lehigh Valley to overtime, the Bears played their 14th game of the season beyond regulation; the Bears are 8-0 in overtime and 2-4 in the shootout, for an overtime points percentage of .857. The franchise mark for most non-regulation games in a single season is 23, shared by the 2005-06 and 2015-16 teams.
DUBÉ RETURNS:
The Bears gained some offense back to their lineup with the Monday afternoon that the Washington Capitals have loaned Pierrick Dubé to Hershey. The forward leads Hershey with 24 goals; at the time of his recall on Feb. 21, the 23-year-old ranked second in the AHL in goals scored. He made his NHL debut with Washington on Feb. 24 at Tampa Bay, and appeared in three contests with Washington during his first NHL recall. Hershey has posted a 20-0-0-0 record when Dubé lights the lamp and has gone 25-0-0-0 when he records at least a point.
CHECKING IN WITH THE CHECKERS:
Hershey is 3-1-0-0 overall against Charlotte this season, and 2-0-0-0 this season at Bojangles' Coliseum after sweeping the Checkers in North Carolina in a pair of games in early December. Pierrick Dubé is tied with Jimmy Huntington for the team scoring lead against Charlotte, with five points apiece. Dubé leads Hershey with four goals against the Checkers, while Huntington is pacing the Bears with five assists. Clay Stevenson has started every game against Charlotte this season, going 3-1-0 with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage. Charlotte currently has a five-point cushion on fifth place in the Atlantic. Defenseman Lucas Carlsson leads the AHL with 207 shots on goal and is tied for second in scoring among defensemen with 39 points. Carlsson also has an active home point streak with eight points over six consecutive games. Goaltender Spencer Knight is fourth in the league in minutes played with 2,044. Mackie Samoskevich is tied for eighth in rookie scoring with 36 points.
BEARS BITES:
Longtime Capitals forward and 2018 Stanley Cup champion Evgeny Kuznetsov cleared waivers Sunday and has been loaned to Hershey by Washington. Kuznetsov is expected to report to Hershey and practice with the club on Tuesday...Bears defender Chase Priskie, who previously played for Charlotte in 2019-20 and 2021-22, is tied for 16th in league scoring among defensemen with 29 points (6g, 23a)...Hershey leads the AHL with a 14-0-0-1 road record when leading after two periods...The Bears have a four-game road point streak (2-0-0-2)...Hunter Shepard is tied for third in the AHL with 21 wins. His next victory will be his 50th career win in the AHL and as a Bear. The goalie is currently tied with Darren Jensen and Don Edwards for 18th on the franchise wins list...The Bears are averaging the fewest penalty minutes among Eastern Conference teams with 9.78 PIMs per game...Hershey is tied for the league lead with 33 first goals and is 30-2-0-1 when scoring first...The Bears lead the league with fewest goals against per game (2.07) and shots against per game (26.05).
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