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AHL Hershey Bears

Bears Keep Marching On

February 28, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears continue the 2022-23 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they conclude a five-game homestand this week at GIANT Center. The Bears host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday, before welcoming the Toronto Marlies on Friday and the Providence Bruins on Saturday.

TEAM INFO:

Record: 32-13-5-2

Standings Position: 2nd in Atlantic

TEAM LEADERS:

Goals: Ethen Frank (23)

Assists: Mike Sgarbossa (28)

Points: Mike Sgarbossa (46)

Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank (8)

Shorthanded Goals: Beck Malenstyn, Henrik Rybinski, Riley Sutter (1)

Plus/Minus: Gabriel Carlsson (22)

Wins: Zach Fucale (16)

GAA: Hunter Shepard (2.17)

SV%: Hunter Shepard (.916)

Only includes qualified players on active roster

RECENT RESULTS:

Saturday, Feb. 25: Hershey 4 vs. Lehigh Valley 3 (SO)

The Bears and Phantoms met on Saturday for the 10th time this season, and the Phantoms took a 1-0 lead at 16:18 of the first period when Tyson Foerster scored during a scramble in front of the Hershey net. Riley Sutter tied the game at the seven-minute mark of the second period with his fourth of the season. Zach Fucale came up with a penalty shot save on Bobby Brink at 8:15, and the Bears pulled ahead at 13:38 when Garrett Pilon tallied his seventh of the season. Mike Sgarbossa scored 33 seconds into the third period to make it 3-1 with his 18th of the season, but Wyatte Wylie scored at 5:34 and Hayden Hodgson tied the game at 3-3 at 10:37. After regulation and overtime yielded no change in score, Henrik Borgstrom broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth round of the shootout to decide the game in Hershey's favor.

Sunday, Feb. 26: Hershey 2 vs. Belleville 4

Beck Malenstyn opened the scoring at 3:19 when he deflected Vincent Iorio's point shot past Kevin Mandolese for his fifth of the season. Egor Sokolov tied the score at 7:04 when he grabbed his own rebound off the glass behind the Hershey net and stuffed it past Hunter Shepard. Jake Lucchini put Belleville ahead with a shorthanded goal at 14:35 of the second period, and Cole Reinhardt netted a power-play goal at 17:01 of the third period. Mike Vecchione scored at 18:04 with Shepard pulled for an extra skater, but Sokolov potted an empty-net goal at 19:20 to seal the win for Belleville.

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF FEB. 27:

Monday, Feb. 27

Day off

Tuesday, Feb. 28

10:30 a.m. practice at Hersheypark Arena

Wednesday, March 1

Morning Skate, 10:15 a.m., GIANT Center

Thursday, March 2

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

Friday, March 3

Morning Skate, 10:15 a.m., GIANT Center

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

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

- Wednesday, March 1 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 7 p.m. - CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

- Berks Dollar Dog Night - Berks Dollar Dogs and $6 beers available at Boulevard, Hot Shots, and Hat Trick concession stands.

- GIANT Food Drive - All fans are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Central PA Food Bank. For each item donated, fans will be entered to win a variety of Hershey Bears prizes and gift cards to GIANT (up to 10 entries per person). Fans can also donate directly to the Central PA Food Bank by making a financial donation here.

- Friday, March 3 vs. Toronto Marlies, 7 p.m. - CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

- UGI Dylan McIlrath Bobblehead Night - The first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a Dylan McIlrath bobblehead, courtesy of UGI.

- Flight Friday - Enjoy $6.50 12 oz. cans of Yuengling Flight.

- Saturday, March 4 vs. Providence Bruins, 7 p.m. - CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

- Penn State Health T-Shirt Night - All fans in attendance will receive a Bears t-shirt, courtesy of Penn State Health.

Video Coverage: AHLTV; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

RECAPPING FEBRUARY:

The Bears experienced some cooling off in February with a record of 4-4-1-1 in 10 games. Forwards Mike Sgarbossa and Mike Vecchione each recorded three goals and four assists to lead Hershey in scoring for the month with seven points. Ethen Frank's 35 shots on goal paced the club, while Mason Morelli led Hershey with a plus-minus of +6. Both Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard each recorded a pair of wins, with Shepard leading the way in terms of goals-against average (2.32) and save percentage (.911) for the month. Fucale also stopped a pair of penalty shots, against Utica's Graeme Clarke on Feb. 10 and Lehigh Valley's Bobby Brink on Feb. 25.

BEARS, PENGUINS REACH DIRTY DOZEN:

The 24th I-81 series between Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton comes to its conclusion on Wednesday, as the Bears host the Penguins for the 12th final time in the 2022-23 campaign. The Bears have a 5-3-3-0 record against the Penguins through 11 prior meetings, and can ensure a split of the head-to-head battle with a regulation win. Mike Sgarbossa leads Hershey with eight points (6g, 2a) in 11 games, while Valtteri Puustinen has 10 points (3g, 7a) for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins had goaltender Dustin Tokarski returned on loan from their NHL affiliate in Pittsburgh on Feb. 20; the two-time Calder Cup champion is 2-1-2 against Hershey with a 1.37 goals-against average and a .958 save percentage.

GET KNOCKED DOWN, GET UP AGAIN:

Although the Bears have a tendency to possess a lead after the game's first 20 minutes this season, Hershey has also shown an ability to battle back in the rare instances when trailing. The Bears are one of only three teams with a .500 or better rating when trailing after the first period this season, with a record of 4-4-0-0.

FIRST LOOK AT MARLIES:

Hershey gets its first look this season at the North Division-leading Toronto Marlies on Friday. Over the previous five seasons, the Bears have a total record of 2-3-2-0; the club was 0-1-1-0 against the Marlies in the 2021-22 campaign. Hershey is looking for its first win against Toronto on GIANT Center ice since Feb. 25, 2017, a 4-3 comeback victory won by a late power-play goal from Liam O'Brien. The Marlies lead the Eastern Conference with 29 wins earned in regulation; Hershey is second with 25. Toronto forward Logan Shaw ranks fourth in the AHL scoring race with 57 points (17g, 40a) in 53 games. The Marlies boast the league's top power play at 26.1%. Hershey will travel to Toronto for an 11 a.m. game at Coca-Cola Coliseum on March 29 to complete the series with the Marlies.

20-20-20 VISION:

For much of the 2022-23 season, Hershey's offense has filtered through its top forward line of Mike Vecchione, Mike Sgarbossa, and Ethen Frank. The trio is paced by Frank's team-leading 23 goals, but Sgarbossa (18) and Vecchione (17) are within striking distance of hitting the 20-goal plateau as well, which would give both forwards their second career 20-goal campaign. The last time the Bears boasted at least three 20-goal scorers was the 2018-19 season, when Riley Barber (31), Sgarbossa (30), and Jayson Megna (20) led the way for Hershey.

BATTLE OF THE URSIDAE:

This Saturday's home contest against the Bruins will kick off the start of a three-game stretch against Providence. Following Saturday's game, the Bears will travel to Rhode Island for a pair of games against the Bruins at the Amica Mutual Pavilion next weekend. Hershey sits just one point behind Providence for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. The Bears are 1-1-0-0 against the Bruins this season after splitting a pair of games at GIANT Center in late December; since that prior encounter, the Chocolate and White have gone 10-6-3-1, while Providence has gone 13-5-3-0. Both clubs have 20 games remaining in their regular season schedules, with four total games against the other. Mike Vecchione (1g, 2a) and Mike Sgarbossa (0g, 3a) lead the Bears in scoring against the Bruins, while Luke Toporowski (1g, 1a) and Gerogii Merkulov (0g, 2a) pace Providence against Hershey. Bears alternate captain Aaron Ness suited up for Providence during the 2021-22 campaign, while Bruins head coach Ryan Mougenel served as an assistant coach for Hershey under Mike Haviland during the 2013-14 season.

THE LIFE OF RILEY:

With a goal on Saturday against Lehigh Valley, Riley Sutter collected his fourth goal and ninth point of the season. The fourth-year pro has taken some strides this season while continuing to serve as a lynchpin on the Bears' penalty-killing unit; his 49 games played, four goals, nine points and 52 shots on goal all match or exceed his previous career-highs. Hershey is 30-13-4-2 with Sutter in the lineup, and the Bears are 6-1-0-1 when he finds his way onto the scoresheet.

BEARS BITES:

Forward Mason Morelli needs four more points for 100 in his professional career...Defender Aaron Ness is three points away from 200 in his pro career...Forward Mike Sgarbossa is three points away from 400 in his pro career...Zach Fucale's 16 wins are tied for seventh in the league and second among all Eastern Conference netminders; the Bears are the only team in the Eastern Conference - and one of three overall in the AHL - with two goaltenders with at least 13 wins...Hershey is second in the AHL with 34 first goals, and 23 wins when scoring first.

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