Bears Swing Through New England, Host Checkers
April 4, 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 complete a swing through New England with a pair of games against the Providence Bruins and Springfield Thunderbirds, before returning home Saturday night to face the Charlotte Checkers.
TEAM INFO:
Record: 41-16-5-4
Standings Position: 1st in Atlantic
Click here for full AHL standings
TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Ethen Frank (27)
Assists: Mike Sgarbossa (37)
Points: Mike Sgarbossa (57)
Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank (9)
Shorthanded Goals: Beck Malenstyn, Henrik Rybinski, Riley Sutter (1)
Plus/Minus: Gabriel Carlsson (24)
Wins: Zach Fucale (20)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (2.05)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.919)
Only includes qualified players on active roster
RECENT RESULTS:
Wednesday, March 29: Hershey 3 at Toronto 1
Hendrix Lapierre opened the scoring 2:04 into the first period, and Sam Anas scored at 5:08. Toronto got on the board late in the second with a goal from Logan Shaw at 17:42. Anas netted his second of the day at 1:29 of the third. Hunter Shepard finished with 21 saves for his 17th win of the season.
Saturday, April 1: Hershey 4 at Cleveland 1
Joe Snively scored with a 5-on-3 man advantage at 5:59 of the first period, and Aaron Ness then forced a 2-on-1 breakout that led to him burying his fourth of the season at 11:52. Riley Sutter scored on an odd-man rush at 14:05 of the second period. Snively potted his second of the night at 3:32 of the third, but Tyler Angle spoiled Hunter Shepard's shutout bid at 14:50, but Shepard closed out the win going 24-for-25.
Sunday, April 2: Hershey 3 at Cleveland 0
Connor McMichael scored the eventual game-winner at 12:54 of the first period, and Garrett Pilon scored during an odd-man rush at 15:30. Henrik Rybinski stuffed in a rebound goal at 12:22 of the second period to cap the scoring, and Zach Fucale made 29 saves to earn his second shutout of the season as Hershey wrapped up its sweep of the week.
UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:
- Wednesday, April 5 at Providence Bruins, 7:05 p.m.
- Friday, April 7 at Springfield Thunderbirds, 7:05 p.m.
- Saturday, April 8 vs. Charlotte Checkers, 7 p.m. - CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS
- Berks Ham Shoot Night - All fans are welcome post-game to take part in the Berks Ham Shoot for a chance to win a Holiday Ham.
- $70 4-Pack Offer - To celebrate Hershey's 70th franchise appearance in the Calder Cup Playoffs, fans can score four 100 Level Defend Zone tickets to Saturday's game for just $70. CLICK HERE TO ACCESS OFFER
Video Coverage: AHLTV; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network
TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:
STAKES RAISED IN ATLANTIC RACE:
Hershey's win at Cleveland on Sunday vaulted the Bears past Providence into first place in the Atlantic Division and secured a first-round bye for the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs. Now the stage is set for Wednesday's meeting between the Bears and Bruins for Hershey to potentially seize a significant hold on the division title, in the final meeting of the regular season between the two divisional juggernauts. Hershey is 1-4-0-0 against Providence this season, and is looking for its first win against the Bruins since a series-opening victory at home on Dec. 28, a 1-0 victory. Hershey is seeking its first win at Providence since Jan. 25, 2020, a 3-2 shootout triumph.
BEARS SEEK SWEEP OF T-BIRDS:
Hershey has already posted a 3-0-0-0 record against Springfield this season, winning a pair of home games and their lone prior visit to the MassMutual Center on Nov. 23, a 2-1 win. In that game, Mason Morelli broke a 1-1 tie midway through the third period to net the game-winner, and Hunter Shepard made 26 saves, including a highlight-reel glove save that garnered an appearance as the No. 2 play of the night on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10. Henrik Borgstrom leads the Bears in scoring against his former club with five points (1g, 4a) in three games.
CHOPPING THE CHECKERS:
With a 2-2-1-1 record against Charlotte, the Bears still have the potential to win the regular season series against Charlotte, but they must record regulation wins in both of their remaining meetings, starting with Saturday night's clash at GIANT Center. Hershey last won a regular season series against the Checkers during the 2018-19 campaign, when the Bears went 3-0-0-1 in four matches. Mike Vecchione leads Hershey with seven points (3g, 4a) in six games against Charlotte.
PENALTY KILL PEAKING:
Before Hershey's March 15 win at Lehigh Valley, the club's penalty kill ranked 18th in the AHL with an 80.5% rate. Over its last nine games, in which Hershey has gone 7-0-0-2, the club's penalty kill has enjoyed a surge; the defensive unit has gone 33-for-36 (91.7%) over its last nine games, vaulting the Bears up to ninth in the AHL with a 191-for-231 (82.7%) rate for the season.
BOBBY'S WORLD:
Defenseman Bobby Nardella leads Hershey's blue line in scoring this season with 25 points (5g, 20a) in 56 games. Following Sunday's performance at Cleveland, the fourth-year pro also leads Hershey's back end with four multi-point outings. The Bears have gone 4-0-0-0 in each of those matches, and Hershey has also posted a record of 17-1-3-0 when the University of Notre Dame alumnus gets on the scoresheet.
MCMICHAEL RIDING MULTIPLE STREAKS INTO WEDNESDAY:
Connor McMichael enters the week riding a 10-game point streak (4g, 6a), and a nine-game point streak on the road (3g, 6a). The third-year pro is enjoying his finest season of offensive production, with 37 points (16g, 21a) in 51 games, and is second on the team with 138 shots on goal. McMichael is lighting the lamp on 11.6% of his shots. The forward has three assists in five games against Providence this season.
BEARS BITES:
Gabriel Carlsson is slated to play in his 200th career AHL game on Wednesday at Providence; the defender leads Hershey's blue line with a plus/minus of +24...Mike Vecchione needs two goals to reach 100 in his pro career...Sam Anas is four assists away from 200 in his pro career...Hershey is second in the league and first in the Eastern Conference with 2.48 goals-against per game...Joe Snively has a four-game point streak (2g, 3a)...Jake Massie is two games away from his 100th career AHL contest...Aaron Ness is four points from his 300th AHL point...The Bears have the only goaltending duo in the AHL in Zach Fucale (20) and Hunter Shepard (18) with at least 18 wins each.
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