AHL Hershey Bears

Bears Weekly: Hershey Eyes Division Lead Heading into All-Star Break

Published on January 21, 2020 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears enter the week tied with the Hartford Wolf Pack for the Atlantic Division lead. Each club has 55 points, with the Bears sporting a 25-13-2-3 record through 43 games this season. Hershey plays its final three games ahead of the All-Star break this week, heading on the road for each contest. The Bears visit Springfield on Wednesday and Friday, before heading to Providence on Saturday. The contests are part of a four-game stretch away from Giant Center, which concludes following the All-Star break on Jan. 31 at Bridgeport.

Last week, Hershey dropped a pair of games in Charlotte, starting with a 4-1 loss on Tuesday evening. Hershey's lone goal came from Eddie Wittchow.

On Wednesday, Hershey fell in a 5-4 contest at the Bojangles' Coliseum. Charlotte raced out to a 5-1 lead through two periods of play, but Hershey battled back with three goals in the third. Brian Pinho scored twice, and Eddie Wittchow also tallied, but Charlotte held on for the victory.

The Bears returned to Giant Center on Saturday, upending Hartford, 5-4. Down 3-1 after the first period, Garrett Pilon and Shane Gersich scored in the second period to tie the game. In overtime, Tyler Lewington gave Hershey its 6th overtime win this season, scoring 58 seconds into the extra session.

On Sunday, Hershey dropped Rochester, 4-1, at Giant Center. Vitek Vanecek made 30 saves, and Martin Fehervary, Brian Pinho, Garrett Pilon, and Riley Sutter scored.

UPCOMING GAMES:

Tickets to all home games are on sale now at the Giant Center Box Office, or online via Ticketmaster.

-Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Springfield, 7:05 p.m.

-Friday, Jan. 24 at Springfield, 7:05 p.m.

-Saturday, Jan. 25 at Providence, 7:05 p.m.

WEEKLY PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, Jan. 22: 11:15 a.m., Morning Skate, MassMutual Center

Thursday, Jan. 23: TBD., MassMutual Center

Friday, Jan. 24: 11:15 a.m., Morning Skate, MassMutual Center

*Practice schedule subject to change. Follow @TheHersheyBears on Twitter for updates.

MOULSON APPROACHES 1000: Veteran forward Matt Moulson enters the week with 998 professional games played, meaning the forward is slated to hit the 1000-game milestone on Friday in Springfield. Since he began his career in 2006, Moulson has appeared in 650 NHL games with Los Angeles, the New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild, and Buffalo Sabres. He has also skated in 348 AHL games with Manchester, Ontario, and Hershey. The 36-year-old was named the Eastern Conference playing captain for the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic, and leads Hershey with 13 goals and seven power play goals this year.

VANECEK A 2X ALL-STAR: Netminder Vitek Vanecek was added to the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic roster on Tuesday. This marks the second straight season Vanecek has been selected to the All-Star Classic. The goaltender's 2.37 goals against average ranks 7th in the AHL and he boasts a 13-7-1 record in 22 games. At the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic in Springfield, Vanecek recorded the best statistics of any goaltender, stopping 18 of 20 shots, posting a 1.06 goals against average, and a .900 save percentage in four games.

PINS PUTS UP POINTS: Forward Brian Pinho has points in four of the past five games and has moved up to 2nd on the team in goals (12) and 3rd in points (24). He's doubled the 12 points he posted in his rookie season, and has scored three goals in his past three contests.

HITTING THE ROAD: This week, the Bears open a stretch of four straight road games. Hershey has played the most home games in the AHL (25), while skating in the least road games among Eastern Conference teams (18). The Chocolate and White are 17-5-1-2 on home ice and 8-8-1-1 on the road this season.

TYLER TIMES TWO: Defender Tyler Lewington's two-goal game last Saturday was the first multi-goal game of his professional career. The overtime winning goal was also the second game-winning goal in his AHL career. He followed up his performance with a two-assist game last Sunday, adding a pair of helpers for the first time since Feb. 27, 2019 at Hartford.

BEARS BITES: The AHL announced Mike Sgarbossa will be unavailable to participate in the All-Star Classic. He has not played since Jan. 5 due to injury...Riley Sutter scored his first professional goal in Sunday's victory...Christian Djoos earned his 100th AHL point with an assist last Saturday.

Check out the Hershey Bears Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 21, 2020


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