
Frank Turns Trick For Bears In 5-2 Win Over Checkers
December 2, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Charlotte, NC) - Ethen Frank scored three goals for his second career hat trick and Clay Stevenson made an AHL career-high 34 saves to pace the Hershey Bears (18-4-0-0) to a 5-2 win over the Charlotte Checkers (10-9-0-0) on Saturday night at Bojangles' Coliseum. With the victory, Hershey swept its third consecutive week of games, extending its season-high win streak to nine games, and pushed its road win streak to six games.
Uvis Balinskis opened the scoring for the hosts at 6:12 of the first period with a shot from the slot that beat Stevenson to the glove side to give Charlotte a 1-0 lead, which the Checkers would preserve heading into the intermission.
Aaron Ness took a cross-slot feed from Joe Snively and fired a shot past Ludovic Waeber at 4:41 of the second period to draw Hershey level with his first goal of the campaign. Alex Limoges earned a secondary assist on the goal.
After Hardy Häman Aktell skipped the puck along the right-wing boards to Mike Sgarbossa, the center broke into the offensive zone and flipped a pass across to the left circle, where Frank one-timed his ninth of the season past Waeber at 11:15 to give the Bears a 2-1 lead.
Minutes later Frank received a long pass from Vincent Iorio to center ice before flying up the right side and sneaking a shot into the upper-right corner of the Charlotte net to give Hershey a 3-1 edge at 15:04.
The Bears extended their lead in the third period, as Joe Snively grabbed the puck along the ice in front of the net and potted his seventh of the season at 4:38 from Jimmy Huntington and Limoges.
Lucas Carlsson's shot from the blue line beat a screened Stevenson and pulled the Checkers back to within a pair of goals at 6:41, cutting Hershey's lead to 4-2.
Frank completed his three-goal night with an empty-net power-play tally from Logan Day and Mike Vecchione at 17:57 to seal the game for Hershey.
Shots finished 36-21 in favor of the Checkers. Stevenson went 34-for-36 to secure his fourth consecutive victory of the season and his eighth win of the season overall (first among AHL rookies); Waeber stopped 16-of-20 shots in the defeat for Charlotte. Hershey went 1-for-3 on the power play; the Checkers went 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
The Bears continue the 2023-24 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they complete their four-game road trip with a clash against the Syracuse Crunch on Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. at Upstate Medical University Arena. Hershey returns home to GIANT Center to host the Cleveland Monsters for Hometown Heroes Night, featuring military-themed activities and recognition throughout the evening, on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. Purchase tickets for the game.
American Hockey League Stories from December 2, 2023
- Roadrunners Complete Sweep of San Jose - Tucson Roadrunners
- Reign Down Firebirds in Overtime - Ontario Reign
- Tristen Nielsen Scores Electrifying Game Winner as Canucks Beat Laval 4-3 - Abbotsford Canucks
- Condors Shoot Down Stars - Bakersfield Condors
- Condors Skate Past Stars to Salvage Split - Texas Stars
- Ostapchuk Strikes Twice as Sens Take Three-of-Four Points in Two-Game Set with Amerks - Belleville Senators
- Wallstedt Powers Iowa to 3-2 Win with Career-High 43 Saves - Iowa Wild
- Wallstedt Makes 43 Saves in Iowa's 3-2 Win Over Colorado - Colorado Eagles
- Kulich Scores Twice in 4-2 Loss to Senators - Rochester Americans
- Griffins' Win Streak Ends at Two Games with 4-2 Loss to Milwaukee - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Brennan Othmann Lights the Lamp Twice in Thrilling 5-4 Overtime Victory Over Phantoms - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Admirals Earn Win Over Griffins - Milwaukee Admirals
- Gulls Top Wolves, 4-1 - San Diego Gulls
- Phantoms Rally in 3rd at Hartford - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Wolves Drop 4-1 Decision to Gulls - Chicago Wolves
- Richard's Two Tallies Help P-Bruins Past Islanders for Fourth Straight Victory - Providence Bruins
- Bruins Edge Islanders, 4-3 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Monsters Deliver 4-2 Win to Start Season Series with Comets - Cleveland Monsters
- Utica Defeats Harrisburg in 2023-24 Season Opener - Utica Comets
- Frank Turns Trick For Bears In 5-2 Win Over Checkers - Hershey Bears
- Abbandonato Soars, But Penguins Sunk in OT, 4-3 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- T-Birds Exact OT Revenge in Wilkes-Barre - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Checkers Drop Rematch with Hershey, 5-2 - Charlotte Checkers
- Comets Beaten by Monsters, 4-2 - Utica Comets
- Capitals Recall Goaltender Hunter Shepard - Hershey Bears
- Crunch Top Marlies, 3-1 - Syracuse Crunch
- Goaltender Mitch Gibson Re-Assigned to Bears - Hershey Bears
- Roadrunners Forward Ryan McGregor Receives First Recall to the Arizona Coyotes - Tucson Roadrunners
- Crevier Called up to Blackhawks, Kaiser and Phillips Join IceHogs on Road Trip - Rockford IceHogs
- Game Preview: Condors v Stars, 7 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Game #20: Tucson Roadrunners vs. San Jose Barracuda - Tucson Roadrunners
- IceHogs to Host Outdoor Practice in Belvidere December 12 - Rockford IceHogs
- Pre-Game Report: Wolf Pack Host Phantoms in Annual Teddy Bear Toss Game - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Game Preview: Iowa Wild at Colorado Eagles - Iowa Wild
- Game Preview: Bears at Checkers, 6 p.m. - Hershey Bears
- Wranglers Defeat Silver Knights - Calgary Wranglers
- Blue Jackets Loan Goaltender Daniil Tarasov to Monsters - Cleveland Monsters
- Bridgeport Islanders Host Bruins for 'Teddy Bear Drive' Night - Bridgeport Islanders
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Hershey Bears Stories
- Bears Top Phantoms 6-4 to Force Game 5
- Atlantic Division Semifinals Game 4 Preview: Bears at Phantoms, 7:05 p.m.
- Bears Add Three from South Carolina
- Bears Pushed to Brink in 4-2 Loss to Phantoms
- Atlantic Division Semifinals Game 3 Preview: Bears at Phantoms, 5:05 p.m.

