AHL Hershey Bears

Game On! Bears home opener this Saturday vs. Norfolk

Published on October 11, 2004 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


Last Week: The BEARS played their final exhibition game of the 2004 preseason Saturday night at the Sovereign Center in Reading, PA. Cody McCormick scored the game's only goal with just over two minutes remaining in the third period as HERSHEY blanked the Norfolk Admirals 1-0. Agris Saviels and Martin Hlinka picked up the assists on the game-winning goal. The BEARS outshot Norfolk 21-20 in the defensive struggle. The "home" game played in Reading, PA marked the first time since April 3, 1979 that HERSHEY played a home game outside of HERSHEY. The BEARS played as the home team on that date against the Philadelphia Firebirds at the Cap Center in Landover, MD. The victory Saturday night marked the end of the 2004 preseason. HERSHEY finished with a 2-1-0-0 record, winning two straight exhibition contests to finish Camp Fixter II.

Notables: BEARS coaches, players and staff head to Fairview Golf Course in Lebanon Monday for the second annual HERSHEY BEARS Golf Classic. The charity event benefits Shalom House, a women and children's shelter in Harrisburg. The event is expected to draw nearly 100 golfers for an afternoon outing that marks the end of 2004 training camp. Defenseman Tomas Slovak left the game Saturday night with a facial injury at the 7:02 mark of the first period and did not return. He is to be reevaluated today. Marek Svatos, Martin Hlinka and Johnny Boychuk finished the 2004 preseason in a three-way tie for the scoring lead. All three players picked up two points. Svatos and Hlinka scored a goal and added an assist while Boychuk collected two helpers on the eve of his professional debut this Friday. Goaltender Tom Lawson earned the win on Saturday in Reading, evening his preseason record at 1-1-0. Peter Budaj won his only decision of the preseason last Sunday against Binghamton. Budaj finished the preseason with a 1.16 goals against average. HERSHEY will play seven regular season games between now and the end of October. Four of the seven games will be at GIANT Center, including games each of the next three Saturdays. The BEARS host Norfolk for the club's 67th home opener this Saturday, the Philadelphia Phantoms next Saturday, October 23 and the Rochester Americans on Saturday, October 30. HERSHEY will also host Norfolk on Sunday, October 31 to round out the October slate. In addition to the season opening game this Friday in Norfolk, the BEARS will play road games at Binghamton and Syracuse before October draws to a close. Friday's game in Norfolk will be the first radio broadcast of the season, and also the first broadcast on the team's new radio stations. WTKT-AM (1460-AM) will carry the game in Harrisburg/Hershey, while WLAN-AM (1390-AM) carries the game in Lancaster. Both stations are more commonly referred to as "The Ticket". Air-time Friday night is 7:15 p.m.

Upcoming promotions: PNC Bank Magnetic Schedule night will be Saturday October 16 when the BEARS play the Norfolk Admirals for this season's home opener. A free magnetic schedule will be given away free to the first 8,000 fans in attendance thanks to PNC Bank. The BEARS are also pleased to welcome back SpongeBob Squarepants to GIANT Center as part of Opening Night festivities on October 16. The popular Nickelodeon character will be on hand from 6-9 p.m. meeting with fans of all ages thanks to our friends at Comcast. The BEARS will host the Philadelphia Phantoms on Saturday, October 23 at GIANT Center for Comcast Cable Night. The first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive a free BEARS schedule mouse pad thanks to Comcast. HERSHEY FOODS Trick-or-Treat night will be held on Sunday, October 31 this season when the BEARS host the Norfolk Admirals at GIANT Center. All kids in attendance 12 and under will receive Halloween candy as they enter the game. The BEARS will also wear special Halloween jerseys that night will be auctioned off after the game for charity. Saturday November 6 will be Capital Blue Cross night when the BEARS host the Providence Bruins at 7:00 p.m. A free HERSHEY BEARS/Capital Blue Cross Ice Scraper will be given away free to the first 3,000 adults through the turnstiles. The first of two HERSHEYPARK Pass nights will be held on Sunday, November 7 when the Providence Bruins wrap up their two-game series at GIANT Center. All fans in attendance will receive a complimentary pass to HERSHEYPARK for the 2005 Park season, good through July 4, 2005.

Down on the Farm: The Reading Royals begin their training camp today at the Sovereign Center in Reading. The Royals will play its first exhibition game of 2004 this Friday when the team plays at Trenton. HERSHEY'S UHL affiliate, the Quad City Mallards, played their first exhibition game of the 2004 preseason Saturday night. The Mallards lost 6-3 in a game that featured 139 penalty minutes. Quad City will play its second exhibition game tonight at home against Missouri.

Practice Schedule (Subject to Change):

Monday, October 11: Practice-GIANT Center -10:00 a.m.

Tuesday, October 12: Practice-GIANT Center -10:00 a.m.

Wednesday, October 13: Practice-GIANT Center -10:00 a.m.

Thursday, October 14: Practice-TBA-Travel day to Norfolk, VA

Friday, October 15: Pre-game skate 11:15 a.m., Road game at Norfolk 7:35 p.m.

Saturday, October 16: Home game vs. Norfolk 7:00 p.m.

Sunday, October 17: Off day

The week ahead:

Friday, October 15: BEARS at Norfolk Admirals 7:35PM Game #1, Road Game #1 Radio: 1460 AM/1390 AM PRE-GAME:7:15 PM

Saturday, October 16: Norfolk Admirals vs. BEARS 7:00PM Game #2, Home Game #1 Radio: 1460 AM/1390 AM PRE-GAME:6:40 PM

Check out the Hershey Bears Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from October 11, 2004


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.

OurSports Central