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AHL Hershey Bears

Game Preview: Bears at Americans, 7:05 p.m.

December 29, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Rochester, NY) - The Hershey Bears make their lone visit of the regular season to Blue Cross Arena to take on the Rochester Americans in a rematch of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.

Hershey Bears (25-6-0-0) at Rochester Americans (13-11-2-1)

December 29, 2023 | 7:05 p.m. | Game 32 | Blue Cross Arena

Referees: Samuel Heidemann (60), Jake Kamrass (3)

Linespersons: T.J. Dockery (27), Sam Cucinotta (56)

Broadcast Information

Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch on the call

RADIO: WFVY-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, SportsRadio 98.9-FM & WOYK 1350-AM

WATCH LIVE: AHLTV

LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream

Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:35 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:

The Bears returned from the holiday break with a 4-1 win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Wednesday. Alex Limoges gave Hershey a 1-0 lead at 17:39 of the first period, then Ethen Frank redirected a pass from Joe Snively past Magnus Hellberg at 12:18 of the second period to make it 2-0. Snively scored on a 4-on-3 power play at 13:51. Midway through the third period Austin Rueschhoff spoiled Hunter Shepard's shutout bid at 11:48, but Pierrick Dubé sealed the game with an empty-net goal. The Amerks are coming off a 3-1 loss to intrastate rival Syracuse on Wednesday at home. Lukas Rousek scored the lone goal for Rochester on a penalty shot in the third period after the Crunch had already built a 3-0 lead. Dustin Tokarski took the loss with a 12-for-15 effort.

SUPER DUBER:

With goals in four consecutive games and seven in his last eight, Pierrick Dubé now leads the American Hockey League with 17 goals. Dubé is also tied for first in the AHL with three insurance goals, two shootout goals, and is second in the league with five game-winning goals, trailing only Tucson's Josh Doan (6). Hershey has won all 14 games in which Dubé has found the back of the net.

GOOD MEMORIES:

The last time the Bears skated off the ice in Rochester, they were carrying the Richard F. Canning Trophy by virtue of having won the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals with a 1-0 victory in Game 6 on June 2. Shane Gersich scored the lone goal to send Hershey to its 24th Calder Cup Finals appearance. Hershey is seeking its first regular-season road win at Rochester since Nov. 2, 2018 (4-2 W), and has gone 0-2-0-1 in the three following games between the clubs at Blue Cross Arena.

HUNTINGTON TO HIT 200TH AHL GAME:

Jimmy Huntington's next game will be his 200th in the AHL. The first-year Bear previously skated with Syracuse and Milwaukee, and already eclipsed the 200 pro game mark earlier this season. The fifth-year pro has 14 points (6g, 8a) through 26 games with Hershey this season, and has notched four points (2g, 2a) in 20 career games against the Americans.

POWER UP:

Hershey will look to take advantage of an Americans penalty-killing unit that ranks dead last in the American Hockey League overall at 74.7% and 31st on home ice at 69.4%. The Bears rank fourth in the AHL on the power play at 23.3% (24-for-103). Rochester's defense ranks 31st in the AHL in terms of goals-against per game (4.00) and last in shots-against per game (33.44). Bears forward Ethen Frank is tied for the league lead with seven power-play goals.

BEARS BITES:

Mike Sgarbossa leads all Eastern Conference skaters with 31 points and 26 assists...Hershey leads the AHL with 19 regulation wins, and 23 regulation + overtime wins...Hershey is 19-1-0-0 when scoring first, and 19-0-0-0 when leading after two periods...Bears head coach Todd Nelson played one season with Rochester in 2000-01, while defenseman Chase Priskie played 42 games last season with Rochester...Since his current win streak began on Dec. 13, Hunter Shepard has gone 5-0-0 with a 1.36 goals-against average and .940 save percentage.

ON THIS DATE:

Dec. 29, 1973 - The Bears established a club record by firing 63 shots in an 11-2 win over the Jacksonville Barons at Hersheypark Arena. Hershey fired 17 shots in the first, 21 in the second, and 25 in the third period to record the most shots on goal in a regular-season game in Bears history.

Check out the Hershey Bears Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2023


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