
Game Preview: Bears at Checkers, 6 p.m.
December 2, 2023 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears continue their road trip as they battle the Charlotte Checkers for the second straight evening. Hershey enters tonight's game having won eight straight contests.
Hershey Bears (17-4-0-0) at Charlotte Checkers (10-8-0-0)
December 2, 2023 | 6 p.m. | Game 22 | Bojangles' Coliseum
Referees: Stephen Hiff (46), Chris Rumble (65)
Linespersons: Kirsten Welsh (10), Tyler Willie (47)
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 (Joined in progress), Capitals Radio
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream,Caps Radio 24/7
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 5:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears struck twice in the first period and never looked back in a 4-2 victory at Charlotte last night. For the 13th time this season, Hershey notched the game's first goal as Riley Sutter scored off a faceoff at 10:12 from Matt Strome. Sutter then assisted on Ivan Miroshnichenko's sixth tally of the season at 13:03 as Hershey opened up a 2-0 lead. After Patrick Khodorenko scored on a deflection for Charlotte at 7:01 of the middle frame, Pierrick Dubé tallied twice for Hershey, first on the power play at 11:30, and then at 17:37, to give Hershey a 4-1 lead. Makie Samoskevich scored the only goal of the third period for Charlotte, but Hershey goaltender Clay Stevenson stood tall and finished with 27 saves to earn the victory in goal. Hershey was 1-for-2 on the power play while the Checkers were 0-for-3. Charlotte outshot the Bears, 29-20.
THE GREAT EIGHT:
With last night's victory, the Bears collected the club's eighth straight win, giving them the longest win streak in the AHL this season. This marks Hershey's longest win streak since the 2019-20 season, when the Chocolate and White claimed nine straight victories from Dec. 1-Dec. 27, 2019. Hershey forward Mike Sgarbossa paced the Bears with 12 points (3g, 9a) in that stretch in 2019, and during this current string of victories, he ranks second on the Bears in scoring with eight points (1 goal, 7 assists), only bested by Riley Sutter's nine points (4g, 5a). Over the past eight wins, Hershey has outscored their opponents 31-18.
DOUBLE DIGIT DUBÉ :
With two goals last night, Hershey forward Pierrick Dubé is the first Bear to hit double digits in goals this season, and he currently paces the club with 10 tallies. Dubé's 10 goals are the fastest a Bear has hit that mark to start a season since Christian Thomas struck for 11 goals in Hershey's first 20 games in the 2016-17 campaign. Dubé is one of just 10 players in the AHL this season with 10 or more goals, and he sits just four off the league-lead of 14 tallies, held by Texas' Logan Stankoven.
SUTTER SIZZLES:
Riley Sutter had a goal and an assist last night for the second straight contest. The center enters tonight just one off his career-best of five goals, established last season. After being held off the scoresheet in the first 13 games of the season, Sutter has scored all nine of his points during the club's current win streak. He has four multi-point games in that span, and he is three points off his career-best mark of 12 points, also established last season. Sutter now has four career goals versus Charlotte, the most of any team he's faced.
BEARS BITES: After going seven games without a power-play goal from Nov. 11-25, Hershey has now scored on the man advantage in three straight games...With an assist on Pierrick Dubé's second goal last night, forward Jimmy Huntington tallied his 100th career professional point...Including the Calder Cup Playoffs and dating back to last season, Hershey has won four of its past five games at Bojangles' Coliseum...Goaltender Clay Stevenson ranks second in the AHL with a 1.70 goals-against average, while his seven wins are the most among rookie goaltenders...With an assist last night, Matt Strome has five points in 10 games this season, matching his point total from last season over 34 games played...Ivan Miroshnichenko has a goal and an assist in two straight games...The Bears' eight wins on the road this season are tied for the most in the AHL.
ON THIS DATE:
Dec. 2, 2017 - Hershey goaltender Vitek Vanecek stopped all 21 shots he faced to earn a 3-0 shutout over the Milwaukee Admirals at GIANT Center. Vanecek stopped a penalty shot from Milwaukee's Trevor Murphy, while Aaron Ness and Mathias Bau scored goals on Milwaukee goaltender Juuse Saros, and Jonas Siegenthaler added an empty-net tally for Hershey in the win.
American Hockey League Stories from December 2, 2023
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- Wallstedt Powers Iowa to 3-2 Win with Career-High 43 Saves - Iowa Wild
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- Brennan Othmann Lights the Lamp Twice in Thrilling 5-4 Overtime Victory Over Phantoms - Hartford Wolf Pack
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- Monsters Deliver 4-2 Win to Start Season Series with Comets - Cleveland Monsters
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- Frank Turns Trick For Bears In 5-2 Win Over Checkers - Hershey Bears
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- Crunch Top Marlies, 3-1 - Syracuse Crunch
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