Game Preview: Bears at Checkers, 7 p.m.
October 19, 2018 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Charlotte, NC)- The Hershey Bears begin back-to-back meetings in Charlotte against the unbeaten Checkers.
Hershey Bears (1-5-0-0) at Charlotte Checkers (4-0-0-0)
October 19, 2018 | 7:00 PM | Game 7 | Bojangles' Coliseum
Referees: Jordan Deckard (#14), Guillaume Labonte (#35)
Linesmen: Paul Carnathan (#93), Terry Wicklum (#58)
Broadcast Information (Pre-game 6:30 p.m.)
RADIO: WQIC-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, Zack Fisch, the Voice of the Bears.
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream
WATCH LIVE: AHL TV
ATLANTIC DIVISION STANDINGS
TONIGHT'S MATCH UP:
The Hershey Bears continue their season long, seven-game road trip tonight with the first of back-to-back meetings versus the Charlotte Checkers. Both teams met eight times during the 2017-18 season with each side earning four victories. Tonight is the Checkers home opener after going 4-0-0-0 away from Bojangles Coliseum.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears enter tonight's game after a thrilling 3-2 win in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday night. The victory snapped a five-game losing skid to open the season. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby started the scoring in the first period, and Liam O'Brien added a key insurance marker in the final minute of the second period. The Pens rallied to tie the game early in the third at 2-2, but former Pens forward Jayson Megna completed a tic-tac-toe passing play for the eventual game-winner. Charlotte last skated on Saturday, Oct. 13 and topped the Syracuse Crunch, 4-1. Power play goals by Janne Kuokkanen and Clark Bishop, a shorthanded goal by Patrick Brown, and 34 saves for Alex Nedeljkovic helped the Checkers to a win.
MAXIMILIAN'S HELPING HAND:
Appearing in all six games to start this season, Maximilian Kammerer has quietly tallied an assist in three straight. Kammerer earned his first career assist on Oct. 13 in a third period goal by Derek Hulak. The next night, Kammerer was credited with an assist on Tyler Lewington's first period goal in Rockford. The latter of the three helpers came on Wednesday in the third period. Kammerer sent a crisp, cross-ice pass to Jayson Megna for the eventual game-winning goal at the 6:19 mark.
NEW MEMORIES FOR MEGNA:
Hershey newcomer Jayson Megna skated in his second game with the Chocolate and White on Wednesday after being reassigned by the Washington Capitals on Sunday. Megna scored his first goal as a Bear against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the 6:19 mark of the third period for the eventual game-winning goal. The tally was Megna's first game-winning goal in nearly two years. His last game-winner prior to Wednesday was on Oct. 21, 2016 against the Syracuse Crunch.
LIGHT'S OUT VITEK:
Vitek Vanecek is fresh off his first victory of the season in a milestone performance against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Vanecek faced a career-high 42 shots and made a career-high 40 saves en route to a 3-2 win. The victory marked Vitek's first win against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins since 2016. Last season, Vanecek appeared in five games against the Checkers and posted a 3-1 record with a 3.54 goals against average and .886 save percentage.
COACHING CONNECTIONS: The Checkers coaching staff features assistant Ryan Warsofsky, the former head coach of Hershey's ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays. Warsofsky was current Hershey head coach Spencer Carbery's assist coach with the Stingrays for two seasons from 2014-16. He became the Stingrays head coach in 2016 after Carbery departed for a job with the OHL's Saginaw Spirit. Also, Hershey associate goaltending coach Alex Westlund has ties to Charlotte. The former goaltender played with the ECHL Checkers in 2004-05, and 2006-07, appearing in a total of 76 games.
American Hockey League Stories from October 19, 2018
- Phantoms and Penguins Battle in Wild Rivalry Game - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Amerks Top Marlies in Shootout for Fifth Straight Win - Rochester Americans
- Stars Tame Wild with Second Straight Four-Goal Third Period - Texas Stars
- Comrie Backstops Moose Past Rampage - San Antonio Rampage
- Penguins Win High Octane Game at Lehigh Valley, 5-4 - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Checkers Stay Perfect with Shootout Win - Charlotte Checkers
- Monumental Start by Montembeault Key to Victory for T-Birds - Springfield Thunderbirds
- Georgiev Backstops Wolf Pack to 4-3 Victory - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Dal Colle, Rathgeb, Toews all collect multi-point efforts in overtime win - Bridgeport Islanders
- Bears Drop Entertaining Battle in Shootout - Hershey Bears
- Devils Shut Down by Crunch, 4-0 - Binghamton Devils
- Sens Edged by Hartford on Home Ice - Belleville Senators
- Comets Fall Short against Cleveland - Utica Comets
- Monsters Outlast Comets, 4-3 - Cleveland Monsters
- Crunch Shutout Devils, 4-0 - Syracuse Crunch
- Third Period Lead Slips Away in 4-3 P-Bruins OT Loss - Providence Bruins
- Anaheim Ducks Assign Troy Terry to San Diego, Recall Pontus Aberg - San Diego Gulls
- Game #5 Preview: Tucson vs. Rockford - Tucson Roadrunners
- Marlies Look to Rebound in Rochester - Toronto Marlies
- Gravel Recalled by Oilers; Condors Call up Kulevich - Bakersfield Condors
- Jordan Szwarz Named P-Bruins Captain - Providence Bruins
- Forward Sheldon Dries Reassigned to Eagles - Colorado Eagles
- Amerks Hosting 11th Annual "Sweets in the Suites" Night on Saturday, October 27 - Rochester Americans
- Comets Break AHL Sellout Streak Record at 121 Games - Utica Comets
- Coyotes Assign Ullstrom to Tucson - Tucson Roadrunners
- Red Wings Assign Lashoff to Griffins - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Gryba, Schneider Join Binghamton Devils - Binghamton Devils
- Sound Tigers Face Bruins, Phantoms this Weekend - Bridgeport Islanders
- Jets Assign Kristian Vesalainen to the Manitoba Moose - Manitoba Moose
- Defenseman Ottenbreit Reassigned to Grizzlies - Colorado Eagles
- Ottawa Recalls Paul from Belleville - Belleville Senators
- Game Day Build-Up: Senators vs. Wolf Pack, October 19 - Belleville Senators
- Game Preview: Bears at Checkers, 7 p.m. - Hershey Bears
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