Game Preview: Bears at Comets, 6 p.m.
AHL Hershey Bears

Game Preview: Bears at Comets, 6 p.m.

Published on January 31, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Utica, NY) -The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they cap their three-game swing through New York with their lone visit of the season to the Handshake City, where they face the Utica Comets tonight at the Adirondack Bank Center.

Hershey Bears (19-15-5-2) at Utica Comets (12-20-4-3)

Jan. 31, 2026 | 6 p.m. | Adirondack Bank Center

Referees: Chad Ingalls (39), Jordan Deckard (14)

Linesperson: Anthony Lapointe (58), Owen Robertson (50)

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 on FloHockey

LISTEN LIVE: Froggy Valley 100.1-FM Stream, Fox Sports 1460-AM Stream

Radio pre-game coverage starts at 5:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:

The Bears saw an 11-game point streak end last night in a 3-1 loss at Rochester. Hershey logged a record of 5-0-4-2 during the streak, which began on Jan. 3 in a 5-4 win vs. Rockford, and marked the club's longest since posting a franchise-record 17-game point streak in 2018-19. Jon McDonald scored the lone goal for the Bears in the loss, while goaltender Mitch Gibson stopped 26 shots. The Comets have been idle since Jan. 25, when they snapped a three-game winless skid with a 5-1 home win over Syracuse.

COMET CHRONICLES:

Despite Hershey's regular-season success over the past three campaigns, the Bears enter tonight's game looking to snap a five-game winless skid against the Comets. Hershey's last victory against Utica came on home ice when the Bears opened the 2022-23 campaign with a 3-1 victory; the team last achieved a road win over Utica on Feb. 25, 2022 in a 4-0 win bolstered by a two-point night from Aliaksei Protas, who contributed the game-winning goal for Hershey. Also playing that night for Utica was current Bears forward Graeme Clarke; tonight will mark Clarke's first game against his former club, which he played for between 2021-24 while he was a prospect in the New Jersey Devils organization and represented Utica at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic. The two teams will also meet at GIANT Center on Feb. 25.

RYBINSKI SET TO PLAY IN GAME NO. 200:

Fourth-year forward Henrik Rybinski is slated to suit up in his 200th professional game, all with Hershey, tonight. Originally a 2019 fifth-round selection of the Florida Panthers, Rybinski signed an entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals on March 1, 2022, before re-signing with the Caps this past June. In 199 career games with the Bears, Rybinski has produced 87 points (25g, 62a) while appearing in all 20 postseason matches with Hershey during the club's run to the 2024 Calder Cup title. Rybinski has generated two points (1g, 1a) in five career outings against Utica.

JANUARY JOTTINGS:

Hershey closes the January schedule this evening, and so far the Bears have posted a 5-1-4-2 record in the first month of 2026. The Bears are paced by rookie leaders Andrew Cristall (3g, 7a) and Ilya Protas (5g, 5a), who each have recorded 10 points through 12 games in the month. Louie Belpedio leads Hershey's defenders in scoring in the month with nine points (3g, 6a) in 11 games, while currently-recalled goaltender Clay Stevenson finished the month unbeaten in regulation with a 4-0-3 record and a 2.62 goals-against average. Hershey's penalty kill has been perfect over the past four games and is 27-for-33 (81.8%) so far in January.

BEARS BITES:

With an assist last night, Ryan Hofer recorded his first AHL point since he had a helper on April 13, 2024 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton...Jon McDonald's goal last night was his first tally since March 15, 2025 at Chicago, a span of 43 games without a goal...Hershey has been outshot in eight of its last nine games...The Bears are 5-5-2-0 against North Division opponents this season, with a record of 3-2-0-0 on the road...Utica's roster features former Bear and 2024 Calder Cup champion Dmitry Osipov...First-year Comets assistant coach Matt Carkner is related by marriage to Bears vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer.

ON THIS DATE IN BEARS HISTORY:

Jan. 31, 2011 - A sellout crowd of 10,736 fans at GIANT Center watched the Eastern Conference AHL All-Stars complete a sweep of the 2011 AHL All-Star Classic with an 11-8 victory over the Western Conference in the AHL All-Star Game. Bears forward Andrew Gordon set an event record when he scored one of his two goals on the night just 16 seconds after the opening face-off, but the Western Conference responded with four straight tallies and took a 4-1 lead. The East then scored nine of the game's next 11 goals to build a comfortable third-period advantage. Gordon finished the night with a pair of goals, while Hershey defender Brian Fahey logged two assists, and former Bear Alexandre Giroux (representing the Oklahoma City Barons) recorded a goal and a helper for the West.

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