AHL Hershey Bears

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

Published on January 28, 2023 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Allentown, PA) - The Hershey Bears continue the 2022-23 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they conclude a four-game road trip with another battle with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms tonight at PPL Center. The Bears are back in Allentown after picking up a 5-2 win over Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. Hershey enters tonight's game riding a seven-game point streak (5-0-2-0).

Hershey Bears (27-8-4-1) at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (20-15-3-2)

January 28, 2023 | 7:05 p.m. | Game 41 | PPL Center

Referees: Mike Dietrich (15), Michael Zyla (4)

Linespersons: Michael Magee (41), Tommy George (61)

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, Capitals Radio Network

WATCH LIVE: AHLTV

LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream, Caps Radio Network

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

LAST TIME OUT:

Hershey took a 1-0 lead over Lehigh Valley just 1:15 into the first period of Wednesday's meeting when Connor McMichael knocked in a Dylan McIlrath rebound for his ninth of the season. Elliot Desnoyers tied the score at 3:23 for the Phantoms. Joe Snively buried his ninth of the season at 6:47 of the second period on the power play to put the Bears ahead 2-1, but Hayden Hodgson scored at 13:44 to make it 2-2. One minute into the third period, Snively scored his second of the game to make it 3-2. Mason Morelli then scored on the power play at 8:43 for his sixth of the season, and again at 10:54 to give Hershey a 5-2 final, as Zach Fucale went 20-for-22 to pick up his 13th victory of the season. The Bears went 2-for-5 on the power play, and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. The Phantoms were back in action last night, as they downed Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by a 4-2 score. Lehigh Valley opened the game with two power-play goals in the first period, as Tyson Foerster (8:11) and Cal O'Reilly (12:55) found the net. Ronnie Attard scored the eventual game-winner at 3:30 of the second and Foerster netted an insurance goal at 4:56 to run the lead up to four goals, but the Penguins got on the board in the third with tallies from Tyler Sikura (9:54) and Corey Andonovski (11:31). Samuel Ersson got the win for the Phantoms with a 34-save performance, while the Phantoms were 2-for-5 with the man advantage and 2-for-2 on the PK.

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE:

Forward Hendrix Lapierre missed Wednesday's game at Lehigh Valley due to illness, meaning that forward Mason Morelli is now the only Bears skater to have played in every game for the club this season. Morelli also holds the team's active regular season ironman streak at 80 games, which began on Jan. 25, 2022. Following this Wednesday's game against the Phantoms, Morelli's 80 contests over that stretch is tied for the sixth-most in the AHL. With his two-goal performance on Wednesday, Morelli now has five points (2g, 3a) over his last six games.

"MAC" ATTACK:

Thanks to assisting on Connor McMichael's opening tally and Joe Snively's game-winner on Wednesday, defender Dylan McIlrath enjoyed his first multi-point performance of the season. In fact, the feat was his first multi-point outing in exactly a year, as the Bears captain chipped in two assists in a 6-2 home win over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Jan. 25, 2022, assisting on a pair of second-period goals from Garrett Pilon and Marcus Vela. McIlrath has nine assists through 37 games this season.

POWERFUL PLAY:

The Bears matched their season-high for power-play goals on Wednesday, scoring twice on the man advantage. It was the fourth time this season that Hershey had buried a pair of goals while on the power play. Hershey has actually managed the feat twice this season against Lehigh Valley, after previously going 2-for-5 against the Phantoms in a 4-1 win on Oct. 30. The Chocolate and White have been bolstered by a robust power play during their current seven-game point streak, as the special teams have converted in each contest during the streak, going 9-for-27 over that stretch. Ethen Frank leads Hershey this season with six power-play goals, while Mike Sgarbossa paces the Bears with eight power-play assists.

YOU AGAIN?:

The Bears are now 6-0-0-0 this season against Lehigh Valley, with eight games remaining against their I-78 opponents. Hershey will also face the Phantoms next Wednesday at PPL Center. Mike Sgarbossa leads Hershey in scoring against Lehigh Valley, with eight points (4g, 4a) in six games, while Jordy Bellerive (2g, 2a) holds the scoring lead for the Phantoms against the Bears. Zach Fucale is now 4-0-0 against the Phantoms with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage, while Samuel Ersson has gotten the lion's share of work in net for Lehigh Valley against the Bears with a 0-5-0 record, a 3.86 GAA and an .875 save percentage.

BEARS BITES:

The Washington Capitals re-assigned goaltender Clay Stevenson from Hershey to the South Carolina Stingrays earlier this morning...Forward Connor McMichael has eight points (3g, 5a) in his last nine games...Forward Garrett Pilon has seven points (3g, 4a) in his last six contests...Forward Joe Snively has five goals over his last five games...Defender Gabriel Carlsson has posted back-to-back games of one assist and a plus-minus of +3...Shane Gersich was initially credited with an assist on Hershey's fifth goal on Wednesday, but it was subsequently awarded to Garrett Pilon. Gersich's next point will mark his 100th point in a Bears sweater...Defender Aaron Ness is four points away from his 300th pro point.

Check out the Hershey Bears Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 28, 2023


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