AHL Hershey Bears

Game Preview: Bears at Wolf Pack, 7 PM

March 7, 2020 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hartford, CT) - Tonight, the Hershey Bears rematch the Hartford Wolf Pack in the sixth and final meeting between the two clubs this season. Each of the previous five games between the Bears and Wolf Pack have all been decided by one goal, with Hershey claiming a 1-0 victory last night.

Hershey Bears (36-18-3-3) at Hartford Wolf Pack (31-17-6-5)

March 7, 2020 | 7 PM | Game #61 | XL Center

Referees: Alex Garon (64), Olivier Gouin (54)

Linesmen: Ben O'Quinn (92), Kevin Briganti (39)

ATLANTIC DIVISION STANDINGS

Broadcast Information (Radio Pre-game 6:30 p.m.)

RADIO: WQIC-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, WOYK-1350 AM, Voice of the Bears Zack Fisch and Matt Trust

LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream, Caps Radio 24/7

WATCH LIVE: AHLTV

LAST TIME OUT: The Bears and Wolf Pack matched-up last night at the XL Center, and it was Hershey handing Hartford just its fourth regulation loss on home ice this year in a 1-0 decision. The two teams played to a 0-0 stalemate through 40 minutes of action with each side firing 13 shots. In the third period, Hartford out shot Hershey 17-4, but the lone goal came from the Bears. Eddie Wittchow connected for Hershey at 14:12 of the third period, as Brian Pinho and Shane Gersich assisted on the marker. Vitek Vanecek earned the shutout in goal, and Hershey went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. The Bears were not awarded a power play in the win.

SLIM-MARGIN SHUTOUTS:

With his 30-save shutout last night, Hershey netminder Vitek Vanecek now has 11 clean sheets in his Hershey career, a mark tied with Philippe Grubauer for seventh all-time in franchise history. The perfect performance was Vanecek's second shutout of the season, with his other coming on Dec. 7 at Lehigh Valley. That contest was also a 1-0 win for Hershey, as Vanecek stopped 32 shots to blank the Phantoms. Vanecek has won four straight games for Hershey, and now boasts an 18-10-1 record. His 2.30 goals against average ranks fifth in the American Hockey League.

BIG EDDIE:

Defender Eddie Wittchow scored the lone goal of the contest last night, giving him his fifth goal of the season in just 21 games. That mark ties Wittchow's career-high in goals, established in the 2017-18 campaign with Springfield over 59 games. The goal was also the second-game winning tally of the season for Wittchow, marking the first time he has scored multiple game-winning goals in a season during his AHL career. Four of Wittchow's five goals this season have come away from Giant Center.

MAILLET MILESTONE:

Hershey center Philippe Maillet is set to skate in his 200th American Hockey League game in tonight's contest. The Quebec native leads Hershey in scoring this season, tallying 42 points (15 goals, 27 assists) over 59 contests. He's spent his entire professional career in the AHL with Ontario and Hershey, compiling 136 points (51 goals, 85 assists) over 199 contests. He has points in four of his past five games.

ONE-GOAL WONDERS:

With last night's tight 1-0 victory, the trend of close games in the season series between Hershey and Hartford continued. All five games in the season series have been decided by just one goal, with Hershey going 3-2-0-0 versus its Atlantic Division rival. With last night's victory, the Bears moved five points ahead of Hartford in the Atlantic Division standings, and improved to 9-3-1-1 at the XL Center over the past five seasons. Entering tonight's game, Hershey's magic number to clinch a playoff spot is 20.

Check out the Hershey Bears Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from March 7, 2020


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