AHL Hershey Bears

Game Preview: Bears Open Home-And-Home in Hartford

Published on March 24, 2018 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hartford, CT)- The Hershey Bears open a home-and-home this afternoon as they visit the XL Center to host the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Bears are 2-0-0-0 in Hartford this season, and the Chocolate and White trail 6th place Hartford by just three points in the Atlantic Division standings.

Hershey Bears (27-30-4-5) at Hartford Wolf Pack (29-29-5-3)

Saturday, March 24, 2018, 3 p.m.

XL Center

RADIO: WQIC-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, WOYK 1350-AM

LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream

WATCH LIVE: AHLLive.com

LAST TIME OUT: Hershey's last game was a 6-4 loss to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last Sunday. Hershey bolted out to a 2-0 lead as Liam O'Brien scored 1:02 into the game, and Joe Whitney struck at 4:57. Despite holding a 3-1 lead after the first period, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scored twice in the second period to tie the game. In the third period, the Penguins struck for three goals to earn the win, spoiling a two goal night from Jonas Siegenthaler. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton outshot Hershey 32-22 in the contest. The Wolf Pack are coming off a 6-4 win over Rochester last Sunday. After falling into a 2-0 hole, the Wolf Pack battled back, getting two goals from Vinni Lettieri and a tally from Hubert Labrie along the way.

LAST TIME VS. HARTFORD: The last time the Bears visited the XL Center came just over a month ago on Feb. 23. Hershey earned a fourth straight road victory as they bested Hartford, 4-2. The game was tied 1-1 until there was just 2:03 to play. Former Wolf Pack captain Joe Whitney gave Hershey the lead off a face-off play, but at 18:23 with goaltender Chris Nell pulled for an extra attacker, Scott Kosmachuk tied the game. Only nine seconds later, Nathan Walker scored his second goal of the game to give Hershey the 3-2 lead. Jeremy Langlois added an empty net goal with 33 seconds to play to earn Hershey the victory. Pheonix Copley won his third straight game for the Bears, stopping 21 shots.

BEARS BANISHED: Hershey will be without a pair of players tonight due to suspensions. Forward Chris Bourque, the club's leading scorer with 48 points, was issued a three-game suspension due to a boarding incident on Mar. 17 vs. Springfield. Bourque was issued his first major penalty since 2009 in that game after a hit from behind on Springfield's Alexandre Grenier. Additionally, Tyler Lewington will finish serving his two-game suspension tonight. Lewington was suspended for the consequence of his actions in a game vs. Bridgeport on Mar. 16 after he went after Scott Eansor following a high hit from the Bridgeport forward.

SIEGS SCORES TWO: Jonas Siegenthaler enjoyed the best game of his professional career last Sunday. The defender scored twice to earn his first multi-point, and multi-goal game in the American Hockey League. The blueliner from Zurich, Switzerland broke a 40-game goalless drought, striking for his first goal since Dec. 3 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Siegenthaler has 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 65 games this season with the Chocolate and White.

CARL, NICE TO SEE YOU!: On Thursday, the Washington Capitals recalled goaltender Pheonix Copley from Hershey with Braden Holtby listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury. With Copley up with the big club, the Bears brought back a familiar face in goaltender Adam Carlson. The 24-year-old appeared in four games earlier this season with Hershey, going 2-2-0 with a 3.03 goals against average and a .903 save percentage. He earned his first AHL win on Oct. 21 in a 4-2 victory at Grand Rapids. Carlson returns to Hershey from Kansas City (ECHL) where he had posted a 5-1-2-1 record in nine games with a 2.07 goals against average, a .922 save percentage, and one shutout. The Edina, Minn. native is 6-3-3-1 in 16 ECHL games this season with South Carolina, Indy, and Kansas City. Both Carlson, and Vitek Vanecek each are 1-0-0-0 this season versus the Wolf Pack.

TAMING THE PACK: The Bears are 3-1-0-0 this season vs. Hartford. The Chocolate and White have won both games on the road at the XL Center this season, and have gone 6-2-1-2 in Hartford over the past five seasons. Overall, Hershey is 12-6-1-3 vs. Hartford in the last five years. The Bears enter the week three points behind Hartford in the Atlantic Division standings. Hershey will look to keep Hartford forward Steven Fogarty, who was born in Chambersburg, Penn., at bay tonight. The forward leads the season series with five points (three goals, two assists) in four games this season.

BEARS-WOLF PACK FAST FACTS: Mathias Bau and Connor Hobbs made the trip to Hartford and could return to the lineup today...Nathan Walker enters tonight's game just one point from 100 in his AHL career. He had two goals the last time the Bears were in Hartford...Hershey has not scored a power play goal in five straight games. The Bears are 0-for-14 in that stretch. The Chocolate and White are now 23rd on the man-advantage this season. Hershey gets some help on the power play with the return of Travis Boyd (seven power play goals) but other top power play contributors including Riley Barber (10 power play goals, upper-body injury) and Chris Bourque (five power play goals, suspension) remain out of the lineup....A Hershey regulation loss and a Charlotte win at Laval today would eliminate Hershey from playoff contention.

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