AHL Hershey Bears

Game Preview: Bears vs. Checkers, 5 PM

Published on March 1, 2020 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - Tonight, the Hershey Bears open their March schedule with a 5 PM puck drop against the Charlotte Checkers. Both teams rematch after the Chocolate and White claimed a 6-1 win over Charlotte on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Hershey Bears (35-17-3-3) vs. Charlotte Checkers (31-21-4-0)

March 1, 2020 | 5 PM | Game #59 | Giant Center

Referees: Reid Anderson (49), Conor O'Donnell (41)

Linesmen: Jonathan Deschamps (84), Richard Jondo (55)

Ticket Information: http://www.hersheybears.com/tickets/single-game.php

Tonight's Promotion: Fairview Golf Course Bears Logo Chip Night (First 4,000)

Broadcast Information (Radio Pre-game 4:30 p.m.)

RADIO: WQIC-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, WOYK-1350 AM, Voice of the Bears Zack Fisch, Mitch Lamoureux and Jim Jones on the call.

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

WATCH LIVE: AHLTV

LAST TIME OUT:Hershey earned its 21st victory on home ice yesterday, blasting the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 5-1, at Giant Center. Garrett Pilon opened the scoring with an unassisted breakaway goal at 4:52 of the first period, starting a string of four unanswered goals for the Chocolate and White. Philippe Maillet became the first Bear to hit the 40-point mark with a second period goal, and Vitek Vanecek stopped 24 shots to earn his 69th career win as a member of the Bears, moving him into ninth all-time in franchise history for wins by a netminder. Hershey's penalty kill was busy, going 8-for-9 on the evening. The Checkers played last night at Lehigh Valley, earning a 4-2 win. Cavan Fitzgerald had a goal and an assist for the Checkers in the victory.

SPRONG SHINES:

Daniel Sprong made quite the impression in his Hershey debut tallying three points (one goal, two assists), notching the game-winning goal, and earning First Star honors. The newly acquired winger is no stranger to having success at Giant Center. Coming into last night's game, Sprong had played in nine toal games at Giant Center (five regular season games, four playoff games), scoring 12 points (six goals, six assists), all with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Dating back to his days with the Baby Penguins, Sprong's performance last night gave him five straight regular season multi-point games in Chocolatetown.

SGARBOSSA SKATES BACK IN:

Hershey forward Mike Sgarbossa returned to the lineup last night, skating for the Bears for the first time since Jan. 5. The center had missed 21 games with a lower-body injury. Sgarbossa's impact was quickly felt as he recorded a three-point contest, registering two goals and an assist in Hershey's win. With his strong evening, Sgarbossa extended his point streak to eight straight games. He has scored 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in his last eight, dating back to Dec. 22. The last game Sgarbossa failed to record a point was Dec. 21 versus Springfield. He ranks second on the club with 38 points, and his 1.08 points per game is the best among all Bears who have played at least 10 games.

SCORING IN BUNCHES:

The Bears have scored five or more goals in three consecutive games, including a six-goal outburst in Tuesday's win over tonight's opponent, the Charlotte Checkers. In each of Hershey's past six wins, the club has notched five or more tallies. In the month of February, Hershey scored a total of 40 goals over 11 contests, good for 3.64 goals per game. Garrett Pilon led the way for Hershey with six goals in February, while Brian Pinho added five goals in the month. With Hershey's strong recent offensive success, the Bears are now averaging 3.05 goals per game, good for 15th in the American Hockey League.

NEW GUYS IN NET:

It's been a carousel in goal for the Charlotte Checkers of late. After Charlotte lost primary goaltenders Alex Nedeljkovic and Anton Forsberg to NHL recalls, the Checkers were left with ECHL callups Jeremy Helvig and Callum Booth. Helvig was beaten six times by Hershey in his first career AHL start on Tuesday and was promptly re-assigned to ECHL Greenville. Booth made his first start of the season last night at Lehigh Valley, stopping 21 shots in a 4-2 win. Since Hershey hosted Charlotte on Tuesday, the Checkers have added two experience goaltenders to the roster. Mike Condon, a veteran of 129 NHL games, and Keith Kinkaid, who has played 157 NHL games, have both been loaned to the Checkers by their respective NHL clubs. Condon made his Charlotte debut in a 5-3 loss at Lehigh Valley on Friday, while Kinkaid is yet to dress for a game.

Check out the Hershey Bears Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



American Hockey League Stories from March 1, 2020


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central