Game Preview: Bears vs. IceHogs, 7 p.m.
Published on January 3, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they open up the New Year with their first game against the Rockford IceHogs since the 2018-19 season.
Hershey Bears (14-14-1-0) vs. Rockford IceHogs (13-16-2-1)
Jan. 3, 2026 | 7 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Taylor Burzminski (13), Rob Hennessey (87)
Linespersons: Tommy George (61), Bill Lyons (27)
Tonight's Promotions:
PSECU Knit Hat Night - The first 5,000 fans in attendance will receive a "Screaming Bear" knit hat, courtesy of PSECU.
Washington Capitals Night - The Bears will wear their "Screaming Bear" jerseys in celebration of the previous 20 years of affiliation with the Washington Capitals.
Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, AHL Hall-of-Famer Mitch Lamoureux, and in-arena host Jim Jones on the call
RADIO: WFVY-100.1-FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, SportsRadio 98.9-FM & WOYK 1350-AM, In-arena on 88.9-FM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN LIVE: Froggy Valley 100.1-FM Stream, Fox Sports 1460-AM Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears ended 2025 with a 3-0 loss at Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, as Lane Pederson netted two goals for the Phantoms in the first period, Maxence Guenette added an empty-netter in the third, and Alexei Kolosov made 31 saves, while Clay Stevenson put up 29 stops in net for Hershey. The IceHogs are also coming off a New Year's Eve loss by way of a 3-2 decision to the Chicago Wolves, despite a 30-save effort from goaltender Laurent Brossoit.
RINGING IN THE NEW YEAR:
Coming on the heels of a four-game winless streak, Hershey is looking to reverse its fortunes in the New Year. In the GIANT Center era, the Bears have gone 12-6-1-2-1 in their first game of the New Year, excluding the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign that did not begin until February of 2021.
GOING HOG-WILD:
The last time the Bears faced the Rockford IceHogs, current Bears head coach Derek King was the bench boss for the Chicago Blackhawks affiliate. Hershey and Rockford each earned a win against each other during the 2018-19 season, with the Bears winning the most recent encounter, a 3-2 shootout win at GIANT Center on Feb. 23, 2019. The Bears are a lifetime 1-2-1-0 against the IceHogs; former Bear Andrew Perrott is the only player on either team's current roster to have suited up for both teams, as the IceHogs defenseman skated in 19 games with the Chocolate and White last season.
CLARKE MAKES RETURN:
Forward Graeme Clarke is back from his stint with Team Canada for the 2025 Spengler Cup tournament in Davos, Switzerland, where he produced one assist for the Canadians in three games. The forward generated six points (2g, 4a) in 12 games against Rockford last season as a member of the Iowa Wild.
BEARS BITES:
Ilya Protas is tied for fifth in rookie scoring with 23 points and tied for fourth among rookie goal-scoring with 12 goals, while Andrew Cristall is 10th in rookie scoring with 22 points and his 17 assists is second among rookies...Corey Schueneman is two assists away from reaching 100 career AHL helpers...Rockford's Brett Seney's 30 points is tied for 12th in league scoring, while Kevin Korchinski's 18 points is tied for 11th among league defensemen.
ON THIS DATE IN BEARS HISTORY:
Jan. 3, 2004 - Bears goaltender Tom Lawson and Portland's Rastislav Stana dueled to a 0-0 scoreless tie at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland. It was the first scoreless tie involving the Bears since Feb. 5, 1972. Lawson made 29 saves for his second shutout of the season, while Stana made 22 saves to earn his fifth clean sheet. Lawson finished the season with a .932 save percentage, which stands as the single-season record for Hershey netminders.
American Hockey League Stories from January 3, 2026
- Barracuda Earn Point in 2-1 Shootout Loss - San Jose Barracuda
- Colorado Cruises Past Silver Knights, 5-2 - Henderson Silver Knights
- Brown, Ungar Help Condors to Perfect Week in 2-1 Win - Bakersfield Condors
- Reign Edge Firebirds, 3-2 - Ontario Reign
- Griffins Tie Second-Longest Point Streak in Franchise History with Win over Wolves - Grand Rapids Griffins
- Three-Goal Third Period Lifts Colorado to 5-2 Win over Silver Knights - Colorado Eagles
- Firebirds Fall to Reign in First Meeting, 3-2 - Coachella Valley Firebirds
- Stars Push Past Admirals in Shootout Win - Texas Stars
- Amerks Fall to Marlies in High Scoring Affair to Open 2026 - Rochester Americans
- Ads Battle Back to Earn Point in SO Loss - Milwaukee Admirals
- Syracuse Crunch Shut out Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 6-0 - Syracuse Crunch
- Penguins Blitzed by Crunch to Start New Year - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
- Wolves Fall to Griffins, 4-1 - Chicago Wolves
- Bears Survive Hog-Wild 5-4 Win over IceHogs - Hershey Bears
- Power Play Goal Not Enough as Senators Drop 3-1 Contest - Belleville Senators
- Monsters Come out on Top of Battle with Checkers in 6-3 Win - Cleveland Monsters
- Comets Beat Rocket, 4-3, Take 3 Points in Laval - Utica Comets
- Monsters Snap Charlotte's Winning Streak - Charlotte Checkers
- Point Streak at 5, Phantoms Oust B-Sens, 3-1 - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Brendan Brisson Paces Attack as Wolf Pack Beat Islanders 4-1 - Hartford Wolf Pack
- Islanders Fall to Wolf Pack, 4-1 - Bridgeport Islanders
- Syracuse Crunch to Host Dinosaur Night Presented by the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (MOST) January 10 - Syracuse Crunch
- Preview: Phantoms at Belleville, Game 32 - Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- San Diego Gulls Reassign Smith and Kinal to Tulsa - San Diego Gulls
- IceHogs Outdoor Practice this Tuesday - Rockford IceHogs
- Dallas Stars Recall Goaltender Remi Poirier from Texas Stars - Texas Stars
- Game Preview: Condors vs. Barracuda, 7 p.m. - Bakersfield Condors
- Game Preview: Bears vs. IceHogs, 7 p.m. - Hershey Bears
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