Game Preview: Bears vs. Marlies, 7 p.m.
AHL Hershey Bears

Game Preview: Bears vs. Marlies, 7 p.m.

Published on November 7, 2025 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 return home to host the Toronto Marlies in Toronto's lone visit of the season to GIANT Center.

Hershey Bears (5-3-1-0) vs. Toronto Marlies (5-4-0-1)

Nov. 7, 2025 | 7 p.m. | GIANT Center

Referees: Jim Curtin (22), Andrew Bell (6)

Linespersons: Tommy George (61), Davids Rozitis (62)

Tonight's Promotions:

Food Drive - Help Milton Hershey School Pack 75 and Troop 75 take a bite out of hunger! They will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Hershey Food Bank on the plaza in front of GIANT Center until the start of the game. Suggested donation items include: canned fruits, vegetables, soups, and sauces; boxed cereal, pasta, breakfast bars, and mac & cheese; spices and condiments; household paper products and cleaners; baby supplies.

Happy Hour - Fans 21-and-over can enjoy a $5, 16 oz. select beer special, available from doors to puck drop.

Upcoming Promotions:

Sunday, Nov. 9 vs. Rochester:

USO Hygiene Supply Drive - As part of that evening's Hometown Heroes Night programming supporting members of our armed forces, the USO will be collecting hygiene supplies on the GIANT Center concourse. Suggested donation items include: shampoo and conditioner, body wash/soap, deodorant, lotion, foot powder, razors, combs, mouthwash, feminine hygiene items, hand sanitizer, tissues, antibacterial/baby wipes, shower shoes/flip-flops (new, in packaging).

Broadcast Information

Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, and in-arena host Jim Jones on the call

RADIO: WFVY-100.1-FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM

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 earned their fourth consecutive win last Saturday with a 2-0 blanking of the previously undefeated Providence Bruins at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Ryan Chesley struck midway through the first period with the eventual game-winning goal, and Matt Strome added an empty-net tally in the third to bolster Garin Bjorklund's 25 saves for the netminder's first American Hockey League shutout. The Marlies are coming off of Wednesday's remarkable third-period comeback from down 3-0 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, as Toronto's Borya Valis (1:57), Logan Shaw (10:38), and Benoit-Olivier Groulx (12:53) found the net to level the game at 3-3, and former Bear Travis Boyd netted the game-winner in overtime.

STROME ON VERGE OF 300TH GAME:

Should Matt Strome take the ice tonight for the Bears, he would be appearing in his 300th professional game. The seventh-year pro has played in 242 AHL games with the Bears and Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and in 57 ECHL contests with the Reading Royals and Greenville Swamp Rabbits. Strome's 151 games with Hershey represent the largest total with an individual team. Hershey is 5-3-0-0 with Strome in the lineup this season and 3-1-0-0 when he records at least a point.

TORONTO TIMBER:

Tonight's game features the only time this season that the Bears will host the Marlies on home ice. Hershey is seeking its first win against the Marlies since Feb. 17, 2024, and its first win against Toronto on home ice since Jan. 28, 2024; Hershey is a lifetime 16-10-0-3-2 against the Marlies.

BOYD BE BRIGHT:

Toronto's roster features former Bears forward Travis Boyd, who could be making his return to GIANT Center since he last skated for the Chocolate and White during the 2019-20 campaign. Boyd skated in parts of six seasons with Hershey, producing 172 points (57g, 115a) in 221 games while helping the club reach the 2016 Calder Cup Finals in his rookie season, scoring two game-winning goals during that postseason run.

SMITH FAMILY REUNION:

Should Hershey forward Dalton Smith and Toronto defenseman Blake Smith draw into the lineup tonight for their respective clubs, it would mark the first time that the two brothers have faced each other in high-level competition. Dalton Smith (33; June 30, 1992) and Blake Smith (21; Oct. 5, 2004) are separated by over 12 years. The younger Smith brother was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 11 and made his pro debut with the Toronto Marlies on April 19, whereas Dalton Smith first took the ice in the pro ranks with the Springfield Falcons on Oct. 13, 2012. Dalton Smith has 588 games of pro experience, including one NHL appearance, while Blake Smith has suited up in nine games with the Marlies.

BEARS BITES:

Graeme Clarke is sixth in the AHL with 36 shots on goal...Justin Nachbaur is tied for first among AHL rookie skaters with 32 penalty minutes and is tied for the league lead with four major penalties...Andrew Cristall is tied for 12th in rookie scoring with six points (1g, 5a)...Hershey is 3-0-0-0 when leading after the first period...The Bears are scoring on 10.4% of their total shots on goal...A correction issued by the AHL has adjusted Hershey's first goal from last Saturday's 2-0 win at Providence from a power-play goal to an even-strength tally; Hershey's power play is now 5-for-28 (17.9%) this season...Earlier this week the AHL announced that former Bears Chris Bourque, Alexandre Giroux, and Wendell Young will be inducted as part of the AHL's Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

ON THIS DATE IN BEARS HISTORY:

Nov. 7, 1981 - Gary Inness took over as head coach for the Bears, replacing Bryan Murray after Murray was summoned and eventually promoted to the head coach position with the Washington Capitals. Inness, a former goaltender for Hershey - including during the club's 1980 Calder Cup championship - had tended the net for the Chocolate and White as recently as the previous season, and had been hired as the team's trainer and first-ever assistant coach prior to the start of the 1981-82 campaign. That night, with Inness in charge behind the bench, the Bears rallied from a 3-1 deficit against the Erie Blades by collecting three goals in a span of four minutes during the third period, with Chris Valentine netting the game-winner with under three minutes left in regulation to give Hershey a 4-3 win in front of 4,528 at Hersheypark Arena. Inness would later be officially named Hershey's next head coach four days later on Nov. 11.

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