AHL Hershey Bears

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

Published on January 11, 2023 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears continue the 2022-23 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they renew hostilities with their I-81 rivals, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, for the 10th of 12 meetings this season.

Hershey Bears (23-8-2-1) vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (16-10-2-3)

January 11, 2023 | 7 p.m. | Game 35 | GIANT Center

Referees: Mike Dietrich (15), Mike Sullivan (89)

Linespersons: Bill Lyons (27), Michael Magee (41)

Tonight's Promotion:

Berks Dollar Dog Night - Fans can enjoy Berks Dollar Dogs and $6 draft beers available at the Boulevard, Hot Shots, and Hat Trick concession stands.

Broadcast Information

Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Famer Dave Fenyves, and Jim Jones on the call

RADIO: WFVY-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, In-arena at 88.9 FM

WATCH LIVE: AHLTV

LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream

Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:

The Bears hosted the Syracuse Crunch for the only time this season on Sunday, and built a 1-0 lead when Beck Malenstyn scored his first of the season 4:19 into the first period on Hershey's second shot of the contest. Connor McMichael then made it 2-0 at 2:49 of the second period with his seventh of the season, but Jack Finley scored at 8:22 to get the Crunch on the board. Mike Sgarbossa restored the two-goal edge at 10:36 with his 11th of the season to make it 3-1. Mike Vecchione added a power-play goal at 14:32 for his 13th of the season, which eventually stood up as the game-winner, as the Crunch mounted a comeback in the third with goals from Gabriel Dumont at 8:37 and Shawn Element at 13:03. Hershey's defense and goaltending kept the Crunch off the board for the rest of the way, as Hunter Shepard went 25-for-28 to earn his ninth win of the season. Ethen Frank and Aliaksei Protas each chipped in two assists, and the Bears were 1-for-3 with the man advantage. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton returns to action tonight after last skating on Saturday at home against the Hartford Wolf Pack. The Penguins erased a three-goal deficit to win in dramatic fashion with a 4-3 overtime victory. Jonathan Gruden scored at 12:57 of the second period to spark the comeback after falling behind 3-0, then added his second of the contest at 3:31 of the third. Corey Andonovski tallied at 8:40 to draw the Penguins level, before Alex Nylander capped the comeback by scoring 1:24 into the sudden-death frame. Taylor Gauthier posted 26 saves in the win for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

ANAS OUT INDEFINITELY FOLLOWING SURGERY:

The Bears announced on Tuesday that forward Sam Anas underwent a successful abdominal surgery on Jan. 6. Anas will be out indefinitely. The former AHL scoring champion signed a one-year contract with the Bears on Aug. 15, 2022, and had posted 15 points (7g, 8a) in 29 games prior to sustaining an injury on Dec. 21 at Lehigh Valley.

BEARS BOLSTER FORWARD DEPTH:

Despite the aforementioned loss of Anas, the Bears continue to make inroads in enhancing their depth, particularly up front at forward. With recent loans from the NHL's Washington Capitals, the Bears now boast 11 NHL-contracted forwards on their roster following the additions of Aliaksei Protas and Joe Snively, and the return of Beck Malenstyn over the last two weeks. While Snively has yet to make his Bears debut this season, Malenstyn and Protas both made contributions to the scoresheet in their latest game, with Malenstyn providing the opening goal for Hershey in Sunday's win over Syracuse, and Protas matching a previous career-high with a pair of assists. Should Snively make his Bears season debut tonight against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he would be able to extend a current 14-game home point scoring streak, dating back to Nov. 14, 2021, which would set a new record for the longest home point streak in franchise history (Snively's mark of 14 consecutive games is currently tied with Alexandre Giroux).

SGARBOSSA TO HIT 500 AHL CONTESTS:

Tonight forward Mike Sgarbossa is expected to play in his 500th career regular season game in the American Hockey League. The 11-year pro began his AHL career with the Lake Erie Monsters in 2012-13, and has since gone on to play for Norfolk, San Diego, Springfield, and Manitoba before finally joining the Bears in the 2018-19 campaign. In 499 career AHL games, the Campbellville, Ontario native has accrued 362 points (141g, 221a) and 490 penalty minutes. This season, Sgarbossa is second on Hershey with 27 points (11g, 16a) in 29 games, and his current plus-minus of +13 represents the highest total in his entire pro career.

BEARS BITES:

The Bears lead the AHL with 12 wins when tied after the second period...Zach Fucale's next win will be his 12th of the season and set a new personal high for the goaltender in a Bears sweater...Gabriel Carlsson's plus-minus of +13 is tied for the second-best total among Eastern Conference defenders...Ethen Frank and Hendrix Lapierre are tied with several skaters for the second-most first goals with four...Forward Shane Gersich's next point will mark his 100th point in a Bears sweater...Forward Mike Vecchione is three points away from 200 in his professional and AHL career; his five game-winning goals lead the team and are tied with former Bears forward Riley Barber for second in the league...Defender Aaron Ness is four points away from 300 in his professional career.

Check out the Hershey Bears Statistics

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