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AHL Hershey Bears

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

January 20, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


(Hershey, PA) - After finishing a three-game road trip with a win last night in Hartford, theHershey Bears host the rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tonight in front of a capacity crowd at GIANT Center.

Hershey Bears (30-7-0-2) vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (20-13-5-0)

January 20, 2024 | 7 p.m. | Game 40 | GIANT Center

Referees: David Elford (56), Jack Young (24)

Linespersons: John Rey (16), Tommy George (61)

Tonight's Promotions:

PSECU Knit Cap Night - The first 5,000 fans will receive a Calder Cup Champions Knit Cap, courtesy of PSECU

BUY TICKETS NOW (Standing Room Only)

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, In-arena on 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 improved the club's point streak to four games (2-0-0-2) with a 4-2 win at Hartford last night. The Wolf Pack struck first at 4:34 of the first period on a Jake Leschyshyn goal, but Pierrick Dubé responded with his 20th goal of the season on the power play at 10:38. In the second period, Mike Vecchione's power-play goal at 16:10 broke the 1-1 deadlock, and Aaron Ness added an insurance marker at 10:54 of the third period. Ethen Frank capped off the win with an empty-net goal at 17:11 as Hershey finished the evening 2-for-3 on the power play. The Penguins were idle last night, and in the club's last outing on Wednesday, they fell 3-2 to Providence. Jesse Puljujärvi has a goal and an assist for the Penguins in the losing effort.

30 SOMETHING:

Last night's victory helped Hershey become the first team in the American Hockey League to reach the 30-win plateau this season. In claiming a victory in its 39th game of the season, Hershey established a new franchise mark for the fastest 30 wins from the start of the season, eclipsing the previous record of 41 games set by the 2009-10 Calder Cup Champion Bears squad (30-9-0-2).

NOT SO HAPPY FEET:

Tonight marks the eighth meeting this season between Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Bears boast a 5-2-0-0 record versus the Baby Pens in the I-81 rivalry series, and Hershey has won the past four meetings. The Bears are also a perfect 3-0-0-0 at GIANT Center in head-to-head meetings in 2023-24, and dating back to last season, Hershey has won four straight games on home ice versus the Penguins. Joe Snively leads the way for the Chocolate and White this season versus the Pens, scoring 11 points (7g, 4a) in the seven meetings.

SCORCHING SGARBOSSA :

Hershey forward Mike Sgarbossa struck for a pair of assists last night in Hartford, giving him his 10th multipoint game of the season. His 30 assists are the most in the AHL, and he is just five assists off his career-best of 35 helpers established in the 2018-19 season with Hershey. Sgarbossa ranks tied for third in the league in scoring with 37 points in 37 games. The sixth-year Bear enters tonight's game with points in his last four outings, notching a goal and four helpers in that span. He's set to appear in his 50th all-time game versus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tonight, and he has more points (46) versus the Penguins than any other opponent in his 567-game AHL career.

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE :

With injuries mounting at the forward position, earlier today the Bears announced the recall of forwards Tyson Empey and Kevin O'Neil from South Carolina of the ECHL. Empey has appeared in 36 games with South Carolina this season, registering 23 points (11g, 12a). He leads the team with 94 penalty minutes and ranks third on the team in goals. He has played in 79 career AHL games with the Tucson Roadrunners, scoring 15 points (4g, 11a) to go along with 127 penalty minutes. O'Neil ranks third on the Stingrays in scoring, striking for 30 points (9g, 21a) in 34 games. He played in two games with Hershey last season on a professional tryout, scoring his first AHL goal on Dec. 31, 2022 versus Providence.

BEARS BITES:

Hershey's Alex Limoges and Garrett Roe both missed last night's game with upper-body injuries while Matt Strome also left yesterday's contest in the first period with an upper-body injury...Pierrick Dubé's goal last night made him one of just four 20-goal scorers in the AHL this season and he ranks tied for second in the league in goals, only trailing Adam Gaudette of Springfield (24)...Dmitry Osipov dressed last night in his first game for Hershey since Dec. 10, and the contest marked the 300th professional game of his career...Jimmy Huntington needs three points for 100 in his AHL career...Wilkes-Barre/Scranton forward Jesse Puljujärvi has played 334 career NHL games and was selected fourth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2016 NHL Draft.

ON THIS DATE:

Jan. 20, 1973 -The Bears made their first-ever visit to the Sunshine State, as Hershey battled the newly-relocated Jacksonville Barons to a 5-1 win in front of a crowd of 9,189 at the Jacksonville Coliseum.

Check out the Hershey Bears Statistics



American Hockey League Stories from January 20, 2024


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