Game Preview: Bears vs. Penguins, 7 p.m.
December 28, 2024 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release
(Hershey, PA) - The Hershey Bears return from the holiday break looking to snap a recent three-game winless skid on home ice when they face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tonight at GIANT Center.
Hershey Bears (18-9-3-0) vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (17-8-1-0)
Dec. 28, 2024 | 7 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Harrison O'Pray (82), Rob Hennessey (87)
Linespersons: Tommy George (61), Richard Jondo (55)
Tonight's Promotions:
Beverage Special - Fans 21-and-over can enjoy a champagne cocktail at select food and beverage locations.
Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, AHL Hall-of-Famer Mitch Lamoureux, and Jim Jones on the call
RADIO: WFVY-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, In-arena on 88.9 FM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears and Penguins squared off before the holiday break with a meeting last Sunday at GIANT Center. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's Tristan Broz scored the lone goal of the game at 4:27 of the second period, while Filip Larsson made 33 saves to earn his third shutout of the season for the Penguins. Hunter Shepard went 24-of-25 for the Bears, as Hershey suffered its third consecutive regulation loss at home, something that had not occurred in the regular season since Hershey's final home games of the 2021-22 campaign. While Hershey has been idle since then, the Penguins got back into action last night, hosting Lehigh Valley in a 3-2 win. Broz scored in the first and second periods, while Vasily Ponomarev netted the game-winning goal 43 seconds into the third period.
OUT OF HOLIDAY HIBERNATION:
In its last five full seasons, Hershey has emerged from the December holiday break with a win. Four of those victories have come at the expense of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, including last season, when the Bears thumped the Penguins on Dec. 27, 2023 in a 4-1 home win in front of 10,505 that saw Ethen Frank score the game-winning goal in the second period and Hunter Shepard made 20 saves to get the win.
MILLER MAGIC:
The Bears recalled forward Micah Miller from the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL on Friday, and the forward is likely to draw into the lineup tonight for his first game as a Bear. Miller has five games of AHL experience under his belt - all with Tucson over the previous two seasons - and has skated in 25 ECHL games this season with South Carolina, where he was tied for the team lead in scoring with 21 points (9g, 12a) and led the league with five game-winning goals. Miller will be reunited in Hershey with his former St. Cloud State University teammate Grant Cruikshank; the two played together for the Huskies during their final collegiate seasons in 2022-23.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS:
Hershey has started its franchise record-tying eight-game homestand with three consecutive regulation losses. The Bears will look to turn things around tonight in the fourth of 12 meetings against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season. So far through three games against the Penguins this season, the road team has come away with the win.
BEARS BITES:
The Washington Capitals loaned Henrik Rybinski to Hershey on Dec. 23. Rybinski leads the Bears in the month of December with seven points (2g, 5a) in six games...Ethen Frank is tied for first in the AHL in goals scored, while Mike Sgarbossa is tied for third in the league in the assists...Hunter Shepard is second in the league with 13 wins...Chase Priskie is tied for the league lead among defensemen with five power-play goals. His next assist will mark the 100th of his professional career...Matt Strome's next game will be his 200th career AHL contest.
ON THIS DATE:
Dec. 28, 1939 - The Bears blanked the Pittsburgh Hornets by a 1-0 score, as Gordon Bruce scored the lone goal for Hershey in the first period. Goaltender Nick Damore made 32 saves to get the shutout, his first in a sequence of a franchise record of three consecutive games posting a shutout, a feat that would be equaled in the 2021-22 season by Zach Fucale. Damore's scoreless streak, which began in the prior game on Dec. 25 against Syracuse, would last for an impressive 221:02.
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