Game Preview: Bears at Bruins, 7:05 p.m. | NEWS

October 25, 2024

The Hershey Bears continue the 2024-25 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they visit the Providence Bruins for the first of two meetings this weekend.

Hershey Bears (3-1-1-0) at Providence Bruins (2-2-0-0)
Oct. 25, 2024 | 7:05 p.m. | Amica Mutual Pavilion
Referees: Liam Maaskant (45), Mike Dietrich (15) 
Linespersons: Stephen Drain (2), Kenneth Gates (91)

Broadcast Information 
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, and Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman on the call
TELEVISION: Antenna TV (WPMT FOX 43.2, Xfinity Ch. 247 and 1178, Verizon FiOS Ch. 463, Blue Ridge Ephrata Ch. 91, and Blue Ridge Newberry/Duncannon Ch. 88) 
RADIO: WFVY-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, Caps Radio
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream, Caps Radio 24/7
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:35 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:
Hershey blanked the Chicago Wolves 5-0 on Sunday as Hunter Shepard made 26 saves, and Ethen Frank (2g, 1a) and Ivan Miroshnichenko (2g, 1a) led the way with three points apiece, while Mike Sgarbossa contributed a pair of assists. Providence is coming off a 2-0 win Sunday over Springfield, which saw Michael DiPietro record 23 stops. Defenseman Jordan Oesterle netted the game-winning goal and forwards Vinni Lettieri and Patrick Brown netted insurance tallies.

POWERFUL PLAY:
Hershey’s power play has converted in each of the club’s first five games, leading to a man-advantage unit that entered the week first overall in the AHL, going 8-for-23 (34.8%). Hershey’s single-season record for power play percentage is 25.49%, set during a 76-game 2011-12 campaign in which the Bears went 91-for-357. Ivan Miroshnichenko leads the way for the Bears this season with three power-play goals, tied for first overall in the league.

SUPER SGARBS:
Mike Sgarbossa leads the entire AHL with five (1g, 4a) power-play points, and his four power-play assists are tied with teammate Alex Limoges, along with Charlotte’s Ryan McAllister and Toronto’s Logan Shaw for the league lead. Last season, the Sgarbossa tied Joe Snively for the team lead with both players posting identical 21-point (2g, 19a) stat lines with the man advantage; the veteran forward’s 19 power-play assists were good enough to finish tied for ninth in the league, despite his last game with Hershey being on Feb. 3, 2024 vs. Bridgeport before his NHL recall to Washington, where he spent the remainder of the campaign. In his time in the Chocolate and White, Sgarbossa has generated 28 goals and 72 assists on the power play, for an eye-popping 100 power-play points. Overall, Sgarbossa has produced 20 points (5g, 15a) in 21 career games with Hershey against Providence.

BEWITCHING THE BRUINS:
After going winless in two straight seasons at the Amica Mutual Pavilion, the Bears enjoyed a monster season in Providence last year, went 3-0-0-0 in road games against the Bruins, the most road wins against Providence in team history. Hershey is a lifetime 43-49-4-4-6 against the Bruins, and 15-30-2-3-3 in away games against the club entering tonight’s game.

NELSON CONTINUES COACHING CLIMB:
Following his 100th regular-season victory with the Bears on Sunday against Chicago, Hershey head coach Todd Nelson now sits at 409 career wins as an AHL head coach over the course of his tenure with Oklahoma City, Grand Rapids, and the Bears. That puts him seventh place all-time; up next in sixth with 424 wins is John Anderson, under whom Nelson served as an assistant coach in both the AHL with Chicago from 2006-08 (winning a Calder Cup together in 2008), and in the NHL with the Atlanta Thrashers from 2008-10.

BEARS BITES:
This weekend’s road trip represents one of two three-in-three stretches this season…Ethen Frank (5g, 2a), Ivan Miroshnichenko (5g, 2a), and Alex Limoges (1g, 6a) are tied for fourth in league scoring with seven points…Limoges’ six assists are third in the league, while Frank’s and Miroshnichenko’s five goals are tied for third…Limoges has an active five-game point streak (1g, 6a), three away from his career-best of eight (Jan. 3-Feb. 19, 2024; 5g, 7a)…Goaltender Hunter Shepard’s three wins are tied for the AHL lead, while his 179:41 played ranks fourth…Hershey’s 11.40 penalty minutes per game ranks 20th in the league…Hershey is one of only five teams to post a 3-0-0-0 record when scoring first…Hershey’s four goals scored per game is fifth in the AHL…Providence named Patrick Brown the 27th captain in club history on Oct. 17. Brown previously captained the Charlotte Checkers to the Calder Cup in 2019.

ON THIS DATE:
Oct. 25, 1944 – The Bears played a game against the Indianapolis Capitals, initially losing, 7-3. However, general manager John B. Sollenberger immediately filed a protest with the AHL league office following the game, arguing that Indianapolis had illegally dressed future Hockey Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay (in his only career game in the AHL), Jud McAtee, and Steve Wochy, who had all been immediately returned to the Detroit Red Wings, in violation of the AHL’s two-week rule at the time, which stipulated players needed to suit up for the AHL club while on loan for two weeks before returning to the NHL. AHL president Maurice Podoloff ultimately ruled in favor of Hershey, notifying Sollenberger on Oct. 30 that the Bears had been retroactively credited with a 3-0 win, the first of only two known times that Hershey has been retroactively awarded a victory.