Bears Move into First Place with 5-2 Win Over Penguins

December 9, 2016

Wilkes-Barre, PA- December 9, 2016)- Five different players had multi-point games as the Hershey Bears earned a 5-2 victory over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena. The victory extended Hershey’s point streak to 10 games and moved the Bears into first place in the Atlantic Division.

The Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Nathan Walker scored his seventh goal of the season at 14:27 to open the scoring. Brad Malone fed Zach Sanford with a pass that sprung the Bears on a three-on-one rush. Sanford threw a pass to the backdoor for Walker, and the forward redirected a shot past Penguins’ netminder Tristan Jarry for his seventh goal of the season to make it 1-0 Hershey.

At 15:58, the Bears would score again. Chandler Stephenson collected his third goal of the season, poking a Paul Carey pass off a defender and past Jarry to make it 2-0. The assist extended Carey’s point streak to 13 games, and Chris Bourque also assisted, giving him 599 career AHL points.

After Jake Guentzel cut Hershey’s lead to 2-1 with a power play goal at 18:48 of the first period, Sanford scored the lone goal of the middle frame to extend Hershey’s lead. The forward notched what was the eventual game-winning goal at 14:30 of the second period from Malone and Walker to make it 3-1 Bears.

In the third period after Wilkes-Barre/Scranton cut Hershey’s lead to one goal again, former Penguin Zach Sill responded, scoring from Ryan Bourque to make it 4-2. Sill knocked a bouncing puck past Jarry for his second goal in as many games at 3:28 of the third period.

Sill and Ryan Bourque would setup Garrett Mitchell for an insurance marker at 15:25 as the forward scored his third goal of the season, snapping a shot under the blocker of Jarry to make it 5-2 Hershey.

Vitek Vanecek earned the win in goal for the Bears stopping 26 shots. The Penguins outshot the Bears 28-22. The Penguins went 1-for-3 on the power play while the Hershey did not have a power play opportunity Friday.

The Bears and Penguins battle again at the Mohegan Sun Arena tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. Hershey returns home on Sunday host Rochester at 5 p.m. for Dietz & Watson Dollar Dog Night, a Toys for Tots Drive, and College Night delivered by Papa John's. Ticket information is available at HersheyBears.com.