Game Preview: Bears at Senators, 7 p.m.

February 17, 2018

Hershey Bears (20-25-3-4) at Belleville Senators (21-28-1-3)
Saturday, February 17, 2018, 7 p.m. 
Yardmen Arena

REFEREE: Chris Waterstradt (88)
LINESMEN: Brandon Bourgeois (7), Francois Dussureault (60)

Broadcast Information (Pre-game 6:30 p.m.)
RADIO: WQIC-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, Zack Fisch, the Voice of the Bears, on the call
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream
WATCH LIVE: AHLLive.com

AHL STANDINGS
 

BEARS AT SENATORS: The Hershey Bears go for a third straight victory tonight as they visit the Belleville Senators. Tonight is the Bears first ever visit to Belleville, and the final meeting between the two clubs this season. Hershey is 3-7-0-0 over the past 10 games, while the Senators are 3-6-1-0. Tonight’s contest is the middle game of a three-game road trip to Canada. Hershey will finish the swing north of the border Monday in Toronto. 

LAST TIME OUT: The Bears won the club’s first ever meeting with the Laval Rocket, 6-3, on Friday night at Place Bell. Travis Boyd had the best individual effort of his American Hockey League career, scoring four goals for the Chocolate and White. Liam O’Brien also added a pair of goals for Hershey, scoring two shorthanded markers in the win. Hershey’s penalty kill was a perfect 4-for-4, while the Bears went 1-for-4 on the power play. Vitek Vanecek made 17 saves to earn the win for Hershey, while the Bears outshot the Rocket, 27-20. The Senators also played last night, earning a strong 3-1 victory on home ice over the league’s best team, the Toronto Marlies. Danny Taylor was sharp in goal, stopping 25 shots, while Tyler Randell, Ben Sexton, and former Bear Jim O’Brien scored for Belleville.

LAST TIME VS. SENATORS: Tonight marks the second meeting between the Bears and Senators this season. The two clubs met in Hershey’s home opener on Oct. 14, with the Senators spoiling the party with a 5-2 win. Chandler Stephenson opened the scoring for the Bears just 4:24 into the game, but two goals by Ethan Werek gave the Senators a lead. After a Chris Bourque goal in the second period, Belleville rattled off three straight goals to secure the win. Chris DiDomenico, traded to the Chicago Blackhawks this week, had a goal and an assist in the contest. Belleville outshot Hershey 35-19, and Parker Milner took the loss in goal for the Bears with 30 saves.

BOYD’S BIG NIGHT: Last night was one to remember for Hershey forward Travis Boyd. Boyd’s second goal last night was the 50th of his AHL career, but the Hopkins, Minn. native wasn’t done. The hat-trick was the second of Boyd’s AHL career, and his first since Feb. 6, 2016 when he struck three times in Hershey’s 5-1 win over Lehigh Valley. However, his fourth goal put him in rare company. He became the only player in the AHL to score four goals this season in a single game, and he is the first Bear to do it since Paul Carey collected four markers in a win over Hartford on Mar. 18, 2017. Boyd now is second on the club in goals (14), and only trails Chris Bourque in assists (26) and points (40).

LIAM LIFTS OFF: Hershey’s Liam O’Brien posted his second two-goal performance of the season last night, scoring the Bears first and last goals in the victory at Place Bell. For O’Brien, the shorthanded goals were the first two markers while a man down in his AHL career. Additionally, the goals were O’Brien’s 10th and 11th goals of the season, helping him set a new personal high. O’Brien surpassed his plateau of 10 goals, a mark accomplished last season in a personal best 30-point year. O’Brien has 17 points on the 2017-18 campaign, and the Nova Scotia native has accumulated three goals over his past three games. 

BACK ON TRACK: Last night’s win helped Hershey get moving in the right direction in several different ways. The win was Hershey’s first road win of 2018, snapping a six-game skid that dated back to a 4-2 win at Springfield on Dec. 29. Additionally, the contest was Hershey’s first regulation win in 14 games. Prior to last night, Hershey’s last regulation win was a 3-0 shutout win over Charlotte at Giant Center on Jan. 7. The win was also Hershey’s second win in ten tries on a Friday this season. The Bears are now 2-7-0-1 this season on Friday’s, with all games coming on the road. Lastly, the win moved Hershey out of last place in the Atlantic Division as the Bears jumped ahead of Springfield.

BURGY THE FORMER BEAR:  When the Belleville Senators take the ice tonight, they’ll feature a familiar face. Former Bear Erik Burgdoerfer is in his first season anchoring the Belleville blue line. He spent two seasons with Hershey, appearing in 132 games and collecting seven goals and 20 assists. He also helped lead the charge as Hershey advanced to the 2016 Calder Cup Finals. Burgdoerfer, who also played for Troy Mann as a member of the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors, played with Rochester last season and made his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 5, 2016. In 52 games with Belleville this season, Burgdoerfer has 13 points (five goals, eight assists).

BEARS-SENATORS FAST FACTS: Hershey’s Riley Barber will be suspended for tonight’s game after he received an instigation penalty in the last five minutes of last night’s game. The penalty carried an automatic one-game suspension. Barber set a personal high for penalty minutes in a game last night with 17. He received a fighting major, instigating minor, and a game misconduct last night for an instigator in the last five minutes. It was his first professional fight…Belleville’s roster features veteran and former Bear Jim O’Brien. He spent the 2014-15 season wearing the Chocolate and White, skating in 32 games with Hershey and scoring 29 points…Three members of the Bears hail from Ontario (Anthony Peluso, Tyler Graovac, and Tommy Hughes)…Two assists for Joe Whitney last night gives him five points over his last two games (one goal, four assists)...Hershey has only won three straight games once this season (Nov. 5-11).