Weekly Release: Bears Host Bruins, Visit Wolf Pack

March 25, 2024

The Hershey Bears (46-11-0-5) prepare for a busy week with a pair of critical games as Hershey seeks to lock down the Atlantic Division title for the 2023-24 season. Hershey hosts Providence for the final time this season on Tuesday before making a trip to Connecticut to take on the Hartford Wolf Pack on Saturday. Hershey has won four straight games and has a six-game point streak (5-0-0-1).

TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Pierrick Dube (26)
Assists: Joe Snively (37)
Points: Joe Snively (48)
Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank (12)
Shorthanded Goals: Bogdan Trineyev (3)
Plus/Minus: Vincent Iorio (+27)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (23)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (1.89)
SV%: Clay Stevenson (.928)
Only includes qualified players on active roster

RECENT RESULTS:

-       Friday, March 22 - Hershey 6 at Cleveland 3
-       Saturday, March 23 - Hershey 5 at Cleveland 0

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF MARCH 25:

Monday, March 25
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center

Tuesday, March 26
Morning Skate, 10:15 a.m. at GIANT Center

Wednesday, March 27
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Thursday, March 28
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Friday, March 29
Travel to Hartford

All practices are open to the public. Practice dates and times are subject to change.

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, March 26 - Hershey vs. Providence Bruins, 7 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

• Toyota Mike Vecchione Bobblehead Night - The first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a Mike Vecchione bobblehead, presented by Toyota.
• TRULY Takeover Tuesday - Pre-game Happy Hour

Saturday, March 30 - Hershey at Hartford Wolf Pack, 7 p.m.

Television Coverage: Antenna TV; Video Coverage: AHLTV; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network

All times Eastern

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

ATOP THE ATLANTIC:
The Bears enter the week with an 18-point lead on the Providence Bruins for first place in the Atlantic Division, and Hershey's Magic Number to clinch the 2023-24 division title sits at five points. Tuesday's game against Providence represents a potential four-point swing, should Hershey be able to come away with a regulation win against the Bruins.

RECORDS IN SIGHT:
With 10 games remaining in the 2023-24 regular season, the Bears are still in position to challenge a handful of notable franchise and league records. Hershey needs to earn two points out of their remaining four road games (eight available points) to ensure they surpass the franchise mark for best road points percentage (.675, 2006-07), 14 points out of their remaining 10 games (20 available points) to best the franchise mark for overall points percentage (.769, 2009-10), and 15 points out of their remaining 10 games to best the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers' league record for points percentage (.775).

SHEPARD'S SURGE:
Since February, Bears goaltender Hunter Shepard has ramped his play up, leading to his takeover atop the league leaderboard for goals-against average on Sunday with a 20-save shutout against Cleveland to bring his goals-against average to 1.89. In his last nine appearances, Shepard has gone 6-1-2 with a 1.09 goals-against average and .953 save percentage, and three shutouts. Shepard enters the week with two straight shutouts and an overall shutout streak of 141:29 dating back to Hershey's 4-3 shootout loss at Utica on March 15.

GOALIE GLUT:
Following Hunter Shepard's shutout on Sunday, both Shepard and Clay Stevenson have now combined for a franchise-record 11 shutouts during the 2023-24 season. The AHL record for most shutouts by one team in a season is shared by the Hartford Wolf Pack and Portland Pirates, who each recorded 17 shutouts in the 2003-04 campaign. Shepard's 1.89 goals-against average and Stevenson's 1.91 goals-against average sit first and second respectively among AHL netminders, and Hershey's team goals-against average of 2.08 leads the league and is a full half-goal ahead of second-place Coachella Valley (2.58), putting Shepard and Stevenson in contention to share the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award, last won by a pair of Hershey netminders when Pheonix Copley and Zach Fucale managed the feat in 2020-21 with a team goals-against per game of 2.33.

NELLY NEARS MAJOR MILESTONE:
Todd Nelson's next win behind the bench for Hershey will be his 400th career victory as an American Hockey League head coach. The bench boss for the Bears is in his second season at the helm of the Chocolate and White and has posted a 90-30-14 (.724) record during his tenure, and owns an overall 399-219-77 (.629) record in 695 career games as an AHL head coach for Hershey, Grand Rapids, and Oklahoma City. The Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native's 399 AHL coaching victories rank eighth all-time; he needs nine wins to pass Scott Gordon for sole possession of seventh in league history.

NESS PASSES GAUL:
Aaron Ness earned his 169th point as a Bear in Friday's win at Cleveland by assisting on Hershey's second goal of the game, giving him 29 goals and 140 assists in his career for the Chocolate and White and moving him past Mike Gaul for sole possession of seventh in franchise scoring among defensemen. Ness is already the highest-scoring American-born defenseman in team history, and requires six points to pass Darren Rumble for sixth in franchise scoring among defensemen.

BRUIN UP SOMETHING SPECIAL:
Hershey has enjoyed an exceptional record against the Bruins this season, sporting a franchise-best 5-0-0-0 record and looking to complete a perfect head-to-head series in the regular season. The Bears have outscored the Bruins 18-12 through five games this season, with the Chocolate and White earning three wins in regulation, once in overtime, and once via the shootout. The last time Hershey won the regular-season series with Providence on points came during the 2016-17 season, when Hershey went 3-2-0-1 against the Bruins.

RUN WITH THE WOLF PACK:
The Bears are 2-1-0-0 in head-to-head play against the Wolf Pack this season. Hershey won its lone previous visit to XL Center earlier this season, a 4-2 victory on Jan. 19. Alex Limoges and Riley Sutter share the scoring lead against Hartford this season with an identical three points (1g, 2a).

BEARS BITES:
Matt Strome has a five-game point streak (2g, 4a)...Ethen Frank has a three-game point streak (3g, 2a)...Alex Limoges skated in his 200th professional/AHL game on Saturday at Cleveland...Mike Vecchione is two games away from skating in his 400th professional game...Vincent Iorio's plus/minus of +27 is tied for third among all AHL skaters...Bogdan Trineyev's three shorthanded goals are tied for fifth in the AHL and are tied for the most by a Bear since Chris Bourque's five in the 2011-12 season...The Bears boast a league-leading 34 wins when scoring first...Hershey ranks first on the penalty kill (201-for-226, 88.9%) and ranks second on the power play (46-for-214, 21.5%).