Bears Get Through Brisk Practice

November 2, 2023

Less than 12 hours after picking up a 4-3 overtime win over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Hershey Bears returned to work Thursday morning with a brisk practice that lasted less than 30 minutes.

While the mood was upbeat and some players lingered on the ice for a bit after the main drills had concluded, the message was clear: conserve energy, and be ready to play this weekend.

Bears head coach Todd Nelson wants his players prepared for a quick turnaround, with a game at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton looming for Friday night and a home match against the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday.

"I think that the guys realized that we got away with one last night. I thought [Lehigh Valley] played a really strong game. They probably deserved a better fate, to be quite honest, and we understand that. So we came to practice today understanding that and the guys had a good workout - hopefully that translates into two good games this weekend."

Strome Eager for Opportunity

Matt Strome played roughly half the season for the Bears last year, but so far in the current campaign, he has yet to dress for a game. That could possibly change this weekend, with Jimmy Huntington participating in practice wearing a red no-contact jersey after sustaining an upper-body injury in Wednesday's game. Compounding matters is the team was still awaiting word of any potential supplementary discipline from the AHL that might affect Mike Vecchione's status after the forward received a major penalty and a game misconduct during the overtime win on Wednesday.

While no one should jump to conclusions, Strome was skating in a powder-blue jersey at practice on a line with Riley Sutter and Nic Aube-Kubel. The fifth-year pro was upbeat at the prospect that he could make his season debut over the weekend.

"Obviously it's exciting to be on the fourth line and playing with 'Sutts' and 'Kube,'" Strome said. "I played with 'Kube' a little bit in Lehigh Valley, so I'm kind of familiar with him, and I played with 'Sutts' last year. Hopefully I get in the lineup this weekend and hopefully I can stay in."

Hershey's depth has been a talking point for much of the early part of the season, and Strome is acutely aware of being able to take the challenge of earning a more permanent fixture in stride.

"It's tough, but the coaches have been good talking to me and [I've talked] with my brothers and my family just to stay positive and be a good teammate. If you have that mindset, good things will happen. I've been trying to stay positive the best I can and hopefully it turns into something on Friday."

Priskie Reflects on Game-Winner

Wednesday's overtime-winning goal came off the stick of defenseman Chase Priskie. The goal was the former Washington Capitals draft pick's first as a Bear, and marked his 100th career point as a pro.

The goal was the byproduct of a lengthy puck-possession shift from Lehigh Valley that kept play hemmed in the Hershey zone, followed by an opportunistic read by Priskie and a critical pass from teammate Mike Sgarbossa.

"We did a good job in our 'D' zone, keeping them to the perimeter," Priskie explained. "And then as my guy dropped the puck to his teammate and they kind of crossed, I saw an opportunity to move off my check put some pressure on the puck-carrier, and I don't think he was expecting it, being at the tail end of a shift.

"After that, I just started moving on the breakaway and 'Sgarbs' found a way to get me the puck, because I was a little tired. Then coming in, I saw the goalie's hands drop and just tried to elevate it the best I could."

What does the achievement mean for Priskie?

"I kind of remember getting my first point a couple years back and it's just kind of been a wild ride that, you know, I'm at 100 points now and it's a really cool milestone to finally hit," Priskie said. "For me the work continues, even though that is nice, I still have my sights set on greater milestones and team accomplishments."

Now that the season is a half a month old, how has the fifth-year pro assimilated into the locker room, among a blue line stacked with returning players from the previous campaign?

"They've been awesome. Sometimes it's a little difficult coming into a room that's familiar with each other because they might - I don't want to say keep guys to the outside - but you know, they've got that championship experience together. And that's been just the completely opposite story here from day one. They've been fantastic not just with myself, but all the new guys have felt like they've been at home since day one. We've been able to build quickly and this is one of the most fun teams I've been on from the start of the season where we don't feel like we're starting from scratch, even though we do have a lot of new players."

Nelson on Napravnik's Departure

The Bears announced early Thursday morning that the team and forward Julian Napravnik had mutually agreed to terminate his AHL contract, enabling the native of Bad Nauheim, Germany to return to Europe to pursue a playing opportunity there.

Napravnik had shown flashes of talent in limited action in the 2022-23 season, but was ultimately unable to carve out a more permanent place in the lineup this season, owing to the aforementioned depth on the roster.

Nelson was supportive and understanding of Napravnik's decision.

"Well, Julian is a highly-skilled forward and he's a very good person, we'll start with that. He was a team player last year - he only played a handful of games for us, but he was there for us all throughout the playoffs and that shows that he has quality character," Nelson said. "I get the situation, he wasn't getting a chance to play here because of our numbers and I respectfully agree with his decision to go [overseas]. He has to get better, and sitting in the stands isn't going to make him better. So I totally understand it. That being said, we're going to miss him, because he's a good teammate, but for his career I think this is the best thing."

Written by Jesse Liebman, Bears media specialist.