Bears Rebound in 6-1 Takedown of T-Birds

The Hershey Bears (8-5-0-0) earned a split of their weekend series with the Springfield Thunderbirds (4-5-2-1) by erupting for a 6-1 win on Saturday night at MassMutual Center. 

BOX SCORE

NOTABLES:

• Andrew Cristall scored a power-play goal with the Bears on a 5-on-3 advantage at 14:26 of the first period to give Hershey a 1-0 lead with his first of the season, with Jonny Brodzinski and Jacob MacDonald earning assists.
• Dalton Smith – back in the lineup after sitting out the previous three games – netted his first of the season at 1:13 of the second period for the eventual game-winning goal.
• Petr Sikora tallied his first of two goals on the evening at 3:05 with the Bears shorthanded for his fourth of the season to make it 3-0. Sikora later capped the scoring at 18:15 of the third.
• Jonny Brodzinski gave Hershey a 4-0 lead with his fifth of the season at 9:17.
• Ryan Chesley collected his first of the season by way of an empty-net goal at 14:15 of the final frame.
• Grant Cruikshank recorded two assists.
• Dylan McIlrath assisted on Sikora’s first goal, giving the defenseman his first point as a Bear since March 8, 2024 at Charlotte.
• Joey Anderson returned to the lineup after sitting out the previous four games and recorded an assist to extend his point streak to five games (3g, 3a).
• Mitch Gibson earned his second win of the week with a 20-save effort. The goaltender recorded a .944 save percentage over his last two outings.

SHOTS ON GOAL: HER – 38; SPR – 21

GOALTENDING: HER – Mitch Gibson, 20-for-21; SPR – Will Cranley, 32-for-37

POWER PLAY: HER – 1-for-3; SPR – 0-for-4

The Bears continue the 2026-27 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they return home to host the Hamilton Hammers on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center for Hometown Heroes Night, as the Bears honor our military and veterans. The game is also a Berks Dollar Dog night, featuring Berks hot dogs available for $1 at select concourse locations. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for this game via Ticketmaster.