Game Preview: Bears at Checkers, 7 PM

The Hershey Bears and Charlotte Checkers are set to rematch tonight after the latter came away with a 4-1 victory last night. Oliwer Kaski scored a 5-on-3 power play goal at 14:15 of the first period, and he struck again in the following stanza at 2:16 for the eventual game-winning goal. Eddie Wittchow solved Anton Forsberg for the Chocolate and White with his third goal of the season at 18:14 to cut Hershey's deficit to 2-1 at second intermission. David Gust scored an insurance marker for the Checkers at 9:20, and Steven Lorentz hit the empty net at 16:26 to complete a 4-1 Charlotte victory over the Bears. 

In three games against the Charlotte Checkers this season, the Chocolate and White have been held to only three total goals. In the first battle of 2019-20, Alex Nedeljkovic led Charlotte to a 3-0 shutout victory over Hershey at Giant Center on Nov. 15. The next night, Pheonix Copley backstopped the Bears to a slim, 2-1 edge over Charlotte to even the season-series. Last night, only Eddie Wittchow could solve Checkers goaltender Anton Forsberg. Aside of Wittchow, Liam O'Brien and Mike Sgarbossa are the only Hershey goal scorers in the season-series. 

The Bears will look to crack the win column on a Wednesday night for the first time this season. In the last five games falling on hump day, the Chocolate and White hold a 0-3-0-2 record, being outscored 19-11. Following tonight's game, Hershey will have three Wednesday night contests remaining in the 2019-20 regular season with games on Jan. 22 at Springfield, Mar. 18 versus Laval and Mar. 25 versus Lehigh Valley. Last night marked Hershey's first Tuesday game of the season. On Friday's, the Bears hold a 5-3-0-0 record, while they continue to dominate weekends, posting a combined 18-5-2-1 record between Saturday's and Sunday's.  

Bears netminder Vitek Vanecek will look to climb the ranks in Hershey's all-time total wins and games played rankings. Entering tonight, Vanecek is one win away from tying Ed Chadwick for 10th all-time on wins by a Hershey Bears goaltender at 65. The fourth year Bear currently sits 14th all-time in games played by a Hershey netminder with 130. Vanecek is four games away from leap-frogging Claude Dufor, Peter Budaj, Marc D'Amour and Braden Holtby into 10th all-time in games played with the Chocolate and White.  

The Bears have been held to one goal in regulation in three of their past four games...Pheonix Copley has started all three of Hershey's previous games against Charlotte this season. Vitek Vanecek's last regular season game versus the Checkers came on Feb. 9, 2019 at Giant Center. Vanecek earned first star honors with 32 saves on 34 shots, in addition to a perfect 5-for-5 shootout performance to backstop the Bears to a 3-2 win...Hershey has 25 games remaining against the Atlantic Division, and currently hold a 18-9-2-2 record in divisional play through 31 games...Last night marked Hershey's first road loss since Nov. 24, 2019, snapping a five-game winning streak away from home ice...The Bears last win at Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte was on Oct. 20, 2018. Liam O'Brien and Steve Whitney both scored, and Vanecek made 25 saves for the shutout, 2-0 win.