Preseason Game Preview: Bears at Penguins, 7:05 PM

October 8, 2021

Tonight, the Hershey Bears open their three-game preseason schedule with a road tilt against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Following tonight, the Bears will return home on Sunday, Oct. 10 and welcome the Lehigh Valley Phantoms into GIANT Center for an exhibition. Hershey's preseason schedule will conclude at Lehigh Valley on Wednesday, Oct. 13. The AHL's reigning regular season champions open the 2021-22 campaign on Oct. 16 versus the Charlotte Checkers at GIANT Center. 
 
Hershey Bears (0-0-0-0) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (1-0-0-0)
October 8, 2021 | 7:05 PM | Preseason Game #1 | Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
Referees: Patrick Hanrahan (52), Jake Kamrass (3)
Linesmen: J.P. Waleski (14), John Rey (16)

ATLANTIC DIVISION STANDINGS

Broadcast Information (Start Time: 7 PM)
LISTEN LIVE: Hershey Bears 2021 Preseason Network
Preseason games will be broadcast via the audio link above. Games will not be on the radio or the app during the preseason and there will be no AHLTV broadcast.


LAST TIME OUT:
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins kicked off their preseason schedule on Wednesday night against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at Mohegan Sun Arena. Jaime Devane opened the scoring for the Pens at 18:54 of the first period, and Jan Drozg tallied Wilkes-Barre's eventual game-winning goal early in the middle frame. Tommy Nappier and Louis-Philip Guindon split time in net to backstop the Penguins to a 2-1 win. Tonight marks Hershey's first preseason game since 2019. Both of Hershey's scheduled preseason games last season were cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. In the regular season last year, the Bears went 8-2-0-0 versus the Baby Pens, and Hershey's last game of the 2020-21 campaign was a 5-2 win on home ice over its I-81 rivals on May 16.

TRAINING CAMP ROSTER:
Hershey's current training camp roster features 30 players (16 forwards, 10 defensemen and four goalies). The roster features 18 players who skated with Hershey last season, including Bears captain Matt Moulson and forwards Brett Leason, Joe Snively, Kody Clark and Riley Sutter. Goaltender Pheonix Copley also returns for the Chocolate and White, entering his sixth season with the Bears. Copley, alongside Zach Fucale, helped the Bears to the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award, presented to the goaltender(s) on the team which allows the fewest goals per game in the regular season.

GIVE IT A TRY: 
Five players on Hershey's current training camp roster are on tryouts. The list includes 20-year-old goaltender Cedrick Andree, forwards Ryan Dmowski and Ben Hawerchuk, as well as defensemen Jake Massie and Chaz Reddekopp. Hawerchuk is the son of NHL Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk and is signed to an ECHL contract by the Jacksonville Icemen. Andree, Massie, and Reddekopp are all signed with Hershey's ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, for the 2021-22 season.