Game Preview: Penguins at Bears, 7 P.M.

January 8, 2022

The Hershey Bears continue the 2021-22 season, presented by Penn State Health, tonight against the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins at GIANT Center. The Penguins are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. Hershey is 5-0-0-0 versus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season, and tonight is the sixth of 12 meetings between the I-81 rivals. The evening's game will be televised by FOX43. 

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (9-12-1-3) at Hershey Bears (16-10-2-1)
January 8, 2022 | 7 P.M. | Game #30 | GIANT Center
Referees: Rob Hennessey (#87), Jack Young (#23)
Linespersons: J.P. Waleski (#14), Bill Lyons (#27)
AHL STANDINGS

Broadcast Information 
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, and FOX43's Todd Sadowski on the call  
TELEVISION: FOX43   
RADIO: WFVY-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM
WATCH LIVE: FOX 43, AHLTV
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m.

Ticket Information:
http://www.hersheybears.com/tickets/single-game.php

LAST TIME OUT:
The Hershey Bears' four-game winning streak came to an end last night as the Bears were downed by the Syracuse Crunch, 5-3, at the Upstate Medical University Arena. Cole Koepke opened the scoring for the Crunch 2:15 into the game and finished the evening with three points. Hershey got a pair of power play goals from Axel Jonsson-Fjallby in the loss, and Garrett Pilon also scored his 10th goal of the season. The Penguins visited Utica last night and fell in a wild affair that saw the Comets claim a 6-5 shootout win. Valtteri Puustinen had two goals and an assist for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but Fabian Zetterlund scored the shootout winner for Utica.

I-81 DOMINATION:
The Bears battle Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tonight and tomorrow, and Hershey will look to keep the wins coming versus its I-81 rival. The Chocolate and White are 5-0-0-0 versus the Baby Pens, marking the first time in franchise history the Bears have won the first five games of the season series. The Bears have outscored Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 25-8 this year, including 14-4 in two games at GIANT Center. Hershey is 6-for-16 (37.5%) on the power play versus the Penguins so far this season. Hershey is paced by Bobby Nardella (3g, 4a), Matt Moulson (2g, 5a), and Mike Vecchione (1g, 6a) in the season series.

SNIVELY'S STILL SCORING AT HOME
With two goals in Wednesday's overtime win at GIANT Center, forward Joe Snively extended his home scoring streak to seven games. The stretch of games dates back to Nov. 11, and he has 11 points (4g, 7a) in the string of success. He continues to pace the Bears offensively, tallying 28 points (10g, 18a) in 27 games this season. Overall, he's on a five-game point streak and has points in 12 of his past 13 games.

FRESH BLOOD FOR PENS:
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's roster features new addition Alex Nylander. The forward was acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday in a deal that sent Sam Lafferty to the Windy City. Nylander, 23, was selected 8th overall by the Buffalo Sabers in the 2016 NHL Draft. He has 32 points (13g, 19a) in 84 NHL games with Buffalo and Chicago, and has tallied 100 points (38g, 62a) in 189 career AHL games. He had two assists in his Wilkes-Barre/Scranton debut last night at Utica. Nylander is the son of Michael Nylander, a former Washington Capital who played 920 NHL games from 1992-09, and brother of Toronto Maple Leafs' forward William Nylander.

BEARS BITES:
Hershey has won three straight games at GIANT Center...Hershey's penalty kill has been perfect over the past four games, going 2-for-2 in each of those games...Garrett Pilon's goal last night extended his point streak to three games...With two power play goals yesterday, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby is now tied for the team lead in goals on the man-advantage with three...Tonight is the first of four games in the month of January televised in partnership with FOX43. Since the Bears and FOX43 entered a partnership last season, Hershey is 9-0-0-0 in televised games on FOX43 and FOX43.2