The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they go for a weekend sweep over the Rockford IceHogs at the BMO Center.
Hershey Bears (24-20-6-2) at Rockford IceHogs (19-29-2-2)
Feb. 28, 2026 | 8 p.m. ET | BMO Center
Referees: Adam Tobias (16), Ibrahim Arifi (68)
Linespersons: Luke Pye (42), Mike Daltrey (27)
Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, former Bears captain Garrett Mitchell, and Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman on the call
TELEVISION: Antenna TV (WPMT FOX 43.2, Xfinity Ch. 247 and 1178, Verizon FiOS Ch. 463, Blue Ridge Ephrata Ch. 91, and Blue Ridge Newberry/Duncannon Ch. 88)
RADIO: WFVY-100.1-FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, SportsRadio 98.9-FM & WOYK 1350-AM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey (Freeview)
LISTEN LIVE: Froggy Valley 100.1-FM Stream, Fox Sports 1460-AM Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 7:30 p.m.; television coverage starts at 8 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears scored three times in the third period, and Sonny Milano led the way with three points (1g, 2a) in Hershey's 4-1 victory last night over the Rockford IceHogs at BMO Center. The win marked Hershey's first ever at Rockford after previously going 0-2-0-0 and Hershey improved to 3-0-0-0 overall against the IceHogs this season. Andrew Cristall (2g), Ilya Protas (1g, 1a), and Bogdan Trineyev (2a) also had multi-point games for Hershey, and goaltender Garin Bjorklund earned the win in net with 25 saves. Hershey went 2-for-6 on the power play and outshot the IceHogs 31-26 in the victory.
SONNY IS MONEY:
Forward Sonny Milano made an immediate impact in his Hershey season debut last night. Milano's trio of points (1g, 2a) marked the first time he's posted a three-point game since Nov. 5, 2018 when he recorded a goal and two assists in Cleveland's 5-1 win at Lehigh Valley. He has now collected 15 points (6g, 9a) in 16 career games versus the IceHogs. He enters tonight with two goals from 50 in his AHL career, and in six games with Hershey in his AHL tenure, Milano has scored six points (3g, 3a).
PRO-LIFIC:
With his team-leading 21st goal of the season last night, Ilya Protas has now scored the most goals by an age-19 player in team history, shattering the previous mark of 20 established by Réal Chevrefils in the 1951-52 season. Protas enters tonight's game ranking second in the AHL in goals (21), power-play goals (8), and points (43) among rookies, trailing only Bakersfield's Quinn Hutson (24 goals, 11 power-play goals, 45 points) in all three categories. Protas has five points (3g, 2a) over his last five contests, and his shooting percentage of 19.6% is the best in the AHL among rookies who have played at least 25 games.
LEASE EXTENSION:
With an assist last night, forward Brett Leason hit the 30-point plateau for the first time in his AHL and pro career. Leason has set career-bests in all offense categories with 11 goals and 19 assists in just 36 games for Hershey this season, and he enters tonight with points in five straight games, logging seven points (2g, 5a) in that span. Leason has points in six of his last eight games, and he skated in his 150th career AHL contest last night.
RODRIGUE REDUX:
Rockford's NHL affiliate, the Chicago Blackhawks, recently signed Olivier Rodrigue to a two-way NHL contract for the remainder of the season, and loaned him to the IceHogs on Feb. 22. A sixth-year pro with 131 games of AHL experience, Rodrigue is the son of current Charlotte Checkers goaltending coach and former Bears netminder Sylvain Rodrigue. The elder Rodrigue's lone appearance with Hershey came during the team's playoff run to the 1997 Calder Cup title in Game 2 of the Mid-Atlantic Division Finals against the Philadelphia Phantoms. After Hershey's J-F Labbé was pulled in favor of Sinuhe Wallinheimo, who in turn was ejected for participating in a massive brawl and scrapping with Phantoms netminder Neil Little, Rodrigue saw 26 minutes of action and made 17 saves in relief; his lone AHL action.
BEARS BITES:
Matt Strome extended his assist streak to three games last night...Andrew Cristall recorded the first multi-goal game of his AHL career with two tallies in yesterday's victory. He also scored his team-leading fourth game-winning goal of the season last night...Goaltender Garin Bjorklund's victory on Friday was his first since Nov. 15 and he snapped a six-game losing streak. He is the third different goaltender to win a game versus Rockford this season...Grant Cruikshank played in his 100th AHL contest last night...Henrik Rybinski left last night's game with a lower-body injury and did not return...Yesterday's victory was just Hershey's seventh this season when outshooting an opponent...Hershey is now 5-for-12 (58.3%) on the power-play over three games versus Rockford this season...Hershey's Magic Number to secure a berth in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs currently sits at 33 points.
ON THIS DATE IN BEARS HISTORY:
Feb. 28, 1939 - Terry Reardon scored just eight seconds into the game for the Bears in a meeting with the Syracuse Stars at Hershey Sports Arena, establishing a franchise record for the fastest goal to start a game that would not be matched until Dec. 31, 2007, when Grant Potulny repeated the feat versus Philadelphia at GIANT Center.
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