The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they conclude their season series with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hershey sits in fifth place in the American Hockey League's Atlantic Division.
Hershey Bears (30-30-6-3) at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (44-16-7-2)
April 15, 2026 | 7:05 p.m. | Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza
Referees: Rob Hennessey (87), Adam Tobias (16)
Linespersons: Jud Ritter (34), Tommy George (61)
Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, FOX43 sports director Todd Sadowski, 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
LISTEN LIVE: Froggy Valley 100.1-FM Stream, Fox Sports 1460-AM Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:35 p.m.; Television coverage starts at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears dropped a 6-1 decision at Charlotte on Sunday, as Alex Suzdalev scored the lone goal for Hershey, while Sandis Vilmanis tallied four goals for the Checkers. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is coming off a 4-1 win versus Cleveland on Saturday, in which Atley Calvert gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead midway through the first period, and Aidan McDonough netted a pair in the third to give the hosts, while former Bear Alex Alexeyev chipped in two assists, as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton extended its point streak to eight games (7-0-1-0).
CHANCE TO CLINCH:
While they'll need help elsewhere, the Bears have a chance to clinch a berth in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs today. Hershey punches its ticket to the postseason with either a win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton AND a Lehigh Valley loss (reg./OT/SO) at Springfield, OR an OTL/SOL at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton AND a Lehigh Valley regulation loss against the Thunderbirds. Hershey's Magic Number to clinch a spot in the playoffs for the 73rd time in franchise history is three.
REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE:
The Washington Capitals loaned Clay Stevenson, Ivan Miroshnichenko, and Ilya Protas back to the Bears earlier this morning after re-assigning Ludwig Persson to Hershey from ECHL South Carolina yesterday; the Bears also recalled Simon Pinard from the Stingrays on Tuesday. Protas leads the Bears in scoring with 62 points (28g, 34a), while Miroshnichenko is enjoying his most productive season in the American Hockey League at .82 points per game (31 points in 38 games). Stevenson also leads the Bears with 16 wins and has gone 1-1-1 in four outings against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with a 2.09 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.
PESTERING THE PENGUINS:
With a 2-5-1-1 record against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton through nine games, the Bears must win tonight's game to avoid matching the franchise mark for the fewest wins against the Penguins, which previously occurred in the 2010-11 (2-6-1-1) and 2017-18 seasons (2-9-1-0). Andrew Cristall leads the Bears in scoring against the Penguins with nine points (3g, 6a) through nine games.
BEARS BITES:
The Bears are 24-10-4-3 when scoring first; Hershey's 41 first goals are tied with Henderson for the second most in the league, behind a four-way tie between Bridgeport, Charlotte, Laval, and Providence with 43...Hershey's Henrik Rybinski is three points away from his 100th professional point...Bogdan Trineyev has 17 points (6g, 11a) in his last 13 games.
ON THIS DATE IN BEARS HISTORY:
April 15, 1947 - The Bears won the club's first Calder Cup championship, defeating the Pittsburgh Hornets 5-0 in front of a crowd of 8,605 at Hershey Sports Arena in Game 7 of the 1947 Calder Cup Finals, as Hershey completed an incredible comeback from a 3-1 series deficit. The Bears finished the postseason with a record of 8-3, as goaltender Gordon "Red" Henry posted a franchise playoff record 1.45 goals-against average during the run, while Frank Mario paced the club in playoff scoring with 18 points in 11 games, and team captain Gordon Bruce battled through three cracked ribs to lead Hershey to its first AHL crown.