Game Preview: Bears at Thunderbirds, 7:05 p.m.

October 31, 2025

The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they head to the Bay State for a Halloween meeting with the Springfield Thunderbirds.

Hershey Bears (3-3-1-0) at Springfield Thunderbirds (1-5-0-0)
Oct. 31, 2025 | 7:05 p.m. | MassMutual Center
Referees: Beau Halkidis (48), Cole MacDonald (96)
Linespersons: Shawn Oliver (66), Stephen Drain (2)

Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, and Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman on the call
RADIO: WFVY-100.1-FM, Fox Sports 1460-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.

LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears earned their second straight win and first road victory of the season with a 3-1 triumph over the Bridgeport Islanders on Wednesday night at Total Mortgage Arena. Trailing 1-0 after the first period, Hershey rallied for three goals in the second period, including two goals in 72 seconds to start the period as Ilya Protas struck at 2:38 and Ryan Chesley followed at 3:50. Graeme Clarke added a power-play goal for Hershey at 19:18 for his team-leading fourth goal of the campaign to give Hershey a 3-1 lead they would never relinquish. The Thunderbirds latest contest was last Saturday as they suffered a 6-3 loss to Hartford at MassMutual Center. Defender Leo Lööf scored his first AHL goal in his 127th AHL game for Springfield in defeat. The T-Birds were outshot 35-15 in the loss. 

HALLOWEEN HOCKEY:
Tonight marks the 29th time in franchise history that the Hershey Bears play on Halloween. The franchise owns a record of 17-9 on Halloween, with two ties. Hershey has won nine straight games on Oct. 31, a streak that dates back to a 4-0 win at Hersheypark Arena over Fredericton in 1998. The last time the Bears played on Halloween was in 2021 when Axel Jonsson-Fjällby scored the overtime winner in a 4-3 victory over Cleveland at GIANT Center. Hershey has never played any Springfield team on Halloween in the club's history. 

SERIES SHIFTS TO SPRINGFIELD:
Tonight is the third of four games in the season series with Springfield. Hershey won the opening game of head-to-head play with a 5-1 decision at GIANT Center on Oct. 18, thanks to Patrick Thomas and Ilya Protas each tallying their first AHL goals. The Thunderbirds returned the favor the following night, scoring a 5-1 road win, snapping Hershey's 14-game home winning streak against Springfield that began on March 13, 2019. The Bears look to extend their two-game road winning streak at MassMutual Center tonight, as Hershey won both road games at Springfield last season, claiming a 6-2 decision on Oct. 26, and a 4-2 win on Mar. 19. The two teams meet again in this building to conclude the season series on April 3.

THREE'S COMPANY:
Hershey forward Matt Strome and defenseman Calle Rosén each enter tonight on three-game point streaks. Following a scoring correction, Strome was credited with a helper on Graeme Clarke's power-play goal in Wednesday's win at Bridgeport, giving him four points (1g, 3a) over his previous three outings. Three of his four points this season have come on the power play. Rosén has assists in three straight games, posting four helpers in that span. Four of his six points this season have come on the power play. Rosén is slated to play in his first game at MassMutual Center since he last skated with Springfield in 2021-22 and 2023-24, helping the Thunderbirds reach the 2022 Calder Cup Finals. 

POWER PLAY POUNCES:
After starting the season without a power-play goal in the first four games of the year (including a contest in which Hershey was not awarded a power play), Hershey has been red hot on the man advantage, striking in three straight outings, going 4-for-11 (36.4%) in that span. The T-Birds are one of the league's most disciplined teams through the first month of the season, collecting just 7.67 penalty minutes per game, the second-lowest amount in the league to Providence (6.71). Hershey is 0-for-2 on the power play in two games versus Springfield, with zero man-advantage chances awarded to the Bears in the first head-to-head matchup on Oct. 18. Hershey's power play is tied for 18th overall in the AHL overall at 19%. 

BEARS BITES:
Hershey head coach Derek King played in parts of three seasons for the Springfield Indians, skating in 35 games from 1987-90, scoring 40 points (22g, 18a) while acting assistant coach Brent Thompson played two seasons for the Springfield Falcons from 1995-97, scoring 29 points (4g, 25a) and logging 418 penalty minutes in 122 games...Goaltender Garin Bjorklund has stopped 23 shots in all three of his appearances this season...Defender Aaron Ness has assists in two straight games after being held off the scoresheet in the first five games of the season...The Thunderbirds are without forward Dalibor Dvorský after he was recalled to St. Louis earlier this week. 

ON THIS DATE IN BEARS HISTORY:
Oct. 31, 1998 - After missing the first eight games of the season with an ankle injury, Christian Matte returned to the lineup and sparked the Bears to a 4-0 victory over the Fredericton Canadiens, their first win under new head coach Mike Foligno for the 1998-99 campaign in front of 4,806 at Hersheypark Arena. Matte screened goaltender Mathieu Garon to lead to Brad Larsen's goal on his first shift of the game, and delivered the final nail in the coffin with a strike in the third period. David Aebischer made 29 saves for his first American Hockey League shutout. The sixth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Avalanche, becoming the first Swiss native to achieve the feat.