Game Preview: Bears vs. Checkers, 5 p.m.

December 28, 2025

The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they play their final home game of 2025 as they battle the Charlotte Checkers on Belco Kids Night. 

Hershey Bears (14-12-1-0) vs. Charlotte Checkers (15-9-2-0)
Dec. 28, 2025 | 5 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Mike Sullivan (47), Cole MacDonald (96)
Linespersons: J.P. Waleski (14), Colin Gates (3)

Tonight's Promotions:

• Belco Kids Night - Join us for a family-friendly night, featuring activities just for the kiddos!
   
• Belco Kids Earmuff Giveaway (first 3,000 kids 14 and under) - The first 3,000 kids 14 & under will receive a pair of Coco earmuffs, courtesy of Belco.
   
• Mascot Mania - Lions, tigers, and Bears, oh my! Mascot Mania is back!

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS VIA TICKETMASTER

Broadcast Information
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, AHL Hall-of-Famer Mitch Lamoureux, and in-arena host Jim Jones on the call
RADIO: WFVY-100.1-FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, In-arena on 88.9-FM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV on FloHockey
LISTEN LIVE: Froggy Valley 100.1-FM Stream, Fox Sports 1460-AM Stream
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 4:30 p.m

LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears returned from a brief holiday break last night, falling 5-2 at Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The home team scored five times in the opening stanza to put Hershey in a 5-1 hole after 20 minutes. Charlotte was slated to play last night at Lehigh Valley, but the game was postponed to Monday due to travel issues for the Checkers. Charlotte's latest outing came on Dec. 21 when they scored a 4-3 overtime victory versus Springfield at Bojangles' Coliseum. Jack Devine had three points (1g, 2a) and Gracyn Sawchyn tallied the winner at 4:43 of overtime. 

CONTENDING WITH CHARLOTTE:
Tonight marks Hershey's second of eight meetings with the Checkers this season. It was 15 days ago the Bears downed Charlotte in the first head-to-head meeting, thanks to a 36-save shutout from Mitch Gibson in a 4-0 win at GIANT Center on Dec. 13. Brett Leason (2a), Ivan Miroshnichenko (1g, 1a) and Henrik Rybinski (1g, 1a) all had multi-point games as Hershey prevailed despite being outshot 36-16. The Checkers enter tonight with 32 points through 26 games, sitting in third place in the Atlantic Division, ahead of Hershey which ranks fifth with 29 points through 27 games. The two teams play next in a pair of contests at Bojangles' Coliseum on Jan. 17-18. 

PUT A BOW ON 2025 AT HOME:
Tonight marks the final home game of 2025 for the Hershey Bears. During the 2025 portion of last year's campaign, Hershey went 12-5-1-0 at GIANT Center, while so far this season, the Bears are 8-8-1-0, good for a 20-13-2-0 home ice record in the calendar year. The Bears enter tonight's game having played the most home games in the AHL so far this season with tonight marking the club's 18th home game of the campaign, compared to just 10 games on the road. 

MULTI-POINT MIRO: 
Forward Ivan Miroshnichenko returned to Hershey's lineup last night after a two-game recall to the National Hockey League, and he made an immediate impact, posting a two-point game (1g, 1a). That gives Miroshnichenko back-to-back multi-point efforts, dating back to posting an identical stat line versus Charlotte on Dec. 13. The 21-year-old has four multi-point games in 13 contests this season with the Bears, and overall, he's collected 11 points (5g, 6a) this season. 

BEARS BITES:
Forward Andrew Cristall's nine-game point streak ended last night. He had 11 points (2g, 9a) in the streak...With an assist last night, captain Aaron Ness snapped a 19-game pointless streak, adding his first helper since Oct. 29 at Bridgeport. Ness also played in his 455th game with the Chocolate and White to pass Barry Ashbee for 20th on the franchise list...Hershey's eight penalty kills last night were the most the club has had in a game this season, and the most since the club faced seven power plays on Opening Night on Oct. 11 versus Syracuse, also a 5-2 loss...Hershey defender Leon Muggli played a team-high 23:25 for Switzerland last night in a 2-1 loss to USA at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. Muggli is captain of the Swiss squad.

ON THIS DATE IN BEARS HISTORY:
Dec. 28, 2022 - Goaltender Hunter Shepard made 22 saves for his first shutout of the season and Mike Vecchione scored the lone goal for Hershey in a 1-0 win over the Providence Bruins in front of 10,515 at GIANT Center. For Shepard, the win marked his eighth consecutive victory, the best of his AHL career, and improved his record to start the season to 8-0-2.