The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, looking to build on their three-game win streak from last week in their first of two back-to-back games against the Charlotte Checkers. Tonight's game was rescheduled from its original Jan. 25 date due to inclement weather. Physical tickets for the Jan. 25 date are valid for tonight's game.
Hershey Bears (25-20-6-2) vs. Charlotte Checkers (30-18-4-0)
March 2, 2026 | 7 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Will Kelly (29), Mathieu Menniti (30)
Linespersons: John Rey (16), Patrick Dapuzzo (57)
Tonight's Promotions:
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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, SportsRadio 98.9-FM & WOYK 1350-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 6:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears completed a four-game sweep of their season series with the Rockford IceHogs on Saturday with a 5-1 win at the BMO Center, as Brett Leason scored a shorthanded goal in the first period, Matt Strome chipped in two goals and Graeme Clarke scored on the power play in the second frame, and Ilya Protas netted his team-leading 22nd goal of the season in the third. The Checkers are coming off a Saturday night loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds at MassMutual Center as Noah Gregor tallied Charlotte's lone goal at 5:22 of the second period to bring the score to 3-1 in favor of the hosts, and Louis Domingue and Thunderbirds goaltender Will Cranley fought with 8.8 seconds in regulation in an eventual 5-1 loss for the Checkers.
MONDAY MADNESS:
Tonight's game against the Checkers was originally slated for Jan. 25, but was rescheduled due to inclement weather to today's date, creating a rare Monday home game. This will be only the 16th regular-season Monday home contest in franchise history, and the first in over a decade after Hershey last took the ice at GIANT Center on a Monday on Jan. 25, 2016, a rescheduled game against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms that saw Hershey fall 6-5 via the shootout. Hershey is a lifetime 8-6-0-0-1 in Monday home games, with its last victory coming on New Year's Eve in 2007, a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Phantoms that saw Bears forward Grant Potulny - now the head coach of the Hartford Wolf Pack, which Hershey will face Saturday - score eight seconds into the first period to tie a franchise record for the fastest goal from the start of the game.
SUPER STROME:
Matt Strome has five points (2g, 3a) in his last four games, anchored by his second multi-goal performance of the season on Saturday, in which he recorded his first goals since previously potting a pair on Nov. 15 at Lehigh Valley; coincidentally, the forward had the game-winning tally in both contests. Hershey is 11-3-1-0 this season when Strome records at least a point.
NO-NO NACHO:
The Bears will be without the services of winger Justin Nachbaur, who dropped the gloves twice in Saturday's win at Rockford along the way to accruing a career-high 22 penalty minutes. Nachbaur's two fighting majors increased his total on the season to 10, triggering an automatic one-game suspension that was officially announced by the AHL on Sunday. Nachbaur will be eligible to return to the lineup for Hershey in Tuesday's rematch with Charlotte; the forward netted his first career AHL goal against the Checkers on Jan. 18.
CHECKERED CONFLICT:
Both Hershey and Charlotte have each earned two wins against each other in the season series, with each team splitting victories at their respective home venues. The Bears sport a 2-1-0-1 record against the Checkers, with rookies Andrew Cristall (1g, 3a) and Alex Suzdalev (4a) leading the team in scoring against Charlotte with four points apiece; Cristall's goal was the overtime winner in the Bears' 4-3 victory at Charlotte on Jan. 17. Hershey has gone 4-for-19 (21.1%) on the power play versus the Checkers this season.
BEARS BITES:
Clay Stevenson ranks 18th among qualifying goaltenders (1,020 minutes or more played) in goals-against average at 2.70...Ilya Protas (44 points) and Andrew Cristall (42 points) rank second and third respectively in AHL rookie scoring behind only Bakersfield's Quinn Hutson (46 points); Cristall leads all rookies with 30 assists while Protas' 22 goals rank second among freshman behind only Hutson's 24...Graeme Clarke's next goal will mark the 100th of his AHL/pro career...Ivan Miroshnichenko is three points away from his 100th as a Bear...Saturday's victory at Rockford was just Hershey's eighth this season when outshooting an opponent...Hershey's Magic Number to secure a berth in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs was further reduced to 30 points following Hartford's 6-3 loss at Lehigh Valley on Sunday, which vaulted Springfield (max points 87) as the highest-seeded team in the Atlantic Division currently outside of the playoff picture...Checkers goaltending coach Sylvain Rodrigue was a member of Hershey's 1997 Calder Cup championship roster, playing 26 minutes in Game 2 of the Mid-Atlantic Division Finals...Hershey's ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, defeated Charlotte's affiliate, the Savannah Ghost Pirates, by a 7-1 score yesterday, with Bears-contracted goaltender Seth Eisele making 41 saves for South Carolina.
ON THIS DATE IN BEARS HISTORY:
March 2, 1939 - The Bears earned their first-ever overtime win in the regular season, as Terry Reardon tied the game against the Cleveland Barons with 58 seconds remaining in regulation and Earl Roche knocked in a Sammy McManus rebound past Barons goaltender Moe Roberts 1:39 into the 10-minute extra frame for a 4-3 victory at Hershey Sports Arena. The game was marred by the loss of defenseman Jeff Kalbfleisch, who sustained an injury that required abdominal surgery at Harrisburg Hospital after a collision with Cleveland defender Freddie Robertson. Despite the early end to Kalbfleisch's season, the blueliner was still named to the AHL's First All-Star Team at the end of the campaign.
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