Game Preview: Bears vs. Comets, 7 p.m.

February 25, 2026

The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they host the Utica Comets to conclude their season series with the North Division club.

Hershey Bears (22-20-6-2) vs. Utica Comets (16-24-5-4)
Feb. 25, 2026 | 7 p.m. | GIANT Center
Referees: Patrick Hanrahan (52), Mason Riley (79)
Linespersons: Tommy George (61), Patrick Dapuzzo (57)

Tonight's Promotions:

• GIANT Foldable Grocery Tote Night - The first 6,000 fans will receive a foldable grocery tote, courtesy of The GIANT Company.
• Berks Dollar Dog Night - Berks Hot Dogs can be purchased for $1 on the concourse at select locations.

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 6:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:
Trailing 4-1 in the second period of Saturday's home contest against Lehigh Valley, the Bears rallied with three goals to tie the contest at 4-4, but Hershey ultimately fell to the Phantoms by a 6-4 final, despite a two-goal evening from Henrik Rybinski and Kaden Bohlsen's first career AHL goal. The Comets are coming off a 3-1 home victory over Laval on Sunday, in which Utica went 3-for-8 with the man advantage, as Angus Crookshank, Kyle Criscuolo, and Mike Hardman all scored power-play goals for the Comets.

BITTEN'S BACK:
Sam Bitten is available to dress tonight for the Bears for the first time since Jan. 4 vs. Rockford, when the forward sustained an upper-body injury in Hershey's win over the IceHogs, forcing Bitten to miss the next 19 contests for the Chocolate and White. Since his acquisition from Springfield in early November, Bitten has already established new career highs for goals (3) and the sixth-year pro can match his single-season mark of six points with his next goal or assist.

IF THE SCHUE-NEMAN FITS:
Defenseman Corey Schueneman's 20 total assists - five with Springfield and 15 with Hershey - this season represent a new single-season career high in the AHL after previously dishing out 18 helpers in 2019-20 with the Stockton Heat and again in 2023-24 with the Colorado Eagles. With 23 points (3g, 20a) between Springfield and Hershey this season, Schueneman has already matched his career high for points, set during the 2022-23 campaign with the Laval Rocket. Schueneman is one of only two healthy defensemen on Hershey's active roster who have recorded a power-play goal this season.

THOMPSON BACK ON BENCH:
Bears assistant coach Brent Thompson is expected back on the bench tonight for Hershey after being granted a two-game absence to watch his son Tage help Team U.S.A. capture its first Olympic gold medal in the men's ice hockey tournament in 46 years on Sunday, as the Americans defeated Team Canada 2-1 in overtime of the final event of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy. While Thompson was on leave, the Bears temporarily filled his role with Washington Capitals player development staff member Brooks Orpik.

COMET CHRONICLES:
The Bears are 11-6-2-2 all-time against the Comets. In Hershey's lone prior meeting this season with Utica on Jan. 31, Ivan Miroshnichenko led the Bears with three points (2g, 1a), including the first overtime-winning goal of his AHL career for a 4-3 victory. The road victory at Utica also snapped a five-game winless skid against the Comets; Hershey is still seeking its first home win against Utica since opening night of the 2022-23 season on Oct. 15, 2022, a 3-1 triumph. With the exception of Aaron Ness (currently unavailable after undergoing surgery earlier this month to address a lower-body injury) not a single player who dressed in that game for the Bears is on the current active roster for Hershey. Former Bear and 2024 Calder Cup champion Dmitry Osipov is enjoying a career year, as his seven points (3g, 4a) and team-leading +8 are AHL career-highs for the 29-year-old defenseman.

BEARS BITES:
The Bears are 3-4-1-0 in Wednesday games this season, but are still seeking their first Wednesday win on home ice...Hershey enters tonight's game with a winless streak of seven games (0-2-4-1) on home ice, the club's longest since going 0-6-1-0 during the 1999-00 campaign from Nov. 6 vs. Worcester - Dec. 4 vs. Cincinnati...The Bears are 8-7-2-0 against North Division opponents this season...Graeme Clarke is two goals away from his 100th pro goal...Brett Leason has five assists over his past six games for Hershey and carries a three-game assist streak into tonight's contest...Kaden Bohlsen scored his first career AHL goal in his Bears debut last Saturday; he is the second Hershey call-up from South Carolina this season to score in his Hershey debut, joining Connor Mayer...Hershey's Magic Number to secure a berth in the 2026 Calder Cup Playoffs currently sits at 37 points.

ON THIS DATE IN BEARS HISTORY:
Feb. 25, 2020 - Defenseman Tyler Lewington matched a club mark by registering a plus-minus of +6 and dished out two assists for Hershey in a 6-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers. Forward Joe Snively also netted his first career hat trick in front of a crowd of 10,446 at GIANT Center.