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

February 3, 2024

The Hershey Bears host the Bridgeport Islanders tonight for the final time this season as they return to GIANT Center ice. The Bears will look to get back in the win column after the club had a six-game win streak, and a nine-game point streak, snapped last night in a road loss at Lehigh Valley. 

Hershey Bears (35-8-0-2) vs. Bridgeport Islanders (13-24-5-0)
February 3, 2024 | 7 p.m. | Game 46 | GIANT Center
Referees: Riley Brace (49), Jack Hennigan (58) 
Linespersons: Patrick Dapuzzo (57), John Rey (16)

Tonight's Promotions: 

• Hometown Heroes Night - First Responders themed activities and recognition throughout the evening
• Pennsylvania Lottery Night - The first 4,000 fans 18 and over will receive a coupon offer, courtesy of the Pennsylvania Lottery

BUY TICKETS NOW (Standing room only)

Broadcast Information 
Voice of the Bears, Zack Fisch, former Hershey Bears captain Garrett Mitchell, and FOX43 Sports Director Todd Sadowski on the call
TELEVISION: FOX43
RADIO: WFVY-100.1 FM, Fox Sports 1460-AM, SportsRadio 98.9-FM & WOYK 1350-AM (joined in-progress), Capitals Radio, In-arena on 88.9 FM
WATCH LIVE: AHLTV
LISTEN LIVE: Fox Sports AM-1460 Stream, Caps Radio 24/7
Radio pre-game coverage starts at 6:30 p.m., Television coverage starts at 7 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT:
The Bears suffered the club's first regulation loss in nearly a month, and their first regulation road loss in nearly two months, in a 4-1 defeat to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Friday night at PPL Center. The team's traded goals in a span of just 59 seconds in the first period. After Wade Allison opened the scoring for Lehigh Valley at 8:44, Hershey's Ethen Frank tied the game on the power play at 9:43 with his 21st goal of the season. Despite a lengthy two-man advantage for Hershey in the second period, the game remained tied 1-1 until the third period, and the Phantoms broke through with three goals in a span of just 2:53 to pull away for the victory. The loss snapped Hershey's six-game win streak and nine-game point streak. The Islanders won their second straight game over Springfield with a 5-1 victory last night on home ice. Cole Bardreau had three points (2g, 1a) for the Islanders and Henrik Tikkanen stopped 37 shots to earn the win in net.

THE FINAL BRIDGEPORT BATTLE:
Tonight's contest marks the final head-to-head matchup between Hershey and Bridgeport this season. The Bears own a 4-0-0-1 record versus the Islanders this year, with Bridgeport claiming the last meeting in a 2-1 shootout decision on Jan. 15 at Total Mortgage Arena. Hershey has won both games at GIANT Center this season, scoring a 3-1 win on Nov. 4 and a 5-4 decision on Nov. 17. Veteran forward Mike Sgarbossa paces the Bears with seven points (1g, 6a) in the five games versus Bridgeport this season. The Islanders enter tonight's game with a record of just 4-14-2-0 on the road this season. 

THE LUXURY LIMO:  
Hershey forward Alex Limoges is expected to return to the lineup tonight. The winger has missed the club's last nine games after sustaining an upper-body injury in practice, and tonight marks his first game since Jan. 7 versus Lehigh Valley. The fourth-year pro has been a fixture in Hershey's top-six this season, and he has registered 28 points (10g, 18a) in 35 games, good for fifth on the team in scoring. 

ALL-STAR AWAITS: 
Tonight marks Hershey's final game before the AHL's All-Star Break, set to take place from Sunday-Wednesday. Since the AHL reinstituted the All-Star Classic in 1995, Hershey owns a 17-9-0-1 record in the final game before the break. Hershey's Ethen Frank, Clay Stevenson, and Dylan McIlrath will represent the Bears at the All-Star Classic in San Jose, California and Todd Nelson will coach the Atlantic Division in Sunday's All-Star Skills Competition and Monday's All-Star Challenge. 

SATURDAY NIGHT HOME COOKING:
The Bears take the ice tonight for the first of just three games on home ice in the month of February. The calendar's shortest month also marks Hershey's lightest month at GIANT Center this season. Fortunately for the Bears, two of those three home games come on Saturday nights, as Hershey owns an outstanding 13-2-0-1 record on Saturdays this year, including a 7-2-0-0 mark at GIANT Center.  Hershey comes into tonight's game with four straight wins at home. 

WHOA, NELLY:
With Wednesday's win over Lehigh Valley, Bears head coach Todd Nelson earned his 388th AHL head coaching victory, moving him into a tie with former Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale bench boss Ken Gernander for eighth all-time for AHL head coaching victories; his next victory will give him sole possession of eighth place. At 353 wins entering the season, Nelson has already passed Robbie Ftorek (354), Terry Reardon (362), Mark Morris (374), and Randy Cunneyworth (384) in his ascension up the AHL's wins leaderboard during the current campaign.

BEARS BITES:
Joe Snively assisted on Ethen Frank's goal last night, earning him his 100th professional assist...Frank's goal last night gave him sole possession of the AHL lead in power-play goals with 10...The loss for the Bears last night marked just the fourth time this season that Hershey has been defeated when allowing a power-play goal (21-3-0-1) and when Mike Sgarbossa records a point (25-2-0-2)...Since Bridgeport rebranded as the Islanders in 2021, the Bears have gone 13-2-0-1 in head-to-head play versus its Atlantic Division foe, and the Islanders have won just once at GIANT Center.

ON THIS DATE:
Feb. 3, 1943 - Due to wartime gas and driving restrictions, the Bears played a scheduled home game at Cleveland Arena, and the Chocolate and White and came away with a 5-3 victory over the Barons. This marked the second time a home game was moved to a different location due to wartime gas and driving restrictions. An earlier home game on Jan. 20 of that same year was played at Pittsburgh's Duquesne Gardens, a 3-2 Hershey loss to the Hornets.