Weekly Release: Bears Face Penguins in Home-and-Home Set

February 2, 2026

The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a home-and-home set this week before the American Hockey League pauses its schedule for next week's 2026 AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford, Illinois.

2025-26 SEASON LEADERS:
Goals: Ilya Protas (17)
Assists: Andrew Cristall (25)
Points: Ilya Protas (35)
PIMs: Justin Nachbaur (60)
Power-Play Goals: Ilya Protas (6)
Shorthanded Goals: Grant Cruikshank (4)
Game-Winning Goals: Ryan Chesley, Graeme Clarke, Andrew Cristall (2)
Plus/Minus: Ilya Protas (+11)
Shots: Graeme Clarke (98)
Wins: Mitch Gibson (5)
Shutouts: Mitch Gibson (1)
GAA: Mitch Gibson (2.30)
SV%: Mitch Gibson (.923)
Only includes players on active roster

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Monday, Feb. 2
Optional Skills Practice, 11 a.m., GIANT Center

Tuesday, Feb. 3
Practice, 11 a.m., Hersheypark Arena

Wednesday, Feb. 4
Morning Skate, 10:15 a.m., Hersheypark Arena

Thursday, Feb. 5
Practice, 11 a.m., Hersheypark Arena

Friday, Feb. 6
Practice, 11 a.m., GIANT Center

Saturday, Feb. 7
Morning Skate, 10:15 a.m., GIANT Center

Practice schedule is subject to change. Please check HersheyBears.com daily for updates.

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

- Wednesday, Jan. 28 - Hershey 3 at Rochester 1
- Friday, Jan. 30 - Hershey 1 at Rochester 3
- Saturday, Jan. 31 - Hershey 4 at Utica 3 (OT)

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, Feb. 4 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 7 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 7 p.m. - CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS

All times Eastern.

Television Coverage: WPMT-TV FOX43.2 Antenna TV; Video Coverage: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END:
Hershey's 3-1 win at Rochester last Wednesday pushed the team's point streak to 11 games before finally ending in Friday's 3-1 defeat to the Americans. Over the course of Hershey's streak - the longest by the team since a franchise-record 17-game point streak in the 2018-19 campaign - the club went 5-0-4-2, making the Bears one of three teams this season to achieve a point streak of 11 games or better, joining Grand Rapids (19, Nov. 22-Jan. 7; 12, Oct. 10-Nov. 19) and San Jose (Nov. 1-26). During the streak, the Bears also played seven consecutive games that extended beyond regulation between Jan. 11 vs. Cleveland and Jan. 24 at Lehigh Valley, setting a new club record and tying the league record.

JANUARY JUMPSTART:
The Bears posted a record of 6-1-4-2 (.692) for the month of January, giving the club its best month of the campaign by points percentage. Hershey went 6-for-34 (17.6%) with the man advantage and 28-for-35 (80%) on the penalty kill with four shorthanded goals. The team's performance in the past month has moved the Bears into fourth place in the Atlantic Division, just six points back of third-place Charlotte.

SHORTHANDED BANDITS:
Hershey's four shorthanded goals in the month of January pushed the team's total for the season to a league-leading eight. Seven of Hershey's goals when playing down a man have come on home ice, but Grant Cruikshank collected Hershey's first road shorthanded marker of the season in Wednesday's win at Rochester, giving the Wisconsin native his league-leading fourth shorthanded goal, the most in a single season by a Bear since Chris Bourque netted five in 2011-12. Hershey's single-season record for shorthanded goals by an individual player is six, attained by Don Seiling during the 1973-74 campaign.

STEVENSON EARNS FIRST NHL WIN WITH CAPITALS:
After getting the win for Hershey last Wednesday night at Rochester, goaltender Clay Stevenson was recalled by the Washington Capitals and earned his first NHL victory in just his second NHL start on Saturday night, making 19 saves in Washington's 4-3 comeback overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes. In 24 outings with Hershey this season, Stevenson has gone 11-8-3 with a 2.57 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage, including 4-0-3 in the month of January.

THE PROTAS PRINCIPLE:
Ilya Protas led the club in scoring in January with 12 points (5g, 7a) in 13 games - which was also tops among all American Hockey League rookies for the month - and his 35 points (17g, 18a) for the season also paces the club. The 19-year-old center will represent the Bears the upcoming AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford, which Hershey will visit for a pair of games at the end of February. Protas leads the Bears with 10 multi-point games, and is the only player to record three or more points in multiple games, doing so twice, including two goals and an assist vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Nov. 29.

PUTTING OUT THE PENGUIN POWER:
With four games remaining in the season series with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - including the final home contest of the series on Saturday - Hershey enters the week with a 1-4-0-1 record against the Penguins this season. A trio of rookies leads the way for the Bears, with Ilya Protas (4g, 1a), Andrew Cristall (2g, 3a), and David Gucciardi (1g, 4a) all collecting five points against the Penguins, although Gucciardi has missed Hershey's last three games with an upper-body injury. Both goaltenders currently on Hershey's roster - Mitch Gibson and Seth Eisele - have yet to face Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in their respective AHL careers.

WAUGH-T A FIND:
Defenseman Phip Waugh made his Bears debut last week, appearing in all three games for Hershey after signing a professional try-out agreement with the club on Jan. 23. By appearing in a game with the Bears, Waugh became the 36th player to appear in a game for both Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, having suited up in three games with the Penguins last season. Also among the list of players to play for both teams is former Bear Alex Alexeyev, who has appeared in 23 games with the Penguins this season.

STINGRAYS REPORT:
The South Carolina Stingrays went 2-1-0-0 last week, sweeping a home-and-home series with the Jacksonville Icemen on Friday and Saturday before dropping the weekend finale on Sunday in Orlando. Hershey's ECHL affiliate sits in a tie for second place in the South Division with the Atlanta Gladiators, trailing first-place Florida by three points.

BEARS BITES:
Forwards Ilya Protas (35 points) and Andrew Cristall (33 points) rank second and third in scoring respectively among AHL rookies; Protas' 17 goals and Cristall's 25 assists both rank second in the league for freshmen...Louie Belpedio's 23 points are tied for 13th in scoring among defensemen...The Bears are 16-4-4-2 when scoring first and 11-2-2-1 when leading after the first period...Hershey is 12-10-3-2 against Atlantic Division opponents this season...Hershey's road power play is 10th at 21.3% (10-for-47)...Hershey's home penalty kill is 13th at 82.7% (67-for-81)...Hershey enters Saturday's home game versus Wilkes-Barre/Scranton with both a seven-game point streak on home ice (3-0-3-1) along with a four-game winless skid at home (0-0-3-1), both of which are season highs.