Weekly Release: Bears Face Stars in Pair of Games

The Hershey Bears (1-1-0-0, fourth in Atlantic Division) continue the 2026-27 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, as they host the Texas Stars this week in a pair of home games at GIANT Center.

2026-27 SEASON LEADERS:
Goals: Josh Dunne (2)
Assists: Andrew Cristall (3)
Points: Andrew Cristall (3)
PIMs: Spencer Smallman (10)
Power-Play Goals: N/A
Shorthanded Goals: N/A
Game-Winning Goals: Josh Dunne (1)
Plus/Minus: Louie Belpedio (+2)
Shots: Johnny Brodzinski, Josh Dunne, Lynden Lakovic (7)
Wins: Garin Bjorklund (1)
Shutouts: N/A
GAA: Garin Bjorklund (2.00)
SV%: Garin Bjorklund (.931)

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Monday, Oct. 5
Day off

Tuesday, Oct. 6
Practice, 11:15 a.m at Hersheypark Arena

Wednesday, Oct. 7
Practice, 11 a.m at Hersheypark Arena

Thursday, Oct. 8
Day off

Friday, Oct. 9
Practice, 11 a.m at Hersheypark Arena

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

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:

• Saturday, Oct. 3 – Hershey 2 vs. Charlotte 5
• Sunday, Oct. 4 – Hershey 3 vs. Charlotte 2

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

Saturday, Oct. 10 vs. Texas Stars, 7 p.m. – CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS

• B-E-A-R-Sapalooza Country Night – Play somethin’ country! Get ready to have a yee-hockey good time at Country Night!
• Pepsi Straw Cowboy Hat – The first 6,000 fans in attendance will receive a straw cowboy hat giveaway, courtesy of Pepsi.

Sunday, Oct. 11 vs. Texas Stars, 5 p.m. – CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS

• Pennsyltucky Night – Fishing. Hunting. NASCAR. A day off school for the first day of buck. This is Pennsyltucky. Grab your camo and safety orange, because we’re tipping our camo hats to Central PA.

All times Eastern.

Video Coverage: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio Coverage: GIANT Bears Radio Network

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS:
Hershey will play its first-ever regular-season contests against the Texas Stars this weekend at GIANT Center. The two teams previously faced each other in the 2010 Calder Cup Finals, which saw the expansion Stars take the first two games of the series in Hershey before the Bears rattled off three straight road wins before returning home to clinch their 11th Calder Cup in franchise history in a 4-0 Game 6 victory. Current Bears vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer was the captain of that championship squad. The Bears will visit the Stars for a pair of games in March at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.

SGARBOSSA SLATED TO MAKE RETURN:
This weekend’s series against the Stars will mark the first opportunity for Hershey to face longtime former Bear Mike Sgarbossa. The forward played 297 regular-season games for the Chocolate and White from 2018-25, recording 268 points (93g, 175a) in that time, leading the club twice in scoring during the 2018-19 (65 points) and 2022-23 (58 points) seasons. Additionally, Sgarbossa earned a Calder Cup ring with the team in 2023, scoring three points (1g, 2a) in Hershey’s four-game series with Charlotte before being sidelined for the remainder of the postseason with an injury. Sgarbossa’s 93 goals are tied for 46th in team history, while his 175 assists rank 26th. Last season, Sgarbossa played in Switzerland’s National League with Lugano and Bern before returning stateside, signing with Texas on July 8. The veteran forward has produced three points (2g, 1a) in two games this season with the Stars.

ROOKIES GRAB FIRST AHL POINTS:
Washington Capitals 2025 first-round draft pick Lynden Lakovic earned an assist in his professional debut on Saturday, while Petr Sikora, a sixth-round pick of the Caps in 2024, netted his first AHL goal in Sunday’s win over the Checkers.

HE DUNNE DID IT AGAIN:
With his goal in Saturday’s season-opener against Charlotte, Josh Dunne continued a trend of scoring in his first game of the season at the AHL level for the third consecutive year. The forward previously scored in each of his last two season debuts with the Rochester Americans. After scoring again for Hershey in Sunday’s win, he is now three points away from reaching his 100th career AHL point.

GARIN GETS ONE:
Sunday’s win over Charlotte marked just the first win of the season for Garin Bjorklund and just his second victory in his last dozen AHL appearances dating back to Nov. 22, 2025. The netminder made 27 saves for Hershey in the triumph over the Checkers, the second-most that he has recorded in an AHL win.

HOLL-Y ROLLER:
Defenseman Justin Holl won the 2018 Calder Cup against Texas as a member of the Toronto Marlies, which defeated the Stars in seven games. His last multi-point game in the AHL came against the Stars as a member of the Grand Rapids Griffins on Nov. 25, 2025 at Texas.

BEARS BITES:
Grant Cruikshank dressed in his 100th game as a Bear in Sunday’s win over Charlotte…Hershey and Washington announced a trio of moves yesterday, as Tyler Kopff and Jalen Luypen were re-assigned from the Bears to South Carolina of the ECHL; Hershey also loaned Jalen Luypen to the Stingrays…Joey Anderson’s next point will be his 200th in the AHL…Hershey’s first-period goal differential of 2 is tied for the second highest in the league; along with Texas (1) the Bears are one of only 10 teams in the league with a positive goal differential in the first period.