Weekly Release: Bears Gear Up for Three-in-Three Weekend

April 9, 2024

The Hershey Bears (50-12-0-5) look to lock up first place in the American Hockey League this week with their final three-in-three set. Hershey hosts Lehigh Valley on Friday, visits Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday, and returns home to host the Penguins on Sunday. The Chocolate and White enter the week as one of the hottest teams in the AHL, with a record of 8-1-0-1 in their last 10 games.

TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Ethen Frank (28)
Assists: Joe Snively (42)
Points: Joe Snively (53)
Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank (12)
Shorthanded Goals: Bogdan Trineyev (3)
Plus/Minus: Jimmy Huntington (+23)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (25)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (1.80)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.927)
Only includes qualified players on active roster

RECENT RESULTS:

-       Tuesday, April 2 - Hershey 1 vs. Lehigh Valley 0
-       Friday, April 5 - Hershey 7 at Iowa 2
-       Saturday, April 6 - Hershey 3 at Iowa 2 (SO)

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE FOR WEEK OF APRIL 8:

Monday, April 8
Day Off

Tuesday, April 9
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Wednesday, April 10
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center

Thursday, April 11
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center

Friday, April 12
Morning Skate, 10:15 a.m. at GIANT Center

All practices are open to the public. Practice dates and times are subject to change.

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

Friday, April 12 - Hershey vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 7 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

• Fairview Golf Course Logo Chip Night - The first 4,000 fans in attendance will receive a Calder Cup championship golf chip, courtesy of Fairview Golf Course
• Pre-game Happy Hour - Fans 21-and-up can enjoy $5 16 oz. select beer special, available from doors to puck drop.

Saturday, April 13 - Hershey at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 6:05 p.m.

Sunday, April 14 - Hershey vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 5 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

• Belco Kids Goalie Mask Night - The first 1,000 fans 12-and-under will receive a goalie mask, courtesy of Belco Community Credit Union

TV Coverage: Antenna TV; Video Coverage: AHLTV; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network

All times Eastern

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

RECORDS STILL IN SIGHT:
With five total games remaining in the 2023-24 regular season, the Bears are still in position to challenge a handful of notable franchise and league records. Hershey needs six points out of its remaining 10 available to best the franchise mark for overall points percentage (.769, 2009-10), and seven points out of the remaining 10 to best the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers' league record for points percentage (.775). If the Bears get one more victory, they will match the 2022-23 Calgary Wranglers' league record for the most wins in a 72-game season (51).

CLAIMING KILPATRICK:
Hershey's Magic Number for the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy for first place overall in the league sits at three points, with the Bears holding a 10-point lead on second-place Coachella Valley. By the time Hershey drops the puck against Lehigh Valley on Friday, its Magic Number may be reduced even further, as the Firebirds take on the Ontario Reign at home on Wednesday; a loss of any kind suffered by Coachella Valley will put the Bears in position to clinch the Kilpatrick Trophy with a win on Friday. In addition to its Wednesday meetup with Ontario, Coachella Valley also hosts Bakersfield on Friday, and San Diego on Sunday.

FRANKLY SPEAKING:
Ethen Frank enjoyed his third career hat trick on Saturday at Iowa to give him 28 goals on the season, good enough to vault into the team goal-scoring lead. As a rookie last season, Frank led the team with 30 goals in the regular season. Frank's 28 goals this season are tied for fifth in the AHL; his 12 power-play goals are fifth, his eight game-winning goals are tied for third, his six first goals are tied for seventh, and his five insurance goals are tied for first. Hershey is 19-1-0-1 in games that Frank lights the lamp.

JOHANSEN JOINS CAPS:
The Washington Capitals announced the recall of Lucas Johansen from Hershey on Monday. Johansen has appeared in 22 games with the Bears this season, posting 12 points (2g, 10a). Hershey has gone 18-1-0-3 with Johansen in the lineup, and 9-0-0-1 in games in which he records at least a point.

SHOOTOUT SPECIALISTS:
Saturday's shootout victory in Iowa was Hershey's ninth shootout of the season, all of which have taken place on the road. With a 4-5 record in the shootout, Hershey's nine road games decided via shootout have added to the franchise's single-new season record, and its four road shootout victories have matched the club mark, shared with the 2004-05 team (4-2), the 2008-09 team (4-3), and the 2009-10 team (4-1). Leading the way individually is Pierrick Dube and Joe Snively, who have gone an identical 3-for-7 this season, while Hunter Shepard has come up with 13 saves on 19 attempts (68.4%) to post a record of 3-3.

FIGHTING THE PHANTOMS:
Friday's game will mark the 121st meeting between Hershey and Lehigh Valley since the Phantoms relocated to Allentown prior to the 2014-15 season. In that time, the Bears have posted a 63-38-8-11 record against the Phantoms, with a 37-12-6-5 record on GIANT Center ice. Hershey has gone 4-1-0-0 on home ice against Lehigh Valley this season. Pierrick Dube leads Hershey in scoring against the Phantoms with eight points (6g, 2a) in 10 games.

PESTERING THE PENGUINS:
This weekend's home-and-home series with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton marks the conclusion of the regular-season series with Hershey's I-81 rival. The Bears have gone 8-2-0-0 against the Penguins this season, winning their last seven consecutive outings. Hershey's power play has been very opportunistic, going 8-for-37 (21.6%), while also going 30-for-37 (81.1%) on the penalty kill. Joe Snively has been especially effective in competition against the Penguins, leading Hershey with 14 points (7g, 7a) and joins Mike Vecchione as the only skater to have appeared in all 10 games against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season. Saturday's game at Mohegan Sun Arena will represent the 275th regular-season meeting between Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, with Hershey owning an all-time record of 142-95-5-23-9. The Bears can match the second-highest single-season win total against the Penguins with a victory Saturday, and a weekend sweep will ensure this season's team matches the franchise record for the most earned in a season against the Penguins (10, 2009-10).

BEARS BITES:
Hershey is 23-0-0-0 when Pierrick Dube scores a goal...Alex Limoges leads the Bears with 15 multi-point games; the team is 14-0-0-1 when he has achieved the feat...Mike Vecchione skated in his 400th career AHL game on Saturday at Iowa, while Todd Nelson was behind the bench for his 700th career game as an AHL head coach...Henrik Rybinski is two games away from his 100th professional game, all with the Bears...Ethen Frank is three points away from 100 professional points, also all with Hershey...Hershey is first in the AHL with a penalty kill that has gone 222-for-252 (88.1%)...Hunter Shepard is fourth in the league with 25 wins, while Clay Stevenson is tied for seventh (and second among rookie goalies) with 23 victories...The Bears have a league-leading 37 wins when scoring first...Hershey has won its last five road games and has a seven-game road point streak (6-0-0-1), one game off the season-high mark of eight (Dec. 17 at Springfield - Jan. 31 at Lehigh Valley, 6-0-0-2)...Hershey is 35-9-0-3 against Atlantic Division opponents this season.