Weekly Release: Bears Remain Home to Host Penguins, Phantoms

December 1, 2025

The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, as they host a pair of in-state rivals this week, with Hershey welcoming the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to GIANT Center on Saturday and facing the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Sunday evening.

2025-26 SEASON LEADERS:
Goals: Ilya Protas (10)
Assists: Andrew Cristall (11)
Points: Ilya Protas (19)
PIMs: Justin Nachbaur (37)
Power-Play Goals: Ilya Protas (3)
Shorthanded Goals: Ryan Chesley, Grant Cruikshank, Ilya Protas (1)
Game-Winning Goals: Ryan Chesley (2)
Plus/Minus: Ilya Protas (+5)
Shots: Graeme Clarke (55)
Wins: Clay Stevenson (7)
Shutouts: Garin Bjorklund (1)
GAA: Clay Stevenson (2.54)
SV%: Clay Stevenson (.913)
Only includes qualified players

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Monday, Dec. 1
Practice, 11 a.m., GIANT Center

Tuesday, Dec. 2
Day Off

Wednesday, Dec. 3
Day Off

Thursday, Dec. 4
Practice, 11 a.m., GIANT Center

Friday, Dec. 5
Practice, 11 a.m., GIANT Center

Saturday, Dec. 6
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, Nov. 26 - Hershey 3 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 6
Saturday, Nov. 29 - Hershey 6 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 2
Sunday, Nov. 30 - Hershey 3 vs. Laval 4

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

Saturday, Dec. 6 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 7 p.m. - CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS

• Hall of Fame Night - The Bears will formally induct the Class of 2025 into the Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Fame during a pregame ceremony.
• Hall of Fame Postcard Giveaway - All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative postcard celebrating the 2025 Hall of Fame induction class.

Sunday, Dec. 7 vs. Lehigh Valley, 3 p.m. - CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS

• Throwback Jersey Night & Jersey Auction - In celebration of the American Hockey League's 90th season, the team will wear throwback jerseys that will be auctioned off post-game.
• Hersheypark Pass Night - All fans will receive a 2026 Hersheypark ticket, valid for one-day admission through June 30, 2026.

All times Eastern.

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

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

TEAM STORE HOLIDAY HOURS:
The Hershey Bears team store at GIANT Center will be open for extended holiday hours for the following dates and times:
Friday, Dec. 5, 12-7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 6, 12-5 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 12, 12-5 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 13, 12-5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 14, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 19, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 20, 12-5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 21, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

KEYSTONE STATE COMFORT:
Even after concluding a franchise-record nine-game homestand on Dec. 20, the Bears will spend the entirety of the month without having to leave the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as Hershey's next three road games will take place against either Wilkes-Barre/Scranton or Lehigh Valley. In fact, the Bears will not have to travel beyond the state's borders until the middle of next month, when they visit the Charlotte Checkers after opening January with six straight home contests.

PRODUCTIVE PROTAS:
On Nov. 13th, Ilya Protas' five points were good enough to tie for 211th in league scoring. The following night, Protas recorded a goal and an assist at Syracuse and hasn't looked back, as the 2024 third-round draft selection of the Washington Capitals has piled up 14 points (8g, 6a) as part of a seven-game goal and point streaks that were finally snapped in this past Sunday's loss to Laval. That increase in production has vaulted the rookie into the league's Top-20 in scoring, as the rookie's 19 total points (10g, 9a) on the season has him now tied for 12th in the scoring race; he is also tied for third in scoring among rookies.

BRUISED AND BATTERED BEARS:
Through the first two months and 19 games of the season, the Bears have lost a total of 72 man games due to injury or illness. Notably, defenseman Nicky Leivermann was listed as unavailable due to a lower-body injury sustained during the preseason that sidelined him for the first 18 games of the campaign, while Ivan Miroshnichenko missed 12 contests with an upper-body injury from Oct. 18 through Nov. 16. For comparison, at the same juncture last season, the Bears had lost 71 man games due to injury/illness, with that figure inflated by several players recovering from offseason surgery.

FOR WHOM THE 'BEL' TOLLS:
Defenseman Louie Belpedio's goal against Laval on Sunday marked his first as a Bear and extended his point streak to five games (1g, 4a). The veteran blue liner has 11 points (1g, 10a) on the season, tying him for 15th in scoring among defensemen.

BITTEN OFF PLENTY TO CHEW:
Sam Bitten's goal last Saturday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton stood up as the eventual game-winner and marked his third goal of the season, establishing a new career high and matching his previous total output before his acquisition by the Bears from Springfield earlier this season for future considerations; Hershey has gone 6-4-0-0 since the trade that brought Bitten to Hershey.

PUNCHING IT UP WITH THE PENGUINS:
The I-81 rivalry has shown no signs of cooling, as Hershey accrued its largest amount of penalty minutes in an individual game this season with 45 in last Wednesday's 6-3 loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, while the Penguins' 41 penalty minutes in Saturday's 6-2 win by Hershey represented the largest amount for a Bears opponent in the current campaign. In addition to this Saturday's upcoming meeting, the Bears will face the Penguins two more times this month in a pair of road games bookending the December holiday break on Sunday, Dec. 21 and Saturday, Dec. 27.

PHANTOM FREEZE:
The Bears will also host their other Keystone State rival on Sunday, welcoming the Phantoms back to GIANT Center for the third time this season, after already picking up a pair of victories at home over Lehigh Valley. Both home games against the Phantoms have gone beyond regulation, as Hershey won 4-3 in the shootout on Oct. 25, then earned a 2-1 overtime victory on Nov. 16. Former Phantom Matt Strome (unavailable with a lower-body injury since Nov. 26) and Ilya Protas are tied for the team lead in scoring against Lehigh Valley with five points apiece.

STINGRAYS REPORT:
Hershey's ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, went 1-3-0-0 last week, with Bears-contracted forward Kaden Bohlsen netting the game-winner in South Carolina's 5-4 overtime win over Greensboro on Friday. The Stingrays sit third in the ECHL's South Division with 22 points, just four behind first-place Florida, and Hershey-contracted forward Kyler Kupka is second in scoring among Eastern Conference players with 19 points (10g, 9a), with his 10 goals tied for third overall in the league. The Washington Capitals re-assigned Zac Funk from Hershey to South Carolina earlier this afternoon, while Hershey simultaneously loaned Simon Pinard to the Stingrays.

BEARS BITES:
Aaron Ness' next game will mark his 800th career game in the AHL, passing Frank Mathers for sole possession of 16th among defensemen in league history...Graeme Clarke is four points away from his 200th pro point and five points away from his 200th AHL point...Clay Stevenson's seven wins are tied for ninth among AHL goaltenders, while his save percentage of .913 ranks 10th...Hershey's 15 penalty minutes per game is the seventh-most among the league's 32 clubs.