Weekly Release: Bears Travel to Empire State to Face Americans, Comets

January 26, 2026

The Hershey Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they make a swing through upstate New York this week with games against the Rochester Americans and Utica Comets.

2025-26 SEASON LEADERS:
Goals: Ilya Protas (17)
Assists: Andrew Cristall (24)
Points: Ilya Protas (33)
PIMs: Justin Nachbaur (60)
Power-Play Goals: Ilya Protas (6)
Shorthanded Goals: Grant Cruikshank (3)
Game-Winning Goals: Ryan Chesley, Graeme Clarke, Andrew Cristall (2)
Plus/Minus: Ilya Protas (+12)
Shots: Graeme Clarke (95)
Wins: Clay Stevenson (10)
Shutouts: Garin Bjorklund (1)
GAA: Clay Stevenson (2.65)
SV%: Clay Stevenson (.910)
Only includes players on active roster

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Monday, Jan. 26
DAY OFF

Tuesday, Jan. 27
Travel to Rochester

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

LAST WEEK'S RESULTS:

- Tuesday, Jan. 20 - Hershey 4 vs. Hartford 5 (OT)
- Friday, Jan. 23 - Hershey 3 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4 (SO)
- Saturday, Jan. 24 - Hershey 3 at Lehigh Valley 4 (OT)

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, Jan. 28 at Rochester, 7:05 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 30 at Rochester, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 31 at Utica, 6 p.m.

All times Eastern.

Television Coverage: WPMT-TV FOX43.2 Antenna TV (Wednesday and Friday); Video Coverage:  AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

WORKING OVERTIME:
While Hershey has only earned one win in its last seven games, the team has still managed to pick up a point in all seven contests by at least extending those games to overtime. Not only have the Bears already shattered their previous franchise record for consecutive overtime games (five games, Oct. 23-Nov. 5, 2021; 2-0-2-1), but per the American Hockey League's communications department, the Bears have now equaled a league record for the most consecutive overtime games played, a mark they now share with the 1936-37 Cleveland Falcons (Dec. 12, 1936 - Jan. 2, 1937; 1-2-4) and the 2013-14 Iowa Wild (Jan. 22-Feb. 7, 2014; 3-0-2-2).

GONE STREAKING:
In addition to their recent stretch of seven consecutive overtime games, the Bears also had earned three regulation wins immediately before, giving the club a season-high 10-game point streak (4-0-4-2), Hershey's longest point streak since it achieved a franchise-record 17-game point streak (16-0-0-1) during the 2018-19 campaign. Prior to that, Hershey's last point streak of 10 or more games occurred during the 2016-17 season, when the Bears went 8-0-2-0 from Nov. 16-Dec. 9. Since the current streak began with Hershey's first game of the New Year on Jan. 3 vs. Rockford, the Bears have been paced in scoring by the team's pair of rookie sensations, Ilya Protas and Andrew Cristall, who have both collected 10 points.

DYNAMIC DUO:
Ilya Protas and Andrew Cristall continue a tight race for the team scoring lead. Protas' goal and an assist on Saturday at Lehigh Valley increased his totals to 33 points (17g, 16a), leapfrogging him ahead of his fellow freshman, who has recorded 32 points (8g, 24a) and leads the team with 24 helpers. Both rookies are the only players on the Bears to have suited up for every game played by the team this season, and Protas' 17 goals lead the team are tied for 12th in the AHL, while Cristall's 24 assists pace the Bears and are tied for 15th in the league.

SHORTHANDED BANDITS:
Grant Cruikshank netted his third shorthanded goal of the season on Tuesday against Hartford, giving him a share of the league lead with four other skaters. Overall, the Bears have netted seven shorthanded markers this season, which ties the club with Laval, San Diego, Syracuse, and Utica. All of Hershey's shorthanded tallies have come on home ice, which is the most of any AHL squad.

TRINEYEV RE-SIGNED:
The Washington Capitals announced on Saturday that forward Bogdan Trineyev had been re-signed to a two-year contract extension. Trineyev is currently fourth in team scoring with 21 points (9g, 12a) in 31 games and also received his first NHL action earlier this season, making his major league debut on Dec. 13 at Winnipeg. The 2024 Calder Cup champion's.68 points per game this season represents the best of his AHL tenure, and he has already eclipsed his previous career-highs for assists.

VISITING THE FLOWER CITY:
The Bears lead their season series with the Rochester Americans with a 1-0-0-0 record after earning a 2-1 home victory over the Amerks on Nov. 9, extending the club's winning streak against Rochester to five games dating back to Dec. 29, 2023; the Bears also carry a two-game road winning streak at Blue Cross Arena in that same length of time. Bears forward Dalton Smith previously skated with Rochester for four seasons from 2017-21, and could have two chances to make his return in an opposing uniform to the venue he once called home.

COMET CHRONICLES:
Hershey will open its season series with Utica on Saturday with its lone visit of the season to the Adirondack Bank Center, as the Bears look to snap a five-game winless skid against the Comets. Hershey's last victory against Utica came on home ice when the Bears opened the 2022-23 campaign with a 3-1 victory. Saturday's game will likely be Graeme Clarke's first game against his former club, which he played for between 2021-24 as a prospect in the New Jersey Devils organization and represented Utica at the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic. The two teams will also meet at GIANT Center on Feb. 25.

STINGRAYS REPORT:
The South Carolina Stingrays came out of a three-in-three weekend with a pair of overtime victories over Atlanta and Florida on Friday and Saturday, before falling to Florida on Sunday. Hershey's ECHL affiliate enters the week in second place in the South Division, four points back of first-place Florida. The Stingrays are the ECHL's most penalized team, averaging 17.25 penalty minutes per game. After suiting up for the Bears on Friday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Simon Pinard returned to South Carolina and scored the tying goal for his team-leading 15th tally of the season in Saturday's 2-1 overtime win against the Everblades.

BEARS BITES:
Defensemen Reilly Webb and Phip Waugh joined the Bears on professional try-out agreements last week, with Webb getting into two games and making his AHL debut after previously playing exclusively in the ECHL, while Waugh has 14 games of AHL experience with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Abbotsford but has yet to make his Bears debut...Clay Stevenson is 3-0-3 in January with a 2.88 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage...The Bears are 14-4-4-2 when scoring first.