Weekly Release: Bears Visit Americans, Marlies; Host Penguins

The Hershey Bears (5-2-0-0, first in Atlantic Division) continue the 2026-27 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, as they embark on the road for the first time this season. Hershey visits Rochester on Wednesday and Toronto on Friday, before returning home to host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday at GIANT Center.

2026-27 SEASON LEADERS:
Goals: Joey Anderson, Josh Dunne, Bogdan Trineyev (3)
Assists: Andrew Cristall (8)
Points: Andrew Cristall (8)
PIMs: Spencer Smallman (25)
Power-Play Goals: Joey Anderson, Lynden Lakovic, Bogdan Trineyev (1)
Shorthanded Goals: Bogdan Trineyev (1)
Game-Winning Goals: Josh Dunne (2)
Plus/Minus: Louie Belpedio (+6)
Shots: Bogdan Trineyev (25)
Wins: Cal Petersen (3)
Shutouts: N/A
GAA: Garin Bjorklund (2.00)
SV%: Garin Bjorklund (.931)
Statistics reflective of active roster

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:

• Saturday, Oct. 24 – Hershey 5 vs. Belleville  2

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE:

Wednesday, Oct. 28 at Rochester Americans, 7:05 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 30 at Toronto Marlies, 7 p.m.

Sunday, Nov. 1 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 5 p.m. – CLICK TO PURCHASE TICKETS

• Hockey Fights Cancer Night, presented by Penn State Health – All fans in attendance will receive a Hockey Fights Cancer rally towel, presented by Penn State Health, and the Bears will wear specialty Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys which will be auctioned off postgame.

All times Eastern.

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

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

HIT THE ROAD:
Hershey enters the week after concluding a seven-game homestand to open the season, the largest slate of games to begin a season on home ice in franchise history. Last season, the Bears posted a road record of 18-15-1-2. Hershey is the lone AHL team that has not played a road games this season.

GO NORTH:
After Saturday’s 5-2 home win over Belleville, the Bears continue their slate of games against North Division clubs with road games at Rochester and Toronto. Hershey posted a record of 11-9-2-0 against North Division opponents in 2025-26.

OLD TIME HOCKEY:
The AHL’s oldest active rivalry reignites on Wednesday when the Bears visit Blue Cross Arena to take on the Rochester Americans on the 70th anniversary of the first ever meeting between the two clubs, a 4-2 Hershey win at Rochester on Oct. 28, 1956. Since that inaugural contest, the two clubs have met a total of 472 times in the regular season, with Hershey posting a record of 224-190-53-3-2; the two teams have also met in the postseason for a total of eight series, with Hershey winning the latest clash in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, 4-2. This season marks the second consecutive campaign that Hershey and Rochester will face each other four times; last season the Bears earned a win in their first visit to Rochester, extending a road win streak against the Americans to three games to match a series record, but the Amerks snapped the streak on Jan. 30 with a 3-1 win. Defenseman Jon McDonald led Hershey in scoring against Rochester in 2025-26 with four points (1g, 3a) in three games. Neither of Hershey’s goaltenders have faced the Americans in their career.

FACING THE CHAMPS:
Hershey takes on the defending Calder Cup champions for the first time this season on Friday in Toronto, when the Bears battle the Marlies. In last season’s series, each club earned a win as the road team. Since the Toronto Maple Leafs relocated their AHL affiliate to Toronto in 2005, the Bears have posted a lifetime 17-11-3-2 record against the Marlies. After leading the franchise to its second Calder Cup last season, John Gruden was elevated to Jim Hiller’s staff with the parent Maple Leafs; Steve Sullivan is in his first season as Marlies head coach. Bears legend and AHL Hall-of-Famer Chris Bourque is in his first season as Toronto’s assistant general manager. The two teams will face each other in Hershey in January.

FLIGHT OF THE PENGUINS:
Sunday’s home game against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton will be the 299th overall regular-season meeting between the I-81 rivals, as well as the 150th at home. Hershey has a lifetime record of 153-104-4-26-11 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and an all-time home record of 85-38-3-16-7. The Bears were eliminated by the Penguins 3-1 in the best-of-five Atlantic Division Semifinals.

CRUIKY CAN:
Grant Cruikshank has recorded two multi-point games over his last three contests (2g, 2a) giving the forward his largest offensive output during any three-game stretch of his AHL career. The 28-year-old led the team with five shorthanded goals during the 2025-26 campaign.

DOWN ON THE FARM:
Hershey’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, are off to a 4-0-0-0 start to the season after picking up a pair of wins last week. The Stingrays blanked Savannah 5-0 on Friday, with Bears-contracted goaltender Ben Kraws leading the way with a 27-save shutout. South Carolina then earned a 5-3 win at Orlando on Saturday, with Bears-contracted forward Jalen Luypen collecting a power-play goal, one of four recorded by the Stingrays on the man advantage. The Stingrays host Savannah on Friday and Atlanta on Sunday.

BEARS BITES:
Josh Dunne’s next point will be his 100th AHL point and he is one of 14 skaters in the AHL with multiple game-winning goals…Andrew Cristall is tied for seventh in the league with eight assists…Louie Belpedio’s +6 is tied for fourth among all skaters…Cam Allen’s .83 points per game is tied for 12th among all defensemen…Joey Anderson’s 37.5% shooting percentage is tied for eighth among skaters with at least four shots on goal…Jonny Brodzinski has a five-game point streak (2g, 4a).