Weekly Launch: Bears Travel to Empire State to Face Americans, Comets | NEWS

January 26, 2026

The Hershey Bears proceed the 2025-26 season, introduced by Penn State Health, after they make a swing by way of upstate New York this week with video games towards 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 contains gamers on energetic roster

LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Monday, Jan. 26
DAY OFF

Tuesday, Jan. 27
Travel to Rochester

Practice schedule is topic to alter. Please test HersheyBears.com every day 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 instances 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 solely earned one win in its final seven video games, the group has nonetheless managed to select up some extent in all seven contests by no less than extending these video games to time beyond regulation. Not solely have the Bears already shattered their earlier franchise report for consecutive time beyond regulation video games (5 video games, Oct. 23-Nov. 5, 2021; 2-0-2-1), however per the American Hockey League’s communications division, the Bears have now equaled a league report for essentially the most consecutive time beyond regulation video games performed, 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 current stretch of seven consecutive time beyond regulation video games, the Bears additionally had earned three regulation wins instantly earlier than, giving the membership a season-high 10-game level streak (4-0-4-2), Hershey’s longest level streak because it achieved a franchise-record 17-game level streak (16-0-0-1) throughout the 2018-19 marketing campaign. Prior to that, Hershey’s final level streak of 10 or extra video games occurred throughout the 2016-17 season, when the Bears went 8-0-2-0 from Nov. 16-Dec. 9. Since the present streak started with Hershey’s first sport of the New Year on Jan. 3 vs. Rockford, the Bears have been paced in scoring by the group’s pair of rookie sensations, Ilya Protas and Andrew Cristall, who’ve each collected 10 factors.

DYNAMIC DUO:
Ilya Protas and Andrew Cristall proceed a good race for the group scoring lead. Protas’ objective and an help on Saturday at Lehigh Valley elevated his totals to 33 factors (17g, 16a), leapfrogging him forward of his fellow freshman, who has recorded 32 factors (8g, 24a) and leads the group with 24 helpers. Both rookies are the one gamers on the Bears to have suited up for each sport performed by the group this season, and Protas’ 17 targets lead the group are tied for twelfth within the AHL, whereas Cristall’s 24 assists tempo the Bears and are tied for fifteenth within the league.

SHORTHANDED BANDITS:
Grant Cruikshank netted his third shorthanded objective of the season on Tuesday towards Hartford, giving him a share of the league lead with 4 different skaters. Overall, the Bears have netted seven shorthanded markers this season, which ties the membership with Laval, San Diego, Syracuse, and Utica. All of Hershey’s shorthanded tallies have come on residence ice, which is essentially the most of any AHL squad.

TRINEYEV RE-SIGNED:
The Washington Capitals introduced on Saturday that ahead Bogdan Trineyev had been re-signed to a two-year contract extension. Trineyev is presently fourth in group scoring with 21 factors (9g, 12a) in 31 video games and in addition acquired his first NHL motion earlier this season, making his main league debut on Dec. 13 at Winnipeg. The 2024 Calder Cup champion’s.68 factors per sport this season represents one of the best of his AHL tenure, and he has already eclipsed his earlier career-highs for assists.

VISITING THE FLOWER CITY:
The Bears lead their season collection with the Rochester Americans with a 1-0-0-0 report after incomes a 2-1 residence victory over the Amerks on Nov. 9, extending the membership’s successful streak towards Rochester to 5 video games courting again to Dec. 29, 2023; the Bears additionally carry a two-game highway successful streak at Blue Cross Arena in that very same size of time. Bears ahead Dalton Smith beforehand skated with Rochester for 4 seasons from 2017-21, and will have two probabilities to make his return in an opposing uniform to the venue he as soon as known as residence.

COMET CHRONICLES:
Hershey will open its season collection with Utica on Saturday with its lone go to of the season to the Adirondack Bank Center, because the Bears look to snap a five-game winless skid towards the Comets. Hershey’s final victory towards Utica got here on residence ice when the Bears opened the 2022-23 marketing campaign with a 3-1 victory. Saturday’s sport will doubtless be Graeme Clarke’s first sport towards his former membership, which he performed for between 2021-24 as a prospect within the New Jersey Devils group and represented Utica on the 2024 AHL All-Star Classic. The two groups may also meet at GIANT Center on Feb. 25.

STINGRAYS REPORT:
The South Carolina Stingrays got here out of a three-in-three weekend with a pair of time beyond regulation victories over Atlanta and Florida on Friday and Saturday, earlier than falling to Florida on Sunday. Hershey’s ECHL affiliate enters the week in second place within the South Division, 4 factors again of first-place Florida. The Stingrays are the ECHL’s most penalized group, averaging 17.25 penalty minutes per sport. After suiting up for the Bears on Friday towards Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Simon Pinard returned to South Carolina and scored the tying objective for his team-leading fifteenth tally of the season in Saturday’s 2-1 time beyond regulation win towards the Everblades.

BEARS BITES:
Defensemen Reilly Webb and Phip Waugh joined the Bears on skilled try-out agreements final week, with Webb stepping into two video games and making his AHL debut after beforehand enjoying solely within the ECHL, whereas Waugh has 14 video games of AHL expertise with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Abbotsford however has but to make his Bears debut…Clay Stevenson is 3-0-3 in January with a 2.88 goals-against common and a .903 save share…The Bears are 14-4-4-2 when scoring first.