Wilkes-Barre/Scranton returns to Hershey on FOX43 Night at the Rink for another chapter of the I-81 rivalry.

HERSHEY, Pa. — The Hershey Bears host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at GIANT Center tonight in the sixth meeting between the I-81 rivals this season. Hershey has not beaten Wilkes-Barre/Scranton since Nov. 29, falling behind 4-1 in the season series with four games remaining between the teams.

The Bears enter the contest riding an eight-game point streak, but searching for ways to avoid slow starts. Hershey fell 5-4 in overtime to Hartford on Tuesday after battling back from 3-1 and 4-2 deficits.

“Yeah, that’s awesome that they can do that, but we can’t afford to play like that every night where we just ease into a game, or we’re not into it yet, oh, we’ll just turn it up in the third,” Bears Head Coach Derek King said. “You can’t do that. Not in this league. It’s too good of a league. Hopefully we can get these guys some rest and work on a few things, and some video, and then maybe correct those.”

Hershey has played in overtime in each of its last five games, matching a franchise record set during the 2021-22 season. The Bears have won once and lost three times in overtime during this stretch, along with a shootout loss.

A point tonight would extend Hershey’s streak to nine games and match the club’s best performance from the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

The Penguins are also coming off an overtime loss, 3-2 to Belleville on Wednesday. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has earned points in three consecutive games.

Hershey strengthened its roster this week with the return of forward Ivan Miroshnichenko from an NHL stint. Miroshnichenko has four points in four games against the Penguins this season and nine points over his last nine AHL games.

The Bears also recalled Simon Pinard from the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays, where he led that team with 36 points in 37 games. On defense, Hershey added Reilly Webb on a professional tryout.

Miroshnichenko joins an offense already producing. Brett Leason posted three points in Tuesday’s game against Hartford. Graeme Clarke has scored in his last two games with points in three straight games. Ilya Protas carries a five-game point streak into tonight.

King praised Leason’s adjustment following his brief NHL recall, noting how pace and style changed his approach to the game.

“Well, I think everybody, but especially Leas, I think he’s not used to that pace and the sloppiness of play. He’s used to passes on the tape and everybody in position,” King said. “But once we started to play better after he scored his goal there, he kind of raised it up, and I thought he had a real solid two periods for us.”

On defense, Corey Schueneman has five assists in his last seven games, while Louie Belpedio has seven points in the same span.

For Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, two of the team’s top three scorers in the series have been traded. Phil Tomasino and Valtteri Puustinen moved to the Flyers’ and Avalanche organizations, respectively.

Hershey is 4-2-3-1 over its last 10 games, while Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is 4-4-1-1. Tonight starts a stretch of six games in nine days for the Bears.

Fans attending tonight’s contest can expect more than just hockey. It’s FOX43 Night at the Rink, which brings an action-packed evening with giveaways and surprises throughout the game.

Upcoming programming, including the premieres of “Best Medicine” on Jan. 6, “Memory of a Killer” on Jan. 25, and “Extracted” Season 2 on Jan. 26, will be showcased throughout the night at GIANT Center.


Special Teams

HER PP: 17.9% (17th in AHL) | HER PK: 82.0% (11th in AHL)
WBS PP: 13.0% (32nd in AHL) | WBS PK: 83.9% (5th in AHL)


Officials

Referees: Mike Campbell (36) & Patrick Hanrahan (52)
Linespersons: Josh Cleary (45) & John Rey (16)


How to Watch

Tonight’s game is on FOX43.2 Antenna TV. Live coverage from GIANT Center begins at 7 p.m. Zack Fisch, Garrett Mitchell and Todd Sadowski will have the call. You can find Antenna TV on WPMT 43.2 over the air or on these cable channels:

Xfinity Ch. 247 and 1178
Verizon FiOS Ch. 463
Blue Ridge Ephrata Ch. 91
Blue Ridge Newberry/Duncannon Ch. 88