Credit: Tori Hartman, Hershey Bears Hockey

The Hershey Bears were unable to ring in the New Year with a win, as the Charlotte Checkers defeated the Bears on Kids Night by a final score of 1-0. This family-friendly themed night featured fun activities tailored toward children, and the first 3,000 kids in attendance ranging from ages 12 and under received Hershey Bears lunch boxes sponsored by Belco Community Credit Union. Additionally, the Hershey Bears took the ice for warmups wearing jerseys from local high school hockey teams. This was the fourth meeting between the Bears and Checkers, and after tonight’s hard fought battle, the Hershey Bears have fallen to 1-3 on the season against the Checkers at home.

Tonight’s victory propelled the Charlotte Checkers into third place, and despite the loss, the Hershey Bears remain atop the Atlantic Division standings with 41 points. Ken Appleby got the nod between the pipes for the Checkers, while Clay Stevenson strapped on the pads for the Bears. Both goaltenders were awarded star of the game honors, as Appleby posted a 16 save shutout performance, and Stevenson posted a save percentage of 0.955. The Bears are now 1-1 in their last two games.

First Period:

Hershey came out swinging, as Grant Cruickshank registered the first quality scoring opportunity for the Hershey Bears. Cruickshank was able to evade an attacking Charlotte Checker beneath the goal line and drive the puck towards the net. Even though Cruickshank’s chance was turned aside, it established some early momentum.

“ Overall, we wanted to keep the play out in front of us and limit their scoring opportunities,” says Aaron Ness, Hershey Bears team captain.

Looking to keep the Bears buzzing, veteran center Garret Roe carried the puck into the offensive zone and fired a laser beam that was ultimately covered up by Appleby. Chase Priskie decided to jump in on the action as he dropped down from the blue line and attempted to beat Appleby from the nearside hash.

Appleby continued to come up large for the Checkers, and after the Bears failed to convert on two power play opportunities, the momentum shifted in favor of Charlotte. The period concluded with both teams deadlocked at 0-0, and the Checkers merely outshot the Bears 10-9 after period one action.

Second Period:

The road to the penalty box was well traveled, as Charlotte’s Justin Sourdif was the victim of a tripping call within the opening minutes of the second period. After failing to convert on the man advantage, the Bears dropped to 0-for-3 on power play opportunities early in the second period.

Hershey was awarded yet another power play after Charlotte’s Oliver Okuliar was penalized for tripping, and the Bears failed to even register a shot on goal during this power play.

With two minutes left to play in the second period, Sourdif would make amends for his earlier penalty, as his goal put the Checkers out in front. Sourdif beat Stevenson on the high glove side for his second goal of the year. Assists were given to John Leonard and Riley Hughes.

“It was just a simple play—a bit of a puck race with Bear and Hardy going back,” says Todd Nelson, Hershey Bears head coach. “They had two guys in the battle behind the net, and their guy came out with it. Ethan was caught in between as their guy looked to walk out, and he just threw it toward the net. It took a bounce right to the guy in front. It wasn’t a set play, just a fortunate bounce for them. But credit to them—they made it happen with their hustle.”

Hershey was heavily outshot this period by Charlotte, and the Bears went into the locker room looking to mount a comeback in the third.

Third Period:

Hershey’s penalty killing unit was able to boost the morale after killing a penalty given to Luke Philp. About midway through the third period, Charlotte’s Mikulas Hovorka and Patrick Giles received two minutes each, giving the Bears a 5-on-3 power play.

The Bears were unable to find the equalizer, and officially fell to 0-for-7 on power play chances. In a last stitch effort, the Bears pulled Stevenson to gain an extra attacker. This tactic wasn’t able to deliver the intended result, and the Bears came up short in the final game of 2024.

 ”They’re really aggressive on the penalty kill, and if you bobble the puck, they’ll pressure you,” says Nelson. “When it comes to five on five, their back pressure and reloads didn’t allow for us to get into a rush game with them.”

Looking Ahead:

Hershey will begin the New Year with a two game home stand against the Providence Bruins, who are currently 8-1-1 in their last ten games.

“Going into the new year,  it’s about getting back to playing good hockey,” says Ness. “Obviously we haven’t been scoring a lot of goals lately, and for a while our defensive side wasn’t great. I think we are turning that around now.”

The first 4,000 fans will receive a knit hat on Jan. 4, and fans are encouraged to bring new stuffed animals for the annual Teddy Bear Toss on Jan. 5