I took a chance to head to practice this morning, the Bears first at the Giant Center after their successful road trip. The Bears beat Bridgeport, Springfield and a previously undefeated Providence Bruins team, taking their current win streak to four games and placing their record at 5-3-1 through their first nine games.

It was a somewhat casual practice today. The Bears ran a three on three tournament throughout practice today, which both helps the players prep for the OT period during the regular season, and allows them to have a bit of fun. Don’t get it twisted though, the guys were competitive and everyone wanted to win. It’s the type of fire that you want to see from your players.

I also had the chance to speak with Head Coach Derek King, Graeme Clarke and Ryan Chesley after practice. You can find video of their comments below.

Rosen Traded, Schueneman and Bitten Acquired

It was a fast and furious Monday morning for the Bears though. First, the Washington Capitals made a deal at the AHL level, which saw Calle Rosen dealt to St. Louis, and thusly Springfield, for defenseman Corey Schueneman. Scheuneman comes to the Bears having contributed 6 points in 9 games played so far and is a left-handed shot defenseman like Rosen.

The Bears also acquired Sam Bitten from the Thunderbirds in exchange for future considerations. Bitten is a 25-year-old forward who stands at 6’2″ 220 and plays a heavy game. He will be a nice add to the Bears bottom six depth. I spoke to Head Coach Derek King about these transactions and you can watch what he had to say below.

Opponent Preview

The Bears will play the abnormal Friday-Sunday set this weekend, with Saturday being a day off for the team. Hershey will first face off with the Toronto Marlies on Friday. The Marlies record stands today at 4-4-1, putting them in fourth place in the Atlantic Division. They will face the Penguins up in Wilkes-Barre tomorrow night before making the trip to Hershey for Friday’s clash.

Toronto is led in scoring by Alex Nylander, William’s little brother, who has 9 points in 7 games, along with teammate Jacob Quillian, who also has 9 points, but in 9 games. Former Bear Travis Boyd is on the Marlies roster this year. He has 5 points in 7 games, with four of those points being goals.

On Sunday, Hershey will have their first matchup with the Rochester Americans this season, with the Americans record at 7-3 as it stands, though that will change before Sunday as they have games Wednesday and Friday. The two oldest teams in the AHL always produce good games and this should be no different.

In good news for the Bears, Rochester’s co-points leader, Isak Rosen, is currently up with the Buffalo Sabres. But Rochester is still led by one of the best offensive defensemen in the AHL. Zac Jones has 12 points in 10 games, all assists, for Rochester, and he will be a major threat from the back end. Bear Nation will also have to watch to see who will play between the pipes for the Americans. Devon Levi has been one of the best goalies in the AHL in the first few weeks of the season. He is 5-0, with a .933 save percentage as of today, with one shutout.

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