The Hershey Bears added defenseman Dylan McIlrath after the Washington Capitals loaned him to the American Hockey League club. Hershey enters the week with a 6-4-0-0 record, third in the Atlantic Division.
The Hershey Bears will host the Hartford Wolf Pack Tuesday at GIANT Center before visiting the Springfield Thunderbirds for games Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7. The Tuesday game is scheduled for 7 p.m., followed by 7:05 p.m. and 6:05 p.m. starts in Springfield.
Dylan McIlrath Returns to the Hershey Bears
McIlrath appeared in four games this season with Hershey’s NHL affiliate before the Washington Capitals loaned him to the Bears. He previously played for Hershey from 2021-24 and captained the club to Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024.
McIlrath has 32 points, including seven goals and 25 assists, and 301 penalty minutes in 192 career games with Hershey. He previously played for both Hartford and Springfield.
Hershey Bears Weekly Schedule
The Hershey Bears will face the Hartford Wolf Pack at GIANT Center Tuesday at 7 p.m. Television coverage will be available on WPMT FOX43.2 Antenna TV, with video coverage on AHLTV on FloHockey and radio coverage on the GIANT Bears Radio Network.
Tuesday’s game will feature Milton Hershey School Takeover Night, with the first 5,000 fans receiving a wrapped chocolate bar. Milton Hershey School Scout Troop 75 also will collect nonperishable items for the Hershey Food Bank in partnership with Scouting America.
Hershey will then visit the Springfield Thunderbirds for two games. Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., and Saturday’s game will begin at 6:05 p.m. All listed times are Eastern.
Recent Results and Season Leaders
The Hershey Bears went 1-2 in their three most recent games. Hershey defeated Rochester 3-2 on Oct. 28, lost to Toronto 5-3 on Oct. 30 and fell to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 5-0 on Nov. 1.
Josh Dunne and Bogdan Trineyev lead Hershey with four goals each, while Andrew Cristall has nine assists and Spencer Smallman has 10 points. Louie Belpedio leads the club with a plus-six rating, and Cal Petersen has four wins, a 2.70 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage.
Trineyev leads the Bears with 32 shots and has two power-play goals and one shorthanded goal. Dunne leads Hershey with two game-winning goals, while Dunne and Smallman share the team lead with 25 penalty minutes.
Hershey Bears Against Hartford and Springfield
The Hershey Bears went 1-1-2-0 against the Hartford Wolf Pack last season, and the 2026-27 season series has expanded to six games. Andrew Cristall and Ilya Protas shared Hershey’s scoring lead against Hartford last season with eight points each.
Hershey went 2-2-0-0 against the Springfield Thunderbirds last season. Bogdan Trineyev and Henrik Rybinski led the Bears against Springfield with four points each.
Vincent Iorio could face Hershey for the first time since winning the Calder Cup in 2024. Hartford associate coach Bob Woods could coach against the Bears for the first time since serving as Hershey’s head coach during the 2009 Calder Cup championship, while Justin Nachbaur previously played two seasons with Hershey between 2024 and 2026.
South Carolina Stingrays Update
The Hershey Bears’ ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, opened the season 5-0-0-0 before splitting two games over the referenced weekend. South Carolina defeated Savannah 7-3, with Bears-contracted forward Alex Gaffney scoring his first professional goal, before losing to Atlanta 5-2.
Bears-contracted forward Cam Morrison was named the South Carolina Stingrays’ captain. Bogdan Trineyev is approaching his 100th AHL game, all with Hershey, while Matt Strome is one game away from his 200th game as a Bear.
Lynden Lakovic is tied for eighth in league rookie scoring with eight points, including three goals and five assists. Jacob MacDonald is tied for fourth among league defensemen in shots on goal with 29.
MSB Analysis
Dylan McIlrath returns to the Hershey Bears after appearing in four games with the club’s NHL affiliate this season. Hershey begins the week third in the Atlantic Division after going 1-2 in its three most recent games.
The Bears will play once at GIANT Center before traveling to Springfield for two games. Hershey’s leading contributors, including Andrew Cristall, Bogdan Trineyev, Spencer Smallman and Cal Petersen, will be central figures during the three-game schedule.
Source: Original report
